Tailor-made Internships

We have a very active public relations team that will make your stay in Canada as fun as possible. From weekly pub or BBQ nights to monthly trips to places like the Rocky Mountains, Whistler and Vancouver Island you will be able to meet many people your own age who want to explore Vancouver and the surrounds with you. You can check out some of our interns and their events on Youtube here

We can make all internship placements are made in accordance with any requirements your university has. You should check with your university or faculty head that your placement can receive course credit and whether your university has any requirements you must meet – e.g. number of hours worked; length of placement etc. We’ll take these into account when we make your placement to ensure you can get credit.

Usually, internships do not have a built-in holiday break, however, if you have a set holiday date (as many local university and study abroad students do) or you have family visiting, for example we can arrange these on a case-by-case basis if you let us know in advance so we can negotiate it with your host organisation.  During your internship period in Vancouver we have many local events and monthly weekend trips away so you have a chance to get to see the country.

Please note that you won’t get refunds on your accommodation fees if you take time off during your internship. For this reason, we recommend you take holidays either before your internship starts or after it ends. We’re partnered with several local travel organisations within Canada, USA or Central America before or after your internship with our travel team.

Your activities and/or projects during your internship will all be clearly outlined in your placement agreement. These will be in accordance with your background, preferences, your host organisation’s projects at the time, and any requirements your university may have. In general, you’ll have a range of tasks related to a project that will evolve as the project develops.

The number of hours of internship depends on several factors including the type of visa you hold, your University requirements and the host organisations capacity. If you are not taking an internship as a part of a study program then your maximum hours may only be 19 hours per week. If you have a working holiday visa you may like to have a part time internship so you can pick up a part time job in your spare time. You can discuss your hours of internship with your placement supervisor. We can also liaise with your University to ensure all their requirements can be met.

All of our interns stay in Homestay accommodation for at least the first 4 weeks of their stay in Canada. We find families that have good connections via public transport into the city. As Vancouver is a big city we do our best to make sure your travel time is as short as possible with a maximum commute time from your homestay to your internship in under an hour. Most interns book accommodation for the whole duration of their internship but if you only want to book for 4 weeks then we recommend you use a provider such as AirBNB.

We carefully select your internship based on factors such as your individual background and experience, your level of English, length of stay, your visa type and status in Canada.

After you apply you’ll be assigned a placement supervisor, whom you’ll meet via a video conferencing tool. In this meeting, you’ll be able to ask any questions you may have about the program and voice any preferences you have and the supervisor will be able to indicate what may or may not be possible. Following the meeting, your supervisor will start your placement search and find a suitable organisation to host you.

You may need to have an interview or two with your potential host organisation, which your supervisor will organise. Once we’ve found the perfect organisation for you, we’ll send you a placement agreement outlining some key information about your internship, such as your and tasks responsibilities.

Our internships last between 4 and 24 weeks or longer if your University requires it.

An internship of 4-10 weeks is usually long enough to observe and participate in an organisation’s basic processes, learn about its business philosophy, and begin helping out on various projects.

An internship of 11-20 weeks is usually enough time to participate in and start to master basic business processes, to become an integral part of the team, and to start managing your own projects and becoming involved with larger team projects.

An internship of 21+ weeks allows you to master business processes and even start improving those processes, to become a fundamental part of the team, and to take on more complex projects both independently and as part of a team.

We can discuss the internship length and what is best for your outcomes in your one on one interview with your placement supervisor.

We offer internships in private, public, government, non-government, charity, and not-for-profit organisations.

Each of our placements has specific requirements, and we’ll place you depending on your individual background, experience, level of English, visa type and length of stay. In most cases, you’ll need to have an interview or two with your prospective host organisation.

If you’re a current student and the internship forms part of your studies, you can undertake an internship for the duration required by your institution. However, if your internship will NOT form part of your studies, you may only intern for up to 19 hours per week with an NGO, not-for-profit, or charity organisation. We will advise you on your work visa and other visa requirements in your interview.

An internship or practicum is a period of supervised, unpaid experience for qualified participants. It is time limited, project based to give you the opportunity to observe real-world, practical examples of your education in practice.