Candidate Exposé – Vanessa Greiner

My name is Vanessa and I’m 21 years old. I’m from Germany and I’m studying taxation and auditing in Villingen-Schwenningen. 

I decided to come to Canada because going on a placement abroad was part of my studies and I wanted to improve my English skills. A friend of mine told me that Canada is a beautiful country and she recommended INTERNeX to me as well. I did my placement at the accounting department of a company in Burnaby. In order to be successful there, it is important to have accounting and taxation skills. Personally, my placement has been very helpful for my career goals so far.

My first impression of Vancouver was not that good, because I walked through East Hastings/Main Street, which is not the best place to go to. However, I now love Vancouver and all the nature around the city.

I enjoyed every event I did with INTERNeX. They always offer different activities, such as hiking tours, pub nights, visiting an outdoor cinema and of course, the Rockies trip (my favorite). The girls from the PR-team were always in a good mood and the activities were a lot of fun with them. Not only did I visit the Canadian Rocky Mountains, but the Sea to Sky Gondola, Lynn Canyon Park and Deep Cove as well, so a lot of walking and hiking.

What I like the most about Canada is that the people are so friendly. What I love about Vancouver is that you really have everything here: the big city feeling, beaches, forests, mountains and parks. The most memorable thing regarding my stay is the trip to the Rocky Mountains with INTERNeX. If I would have to describe my experiences in Canada in a few words I would say; nice people and breathtaking nature.

I would absolutely recommend going abroad with INTERNeX, because they helped me with every issue I faced, such as getting a work permit and crossing the border to the United States.

The first thing I will do when I am back home is buy some German bread.

– Vanessa

INTERNeX International Exchange
International Village,
Suite 2077, 2079 – 88 West Pender Street
Vancouver, Canada -V6B 6N9-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

Candidate Exposé – Anna Hood

My name is Anna, I am 21 years old and I am from the UK. I am studying Geography in England and am about to enter my fourth and final year.

I decided to come to Canada, because Vancouver sounded right up my street and very similar to Scotland (where my parents live), but on a larger scale. I found INTERNeX via an Australian travel agency. They put me in contact with INTERNeX, who then put me in contact with the tour company I ended up doing my placement at.

I absolved my placement at the tour company. I loved it! I met amazing people, friends for life from all over the world and learnt a lot about sales in general and British Columbia. This practicum was a part of my university program. Even though it was not that useful for my career goals, I still thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.

When I first arrived in Canada, it looked very dull and grey since it was raining, typical Raincouver. So, it looked like it lacked character. However, I knew of the beauty surrounding Vancouver, so I didn’t let this cloud my judgment. At the start of my placement, I felt very lonely, especially in my work place, but this improved quickly. I lived in a shared house in Vancouver. It was a good base to commute and participate in my daily activities in downtown. I didn’t want to leave Vancouver anymore, when I had to leave.

I attended some of the events that INTERNeX organized. They were good! I went to a handful of the pub nights, for example. Other than that, I did a lot of activities in Canada – hiking, skiing, cycling and surfing. I mainly went with my placement company. I also traveled to Whistler and the Rockies. It was nice to do something every weekend. Work hard and play harder! It is very hard to pick a most memorable thing I did in Canada, but I will definitely remember cycling round Stanley Park and the Rockies.

I like the cultural diversity in Canada. I found it very hard to meet any Canadians, which I thought was nice and made me feel less like a foreigner. Plus it made me more culturally aware and I learnt more about places like Korea, that I didn’t know much about before. This trip to Vancouver inspired me to live abroad as I have traveled a fair bit, but Vancouver was the first place I had lived in for longer than a month, besides my home. I would love to travel to Australia, since I met a lot of Australians in Whistler.

The first thing I will do when I come home, is eating a big plate of the classic English dish: beans on toast.

– Anna

INTERNeX International Exchange
International Village,
Suite 2077, 2079 – 88 West Pender Street
Vancouver, Canada -V6B 6N9-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

Finally a guy joining the team!

 

When I was in the Rockies I already heard some people say: “I’ve never seen that guy before, but he looks so cool” and “Wow, who is that awesome dude in the back of the buss?” To most of you I already gave an answer to that question, but for the rest of you, I will help you out. Let me introduce myself.

My parents gave me the name Bart when I was born. I am a 22-year-old student from the Netherlands (yes, from the stroopwafels). Right now I am doing the study Leisure managent at the really cool city called Breda. For all of you considering going to the Netherlands, make sure you visit that city one day.

For my internship I chose to go far away from all the rain and snow back home, so I decided to do my internship abroad. When I was looking on the Internet I saw INTERNeX has a place for me to do my internship. I was really excited while reading all the things they do and I heard some great stories from Danielle. Fun fact: Danielle used to be my babysitter when I was a first-year student at college. So back to my story, I decided to go to the always-sunny Vancouver where it never rains. I was wrong about that part. However, I am really glad I can do my internship here.

My first day at the office was a very hard day. First we talked about what we are going to do these weeks. Then it was time to buy a PlayStation 4 and grab a pizza. After that, Danielle and Tess came by to bring us some beers. The rest of the day we talked about the great things they have been through during their time here. You can imagine how tired I was after this long day at the office.

I am really excited to meet the rest of you who didn’t go to the Rockies. I am also really excited to speak to everybody again who did go to the Rockies, no worries 😉 Hope to see you all tonight at the PuB NiGHT!

– Bart

INTERNeX International Exchange
International Village,
Suite 2077, 2079 – 88 West Pender Street
Vancouver, Canada -V6B 6N9-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

What is a practicum and why would you do one?

A practicum or internship is intended to supplement education; it is meant to familiarize and acculturate a student to operational business practices in a relevant organizational setting. Practicums are designed to give students the chance to get real-world, hands-on, career-relevant, specialized experience in their industry.

The quality of a given practicum will depend on a number of factors, including: university requirements, industry sector, relevant experience/education, the time of year and duration, not to mention the specific conditions of the host organization. Done correctly, practicums are the best possible way to put theory learned in school into practice and to broaden ones business network. Most practicums are composed of unremunerated participation in an operational business environment or occupation in order to gain a functional insight into the industry sector and business processes. In some cases candidates may be paid a stipend or basic salary though this should not be the main consideration when organizing a placement; if you an afford it, you should focus on he content of the placement rather than whether or not you get paid… Practicums should be primarily for the benefit of the student and designed to give candidates the chance to both observe and participate in operational activities in order to better understand the hosts industry sector and work environment.

Practicum students and hosts should be absolutely clear that a practicum is not a job. Practicum students should have the chance to participate in and explore different aspects of the host organizations operations and different roles with in the organization. Activities and tasks should mostly be project-related but can include some operational day-to-day tasks as well. These may not always exciting but are a necessary part of any practicum, however these sorts of tasks should not comprise more than 20% of practicum activities; it should not be about making coffee any buying donuts. Practicums should be non-supervisory in nature though candidates are given some real responsibility and accountability for the tasks they undertake. Placements are designed for the benefit of the candidates but are in real, functioning organizations and due care, an understanding or processes, limitations and protocols as well as a professional attitude are critical. Ultimately a practicum requires a lot of flexibility and a participant that can adapt to the style, culture, processes and environment of a host organization.

Have a look here for the specific requirements employers need to meet to host a practicum or internship student in the USA

J-1 Visa an option for Canadians wanting internships in USA

INTERNeX can now assist Canadian post-secondary students with the J-1 Visa application if you have found an internship or co-op placement with a company in the USA. Once you have secured a placement offer from a U.S. employer, we will assist you and your prospective host employer in navigating the whole J-1 visa process.

We can also help you with resources on finding an appropriate internship based on your specific area of study and university requirements as well as accommodation options and a social program in many of the cities in the US where we have regional representatives. We make sure everything meets the standards set forth from the State Department concerning your placement and that you will have all the support necessary to be successful during your stay in the US including…  an opportunity to engage local culture.

The program includes:

• Determining your eligibility for a J-1 Visa
• Determining your prospective host companies eligibility to host you
• Ensuring prospective hosts that they have created a proper training plan
• Supplying you with the necessary paperwork for the visa
• Processing your program application
• Providing you the required accident and sickness insurance that exceeds State Department requirements
• Ongoing support and assistance throughout your program as necessary

Requirements:

• You must be a student currently enrolled in a degree or professional certificate program in a college, university, or other post-secondary academic institution in Canada (note you do not need to be Canadian citizen, you just need to be enrolled at a Canadian institution)
• Or; you must have graduated from one of these institutions within 12 months of the planned internship start date
• You must be between the ages of 18 and 38.
• Internships must be directly related to the your academic field of study
• Interns must be at least halfway through their degree programs before their program start

Check out all the program information here