international rural exchange canada farming agriculture saskatchewan manitoba alberta travel travelling exchange program agricultural livestock outbound inbound hosting travel the world discover canada host travellers ire canada anita warriner foster laurie fornwald horticulture horses cows beef learn educate education grow farm farming farmer What kind of placements do you offer in Canada? By far, most of our placements are on large crop farms (800-2000 hectares, or 2000-5000 acres). Many farms might also have some livestock or horses. We also have beef farms, dairy farms, and a few horticultural placements. On a some farms, we have the option of "Agri-Mix," which is when the trainee does some outdoors farm work, and some household work (like cooking, cleaning, childcare etc.). We do not have wine-making farms , but can help you to obtain a work permit if you have found your own placement at a winery. (In limited cases, we can help you get a work permit if you have found a Canadian farm on your own that wants to hire you.) What qualifications do I need? Trainees should have at least two years of experience in farming in order to apply. Practical experience in driving machinery is very important. It is not necessary that you are enrolled in a university or trade school to come to Canada. You will need a valid driver's license for your home country, as well as an International Driver's License to work as a trainee. Skills such as welding, or the ability to do machinery maintenance and small repairs are an asset but not a requirement. How much will I make while I am in Canada? For 2012, the basic hourly rate for trainees will be $10.50 per hour for 45 hours a week. Your host must take deductions of your cheque that the government of Canada requires (income tax, Employment Insurance, and Canada Pension Plan). Also, hosts take a small amount of your paycheque ($250) to pay for your food and lodging. (This amount is far less than what it would cost to live on your own, so it is a good deal for you). All in all, in 2012, inbound trainees will make approximately $1400 CAD per month in net pay. You can apply to get the income tax back that was deducted from your paycheque when you leave Canada. Unless you have also made money in your home country, you would probably get most of the income tax refunded to you. Do I need to be able to speak English? Yes, you need a good working ability to speak English before you arrive at your placement. We understand that your English won't be perfect when you arrive, but you need to be able to understand the instructions that your host will give you. It is possible to go to English school for 2-4 weeks before you are scheduled to go to your host. There are language schools in all of the big cities in Canada. Also, many local libraries provide weekly, informal language instruction if you want to keep improving your English while you are with your hosts. What is it like in Canada? Canada is a very large country, and many trainees enjoy the sense of space and the open landscapes. The prairies are a very flat area with lots of wide-open sky. Sometimes there are a few hills. You can see beautiful sunrises and sunsets and amazing clouds on a very regular basis. On some nights, you can see the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). Roads are straight and wide and easy to drive on. What are people like in Canada? People are generally very friendly in Canada and are interested in meeting new people and learning about other cultures. Many people in Canada are immigrants themselves, or have parents or grandparents that were immigrants. About 10 percent of the population in Canada are Aboriginal people, (also known as First Nations people). What kind of equipment would my host farm have? There is a wide variety of equipment on the farms that we offer. Some farms get new equipment regularly, but many farms in Canada keep their costs lower by maintaining older machinery. Quite often, there is a mix of older and newer equipment. Farms in Canada receive no money from the government, and have to very carefully manage their resources. Most crop farms would have four wheel driver tractors, airseeders, sprayers, swathers and combines. Beef and dairy farms would also own haying and fencing equipment. As a trainee, you might not drive all of the equipment. It would depend on your skill level and how careful you are with equipment. How do I get around in Canada? It is very important that you have a driver's license (and International Drivers License) and can drive well if you want to come to Canada as a trainee, because farms are far apart, and often quite far from town. Trainees often get a low cost car when they come to Canada. Your host can help find a suitable vehicle, and some hosts have trainee cars that they would allow you to lease over the course of the summer. Every farm is a little bit different in this way. Would I meet other trainees? If you are able to arrive in Canada by the middle of April, you would be able to attend our Annual Training and Orientation Seminar. In 2012, we will have one seminar in Brandon, Manitoba, and the other in Edmonton Alberta. You would attend whichever seminar is closest to your host farm. In June, we have a trainee Fun Weekend at Kenosee Lake, Saskatchewan, which gives trainees a chance to socialize, do a farm visit, and attend a large farm exhibition, the Farm Progress Show in Regina. What about holidays? Trainees in Canada for at least six months are able to take three weeks of unpaid holidays in Canada. Most hosts prefer that those holidays be taken in July, but sometimes other months are better. Often, trainees take holidays together and visit the Rocky Mountains and the West Coast, or Niagara Falls and larger cities such as Toronto, Ottawa or Montreal. Canada is such a large country that it would take at least 8 days just to drive across the country, not allowing much time for stops. It is usually best to plan on visiting one region of the country. Some trainees also like to take their holidays in the United States. If you are from a Western European country, or Australia or New Zealand, you do not need a visa to enter the United States as a tourist. What would my living accommodations be like? Most trainees in Canada live on the farmyard with the host family. Many would have a room in the family home, and some would have a separate house or trailer. Meals are usually eaten with the family, but occasionally, trainees are responsible for some of their own cooking. How much does it cost to come to Canada? You would not pay us directly, but would pay our partner organization in your home country. Our portion of the fees that you would pay would be $800 Canadian dollars. You would also pay a fee to the partner organization in your country, as well as your airfare and health insurance. You may also want to get travel insurance. To find out what the exchange rate is for your home country currency and Canada, click here. Just to give you an idea of how farm money goes, a loaf of bread would cost about $3.00, a beer at a bar would be about $4.00, a CD or DVD would cost about $20, and a litre of gasoline costs about $1.30. Can women apply? Most definitely! Although there are some host families that prefer to have male trainees, there are quite a few hosts that are very happy to have female trainees. Some of these are farms where the trainee does all outside work, such as driving machinery and yard maintenance. Some hosts are looking for female trainees who might do some home management work, such as cooking, cleaning, food preservation and childcare, as well as some outdoor work such as driving equipment. What if I don't like my host? We have a trainee Contact Coordinator that would contact you and your host regularly by phone or email to see things are going. Often, differences between hosts and trainees can be worked out with increased communication. If there is a personality conflict that cannot be solved, we would try to send you to another placement. However, if you have been dishonest about your ability or experience you might be dismissed from the program rather than sent to another placement. We expect trainees to give their placement a fair chance and to make every effort to be a good ambassador for their home country. Sometimes it takes a while to adjust to a new culture and new ways of doing things. How do I apply? First, check to see if we have a partner in or near your home country. For a list of our partners, click here. You will need to contact one of our partners in order to obtain the application, which they can email to you. You cannot directly apply with IRE Canada – you must go through one of our partner organizations

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