Work and Study Canada

Not at all! The only requirement to be accepted in a Co-op program with us is to have an intermediate level of English and High School education. Remember, you will not be studying English per se, you will be studying subjects in English, so you must be able to communicate and understand English to start.

Even though a University degree is not required to access the program, the majority of our participants have already graduated back home and want to improve their English in a professional environment while experiencing Canada.

No. Co-op programs are an affordable way to gain education and work experience in Canada, but can not be compared to a University or Master’s degree program here. The tuition fees and admission processes are completely different. Our Co-op programs are aimed for those interested in working in Canada while gaining education, but don’t want to commit to a University program right away. Many participants use the Co-op program to get ready for University as a next step in Canada.

As an international student, you can work up to 20 hours per week while you study and full-time during breaks, such as the summer and winter holidays, and spring break.

Once your Co-op starts, you will add your co-op hours on top of the 20 hours that you are already allowed to work. Check with our team how many hours you must complete during your Co-op program of interest, so that you know exactly how many hours you will be able to work during the second half of your program.

No! You can work off campus as you will have an open work permit, which means that you can change your job during your program. The 20 hours that you are allowed to work as an international student are to help you pay-off your expenses while studying in Canada.

Yes, always! The Co-op programs are built so that you can work while you complete your study component of the program. This will allow you to earn money from day one and start to get Canadian work experience, even before your co-op experience.

Our programs run for 12 or 24 months. Please note that there are no Co-op programs in Canada below a six month duration, as you are not allowed to work in Canada for programs below that time frame.

You will need a study permit and co-op work permit. You are going to be an international student enrolled in a Co-op program, where work experience is mandatory to graduate. For this reason IRCC will require you to have a valid co-op work permit.

When you apply for your study permit, the application will have questions regarding your “work component” so you must be sure that you select that the work experience will be required for you to graduate, so you can apply for both permits at the same time. When our participants land in Canada they receive both: study and co-op work permit. This is because we work only with colleges that are recognized by the Department of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada as a Designated Learning Institution.

A co-op means that your program has work experience as a required part of your academic program. This means that you cannot graduate unless you complete the work experience. As an international student, your co-op work permit cannot form more than 50% of the total program of study.

Your work experience and job is guaranteed! We will ensure you land a job that will be approved for the co-op component of your program. As we are a work experience provider, we take care of that part, whereas with other Co-op programs, you might need to find the opportunity yourself.

Yes. Your co-op or work experience component will require you to log a certain number of hours and must be paid. But don’t forget that this will be a learning experience and an opportunity for your professional development, not only an opportunity for financial gain. The idea of the work experience is to get your foot in the door in the Canadian job market!

No, our Co-op programs do not provide PGWP after graduation. Do not confuse a two year Co-op program – where you study and work for one year and just work during your second year – with a PGWP. Please refer to the IRCC website to review which DLIs in Canada offer programs with access to PGWP.

There are so many! You will get hands-on work experience in Canada, increase and develop contacts in your industry of interest, get international references and get to know the job market in your industry!