International work opportunities | Co-operative Education

Are there international jobs posted in WaterlooWorks?

Yes! WaterlooWorks is a great place to start your international job search. We post many international jobs on the Full-Cycle Service, Employer-Student Direct and the Contract, Part-Time and Volunteer job boards. You can use various filters to narrow down your search results to show postings for jobs in locations that are of interest to you.

Postings on the Full-Cycle Service job board go through the standard rank/match process.

Postings on the Employer-Student Direct and Contract, Part-Time and Volunteer job boards follow an employer-driven timeline and recruitment process. Both options allow you to find jobs of interest all over the world!

Can I arrange my own job?

Yes! There are many ways to find your own job, including positions you might find on the Contract, Part-Time and Volunteer job board. You will need to make sure that the location is one that can be approved for co-op credit and, that your arranged-own-job meets our work term requirements.

Here are a few tips for finding your own international job:

Ask a previous employer with global offices about potential opportunities.
Leverage your network of family, friends and contacts abroad to find out if they know about opportunities or employers interested in hiring.
Talk to your co-op advisor.
Visit the Centre for Career Development website for more international work search resources.

Institutional partners and external organizations

The University of Waterloo has partnered with international institutions to provide options for co-op students like you. Many co-op students have also secured work through other academic institutions or external organizations. Here are some institutions and organizations that might help you find the work abroad opportunity that is right for you.

Institutional partners

The following academic institutions have formally partnered with Waterloo to provide co-op work terms as part of a student mobility program. Opportunities from these institutions are usually posted on WaterlooWorks.

Asia

Zhejiang University - China
Suzhou University - China
Southeast University (SEU) - China
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) - Korea
Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, Thammasat University (SIIT) - Thailand

Europe

FH Joanneum - Austria
Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) - Austria
Universite de technologie de Compiegne (UTC) - France
Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) - Germany
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) - Germany
Technical University of Braunschweig - Germany
DHBW Heidenheim - Germany
EPFL - Switzerland

University internship programs

Many international universities offer internship programs that allow our students to work for co-op credit even without a formal partnership. If you’re interested in specific research, you may also want to reach out to researchers at these institutions directly. Some of these opportunities will be posted on WaterlooWorks, but you may wish to do your own investigation and reach out directly to programs of interest to you.

UAS7: German Universities of Applied Sciences - Germany
Chinese University of Hong Kong - China
Nanyang Technological University - Singapore
National University of Singapore Institute of Systems Science - Singapore
TOBB University of Economics Technology - Turkey
National Institute of Material Science - Japan

Other external organizations

The following organizations are not affiliated with the University of Waterloo but have provided work term opportunities for co-op students.

Things to keep in mind

The team in Co-operative and Experiential Education is here to support you with your purpose-driven career path. An international work search means new and exciting co-op opportunities, but you also need to be aware of some of the differences and plan accordingly.

The salaries offered to students in other countries is often lower than is expected in Canada due to the different cultural norms and wage laws. Reach out to your co-op advisor for information about typical salaries in a given country.
Arranging an international job can take much longer than finding a job in Canada due to differences in hiring practices, application processes for visas and permits, travel planning, etc. If you are interested in looking for international jobs, start your search as early as possible.
Some students may not be eligible to obtain a work permit in certain countries. Do as much research as possible in advance so that you can make an informed decision about the international job opportunities you pursue.