According to a study led by University of Waterloo researchers, university co-op students earn higher salaries and are able to land more prestigious jobs after graduation. Researchers found that graduates of co-op programs are making 15% more per year than non co-op students.

Co-op acted as an intermediary between the real world and student life for Brian Chung, a recent sociology graduate from the University of Toronto Scarborough, who used his co-op experiences to land a prestigious internship at the United Nations in Switzerland.

In general, if you are: 1) a full-time international student, 2) registered at an officially authorized university or college, and 3) are in possession of a valid study permit, then you can qualify to legally work in Canada.

Jennifer Mansell, a fourth-year honours co-op environment and business student at the University of Waterloo, recently completed a work term in Costa Rica at the Centre for Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Learning, where she learned to slow down and live the “pure life.”

Whether you want to take an extra major, do a co-op placement, travel or study abroad, or you just need to slow down the pace, extending the length of your degree is a serious but viable option. It can make your degree stronger if you plan it effectively and use the opportunity to your advantage.

“Employers tend to really like international experience, particularly if you can frame it as beneficial to a specific position,” says David Common, a CBC correspondent who went on exchange to Sweden during university.

The TalentEgg team recently spent some time at GE Canada’s Mississauga offices to learn more about their internship and new grad opportunities. In this video, you’ll hear from Lyndsey Jones, the university programs co-ordinator at GE Canada, as well as two interns who explain the perks of working with GE!

I got the chance to do something young reporters everywhere dream of: cover a public address of the President of the United States of America.

The best internships, co-op opportunities and entry-level jobs on TalentEgg this week: Web optimization specialist at Yellow Pages in Montreal, Sign language interpreter at North York General Hospital in Toronto, and mechanical design engineering intern at Pason in Calgary.

The best internships, co-op opportunities and entry-level jobs on TalentEgg this week: Consumer insights intern at Kraft Canada, Product information rep at Softchoice, and Marketing specialist at BDO.