The work study program allows students to earn money doing field-relevant work — without demanding almost a fifth of their earnings back
Graphic by Rae Dawson.
As students, if there’s one thing that truly unites us all, it’s the struggle to make a paycheque while still in school. Thankfully, UVic offers several opportunities for students to find work that not only pays the bills, but offers valuable experience to build your resume, can be balanced with a student schedule, and creates connections with academic and business professionals to guide your career forward.
However, not all of these opportunities are created equal.
The UVic Co-op program, or co-operative education, has been around since 1976. Co-op “lets you try out career options and gain valuable paid work experience” during your degree. While mandatory for some undergraduate programs, like the Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) and Bachelor of Engineering (BEng), it is open optionally to all second-year students onwards.
According to UVic’s website, 56 per cent of UVic students participate in the Co-op program. Ideally, co-op allows you to test the waters of working in your field during your undergrad, make some money, and gain career experience
There is no doubt that the co-op program does provide excellent opportunities for students — but not without cost.
Students who enter into the Co-op program are required to take a class — in addition to their regular course load — called “Introduction to Professional Practice” (IPP). This course requires students to complete a resume, cover letter, and conduct a mock interview to prepare them for the workplace. After completing the IPP course, students gain access to the Co-op and Career portal, where they can find job postings that employers have indicated are relevant to their field of study.
To receive the “Co-op” designation on their transcript, students are required to complete three to four semesters of co-op, which will extend a typical four-year undergraduate degree by another year. Additionally, for each semester students spend in a co-op placement, they are required to pay the university “co-op fees,” which amount to $807.56 for domestic students, and $1 696.75 for international students.
According to UVic, the average student wages from a single co-op placement are $3 636 per month, meaning co-op fees will cost each domestic student approximately 5.553 per cent of their earnings for a four-month placement, or 11.66 per cent for international students.
On their website, the UVic Co-op program breaks down this fee and states that the co-op fee “is not a job placement fee — it goes towards the cost of running the program.” It claims that 50 per cent is put towards ‘’student support’’, 15 per cent to ‘’job development,’’ 15 per cent to ‘’employer support,’’ 10 per cent to ‘’faculty relationships,’’ and 10 per cent to “administration.”
However, even if students find a co-op position outside of the co-op and career portal, they are still required to pay a co-op fee for each work term.
For those with few financial barriers, this may not serve as a deterrent to the co-op program. However, those who rely on work placements to pay their bills during their undergrad may be in for a rude awakening after securing a work placement. In a cost of living crisis, the co-op fees, additional course load, and longer wait time until graduation all have the potential to seriously set some students back financially.
Earlier this year, CBC reported that, according to a survey, 46 per cent of B.C. residents are $200 away from being unable to pay their bills. The same survey reported that 49 per cent of the same group didn’t believe they would be able to cover their expenses without going into more debt over the next year. With such a small margin for many between being able to pay their bills or not, co-op fees could be the nail in the coffin for some students, who already face significant financial hardship.
Of the 2.2 million people in college or university across Canada, according to Statistics Canada, 1.7 million of them are reported to be acquiring debt via student loans. Extending a degree by a year, in addition to paying co-op fees, may not be a feasible option for some without going further into debt and limiting their ability to pay bills during their degree.
However, co-op is not the only option for UVic students seeking field-relevant work during their degree. UVic’s “Work Study” program is free, and is offered to students who demonstrate financial need (which, let’s be real, is most of us). Work Study positions are part-time jobs on campus that have been funded by the university specifically for students, are designed to work around a student schedule, and provide excellent opportunities to make academic and professional connections.
Before you even apply, you can access the Work Study job board to see what positions are available, rates of pay, hours available, and the various programs, departments, and faculty/staff members you would be working under. Full-time students apply through Student Awards and Financial Aid (SAFA) by detailing their budget to determine financial need, and if approved, you are designated a certain amount of hours the university will fund you for.
Afterwards, you can start applying to positions on campus, and begin work — at no cost to your earnings or the length of your degree.
Work Study is not without its flaws, as you are only approved for a certain amount of hours, and it only runs September to April. However, the lack of prerequisites required, academic and professional connections students have the potential to make, being able to keep 100 per cent of their earnings, flexibility to a student schedule, and having a job located on campus, means that it may be a more feasible option for many students to earn both money and experience during their degree.
In my personal experience, I enrolled in both the humanities co-op and work study programs during my undergraduate degree. My co-op experience was competing for a small pool of jobs designated to all humanities students, never hearing back from employers, and taking an additional course — on top of my regular full-time course load — that did not guarantee me a job placement. I decided to drop out of the co-op program after two years of frustration, having never once landed a position through the co-op board, and found my own employment, where I could keep all my earnings.
My work study experience was significantly more lucrative. I got approved within a week, and was immediately able to secure a position on campus working with a professor in my field. I was free to work other jobs due to the flexible nature of the position, could work around my class schedule with ease, and was able to do work that significantly bolstered my resume. The professional connections I made and experience from my work study is the reason I have a full-time job today — and it didn’t cost me a thing.
If you are a student looking to earn both money and professional experience during your undergraduate degree, be sure that you are aware of all your options. While co-op is a great opportunity for those that can afford it, the financial and time constraints associated could be a significant setback for others.
