By now, you’ve probably already heard from other students of some of the benefits of having an international experience. But do employers place a high value on an international experience? This article includes an interview with Amy Lee, Co-ordinator for Simon Fraser University International Co-op.
Recent McMaster University anthropology and communications graduate Erika Strong discusses the dos and don’ts, and the ups and downs, of teaching English abroad.
Through AIESEC’s international exchange program, University of Calgary accounting student Irina Lipskaia found a teaching position in Kiev, Ukraine, teaching various levels of English to university students, businessmen and even young children at a summer camp.
Engineers Without Borders is a Canadian organization made up of passionate people who are tackling the complex challenges of development. EWB harnesses the skills and creativity of the Canadian engineering sector to find practical solutions to extreme poverty.
Alvaro Ipanaque had served leadership roles with AIESEC for five years before going on his first exchange. Coming from Lima, Peru, he came here to Calgary not for the weather, not for the skiing, not for the Stampede, but for the job opportunity.
How my encounter with the charming Jessie Staniland at the Dundas Valley School of Art helped me to understand my obsession with becoming an international exotic outcast and, at the same time, reinvigorated my pride in Canada and its education institutions.
It’s a tricky balance, but for those students who manage to use their ‘international student status’ to its full potential, it can lead to substantial career benefits later on. And it’s a learning process that can begin right from the start of your university experience – or, for some, even before.
In general, if you are: 1) a full-time international student, 2) registered at an officially authorized university or college, and 3) are in possession of a valid study permit, then you can qualify to legally work in Canada.
As an international student or recent grad hoping to break into the Canadian job scene for the first time, keep in mind that being different is okay, but you should still be prepared to be flexible and understand the unique traits that make Canadian work culture what it is.
Many students are taking a semester or more to study abroad in a different country. Students usually receive credits at their home university for their time abroad. Studying abroad usually costs more money, is more timely and involves jetting off to foreign places. So why are students so interested in studying abroad? And does it impress future employers?
Jennifer Mansell, a fourth-year honours co-op environment and business student at the University of Waterloo, recently completed a work term in Costa Rica at the Centre for Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Learning, where she learned to slow down and live the “pure life.”
An increasing number of Canadian educational institutions are opening up campuses abroad. York University’s Schulich School of Business, for example, has a campus in Mumbai, India, and has plans to open a new campus in Hyderabad.