By Myung Jin Lee
For students seeking more adventurous jobs, an international co-op can provide the experience a local job could not, said speakers at a recent meeting for the multinational program.
Twelve re-entry students, who just finished international co-ops, presented their experiences to 20 students and five co-op department representatives Wednesday Sept. 19, for the fall’s International Co-op re-entry celebration, held at the Egan Research Center.
“We have lots of help from the whole Northeastern community to develop co-op jobs through alumni, and companies overseas,” said Ketty Rosenfeld, director of international cooperative education. “It’s steadily growing. We need more students to be interested in it.”
International co-op began in 2002, when only 19 students participated, traveling to a total of seven different countries.
“It’s a good program. It is still at an early stage, but it is improving relations with companies,” said Stephen Lavenberg, Student Government Association (SGA) vice president for academic affairs.
Last spring, 96 students completed international co-ops in 37 countries including England, France, Spain, China and Nigeria.
“I would promote the program more. And I’m going to work to see how we expand the program, expanding to more countries and more majors,” said SGA President Joey Fiore.
Rosenfeld said the application process is similar to a domestic co-op. The only difference is students are required to learn a foreign language.
“I would like to see greater collaboration with the modern language department to allow students to take language studies, so they could go over to non-English speaking countries. They can experience other cultures as well as working abroad,” said MJ Paradiso, president of NUCALLS, a peer tutoring language club.
Brian Wraight, a senior English major, who has done domestic and international co-ops, said the two were very different, but he preferred the international one.
Last year, Wraight worked at Godiva chocolatier as a communication coordinator in New York City. At Godiva, he said he earned $20 per hour.
During a co-op in Nepal, Wraight had an unpaid teaching job.
“I did not have to get a work permit while I was in Nepal because I was volunteering my services, he said. “While in Nepal I spent approximately $1,500. But I think it was pretty cheap.”
Even though he wasn’t paid, Wraight said he favors his experience in Nepal more than New York because, he enjoyed the simpler lifestyle as he was able to climb mountains and go on a two-day safari.
Wraight said the process to enroll in international co-op may seem daunting, but it is worthwhile for the experience of visiting another country.
But such an experience does not come cheap for students involved in study abroad in Europe. In contrast to Wraight’s Nepal co-op, European international co-op students must budget $8,000 to $12,000 for the trip. And there aren’t scholarships available for international co-op, Rosenfeld said.
“Most students pay their tuition with federal loans. For going to international co-op they have to debt more money,” Rosenfeld said. “Money is the No. 1 issue.”
Permission to work in another country is another obstacle. Rosenfeld said she needs more students who are enthusiastic and want to overcome the application process.
Clarice Cheung, a junior marketing major who did her international co-op in Hong Kong, said working can be a challenge for some students, but those who want to work internationally should “get ready and never give up.”
