jaspriet said:
Hi
I am planning to study a Post Graduate course of 2 years in Canada in Business Management or Hospitality or Tourism Management. I want to know that
is it a good idea to join a co op program because I want to join " Business Management (International Intake) " or " Hospitality Management (International Intake) " at
Lambton College and fees of one Co op semester is just $198 and total 2 year fees is around $18500 .
Please suggest me if I should choose a Co op program or not.
i always recommend getting into a program with a co-op option for a variety of reasons:
1. it helps you get "canadian" work experience
2. It helps you get work experience in your area of study
3. paid co-ops can help you with finances
4. if you are a good employee, co-op employers will usually hire you as a permanent employee after graduation
Also, if co-op is a mandatory part of the program, it extends your education time. so a 2 year program will take a couple of extra semesters to complete because of co-op. also, you cannot graduate untill you have finished your co-op part of the program.
Getting a co-op job is very much like getting any other job, you have to prepare a good resume etc and go through interviews. although ,its intimidating but its good practice for post-grad job hunting. Also, expectations are a lot less in co-op job interviews. Professionalism is the key.
Getting a co-op job will depend on your school to some extent. you only have access to the job listings that are advertised through your school. some schools have a very good co-op program, some don't. It will also depend on your program and the labour market situation.
as far as competing with other students, thats just part of the game. although i dont think being a citizen or not is big factor (unless the job advertises which is usually the case in jobs that have anything to do with government data).
Also, sometimes you can look for co-ops on your own (not advertised through your school) if you can get the employer and the school to agree for that.
