Expatriate engineer in Canada: the story of Nicolas Reinhart

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Let's meet a new French expatriate who arrived in Montreal in 2020. Find out why and how he decided to move to Canada.

🎙HelloNicolas, can you start by introducing yourself in a few words?

🙋🏽 My name is Nicolas Reinhart, I am 31 years old and I am currently a senior vision designer for Cadence Automation, a Canadian company.

I am in the exact same position as I was in France, so I was very well suited for the new position in Canada. Basically, I am a robotics and mechatronics engineer. I wasn't destined to do vision, I've been around a bit!

I did a little mechatronics in R&D. In the automotive industry, I did mechanical design and finally I found a company that did machine vision and I liked it.

After 3 years, I decided to move to the United States with my partner.

What studies did you do in France?  

I studied atENIB, an engineering school in Brest where I specialized in mechatronics. I did a 5-year course.

And today, what type of work permit do you have in Canada?  

I am waiting for my Working Holiday Permit (WHP) for Canada.

🎙Let's talka little about your work experience.

How long have you been working from the United States?  

I officially arrived in Boston 2 ? years ago and have been working here for 2 years. It's been 6 months since I was recruited by Talentech to work for a company in Quebec.

What does your work consist of on a daily basis?  

So to simplify it a little bit, my job is to find the best technical solution based on machine vision to help the customers. When customers want to control a product, I have to build an architecture to control the product with vision, for example with cameras that will come and take pictures. It is very technical!

Above all, you have to keep abreast of the new technologies emerging on the market. You really have to be on top of it!

What's practical in Quebec is that all the information about what's new on the market is translated into French. This is very practical for non-English speakers or those who have difficulty with English.

For example, my main camera supplier has a French-speaking translator who will translate everything so that we understand and this allows us to stay informed. Afterwards, even if it is not essential, English is still highly recommended since we also have clients in areas of Canada where French is not spoken at all.

Are your job duties here different from your previous job in France? If so, in what way?

That's the point. I would say that my job is 90% the same as my previous job. The 10% difference is that I do slightly less technical work and slightly more sales work. So I am now a little closer to the customers.

I find this positive because it helps me to communicate, something I wasn't used to doing before and wasn't very comfortable with, so I'm making progress.

That's why it worked so well in my new job. My employer knew I had experience, and I knew what I was getting into. - Nicolas Reinhart

And how would you say the pandemic has impacted your work? How has your company adapted to the pandemic?  

I think one positive thing that the pandemic has brought is telecommuting. We realized that it wasn't that bad.

It allows me to see more clients in a day, without having to travel. I'm more productive, so I think it's a good thing the company allowed telecommuting.

Two years ago, the company probably wouldn't have allowed an employee to work remotely. Now, the company has adapted well and this has benefited me, since I can work from Boston.

However, I have less social life and social interaction since I can't see my co-workers. I look forward to coming to Canada to meet them. I think it is necessary to have activities outside of work to relax!

What are the differences between the way of working in America and in France?

In America, the mentality is different in many ways. For example, in France, everything is more refined; whereas in America, it is the opposite, everything has to be the biggest, the most expensive, the loudest.

No, here, money is not taboo at all. It's good to earn money and show it off, whereas in France, I think it's not so good to show it off, you always have to hide it.

Otherwise, in the professional environment, I feel that it is warmer. When we meet clients, we are on first-name terms, we are not very polite because when we do, people often react.

I find it quite amusing to see the differences in culture between countries!

🎙Now we'd like to know more about your experience with Talentech.  

What is your relationship with the Talentech team?  

I have a very good relationship with Talentech. The proof is that I accept to do an interview for you, whereas I am not usually comfortable with this kind of exercise.

I keep in regular contact with the team, whether it's for the progress of my visa, to ask questions or when I'm contacted. The whole team is always very available, even during the weekend, by messages.

Finally, with Talentech it's warm, we're on first-name terms, we send each other text messages. It's a very good relationship and a very good experience! - Nicolas Reinhart

How was the hiring process with Talentech for you?  

The hiring process is very different from what we can find in France. Between the first phone call from Gabriel and the promise of employment from the Canadian company, it took 1 week or 1 ½ weeks, whereas it would have taken several months in France, which was extremely fast!

In concrete terms, the hiring process took place in several steps: Gabriel from Talentech first sent me a message on LinkedIn to see if I was interested in a position.

I replied that I was interested and he called me an hour or two later to discuss it. I sent him my resume and 2 days later, I had a meeting with Cadence Automatisation. Then, 1 week later, I had a promise of employment from the company.

So it was very fast and efficient!

What do you think of the support offered by Talentech?  

I have nothing but positive things to say about the hiring process. It is very fast and efficient. It also allows you to avoid the 3 months of notice that you may have in France, and therefore to avoid the discomfort of having to continue working with your colleagues when everyone knows that you are leaving. I like it as much as it goes quickly!

Otherwise, I must admit that there was a little problem with my VISA, but it was beyond Talentech's control, so I really have nothing to say.

What advice would you give to someone who is still hesitating to come to North America?  

It's a bit of a difficult subject, because at the beginning I didn't think about leaving France. I had a good job, a good salary, all my friends and family there. It was my wife who pushed me to leave.

In the end, the most difficult thing is to start and to leave in the unknown. After a few months, there are only positive points so I think you shouldn't hesitateThere's not much to lose. - Nicolas Reinhart

Many people want to go abroad, but few make the effort to do so.

In fact, even if you fail, it's not serious, you may lose a little time, 6 months or even a year, but in the end it's not even time lost, because you learn a lot professionally and about yourself.

Of course, at the beginning, it can be disorienting, but in the end you end up with twice as many friends and acquaintances as before. You discover and are enriched by another culture. It's also great for your resume.

🎙Thenon the cultural experience side...  

You seem to enjoy the United States, but are you looking forward to moving to Canada?  

Definitely! I can't wait to be able to leave once the border reopens.

I can't wait to meet my colleagues that I only know by video for now. I can't wait to see a winter in Canada, even if I might regret it haha, and then to try the sugar shack! Everyone is talking about it!

What were your biggest fears before you left and your expectations of the job?  

To emigrate to the United States, I was afraid of the language barrier and of not finding a job. Now, for Canada, I don't really have a language problem!

The Canadian culture, even if it is different from the French culture, can still resemble it in some aspects. So I don't have many fears.

It's true that I don't know what to expect regarding the cost of living. I think it's a little cheaper in Canada than in the United States, so I'm not too worried.

What is the difference with France?  

Well, not much so far. Oh yes, there are differences with the language! I thought I could understand 100% of what a Quebecer said, but it turned out that I couldn't.

At first I couldn't understand what they were saying because of the accent, expressions and turns of phrase.

Now I'm used to it!

It's also true in the other direction because sometimes they don't understand me completely. I thought I could speak French that everyone could understand, but I was surprised that I couldn't!

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Are you interested in the Canadian adventure? Do you want to discover Canada and more particularly Quebec? Go ahead and join the Talenteam!

You too are looking for a job like Nicolas in vision design, apply on our offer here. Talentech will accompany you in obtaining your job, your immigration process and your relocation to Quebec.

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>> Canada, ranked the most welcoming country in the world for immigration

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