Employer Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. A position found outside of the Interdisciplinary Co-op Education job board will need approval by the Co-op Program Office and must satisfy the basic requirements for eligible co-op positions.

This includes the ability to provide meaningful learning opportunities and whether the position is paid, full-time work.

We will also verify that the student is enrolled and active in the Interdisciplinary Co-op Education Program.

Co-op students are not guaranteed to find roles and must apply and complete the interview process as any job-seeker normally would.

The Interdisciplinary Co-op Education Program is not a placement program, and community partner employers who post positions are not guaranteed to secure a co-op student.

Much like regular recruitment methods, co-op is a competitive program. This means employers are able to select the best candidate for their position(s), and students can choose to apply for those position best suited to them.

By joining the Interdisciplinary Co-op Education Program, students are required to complete Career Readiness Curriculum.

This curriculum led by the Co-op Program Office prepares students for their upcoming job search, interview process and supports their integration into their future co-op workplaces. This essential programming is unique to students engaging in co-op experiences.

Successful completion of the Career Readiness Curriculum is a requirement for co-op work term eligibility.

The Interdisciplinary Co-op Education Program practitioners carefully design the curriculum ensuring relevant and current topics including:

• Resumé and cover letter writing skills
• Interview preparation
• Job search strategies
• Networking and professional relationship development
• Career management and career research strategies
• Professionalism and communication in the workplace
• Labour market information
• Workplace expectations and requirements
• AI integration during the job search

Yes! The Co-op Program Office encourages community partner employers to use the program for longer-term recruitment purposes.

If you would like to extend your student for another term, please connect in with the student directly and if you are both agreeable please notify the Co-op Program Office. You may then proceed with a employment contract extension as you normally would.

If you would like to hire your student into a permanent position after their co-op work term, please keep in mind that as a part of this education programming, students are required to return to studies after completing their co-op work terms as they have not yet completed their degree.

As such, students may not have capacity to remain a full-time employee while balancing the remaining school work. We encourage you to consider this when engaging your student in this conversation.

Co-op students have exclusive access to an online job board of available opportunities and also have support to conduct an independent job search.

If a student finds their own position during a self-search, that job must be approved by the Co-op Program Office to ensure it satisfies program requirements in order for it to be a registered co-op work experience.

Which includes the ability to provide meaningful learning opportunities, a supported workplace with supervision and paid, full-time employment for a minimum of 420 hours and 12 weeks for each 4-month co-op work term.

Generally, we recommend posting anywhere and up to 4 months ahead of your position start which typically should be beginning of January, May or September each year.

Students are actively job seeking during this period, and we recommend posting as early as possible to access the largest pool of candidates.

Start and end dates can be somewhat flexible, but for a co-op work term to count on the student’s UBC record, the position must be a minimum of 420 hours and 12 weeks within one of the three academic terms UBC follows.

The UBC Okanagan Interdisciplinary Co-op Education Program Office provides personal and customized support for community partner employers looking to simplify the recruitment process.

We are able to assist with scoping a project, developing the job description, or exploring wage subsidies specific to hiring a Co-op student.

Seeking support throughout the posting process? Learn how to post to the job board.

While pay rates largely depend on industry specific standards and the role, responsibilities, and the qualifications required, the typical range we see for co-op work experiences posted is within a pay range between $18–24/hour.

For more detailed information on co-op pay ranges by year, you are welcome to view our annual reports.

As an interdisciplinary program, students from Arts, Fine Arts, Human Kinetics/Health and Exercise Science, Management, Media Studies and Science will be able to view and apply for your posting(s).

Students are encouraged to explore experiences that will challenge them, provide relevant instructive experiences leading to new capabilities and offer critical reflection.

If you are interested in posting a role with other UBC Co-op Education Programs please visit coop.ubc.ca.

There are many ways you can write an intriguing job description to capture the attention of eligible and available students.

We invite you to view our Co-op Hiring Guide for detailed information on writing an inclusive job description or access a job description template.

A few key tips include:

• Ensure inclusive and accessible language is used throughout the posting
  Detail the supervision and mentorship provided throughout the work experience.
• Ensure a competitive salary for the industry and role for which you are hiring
• Provide details on your organization’s workplace culture
• Provide a detailed overview of the role, including student learning opportunities. This may include how the role will contribute the candidate’s personal and professional growth, and how that role will help your organization achieve its goals.
• Provide as much detail as you are able in regards to logistics of the role: start and end dates, working hours and hours per week, work arrangements (hybrid, remote, in-person).
• Highlight any benefits or unique experiences/events the student will experience during their time with you (travel, conferences, etc.)

If you would like to post across various Co-op Programs at both UBC Vancouver and Okanagan campuses, visit UBC’s co-op page.

The Interdisciplinary Co-op Program allows students to pursue international work term opportunities to countries that are deemed low risk by Global Affairs Canada travel advisories.

Low-risk destinations are those with an advisory that states travelers should practice normal or increased security precautions. Destinations with an advisory that states travelers should avoid non-essential or all travel will not be approved for work term experiences.

Most students opt to complete work terms in countries with similar conditions to Canada, or in a country where they have family or other established support network.

All Co-op work term opportunities must be vetted by the Co-op Office and meet the criteria of a Co-op position.

As Co-op Education is a form of experiential learning, one of the main objectives is to engage the student in critical reflection.

There are four assignments a student is required to complete during each term of co-op work experience.

At the beginning of the co-op work term the student will establish learning goals that align with the objectives for the position.The student will submit these to the Co-op Program Office and is encouraged to connect with their workplace supervisor to ensure the goals are relevant, and tangible.This should be done within the first two weeks of the work term.

Midway through the work term a representative from the Interdisciplinary Co-op Program Office will arrange a virtual mid-term meeting to discuss the student’s work progress and student work term assignment.This meeting involves about 30 minutes of the workplace supervisor’s time and 40 minutes time of the student.

To assist student professional development, we ask that you complete an employer evaluation which assesses the student’s progress throughout their work term.

We strongly recommend that you discuss this content with the student before they leave the workplace. At the end of the evaluation, you will be asked to provide an assessment of the student’s performance.Please note that an unsatisfactory evaluation means the student has failed their co-op work term.

In addition, the student is required to complete a work term report / assignment. These projects help students develop writing skills or presentation experience and provide the employer and UBC with documentation of the students’ work term.

Active engagement by employers is an important contribution to the student’s learning path. If the student chooses to present organization-specific content, such as a paper or a project, the student will require approval from the community partner employer in advance.

Yes! If there is ever anything you need or questions you have while you are working with a student from the UBC Okanagan Interdisciplinary Co-op Education Program, please don’t hesitate to connect with one of our Co-op Advisors.

Yes, the Co-op Program Office assists international students in applying for a co-op work permit at the start of a student’s job search process, so permits are already in place by the beginning of their work terms.

This means that as the community partner employer, you do not have to support the student in applying or accessing their work permits.

It is important to note that international students are not eligible to apply for federal government postings or positions that require government funding; however, there are hiring incentives and grants available that support the hiring of international students.