Montreal Gen Hosp area

[dollarman]

Hi to all!!

Anybody here currently working at Montreal Gen Hosp? I would like to know about the area and the people because I might be able to get a job in this hosp. I am from Vancouver and if ever hired, I will have to move by myself and live by myself. I have zero french speaking skills and will only start to learn the language from the free french class that will be offered by muhc if ever hired. I am hesitating to move because of the language barrier and the difficult transition that could happen.

1. Does the people in the area speak some english? how friendly are they? how rude are they?

2. Will I get ignored if I go to a grocery or mcdonalds to buy something using english???

All response will be really appreciated. Thanks Guys!

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

There are lots of people in Montreal who can speak English. The issue is more a case of "will they?" My experience living there quite a few years ago was that people were very pleasant until I opened my mouth. When I visited there a few months ago, I found I was still getting the evil eye when I spoke. Most of the time I let my daughter, who is fluently bilingual and has lived there for four years, do the talking. There are some areas where they're more accepting, such as parts of the South Shore, Notre-Dame-de-Grace, Westmount, Verdun and Pointe Claire. Try to stay away from the East Island.

[just4]

MGH operates in English. That does not mean that occasionally you will not run into patients or their family who will try to get you to speak French. I have never quite figured out why they chose an English speaking hospital in the first place. On the other hand, you can just as easily get patients from the far north who don't speak either English or French, or someone from some distant country. You work around that, but in OR you would not have that much contact.

By Quebec law, establishments have to approach you in French. Stand your ground, respond in English. They want your money and your business, and they quickly become bilingual.

[canadianpedsnurse]

I used to work at the MGH and I have to stay, pretty much every staff member speaks English and most are anglophone. Some staff, like pharmacy technicians and some nurses, orderlies are francophone but for the most part everyone is bilingual. Some days I only have French patients but many french patients are willing to try to understand your English and half the time doctors ask me to translate from English to French, so you could probably get the same kind of help if you really needed it.

Don't worry too much, Montreal is a great city and you will confront ignorant people who will greet you in French and only french, but I know people who have functioned in this city knowing a few sentences and words!