Migration History
Let us discuss how it is that you came to Canada.
How did you decide to come to Canada?
o What were the reasons to leave your home country?
o Were you always thinking about coming to Canada or did want to go elsewhere?
-Where?
What were the circumstances that brought you here?
o What was your financial situation?
o Did you migrate specifically to work in health/social care with the elderly?
o Do you feel it was entirely your decision to go abroad, or was it more a family or collective decision?
What were you told/what did you know about Canada by different people?
o What were your expectations?
o What were you planning on achieving?
When did you first start planning to migrate?
o What activities did you undertake prior to coming here? Probe about persons/agencies/organizations that helped and those that made this process difficult; i.e. immigration offices, embassies, professional regulatory bodies, recruitment agencies, provincial health recruiters, family, friends, colleagues, etc
How did you travel from your country of origin to Canada?
o Who sponsored your trip?
How long did you plan on staying here when you first came?? How long do you plan to stay now?
Employment History
Let us now discuss your employment history.
What is your informal/formal work experience prior to coming to Canada?
o Have you always worked in the health care or social work field?
o Have you always worked with elderly clients?
o Please tell me about the type of jobs you held back at home?
-Describe the challenges you faced. Have you ever worked abroad before as a health/social care worker (with the elderly)?
o Can you tell me more about your experiences? Is this the first time you left your country to look for work?
Probe to find out how many times they migrated before for work
o How long did you stay each time?
o Did you do this because you wanted to or because it was the only job you could get?
o Describe why you went back and how you decided to migrate again.
Now, I would like to talk about your work history in Canada.
Why did you look for work in health and social care for older people? (explore reasons for entering type of job and type of care setting they are working in)
o Describe all the different jobs you have had in this country.
-Can you tell me how you found this/these job/s?
o Did you come here through a recruitment agency?
-Could you tell me about the process of applying to the agency and for a job in Canada?
-Are you still in touch with the agency that arranged your work?
o If you did not go through a recruiter, who helped you to come to Canada?
o Did you draw upon informal networks?
Current Position
Let us now discuss your current position.
Describe a typical working day
o What are your hours of work?
o What are you responsible for doing at work?
-Do you feel that any of the activities you take on fall outside of your responsibilities?
o Do you feel your employment contract is fair?
-In respect to duration and employement conditions
o Are you satisfied with your current salary from your job?
o Are you paid the same rate as Canadian workers?
o How does salary and conditions compare to those in your home country?
o Tell me about the things you like most about your job.
-Is your current position satisfying?
-Does it meet your expectations?
o What, if anything, would you say is unique about care work?
-What makes a good nurse?
-What makes a bad nurse?
o Describe the challenges you face in your job.
Probe further about the context of their work including wages and working conditions.
Probe also about the content of their work, such as dealing with the death of someone in their care
-How do you cope with the death of an older person under your care?
-Are attitudes to death different in this country relative to your own country?
-What is your understanding of a good death for older peole?
-When someone is dying in your country, is the care any different to what they receive in Canada?
I would like to understand what kind of training is needed to do your job. Can you tell me more about your education history and training that prepared to do your current job?
o Do you think that your previous training before coming to Canada is adequate in your opinion to the tasks you’re given?
o What particular skills have been recognized or not recognized by formal organizations such as recruitment agencies, regulatory bodies, etc?
o What particular skills have been recognized or not recognized informally on a day-to-day basis by co-workers, clients, etc?
-Have there been any barriers to using your skills?
o I am also wondering whether you have received any on-the-job training at this facility/Are there opportunities for professional development?
-Can you describe the training? Probe for example for English language classes
-If you have not received any training support, would you like to receive training support, and if so, what kind?
(If you received some training, would you like to receive more?)
Relations at Work
Let us now discuss how you relate to people at work.
When you accepted the current job, can you tell me what you expected in terms of the type of work you would be asked to do, the characteristics of your employer, the relationship with your clients and with co-workers.
Tell me more about your employer.
o Describe the kind of person he/she is and discuss your relationship.
o What do you think your employer is looking for in an employee?
o Would you like to stay with the same employer or would you like to change employers?
-Describe the reasons you would like to stay with the current employer.
-Describe the reasons you would like to change employers.
I am curious about the elderly you work with.
o How many people do you take care of?
o How would you describe your attitude to ageing and older people?
o How would you describe people’s attitude in your home country towards ageing and older people?
o Do you think that this attitude is different in any way to that of Canadian people?
o Has your attitude changed since coming and working here?
o How are older people treated in this country versus your own country?
o In general what do you think are the positive and negative aspects of growing old in Canada?
o Where would you like to live when you are old?
o Describe the nature of the work you carry out with particular elderly clients.
-Do you work with elderly with special needs?
-If so, what kind and how do you feel about doing this kind of work?
o What do you think is the general attitude of older people to migrant workers?
o Do your client(s) ever express any feelings (positive or negative) about particular nationalities of carers?
o Do you like working with older people?
-Tell me why you like to work with older people.
-Have you developed a sense of companionship with your clients, that goes beyond typical carer-client relationships?
-Talk about any challenges you may have working with older people.
-Are you treated with respect and dignity by older people in your care?
Probe about issues related to language problems and discrimination.
-Have any of the elderly you have cared for complained about you or your care?
o Do you interact at all with family members? Tell me about some of your experiences with family members.
Tell me about your relationship with other workers at your workplace.
o Do the Canadian staff make you feel welcome?
o Are there any workers from your country here?
o What other places do they come from?
o Tell me how you spend your breaks and what you do during your lunch break.
o Can you tell me if you or any of your co-workers belong to a labor union?
Have you ever participated in union meetings or asked for any help from your union representative?
Work Settings
Let us now discuss your thoughts and experience across health and social care settings for the elderly.
Do you have experience of working in different settings?
Probe about private households, residential homes, home care agencies
How do these settings differ?
Are you familiar with the different regulations across these different settings and how do they impact on you?
o What impact do these have? Do you think that work setting has an impact on:
o Working conditions, such as
-Staffing/client contact
-Hours of employment (experiences of changes in hours of work, overtime/irregularity of hours, experiences of night shift work).
o Quality of care?
o If so, are these differences inherent in the setting or are they related to the different regulations there are in each setting?
o What do you think are the most important quality of life issues for older people living in long-stay care settings?
o How do you think you impact on the quality of life of older people in your care?
Impact of Status on Experiences
Let us now discuss how your status affects your experiences.
Do you think being a man/woman affects your immigration, employment, and integration experiences?
o If so, how?
o Do you think that working as a carer and having to take care of children at the same time is problematic for you?
Some people say ethnicity or visible minority status plays a part in the immigration, employment, and integration experience. Do you agree/disagree? (Can you tell me more about the reasons why you agree or disagree?)
Do you think your immigration status affects your employment experiences?
o Were you restricted to work for a particular employment?
-Do you think that these have an impact on patient care?
o Have your work experiences changed as your immigration status has changed?
-What about your opportunities for professional advancement?
Coping with Work and Status Demands
This is a very demanding job and I wonder what you do to relax after work. Describe the things you like to do after work.
o Tell me about your friends.
-Do you have any Canadian-born friends?
-How did you meet them? At work or some other way?
-How often do you get together with them?
We also know that the life of an immigrant is difficult and sometimes lonely. I would like to understand who you ask for help if you have a problem. Can you tell me about the last time you needed help with something and had to ask for help? Probe for examples of problems/issues, and who they go to for a particular kind of assistance.
o Are there any organizations serving immigrants and/or migrant health care workers in your neighborhood/city?
-Can you describe these agencies? Tell me about the times you went to such an organization to ask for assistance.
Overall, have your experiences of work in health/social care in Canada met your expectations?
Future
I would like you to think a little bit about the future now. I wonder if you could tell me where you think you will be in one, five or ten years.
o Do you think you will still be living in Canada?
o Do you think you will go back to your country of origin?
o Do you think you will be working in the same field?
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