Seeking work
abroad

Search for international jobs

Search for international jobs

There are several ways to search for international jobs:

• Log in to the Co-op job board to look for international jobs. To apply, you’ll follow the regular co-op hiring process. Co-op coordinators update the job board regularly with new listings, so check back often!
• Check out jobs on Going Global, a database available to all members of the UVic community with a Netlink ID. It provides information on countries and companies and offers job postings in more than 25 countries. Also, check out the latest newsletter from Going Global, which features the latest information on a variety of international employment issues, legal requirements, work permit changes, cultural advice, and more. UVic students, alumni, faculty and staff are welcome to use Going Global, which is sponsored by UVic Co-op and Career.
• View options available for volunteering or interning abroad on the Career Services section of our site.
• Search for international jobs by country on the Career Services section of our site.

If you’re already on an academic exchange in a foreign country and you’d like to work in that country, connect with the overseas offices of Canadian companies by joining and networking at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in your exchange city. You can also read local English-language newspapers (most have websites!), and the websites of any multinational company located where you will be. Then, contact your co-op coordinator for help with your next steps.

International service learning

International service learning

Co-op and Career has partnered with two organizations called Lattitude Canada and Uniterra to offer international service learning opportunities to our co-op students. 

1. Lattitude Canada: Lattitude Canada, a division of Lattitude Global Volunteering, is an international volunteer organization that offers international service learning positions to students in several countries. Through our agreement with Lattitude Canada:
   • if you've successfully completed a Lattitude placement, you may be able to use your Lattitude placement experience to gain credit for one co-op work term when you join the UVic Co-op Program.
   • if you're already a UVic Co-op student, you may (with program permission) undertake a co-op work term with Lattitude Canada at a reduced cost.
2. Uniterra: Uniterra is a joint initiative by World University Service of Canada (WUSC) and the Centre of International Studies and Cooperation (CECI). Through the Uniterra program, you can access international service learning opportunities in 13 countries. CIDA funds this program and will cover many of your Uniterra travel costs.

   You can explore funding options on our funding page. For more information, please contact Co-op and Career’s international coordinator at intlcoop@uvic.ca.

Co-op
exchanges

There are several exchange opportunities available to UVic co-op students. Explore these options below, and be sure to check the "Before you leave" and "Returning to Canada" tabs for details on how to prepare. Questions? Contact the international co-op coordinator at intlcoop@uvic.ca.

Exchange partners

Exchange partners

UVic has co-op exchange agreements with several institutions. Through our exchange program, we place UVic co-op students in work terms in our partner institutions’ countries, while their co-op students come to study and/or work in Canada.

Our current co-op exchange partners include:

• Brunel University, UK (Biochemistry, Microbiology, Chemistry)
• University of Surrey, UK (Biochemistry, Microbiology, Chemistry)
• University of Waikato, New Zealand (Biochemistry, Microbiology)
• Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (TUMSAT), Japan (Physics)

Faculties of Science, Social Sciences and Humanities

• Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Brazil
• Universidad de Desarollo (UDD), Chile
• Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW), Germany (Social Sciences)

Faculty of Humanities

• Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Malaysia (Women's Studies)
• Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW), Germany (Germanic and Slavic Studies)

Faculty of Education

• Université de Valenciennes, France (Kinesiology)

Gustavson School of Business

• Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW), Germany
• City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Faculty of Engineering:

• Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Brazil
• Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW), Germany (CANEU-COOP program)
• FH Joanneum, Austria (CANEU-COOP program)

To learn more about any of these co-op exchange options, please contact Co-op and Career's international coordinator at intlcoop@uvic.ca.

CANEU CO-OP

CANEU CO-OP

We’ve teamed up with the University of Waterloo and two European universities to launch the CANEU-COOP exchange project.

Through this program, UVic and UWaterloo co-op students can travel to the FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences in Austria and the Baden-Wuerttemberg Co-operative State University in Germany and complete co-op work terms at companies in these countries.

How to qualify

To qualify for CANEU-CO-OP, you must:

• be an undergraduate co-op student currently in your third or fourth year of study at UVic
• be willing to complete an introductory course in German language before your departure or at the beginning of your placement period in Europe. This may be arranged by the partner institution at a location in Germany
• qualify for the positions posted for the CANEU-COOP project at UVic
• be willing to compete for the positions available with other co-op students who qualify for the positions and apply for them
• be recommended by your coordinator 
• be willing to participate in the research and evaluation components of this project
• be on campus (on an academic term) during the September to December term (speak with you’re the international coordinator if you have a conflict)
• not have participated in a previous CANEU-COOP exchange 

• UVic co-op students can apply to positions labelled “CANEU-CO-OP Project” on the Co-op and Career portal. Positions are generated by the partner institutions in Austria and Germany and are with companies in these countries.

Your application must include:

• a résumé that includes a passport size photograph, or accompanied by a passport sized photograph (you can e-mail this separately to your coordinator if the job application system does not allow you to upload a photograph)
• a cover letter explaining clearly how you qualify for the job
• transcripts

The twinning concept

A unique feature of this project is the "twinning" concept.

Once you’re selected to go on exchange through the CANEU-COOP program, you will be matched with a 'buddy' from a European partner institution who will be coming to Canada for an academic term at your institution. This buddy will be referred to as your 'twin', and will be your twin during your co-op work term in Europe.

This 8-month twinning model is designed to provide both twins an opportunity to provide support to each other during their respective exchange terms. It is also an opportunity to develop long-term alliances with each other.

Exchange opportunity with the University of Surrey (UK)

Exchange opportunity with the University of Surrey (UK)

Learn about how this program works, and the advantages of this exchange in the following video:

Canada-Japan Co-op Program

Canada-Japan Co-op Program

The Canada-Japan Co-op Program connects Canadian engineering and science undergraduate students with Japanese businesses. This program can enhance your academic studies in Canada with valuable work experience at a Japanese company. The Canada-Japan Co-op Program is administered by the University of British Columbia (UBC), but students can view the postings on our co-op job postings system.

To learn more, please review the website above and contact Co-op and Career’s international coordinator with your questions.

Before you
leave

What to do before you leave

What to do before you leave

Before you leave on an international work term, you’ll need to:

1. Review:
   • student guidelines for international work terms and the
   • pre-departure checklist
2. Complete, sign and submit:
   • contact information form and the
   • work term agreement and waiver of liability form
3. Complete one of these pre-departure orientation courses:
   • attend a pre-departure orientation session offered by UVic Co-op and Career's international coordinator, OR
   • attend a Faculty of Business pre-departure orientation session (only if you’re a Business Co-op student going on an international academic exchange before your international work term).
   • complete a two-part online orientation course consisting of:
     1. DepartSmart, a travel education course that provides cross-cultural workplace information on etiquette, holidays, language and other international topics, and
     2. a travel safety course offered by the Canadian University Reciprocal Insurance Exchange (CURIE) that will test you on international travel safety. To take this test, contact Co-op and Career’s international coordinator at intlcoop@uvic.ca.
   • Also register with Foreign Affairs and International Trade's Registration of Canadians Abroad service. This service is provided so that Foreign Affairs officers can contact and assist you in an emergency in a foreign country, such as a natural disaster or civil unrest, or inform you of a family emergency at home.
4. Arrange for banking and health coverage: At UVic, health insurance additional to the MSP coverage is mandatory. If you travel without insurance, you accept the responsibility for all medical expenses that you incur during your exchange. You must therefore make sure that your health insurance covers you during travel, as well as during your stay in the other country. Your insurance should be comprehensive enough to cover any medical/dental costs you may incur during your stay out of Canada. In some cases, the exchange institution will require that you participate in their health insurance coverage. You can save some money by opting out of the UVSS Extended Health and Dental Plan through the UVSS website from September 1 to 30 every year.
5. Set up your debrief session: When you return from your exchange, you'll be required to meet with the international co-op coordinator for a scheduled debrief session. See the "Returning home" tab for details.

Securing a work permit

Securing a work permit

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada’s International Experience Canada offers youth mobility programs to 21 countries by facilitating temporary work permits in participating countries. Follow these steps to see if Canada has mobility agreements with your country of interest and then look up the work permit application process for that country. You may also go through the Student Work Abroad Program (SWAP), which can help you secure a work permit through these mobility agreements.

Working in the US

To work in the US, you’ll need a J-1 visa. To apply, contact Cultural Vistas. SWAP can also provide J-1 authorizations for work terms between May and October. To learn more, read our fact sheet about J-1 visas.

Working in Australia

To work in Australia, you’ll need an occupational trainee visa. First, your employer must apply, get approval for sponsoring the visa, and send you the approval number, which you’ll use to apply for your Australian visa.

Working in the United Kingdom

To work in the UK, you must apply for a work permit through the Youth Mobility Scheme. For tips, review this fact sheet written by a student who applied for a UK work permit through this scheme.

Funding opportunities

Funding opportunities

There are several funding options for students interested in working abroad.

1) UVic Co-op and Career options

UVic Co-op and Career may be able to help cover your international work term costs through the following funding options. For specific deadlines, please contact your co-op coordinator.

• Graham Branton Endowment Award: This fund supports international placements that provide excellent learning opportunities but little salary. To apply, review the guidelines and download the application form or complete our online application form. Deadline is usually the third week of the third month of the term before placement.
• Thouvenelle Co-op Scholarship: UVic Co-op awards the Thouvenelle scholarship to undergraduate and graduate students who engage in work terms related to community development or service learning. Eligibility is based on the nature of the work term, your grade-point average and financial need. No application is required—we’ll contact you if you’re selected for this scholarship.
• Abebooks International Co-op Award: This $600 grant is awarded to a business or computer science co-op student embarking on an international work term. To apply, download the criteria and application form. Deadline is generally the third Wednesday of November.

2) Options available through other UVic offices

• Office of International Affairs 
  • Student International Activities Fund
  • One World Scholarships and Pacific Horizons Scholarships
  • Information on other grants is also available
• Student Awards and Financial Aid: This office can help you look into funding options offered by UVic, including grants, prizes, scholarships and bursaries. They can also point you in the right direction to find external sources of financial aid.

3) External funding databases

• Students going on work terms to Germany can apply for the DAAD undergraduate scholarship to fund their international co-op term. Deadline for application is January 31st. Students wanting to go on a work term beginning September 2012 or January 2012 can apply for this funding. Please see the FAQs on the site for details.
• Community of Science Funding Database: COS Funding Opportunities lists over 400,000 funding opportunities worth over $33 billion. You can access this subscription service through any computer on campus. 
• International Scholarships database: A database of grants, scholarships, loan programs and other resources to help you work and study abroad.

Returning
home

Once you've returned to UVic, you'll need to do the following:

1. Submit your work term report to your co-op coordinator before the deadline
2. Attend a pre-scheduled debriefing session with the international co-op coordinator: These debrief session are mandatory and should have been arranged prior to your departure. Email intlcoop@uvic.ca to confirm the time and date for your session. You’ll need to have this meeting within the first month of your return.

Student
stories

Here are just a few stories of students who have done international co-op work terms: 

• Chida Henry (biology) spent a work term with Environmental Women in Action for Development (EWAD) in Uganda
• Danielle Grenier (political science) worked for the Carter Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, USA
• Kate Dearden (political science) spent a term as an intern for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) in India. She was based in Delhi, but travelled to different field locations around the country to learn about "development" in India and conduct her own research on political devolution.
• Esther Carmona Wagner (biology) travelled to Mexico to work for El Refugio de Potosí, a ecological park dedicated to preserving the flora and fauna of the region. She cared for animals, gave guided tours, and even trained birds of prey.
• Duncan Penfold (computer science) worked as a software research assistant for Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Not only did he enjoy the pubs and quaint towns, the work term also led to a job offer after Duncan's graduation.
• Chris Rivers (law) completed a volunteer clerk internship with the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, participating in the trials of Rwandan war criminals. Chris moved to Arusha, Tanzania with the help of the UVic Co-op and Career Thouvenelle scholarship for students working abroad.