Canada: Work experience

Work placements and internships

Work placements and internships operate in a similar way to full-time work; you will still be required to apply for the relevant work permit and visa. The one exception to this are foreign healthcare students who can do their clinical clerkships or do short-term work in Canada without a work permit if the main purpose of the work is to acquire training. Students must have written approval from the Canadian regulatory board responsible for their occupation, and their training practicum should not exceed four months.

Exchange programmes

These include:

• AIESEC (Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales)  - a student-run organisation that offers an international internship exchange programme providing work experience for anything between 6 weeks and 18 months;
• IAESTE (The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience)  - offers paid, course-related placements starting in the summer for undergraduates of science, engineering, technology and applied arts courses. Most placements last for 6-12 weeks, although some longer placements of up to one year may be available.

Teaching schemes

For more information on teaching in Canada, visit the Canadian Teachers’ Federation . If you are interested in teaching English as a second or foreign language, the TESL Canada Federation  is a good network for ESL teachers.

Volunteering

Working as a volunteer can help your employability by giving you Canadian work experience, allowing you to practise English or French, expanding your network and developing valuable contacts in your sector of interest, finding potential references and demonstrating your skills and hard work to future potential employers. There are certain cases when volunteer work by foreign nationals may need a work permit and/or a Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) confirmation. For more information about volunteering as a foreign student or visitor visit the Citizenship and Immigration Canada  website.

You can learn more about volunteering opportunities in Canada by visiting Volunteer Canada  for an overview of volunteering as well as a directory of volunteering centres in each province.

Casual work, short-term and gap year opportunities

The Canadian government offers the International Experience Canada programme to UK citizens aged between 18 and 30. There are two Working Holiday schemes available, which allow young travellers visiting Canada the opportunity to engage in short-term work/internships to supplement any travel expenses they may incur. Further information on this programme is available on the Canadian High Commission  website.

BUNAC Work Canada  is a programme which is aimed at anyone aged 18-30 wanting to work in Canada for 3 to 12 months.