Canadian Internships and Working Holidays in Canada

  Canada

Abbotsford,  Banff,  Barrie,  Calgary,  Canmore,  Edmonton,  Guelph,  Halifax,  Hamilton,  Jasper,  Kamloops,  Kelowna,  Kingston,  Kitchener,  Lethbridge,  London,  Mississauga,  Montreal,  Niagara Falls,  Oakville,  Ottawa,  Peterborough,  Quebec City,  Richmond,  Saskatoon,  St. John's,  Surrey,  Thunder Bay,  Tofino,  Toronto,  Vancouver,  Victoria,  Waterloo,  Whistler,  Windsor,  Winnipeg,  Yellowknife

Term: Academic Year, Fall, Spring, Summer, Throughout the year, Trimester, Winter 
Length of Position: 2-18 months
Dates: all year round

Description: Citizens of the following countries can participate: Australia, New Zealand, Eire, Great Britain, Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Czech Rep., Latvia, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Poland, Chile, Korea, Rep.

3 options available:
- Unpaid Professional Internship
- Paid Professional Internship
- Paid City or Resort Job/ Working Holiday

Unpaid Professional Internship:

University students and recent graduates are suitable for unpaid professional internships in different areas other than Medical service field. The most popular industries and areas are Engineering, Business Administration, Event Management, Graphic Design, IT, Marketing, Tourism, Accounting, Law, Fashion, Media, Logistics, Art and Culture, etc.

The minimum internship commitment is 8 weeks, usually 12 weeks. Candidates will need to understand that companies accepting interns put in time and company resources to get them going in the beginning and throughout the internship. Given that the internship is unpaid, interns might feel like internship is only beneficial to the company but it is not entirely true. The greatest cost for any company in North America is staff hiring and training. It is an investment that both an intern and a company are making to exchange certain values and this is why Immigration Canada considers even the unpaid professional internship as "work" and "employment" in Canada.

After starting an unpaid internship, based on intern's performance, it is possible that the company decides to change the terms and conditions of the internship to an hourly or weekly stipend. However, this is never guaranteed in the beginning and asking for assurance will only make the company feel pressured and uncomfortable.

Paid Professional internship Stipend based:

Even though the current economy in Canada and around the world is tight, companies are still hiring but competition is strong and the availability of openings is limited. As a small number of stipend based professional internships offered, we are making a careful screening and candidate selection.

Paid professional internships are currently available in Hospitality and Culinary industries for applicants with appropriate backgrounds; they are also available in the field of International Business for candidates with an advanced or fluent level of English and who speak a second language that may be valuable to the Canadian business trend. The candidates must have strong office administration skills as well as great previous experience in the business field of several or more years in a home country or other countries.

Candidates can expect CAD200 to CAD350 a week as a stipend, although some cases we have seen, as high as CAD15 to CAD17 hour. We do not recommend that an applicant expects and makes any financial plan according to the high end of rare end of remuneration as economy is not likely to support such a plan set based on the high end.

Paid City or Resort Job / Working Holiday:

Sectors: Restaurants, Retail, Bars, Fast Food, British Columbia Resorts, Alberta Resorts, Ontario Resorts. Jobs usually change every season, but popular jobs are: server (avg. pay CAD9/hour), shop clerk (avg. pay CAD9/hour), supermarket clerk (avg. pay CAD9/hour), hotel housekeeper (avg. pay CAD11/hour), food counter attendant (avg. pay CAD9/hour), guest service, spa attendant, lift operator, deli clerk (starting from USD8/hour).
The jobs offered do not include office positions or 'professional' level work. We can arrange unpaid professional internships (please refer to Unpaid Professional Internships section) if interested in this kind of placement. For resort jobs, Summer Season starts in May and Winter Season starts in November. Hiring is typically done 2-3 months before work period, and the season staff is expected to work at least 4 months.

Highlights: Services for all the options above include:
- phone interview before arrival (if outside Canada) to determine expectations and English level;
- initial consultation upon arrival;
- 1:1 interview training after arrival;
- resume support and company search;
- follow-up with an intern and an employer.

Qualifications: Citizens of the following countries can participate: Australia, New Zealand, Eire, Great Britain, Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Czech Rep., Latvia, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Poland, Chile, Korea, Rep.

Cost in US$: 800-1200

If extra English language study required before starting an internship, help with admission process to a language school in Canada is free.

Services include:

- phone interview before arrival to determine expectations and English level;
- initial consultation upon arrival;
- 1:1 interview training;
- resume support and company search;
- follow-up with an intern and an employer.

Additional fees:

- Pre-arrival internship arrangement and a letter issuance fee: + 100.00 CDN + 45.00 CDN for shipment of an offer letter;
- Services leading to the placement in any city other than Vancouver or Toronto: + 100.00 CDN.

* Pre-arrival placement letter is required for certain types of visas. Please consult the official web-site of the Canadian consulate servicing your country.

Accommodation services available:

Airport pre-arranged shuttle + 3 nights hostel - 110 CDN
Airport personal pickup + 4 weeks homestay - 1000 CDN

Hostel package includes 3 nights stay in dorm/shared room, breakfast, bus transfer pass from airport to downtown; additional night accommodation costs start from 25 CDN.

Homestay placement includes personal airport pick up and drop off to the Homestay with 3 meals, private room and shared bath (1st 4 weeks cost included), additional week accommodation cost around 200 CDN. The homestay option is recommended for internships in Canadian cities. We do not recommend Homestay package for candidates seeking Resort Placement. Few nights of stay in Vancouver or Toronto before transferring to a resort will be sufficient enough.

For Resort Placement, once placement is done and confirmed, staff housing can be available for staff working at resorts. Some resorts have space for 100 and up and some resorts have space for less than 20 staffs. Cost for housing is different depending on location and pay. Higher pay means that cost of living may be high as well. Ask about staff meal plan during placement process.

Payment plan:

Initial payment: 50% of service fee + (optional) 145 CDN pre-arrival internship offer
Final payment: 50% of service fee + housing cost if requested

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Asian, Australian and European Participants.

Participants Travel to Canada Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently

Application Process Involves:

• Phone Interview
• Resume
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Job and Internship Network

WISH Canada Recruit Inc.'s Mission Statement: To develop valuable career development & experience programs for international applicants coming to Canada for internships. To provide working holiday makers with landing packages including hostel or other accommodation, job arrangement, follow up & support etc.

Year Founded: 2005