Hiring students

Our streamlined process makes it smooth and easy to hire a co-op student. Our staff are happy to help every step of the way.

Student skills

UVic co-op students come from more than 220 academic program areas and have the skills you're looking for.

Use this tool to search for skills by program or read about some of our students' co-op experiences.

Writing job postings

In most cases you’ll post a job on our co-op portal. 

Let us know how long you’d like the posting to be live and your preferred way of receiving applications. You can have them sent through the portal or directly to you.

Writing the posting

Make your posting stand out by being clear about what you’re looking for. Students want to know:

• what skills they’ll need
• how the role fits into the bigger organization
• your workplace culture
• how your organization actively supports equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives

It's also important to include a clear job title that describes the position. For example, "summer research assistant" is more clear than "summer student."

Providing specific salary information

When writing your job posting, make sure to include specific salary information. This could look like:

• The specific hourly wage (e.g., $25 per hour)
• The specific range for the hourly wage (e.g., $25 to $30 per hour); you cannot include only one end of the range (e.g.., you cannot say “$20 per hour and up” or “up to $30 to hour”)
• The specific annual wage or wage range if the position will be three work terms or a year in length (e.g., $50,000 per year or $40,000 to $50,000)

Including this information in the co-op job posting doesn’t mean that the employer and co-op student may not negotiate a higher wage or salary than the amount advertised.

Receiving applications

Once the posting closes, we’ll package up the applications and send them your way, unless you chose to receive applications directly.

Email us if you’d like support with posting your job.

Interviews

Let us know who you’ve shortlisted for interviews. We’ll help you schedule these in person or virtually. We will also let all applicants know about the outcome.

Making a job offer

Once you know who you want to hire, let us know and we’ll extend the job offer to the student. We’ll need to know the start and end date, salary and location.

Is the work term registered?

If you do hire a student, it is important that the job be registered by the university so that students can maintain their full-time student status during the work term (for extended health insurance, scholarships and student loans, etc.). 

This is especially imperative for international students to register their jobs with the university to be compliant with the regulations of their work permit.

The job will be registered if you've worked directly with the co-op office, but if students have applied directly they may not have informed the co-op office about their plans.

Please check in with the co-op student that you are hiring to make sure that they have registered their work term with the university.

Hiring schedules

A typical co-op work term lasts between 12 and 16 weeks, or between 420 and 525 hours. Work terms line up with UVic’s academic terms and usually start in January, May or September. This lets students move easily between work and studying.

A typical schedule for hiring from September to December might look like this: 

• post your job description: May 1 – Aug 31
• review applications: after the job posting closes, about 2 weeks after posting
• interview: 1 to 2 weeks after the posting closes
• make a job offer: contact your co-op office once you want to make an offer – we’ll do this for you
• confirm your candidate: the student will have 24 hours to accept or decline your offer. We will contact you within 48 hours with their decision

Want to hire for a longer-term position? You can hire students for a single work term or several in a row, depending on students’ availability.

Salaries

Last year’s overall average monthly salary in a work term was:

• $3,076 for undergraduate students
• $3,700 for graduate students

Salaries vary depending on students’ experience level and the field of work. We recommend that you base your salaries on industry standards.

If you’re a BC-based employer, you’ll also pay 4 per cent vacation during the work term.

View salary estimates by program.

Co-op Changemakers

Interested in funding students' hands-on learning?

Your organization could contribute to the UVic Co-op Changemaker Awards, which recognize students making remarkable contributions in their work terms.

Nominate a student

You can also nominate a co-op student for these annual awards.

Supervision & support

As a co-op employer, you’ll support students throughout their time with your organization. You’ll: 

• identify a supervisor who can oversee the students’ projects and provide mentorship
• provide a thorough orientation that includes your organization’s physical space, structure, work culture, policies and more
• train students and find opportunities for them to get involved in different projects or with different teams
• meet with students regularly to check their workload and progress
• meet with the students’ co-op coordinator for a work site visit halfway through the work term
• review students’ learning objectives and competency assessments at the start, middle and end of the work term (you’ll get an email with details)

If you have any questions about this process, contact your co-op program office. You can also use this orientation checklist to set up your student for success.

Hiring Indigenous students

You can help shape the trajectory of Canada's journey to truth, respect and reconciliation by hiring Indigenous students in a good way.

It’s important to have real supports in place and to prioritize Indigenization and decolonization in the workplace. 

For more information, see these resources to support and retain Indigenous students.

Hiring international students

Thousands of students from international pathways take part in co-op each year with the goal of working for Canadian employers. Their diverse experiences and perspectives can transform the way you do business.

Toolkit

Access resources to help you hire and support students from international pathways, then contact your co-op coordinator for next steps.

Employment programs

These programs will help you hire international students for long-term employment in Canada:

• Post-Graduate Work Permit Program – university graduates can work in Canada for up to three years after graduation
• BC Provincial Nominee Program – nominate students from international pathways to work in Canada while the immigration process is in full swing
• Canadian Experience Class – helps students become permanent residents of Canada

Equity hiring & resources

As an employer, you’re responsible for providing a safe and equitable workplace for all employees, including co-op students. This means:

• removing barriers to help all applicants access work opportunities
• ensuring your workplace accommodates diverse employee needs
• providing hardware, software or equipment to support co-op students’ needs
• offering opportunities for remote work or scheduling students’ work days in a different way

Access resources to provide a safe and equitable workplace.

Hiring students or grads outside of co-op

Beyond co-op, more than 10,000 UVic alumni and students access jobs on our career portal each year.

How to hire a UVic graduate

• register for an employer account
• post your position in the career portal to recruit for full-time or part-time positions

How to post a casual position

Looking for help on the occasional project?

• register for a community account
• post the opportunity on the casual job board or search student profiles to find the right fit

How to hire a tutor

Search the tutor registry to find someone with the background you need.