Co-op stories

1. Tell us about yourself, the program you’re in at Waterloo and at what overseas location(s) you worked?

Hello, my name is Kiwi and I am currently a 2^nd year ARBUS student, majoring in Social Development Studies. I am currently working in the Dominican Republic as a “Teachers Assistant” for the Esperanza Project (Winter 2016).

2. Why did you choose that location to work?

I always loved to travel and experience new things. When I had the opportunity to travel abroad to work, I jumped it. I knew that with picking the Dominican Republic, I would be jumping out of my comfort zone and would be experiencing new foods, culture and language. The job itself attracted me, thus I chose to work here.

3. What resources and types of contacts did you use to find that position? What challenges did you encounter during your international job search process?

I found this job through Jobmine. The company I work for consistently hires co-op students from Waterloo, and many others from around the world.

4. Describe your daily routine at your international workplace.

Every morning I wake up and walk around twenty minutes to get to work, which usually starts at 9 am (and on some days 8 am). I teach Geography to kids of a wide variety of ages, from 6 to 19. The kids are separated into three different classes, depending on both level and age. I teach each group at least twice a week. I also teach Educational Games and at times help out with other classes. During the periods when I do not teach, I spend time preparing for my other classes. I am in charge of arranging all the materials for the classes, as well as preparing the curriculum for the time that I am here. Morning school ends at 12 and I go home for lunch. Afternoon school usually runs from 2 to 4 (and on some days longer). For the afternoon school, I solely teach English to a different group of kids, alongside another Co-op student. In the afternoon children are not separated by age, but by level. I also have the opportunity to run clubs for the school, such as sports and origami.

5. What was the cost of living in the country and city or town where you worked?

The cost of living in this country is significantly less than in Canada. I live in a homestay here, and fortunately did not have to go through the hassle of renting an apartment/house, paying bills and buying groceries. I paid a little under $2000 USD for 4 months. This payment included everything; a room, food, WiFi and fresh drinking water. In addition though, if you were to go out and take a bus to a local beach, it costs no more than $2. Food here, too, is relatively cheap, and at the most expensive and high end restaurant I have been to, cost me under $10.

6. Did you experience any cultural shock? How about language barriers?

I feel that I was fortunate, because I have traveled to many countries prior to this trip. Although I had not set foot in the Dominican Republic, having been to other countries helped reduce the culture shock. I feel like I adapted to this lifestyle quite quickly. However, there are definitely some things I dislike and would definitely prefer Canada for, such as hot water. I did not speak a wink of Spanish coming here, and had to learn while I was here. I can’t say I am fluent in Spanish, but making friends did help. It is hard to communicate at times, but that is all part of the experience.

7. Do you enjoy the food there?  Do you have time to travel?

I do enjoy the food here. It is extremely different from the food I eat at home, but it is nonetheless tasty. I found there was a lack of veggies and an abundant amount of fried food. However, the food is consistently good. I particularly enjoy maduros, as well as the spaghetti my homestay mom makes. I have time to travel and so I make quick weekend trips and also use school/national holidays for longer trips. I have been to Puerto Plata, Santo Domingo, Cabarete and many neighbouring towns, since I started working here.

8. What is the most challenging aspect of the entire experience?

The most challenging part of the entire experience is probably being on my own in a foreign country. I did not speak any Spanish on arriving and found it hard to communicate here at the beginning. Although internet exists here, it is slow and thus I do not often have an opportunity to speak with family and friends if problems arise. I do, however, have the support of my homestay family and other co-op students if needed. Living on my own here has taught me many life skills and makes me believe that I can live by myself anywhere in the world. I also think that living with a homestay family gives me additional responsibilities. When I wake up for work every morning, I also walk one of the kids who I live with to school, so if I was late, I would make him late, too. I have to count on myself to get tasks done. In a way I have had more “adult” responsibilities here.

9. How has the experience impacted you academically? What about personally?

I definitely feel that I have become more mature, since coming to the Dominican Republic. I feel that I do prioritize better and have better time management. As a teacher, the kids rely on you. You are not able to rely on anyone else, and really have to dive head first into situations. This taught me to be better prepared and to always have numerous back up plans, as anything can happen. Personally, I feel that I am also more adventurous and take more risks since I have been here. This has allowed me to thrive, and achieve so much more than I ever would have if I hadn’t come on this trip.

10. What advice would you give to other students who are interested in an international co-op experience?

It may be scary at first, but you never know unless you try! I was scared coming here, and I was unsure if I would do it or if I would like it. Most co-op students on this trip have said the same. Now, I can’t imagine leaving the job, the family I live with or the town. There are definitely cultural differences and language barriers that may arise. You won’t know until you tried. At least you can say you tried, instead of always thinking “what if”.

1. Tell us about yourself, the program you’re in at Waterloo and at what overseas location(s) you worked?

I am an Arts and Business student who is majoring in Fine Arts and doing a minor in Digital Arts Communication. I am currently doing my first co-op term (Winter, 2016) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), working for the Apparel Group.

2. Why did you choose that location to work?

I love to travel and experience new things.

3. What resources and types of contacts did you use to find that position? What challenges did you encounter during your international job search process?

I used JobMine to find the position. In general, I realized there are not many international jobs on JobMine. They are mainly in China, but I have had working experience in China before. Therefore, it was hard for me to find something new.

4. Describe your daily routine at your international workplace.

It takes me about an hour and a half to get to work, so I usually wake up at 6 am, and start heading out at 7:30 am. I get to work at 9 am then start working until 1pm. Lunch finishes at 2 pm and I then go back to work until 6 pm.

Friday and Saturday are weekends in UAE, so I use that time to tour the city.

The actual position I have is in the Digital Marketing department of a fashion apparel company called the Apparel Group. As one of the four people in my team, one of my major responsibilities is monitoring and organizing social media website pages for over sixty international brands that we work with. For example, the GCC (The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf) Facebook, Instagram, Twitter pages for Aeropostale, Inglot, ALDO, Beverly Hills Polo Club, Calvin Klein, Nine West, Tim Hortons, etc. My duties include planning and updating the social media calendar for the brands regularly and I am also in charge of their social media pages. For example, I usually track the increased number of likes, reaches and comments and I make a ranking report every week. Moreover, I come up with the social media contents and update them on a daily basis. My other responsibilities also include assisting corporate events with international brands. During each month, our company has a lot of in-store events and press days. For example, the Charming Charlie Press Day at the Ibn Battuta mall and the Shoe Gallery Grand Store Launch at the Abu Dhabi Yas mall. In order to increase brand awareness, I design campaigns for the events, and I often take videos and photographs while attending the events. For instance, I was in charge of filming a documentary for Bottega Verde and taking photographs for Dune London and Inglot during the Bride Show at the Dubai World Trade Center. Afterwards, I edited the digital footages and included them in the social media content, which I have updated on their official Facebook page, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube.

I love the job duties that I have, such as photographing at events, designing campaigns and updating social media pages. The duties are not only something that I am capable of doing but also they are the things that I am passionate about. Personally, I love to travel and experience different career opportunities, as well.

5. What is the cost of living in the country and city or town where you’re working?

The company pays for my accommodation. The hotel is about 400 United Arab Emirates Dirham per day, which is around 144 Canadian dollars (as of March 2016).  

6. How is the pay? Do you make enough to cover living expenses? Are you able to save any money?

The pay is below Canadian minimum wage, but since the company is covering my housing, I am very satisfied with my salary. I’m not able to save much because I do a lot of tourism activities in the city. The transportation, food, etc. in Dubai is all really expensive, as well.

7. Did you experience any cultural shock? How about language barriers?

Not really, as I did some thorough research before coming to Dubai and language is not an issue, as Dubai is a very international city. Most people here know English. Somethings here are different though, for example: there is a women only cabin on the metro and the buses. There are pink taxis for women only.

8. Do you enjoy the food there?  Do you have time to travel?

Yes, definitely! And I have time to travel on weekends.

9. What has been the most challenging aspect of the entire experience?

When I first came to Dubai, I didn’t know anyone here, therefore I had to do everything by myself (for example, set up my cellphone, buy relocation needs, etc.) With time, I made friends in the city and also my coworkers are all really nice to me and we are able to enjoy our time together.

10. How did the experience impact you academically? What about personally?

This experience has had so far a huge impact on me, as I have learned how to write professional emails, handle social media accounts for international brands, such as Tim Hortons, Tommy Hilfiger, etc.

Personally, I have become more outgoing and have learned to rely on my own abilities and resources rather than on those of others.

11. What advice would you give to other students who are interested in an international co-op experience?

It never hurts to try something new! Go for it!

12. Please add any other important thoughts or any advice you may have.

Some interesting facts on Dubai that I have learned are that the desert turns into a river when it rains, because there isn’t a water draining system on the road. Moreover, Dubai has the largest mall, largest indoor skiing and many other interesting aspects to the city.

Lastly, I would recommend others to work in Dubai because it is a very safe place! For instance, I lost my bag during a company event, and they found it within a week.

1. Please tell us about yourself and where you went.

My name is Christie Wong and I’m currently in the ARBUS program majoring in sociology with a minor in political science. I went to Hong Kong for my co-op term.

2. What was the reason for your choice of destination? Company?

I had just completed an exchange in Hong Kong so the term there actually overlapped with my co-op term so I wouldn’t able to access Jobmine until most people’s co-op terms had actually began. So, since I have residency in Hong Kong I was able to find a job with Manulife there that was for a three month contract which was perfect so I’d be able to get to Waterloo before the term began.

3. Where did you find the opportunity, and was it difficult to arrange to go over?

I simply searched online using Google and found a position that way. I applied to internships I thought I was qualified to do and fortunately I was able to find a call center position with Manulife Financial.

4. Tell us about the people you worked with and tell us about the type of work you did.

I worked with many people around my age but there were some workers maybe 10-15 years older as well. We began with training on terms such as contribution plans and investments because we would be required to speak with locals over the phone. By the end of the work term I was mostly doing administrative work such as data entry and other paper work. My average day went from 9am to 6pm which for Hong Kong is quite lucky, many workers there often go from 9am to around 10 or 11pm at night.

5. How has the experience benefited you? What did you take from the experience?

One of the main things I learned was to be faster paced. Everything in Hong Kong is quicker so you had to learn how to speak fast and complete your tasks quickly. That’s why coming back was weird because in Canada there’s lots of space and everything in general is more laid back.

6. Were there any cultural differences or language barriers?

Cantonese was the main business language there so interacting with locals was a challenge because my Cantonese wasn’t quite up to par so speaking to locals was possible but more difficult. This is why I was more involved with paperwork which surprisingly was all English so that worked well for me.

7. Any tips for people who are working abroad?

My one big tip would be to research about the country you are going to. In Hong Kong it is very very humid so I know people can struggle with that. Also, there are certain customs you must abide to so knowing those beforehand will definitely help you out.

8. What are your future plans?

I think the main thing I learned about my future plans is I now know what I don’t want to do with my life. The job itself wasn’t too bad it’s just the bank work environment just isn’t for me.

9. What were your accommodations like? Cost of living?

I just stayed with my family who lived in Hong Kong so my living conditions were good. In Hong Kong rent is very high so the pay I received from my co-op which was less than $10 per hour would definitely not be enough for accommodations and food so I’m happy I received support from my family.

1. What did you choose international coop over domestic coop?

I've always wanted to travel and live somewhere at some point in my university career and being in the International Trade Specialization it was a requirement to either work or study abroad for 8 months so I knew I had to go abroad somehow someway!  

2. Please tell us about yourself and where you went?

I graduated last year in the Arts and Business program with a Political Science major, an Economics Minor, and an International Trade Specialization.  I've had the chance to have various co-op placements during my time at Waterloo but definitely the most memorable was my co-op term in Hong Kong.  I've always wanted to travel and live in HK and so doing a co-op term there was perfect as I got to earn my own money to cover some of my travel expenses.  It was so awesome that I actually went back to HK to do another co-op term before I graduated.

3. How did you find the position? Was it difficult? What sort of resources did you use?

So in total I did 2 co-op placements in Hong Kong.  I found both of them on Jobmine and I also carry a HKID myself so it was not too difficult.  I think the difficult part would be for those who do not have the right of abode to work in HK so generally someone who does not have a HKID.  But I know there are a ton of resources out there for people who do want to secure a position in HK without the ID because HK does attract quite a large number of expats from all over the world.

4. What did you do for your job? How were the people you worked with?

So I did my first co-op term there in Spring 2012.  I worked for the University of Waterloo's HK Office and I was the first co-op student that they hired.  At the time, the office was still fairly brand new and the position of full time manager had not yet been filled.  So I spent the first 2 months in Waterloo meeting and working with the management team, creating Work Plans, liaising with our HK Alumni Association, researching office equipment and furniture, planning for special events, etc.  My last two months was spent in Hong Kong implementing the plans, organizing an office from scratch so I had to set up the phone lines, Internet, shop for furniture (all things that I completely had no clue about going in and not really your typical co-op job...).  Because everything was so out of my comfort zone and added to the fact that I did not have a manager with me I learned so much during that term.

I was able to meet many of our HK alumni, some co-op employers, high school teachers and parents and future students.  I also helped organize and run a few events and socials at the office as a representative of the university while regularly reporting back to Waterloo.  Even though I did not have someone physically working right next to me I did not feel alone.  My manager, Linda Kieswetter, who is now retired, was a former VP of the school and helped introduce me to some of the managers in Alumni Affairs, Co-op, and the International Office before I left.  She also connected me with the HK Alumni Association so even when I was alone in HK I knew there was a group of UW alumni out there to help me out if I had any issues and they certainly were a great help especially when it came to setting up the basics of the office.  So in all I really liked everyone that I worked with they were all very supportive and helpful whenever I needed something.

I loved the city so much that I decided to try for another role in HK during my last 8-month co-op term.  I managed to secure a position at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Hong Kong as a Tax Technology Intern.  This was definitely a very different role than my last position and was more professional and business-like.  My job was to manage and assist with testing of internal PwC applications with the ultimate goal of improving the tax service processes executed by the tax professionals in the firm.  I collected feedback from the team during testing and drafted issue logs to record the information.  I also wrote a series of test cases and helped draft and design the weekly tip emails related to an internal PwC application sent to all employees.  In general it was a more business/technical sort of role.  The people that I worked with were a mix of locals and Australian/American expats or they were people who were born in HK but went elsewhere for university.  I think this kind of multicultural environment brought in very different perspectives but at the same time it was not too difficult to connect with them as they too came from a foreign country to work in HK as well.  In general people worked hard there and it was long hours but I'm sure that comes with any Big Four firm.

5. What was the pay, was it able to cover cost of living, maybe tuition costs?

I think I can only comment on the pay for PwC as I was paid in Canadian dollars for the Waterloo position.  The PwC pay was quite low if you compare it to Canadian standards but apparently it's considered a decent pay for HK standards.  I lived with relatives there so I did not have to worry too much about cost of living but I'd say the amount would be able to cover some basic living expenses.

6. Was it a valuable experience, in what ways?

I think any international experience is a valuable experience but when you are placed in a co-op setting the consequences can be more serious.  If you are on exchange and fail a test then it won't be the end of the world.  But if you are given a task at work and messed up really bad then that can have serious effects on a company and that won't look very good on you in the end.  International co-op develops your maturity in a professional setting and not only do you learn how to communicate with others, but you learn how to build relationships with people from various cultural backgrounds and age groups and I think that's a pretty important skill upon graduation when many of us would be transitioning from school life to work life.  Working also puts you in a very localized environment where you develop a respect for the culture you've been immersed into really allowing you to be challenged in a different way and see things in a different perspective which can make you a stronger person in the end.

7. What were your accommodations like?

I lived with my relatives so I definitely felt like a local by the end of the term.  Add to that, my neighbourhood was not near any of the tourist areas and was a residential area for many locals.  Living as a local you can definitely get a sense of the lack of space that many HK apartments have.  My room was quite small and could only fit the basic necessities like bed, desk, and drawer with very minimal space to walk around.  But I know that is considered fairly decent for HK local standards as space is limited and land is very expensive.

8. What challenges did you encounter?

In terms of challenges in my co-op placements I think the biggest challenges that I encountered would be in communication and demanding deadlines.  I've had times where I was told to speak fluent Cantonese to clients and although I do speak Cantonese at home there is more pressure to speak the language professionally which can be difficult especially growing up in Canada.  I think the hardest was when I was told to speak in Mandarin at PwC for our team in Beijing.  I think I said about 5 words and froze...  In terms of demanding deadlines when you work in HK or in any Asian city things are a lot more fast paced.  Deadlines are strict and it's common for people to stay overnight at the office for days to meet a deadline.  I think that comes with working in another culture and was something I had to get used to.   

9. What are your future plans, would you do another international co-op if you could?

I wish I could do another international co-op again but I've graduated already.  So I had a job working as a trader in New York for a bit after graduation and it was not the financial kind of trading it was ad trading.  I am planning to pursue graduate studies in the UK this coming September.  

10. Any advice for future international co-op students?

My advice for future international co-op students is to be observant and to not be afraid.  It's important in the first few weeks of your job to be a little conservative and really take a look around the people you are working with and what the company culture is like.  You don't want them to get the wrong impression too soon!  But you should keep in mind that being mindful of others does not mean that you have to be afraid.  Speak out when you think something is wrong or even when there is some sort of language confusion, be involved with whatever events or team gatherings there are, and try to take this as a chance to push yourself outside of your comfort zone by taking the initiative to learn and be challenged by different projects that are available at your firm.  Bring that innovative spirit that Waterloo is known for and you'll definitely stand out. It's not everyday that you get to experience working and living in a different country so take advantage of it all!

1.Please tell us about yourself and where you went.

My name is Robert Beamish and I’m currently in my last term in Honours Economics in Arbus with an international trade specialization. I went to Hong Kong for my international exchange last year.

2.What was the reason for your choice of destination? Company?

I chose Hong Kong because I think it is the place with the most opportunity. It’s like the country America was about 200 years ago, everyone goes there to carry out their dream. I worked for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and my official position was a business development sales role.

3.Where did you find the opportunity, and was it difficult to arrange to go over?

The process was quite simple. I found the job on job mine, did a skype interview and away I went. Of course, getting Visas to go over can be quite frustrating but if you give yourself enough time you should be totally fine.

4.Tell us about the people you worked with and tell us about the type of work you did.

The people I worked with were incredible. My boss was one of my best friends, we went out together and even played basketball. My typical day on the job would include a lot of networking. In the morning we’d have a couple networking events where I would speak to people about opening accounts with us. During any breaks I had I would be calling current customers and assist them or convince them to renew their account with us if it was expiring.

5. How has the experience benefited you? What did you take from the experience?

This experience taught me quite a lot. The first being is the importance of networking, I am a true believer of the idea that the people you know are more important than what you know. Secondly, I learned to always be positive. This outlook got me through some tough situations such as living in poor housing, being very poor and working three part time jobs on top of my co-op job. 

6. Were there any cultural differences or language barriers?

There were some cultural difference however in terms of business everyone speaks English so it didn’t hurt me not knowing another language in the workplace but on the streets it can be difficult to communicate. In the office there were some.

7. Any tips for people who are working abroad?

As of said before, my advice is to be positive. I hear many people come back and make excuses as to why they had an awful time. My advice is to try and make the best out of any situation, put yourself out there and force yourself to be uncomfortable because that’s when you get the best out of yourself. Lastly, I suggest playing toward your strengths and don’t try to be someone you’re not.

8. Did you have any travel opportunities while you were there? Interesting experiences?

Yes, I actually travelled to Beijing for a business pitching competition. Before I left for co-op I had started my own company called Anokasan which is a consulting company connecting First Nations groups in Canada to Hong Kong. Anyways, I took a train to Hong Kong left with very little money to participate in this competition which I actually ended up winning!

9. What are your future plans?

After this experience I am going to continue to expand my network and grow my business. It definitely taught me to hustle and that’s what I’m going to try to do even more of now.

10. What were your accommodations like? Cost of living?

Hong Kong has the highest rent in the entire world next to Vancouver. So, getting good housing was out of the question. I ended up living in the slums of Hong Kong which I was fine with because I think experience is more important than comfort. I found the accommodation through a website called easyroomate.com which I suggest everyone check out if they’re going abroad. 

1. Tell us about yourself, the program you’re in at Waterloo and at what overseas location(s) you worked?

My name is Jesse Lau and I’m a fourth year Psychology and Business Co-op student at UW.  I worked at PCCW (a large telecommunications company) in Hong Kong.

2. Why did you choose that location to work?

It had been over 5 years since I last visited Hong Kong and I wanted to visit my various relatives, explore the city and travel to surrounding countries.  Also, I am relatively fluent in Cantonese, which would be helpful living in Hong Kong where people primarily speak English and Cantonese.

3. What resources and types of contacts did you use to find that position? What challenges did you encounter during your international job search process?

I had a family friend who knew of an opportunity and referred me to the position.  The challenge was the uncertainty of whether or not the job was secured (an offer letter was not sent to me until two weeks before flying to Hong Kong)

4. Describe your daily routine at your international workplace.

My role at the company was a Human Resources Intern for the company's TV & New Media division. My day would include the all/some of the following:
- Get into work at about 9am
- spend 15-20 minutes reading the news
- go through stacks of physical performance reviews to check if they were completed properly – if not, send them back to the reviewer to be fixed
- create, review and edit job descriptions before posting on an online job board
- repost pre-existing job postings so they are “refreshed” and given more exposure to job seekers
- review and edit proposals pertaining to incentive schemes, bonus distribution and Human Resource strategies
- conduct market research to identify outreach opportunities to increase exposure to the company and hence, increase the candidate pool and quality
- ad hoc tasks pertaining to internal company events
- create and/or update organizational charts to be used by the departmental Vice President
- at lunch, walk 5-10 minutes to eat at nearby restaurants
- assist with job fairs and speaking with potential candidates
- sit in on in-person interviews
- leave at 6:15pm-6:30pm because leaving at your official end time is frowned upon (I was leaving at 6pm one night and my manager jokingly said “oh, you’re so on time”)

5. What was the cost of living in the country and city or town where you worked?

The cost of living in Hong Kong, China was about 20% higher than in Toronto or Waterloo.

6. How was the pay? Did you make enough to cover living expenses? Were you able to save any money?

The pay was next to non-existent.  I was paid $6300 HKD/month, equivalent to about $1050 CAD.  The pay was not enough to cover living expenses and I was not able to save any money received from the job.  In total, I worked for 3 months and earned about $3000 CAD in the summer.

7. Did you experience any cultural shock? How about language barriers?

I did not experience any major cultural shocks, but there were differences in culture and lifestyle.  For example, 90% of citizens take some form of public transit, which is a large percentage higher than in Toronto/Waterloo.  I did experience some language barriers due to my limited vocabulary and inability to read or write the local language.

8. Did you enjoy the food there?  Did you have time to travel?

The food was great. It is similar to the Hong Kong style cafés that can be found in Markham, but better and authentic. I took 6 days off work in total and travelled to Taipei, Taiwan and Bangkok, Thailand.  Upon completion of the work term, I was also able to spend 10 days in Sydney, Australia.

9. What was the most challenging aspect of the entire experience?

The most challenging aspect of the entire experience was the language barrier because it limited my communication skills.  This limitation affected the quality of work I was entrusted with, as I was unable to complete various tasks due to my limited ability to communicate in Cantonese.

10. How did the experience impact you academically? What about personally?
The overall experience impacted my academics positively due to my new found inspiration acquired over the international co-op experience.  The following study term had the highest average in my university career.  Personally, I experienced vast growth as a result of travelling, living independently and speaking with various relatives.  I had a clearer picture of my career and personal goals, interests and aspirations.

11. What advice would you give to other students who are interested in an international co-op experience?

If you can accept the fact that you will have a net negative income after the flight and living expenses, do it.  If you have already done an international exchange, an international co-op experience should be reconsidered.

12. Please add any other important thoughts or any advice you may have.

Similarly to international exchange, the most value from an international co-op experience is an increased perspective of the world through exposure to various cultures.  Moreover, it is very possible to travel to nearby countries in addition to exploring your country of work.

1. What did you choose international coop over domestic coop?

I wanted to travel and get a different kind of work experience.

I am a second year Arts and Business student majoring in Speech Communication. This past year I was the Human Resources Officer on SJU Students' Union and I continue to work as a Student Ambassador for the UW Visitors Centre and so I was very interested in finding a co-op job related to recruitment. In January, for my first co-op term, I flew to Leysin, Switzerland to work in the Admissions Department of Leysin American School. LAS is an international boarding school located in a really, REALLY small mountain village in the Swiss Alps. It is a high school from grades 8-12 with approx. 340 students from all around the world. Although my international experience was in Switzerland, because there were over 50 nationalities at the school I felt I learned a great deal about other cultures too.

I found the position via Jobmine so it was fairly easy to look into. The job required European citizenship which I had had from growing up in Ireland.

I worked as an Admissions Assistant for the school. This meant that I gave tours to prospective students and their families, I went to school events to take photographs of the students for social media purposes, I put together brochure packages for visitors, and generally just helped out with anything needed in the Admissions Office. The people I worked with were really interesting. Most of them spoke several languages and would regularly go on recruitment trips to India or Spain or China (etc. etc.!) for a week or two at a time. All of my coworkers had different nationalities with only about three of them originally from Switzerland so it made for a very culturally diverse workplace.

5. What was the pay, was it able to cover cost of living, maybe tuition costs?

The pay came to approximately $1500 CAD dollars a month when converted, sometimes a little bit less. Fortunately, as it was a boarding school, co-op students had the opportunity to stay in student dorms and eat at the school's cafeteria. This meant that I had very little additional expenses besides personal travel- really helpful because the cost of living in Switzerland is extremely expensive. I was able to save about 70% of what I made which will help to cover tuition and living expenses once I get back to UW.

6. Was it a valuable experience, in what ways?

The room that I stayed in was an old student boarding room and was perfect for what I needed. There were two single beds, a bathroom, a balcony that faced the Alps and plenty of storage space. The apartment was about a 15 minute walk uphill from my place of work. There were three other co-op students that lived on my floor and one that lived on the floor beneath me. We also had two au-pairs on our floor from Poland who were around our age so it was almost similar to a first year residence experience all over again!

The most obvious challenge was the language barrier. At LAS, all students and faculty spoke English, but outside of the boarding school world there were communication issues. French is the main language spoken in Leysin and my French skills are not fantastic (Praise Google Translate). Even reading labels in grocery stores was tough. Directions- the worst. This challenge has taught me the value in knowing several languages and I've even considered pursuing a German minor since being here.

Another challenge faced was homesickness. It's been difficult not seeing friends and family for so long (Praise Skype). There were times when I felt like I didn't ever want to leave and others where I felt seriously lonely. It was, however, an excuse to travel and have others travel to me. Being so centrally located in Europe, I was able to go see old friends in Ireland and visit new places close by. My best friend from Canada (an unreal skier) had an excuse to come to Switzerland to visit me and ski. Co-op is also so awesome in that international experiences, regardless of how far you go, are just temporary. It's like a taster of what it's like to live overseas to see how you handle it before coming back home to familiar university life.

Doing an international co-op has given me this intense craving to travel to new places. For the future, I am looking into doing a co-op term in England and possibly a study-abroad term in Germany. For right now, I am looking forward to going home and spending as much time as possible with friends and family- and brushing up my language skills on the side.

Don't be afraid to try new things. So cliche but it's so important. Email your mom. If people are doing their best to speak YOUR language, respect them. Be curious and ask questions. DON'T do your PD report whilst traveling. Make friends from other countries! Whether that's in the workplace or at the bar- it's awesome to be able to learn about other places. Remember that your first priority is to work so do your best at the office and then enjoy your free time. Learn the history of where you're living. Explore the area. It will be your home for four months!

1. Please tell us about yourself and where you went.

Our names our Kayla and Lauren and we are both Fine Arts students. We went on an international co-op for a non-profit in Tanzania called Art in Tanzania for four months.

2.What was the reason for your choice of destination? Company?

Lauren: Well during my time in high school I had done a lot of volunteering. So, when I formed my resume for co-op position I realized my resume almost geared more towards an international co-op as I had also done lots of work with campaigning for Liberia

Kayla: With this being my first co-op term I just wanted to venture out and trying something totally new.

3.Where did you find the opportunity, and was it difficult to arrange to go over?

Both: It was available through JobMine and the process was fairly simple for the position being in Africa. The only exception are the visas, make sure you stay on top of the process as it can take quite a while to file all the documents needed. 

4. Tell us about the people you worked with and tell us about the type of work you did.

Lauren: My job was to attract local artists to our fair trade programs. They would make wonderful pieces of jewelry and fabric and my job was to meet them and orchestrate a deal in which our organization would sell them.

Kayla: My main job was to help design the magazine they were building. I would do so by connecting with local writers and gathering their stories.

Both: We worked together most of the time in a crammed office with four other people usually. So, the people were great but it was quite tricky to get work done in a tight space especially when it’s as hot as it is in Tanzania.

5. How has the experience benefited you? What did you take from the experience?

Both: I think it taught me to not take things as granted when I’m back home for sure. Also, we learned that in these situations as much as we’d love to make a huge difference in these people’s lives we’re not really. We agreed that we are more of a link in the chain toward making their life better.

6. Were there any cultural differences or language barriers?

Both: So in Tanzania everything is more slow paced than here in Waterloo. This often makes meeting deadlines quite difficult as people would take days to email you back or you’d have a meeting set for noon and they’d show up at three. In terms of culture shock neither of us experienced quite a lot of it but I would advise you to study up on the culture of the place you’re going to because in Tanzania they will throw things at you if you’re not covered above the knee.

7. Any tips for people who are working abroad?

I would advise you to get all your shots if they’re needed because there are many diseases you can fall victim to if you don’t take the right precautions. Secondly, apply for scholarships! We both received scholarships from the University of Waterloo (Kayla: Kavelman-Fonn Foundation International Experience Award, Lauren: Winifred Heweston Award in Community & World Service) which helped cover the majority of the costs.

8. Did you have any travel opportunities while you were there? Interesting experiences?

Lauren: I actually had the opportunity to run a half marathon while I was there. It was pretty funny actually, instead of giving you water at they hydration stations they would actually hand you coke instead with some bread.

Both: There were plenty of opportunities to travel. Everything was pretty cheap so money wasn’t really an issue. We went on safaris and many other adventures. We tried to do something different each weekend and tried to take advantage of all our opportunities. One of the most memorable times was when we stayed with a Maasai tribe overnight because we wanted to get the full experience, so they put us in a hut made out of cow dung and sticks and while you were laying there you could hear everything all sorts of animals.

9. What are your future plans?

Both: This trip really inspired the both of us to try and get more international experience. Secondly, it made me more willing to work for a start up company because I got quite used to the environment I had experienced in Tanzania.

10. What were your accommodations like? Cost of living?

Both: We ended up moving around quite a bit, probably lived in four different communities through our stay there. The compounds were safe and the food was pretty good, some days were better than others. The power there was on and off so often times you couldn’t even work for the day because you’d have no power. 

1.Please tell us about yourself and where you went.

My name is Imran and I am currently in my 3A term, currently in ARBUS and majoring in religious studies. 

2.What was the reason for your choice of destination? Company?

I didn’t really know anything about the country so I guess that’s why I chose it, I wanted a new experience as I had travelled many places before. I’m really interested in education so TOBB was excellent for this and really helped me build some valuable skills.

3.Where did you find the opportunity, and was it difficult to arrange to go over?

I found it through Jobmine. Overall, it was easy compared to what I thought the experience would be like. The university and TOBB both were aware of the process that I needed to go through so they helped me with anything I needed. Money was kind of an issue for myself but fortunately OSAP helped out as well as a scholarship.

4. Tell us about the people you worked with and tell us about the type of work you did.

I went to TOBB with 8 other students from Waterloo and we became almost like a family, it was incredible. My supervisor was a great woman and she really believed in us and let us work independently with most of our work.

We had three main duties as a team. First off, we had to record our voices in a studio which would then plan during the listening portion of the students’ final exam at the end of the year. Secondly, we would we would enact our lesson plans we had made during the weekend. This included things like speaking with the kids to improve their English, listening skills, grammar and we did this through lots of games, YouTube videos and TV shows such as Friends. Lastly, we would help run after school clubs, the one’s I became most involved with were the glee club and the fortune telling club which were so much fun.

 5. How has the experience benefited you? What did you take from the experience?

This experience definitely made me realize to not judge a book by its cover. In the media Turkey is portrayed quite badly and the protests are made out to be violent and brutal. While in reality the protests were peaceful and we often walked right through them. Also, the views in Turkey were unreal and the city as a whole is quite beautiful.

6. Did you experience any culture shock or even reverse culture shock?

Going to Turkey I didn’t experience too much culture shock, when I left it was the worse however. I was very attached to everyone I worked with and it was difficult to leave. I had planned a trip to Germany afterwards so travelling by myself was much harder than the other times I had done it. Culture wise it was different when I got home but nothing I couldn’t handle. 

7. Any tips for people who are working abroad?

My tips would be to not be afraid to plan trips, I lost a couple of weekends of travel because we didn’t plan soon enough. Secondly, I would advise you to force yourself to step out of your comfort zone as this is when you learn the most about yourself and when you have the most fun.

8. What are your future plans?

This trip definitely gave me the travel bug so you could say. It also made me want to pursue my passion in education which is why I am going to be leaving for an eight month co-op term in Nairobi after I’m completed my 3A term. 

9. What were your accommodations like? Cost of living?

The accommodations were on at least on par if not better than Waterloo’s residences. The cost of living there is very cheap, for example a hostel for one night was $10, food was way cheaper, so the $350 I made from my co-op actually went a long way. 

1. Please tell us about yourself and where you went?

My name is Jessica Tam and I’m currently in third year arts and business with a major in legal studies and I’m on my way to getting my Global Experience Certificate (GEC).

2. Why did you choose Turkey?

I chose Turkey because it was a totally random place for me and I wanted to do something adventurous. I wanted to find out more about it since I didn’t know anything about its culture or what it was like to live there.

3. Where did you find the opportunity?

I found this opportunity through a friend of mine. They had gone through this program in TOBB and I just applied through that I got accepted!

4. How the people you worked with and what kind of work did you do?

The people I worked with were awesome, we travelled together and did all sorts of activities together. Like all friends we had our disagreements but we got through them. I taught English there, we had to create our own lesson plans and then carry it out. I worked with 7 other people and we each had our own class. My boss allowed us to be independent with our lessons as long as we met certain guidelines so you could make the lessons very fun.

5. How did this experience benefit you and what did you take away from it?

For myself, I’ve done lots of travelling and through this experience it made me realize just how big the world is. Turkey seemed almost bigger than life and it’s really encourage me to push myself in future endeavors.

6. Were there any cultural barriers? Language barriers?

There were a couple of cultural barriers. For example, on a bus if there’s two seats and a man is already sitting there a women cannot come and sit beside him. In general however the people there were so nice and more often times than not they would go out of your way just to help you out.

7.  What were your costs of living like?

So, the company I worked for gave me free living quarters and meals for every day I worked. I had to pay for my flight there but in general the price of things in Turkey is less than what things in Waterloo costs

8.  Do you have any tips for those who want to travel or work abroad?

The one tip I would give is to not focus on the financial aspect of it. During my work term there I only made $350 per month which was just enough to cover my costs so don’t expect to be able to cover tuition costs and you should be okay. Just try and focus on the experience and live each day to the fullest with an open mind.

9.  Did you get a chance the travel, where did you go?

Yes I did, I went to Pammukale, Cappadocia, Antalya, Izmir and Istanbul. In Antalya I went on a hot air balloon ride, it’s a world renowned spot for hot air balloon rides so that was an incredible experience. You can check out the video I made too!

10. What are your future plans?

In the future I’m going to push myself to do more internationally which is why I’ll be going on an exchange to Korea within the next year. 

1. Tell us about yourself, the program you’re in at Waterloo and at what overseas location(s) you worked?

I’m a third year Arts and Business student, majoring in Peace and Conflict Studies. I worked in Kampala, Uganda, with an organization called Reach Out HIV/AIDS initiative. Reach Out is a non-governmental organization dedicated to curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS among vulnerable populations, and ensuring those already infected or affected by HIV/AIDS are living responsibly with an improved quality of life.

2. Why did you choose that location to work?

Working in Uganda gave me real-world exposure to the development challenges I am studying in my Peace and Conflict Studies courses. My placement in Uganda gave me the opportunity to view issues of social justice and community development from the ground, which allowed me to engage in real conversation with real individuals who face quality of life challenges on a daily basis.

3. What resources and types of contacts did you use to find that position? What challenges did you encounter during your international job search process?

I completed my overseas placement through the Beyond Borders program, which made the process quite simple. Because the Beyond Borders program is partnered with organizations all over the world, I was able to avoid some of the challenges of an international job search.

4. Describe your daily routine at your international workplace.

I was placed in the organization’s community department, where I did administrative work related to ensuring the children sponsored by the organization received funding for school fees and materials. I also had the opportunity to do field work, including school visits, home assessments, peer support initiatives, and fundraising events.

5. What was the cost of living in the country and city or town where you worked?

There were significant costs associated with pre-departure (vaccinations, medications, etc.) and flights, for a total cost of close to $5,000. Included in this amount was the cost of my accommodations and meals during my stay in Uganda.

6. How was the pay? Did you make enough to cover living expenses? Were you able to save any money?

This was an unpaid co-op term.

7. Did you experience any cultural shock? How about language barriers?

I initially experienced culture shock when I arrived in Uganda, largely because of the widespread poverty and chaotic nature of life in the developing world. While I became accustomed to the culture over time, I was faced with cultural differences on a daily basis, particularly related to perceptions of time. The majority of people in Kampala speak English, so I did not face any significant language barriers.

8. Did you enjoy the food there?  Did you have time to travel?

The food took some getting used to. It was easy enough to find the type of food I am used to eating at home in the larger grocery stores, but I chose to take the opportunity to eat local dishes. Uganda is a beautiful country, and I did a lot of travelling on weekends and holidays. This way I was able to see quite a bit of the country outside the area where I was living.

9. What was the most challenging aspect of the entire experience?

I lived in an area of Kampala that is not frequented by tourists, so as a Caucasian female I certainly stood out among the local population. For this reason it became important to think about safety at all times – I was pickpocketed on more than one occasion, and wasn’t able to leave the house on my own after dark. At times this made it difficult to feel safe, though I became more comfortable over time.

10. How did the experience impact you academically? What about personally?

This experience clarified my academic interests – I have always known I want to attend graduate school, but I wasn’t sure about the field. My time in Uganda has made me more confident about pursuing a graduate degree in an area related to social justice or international development. Personally, my experience made me aware of what it means to be a global citizen. I also made wonderful friends abroad who I still keep in touch with today.

11. What advice would you give to other students who are interested in an international co-op experience?

I cannot imagine a better way to discover the boundaries of your comfort zone, and to step beyond them to learn the value of taking risks. Overseas experiences require you to be more adaptable than ever before, and I was amazed at the way my experience revealed parts of myself I wasn’t previously aware of.