Industrial Internships

Step 3

OBTAINING INTERNSHIP SUPPORT LETTER & WORK PERMIT (INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS)

International students who are interested in doing an Industrial Internship must have a valid work permit to work legally in Canada. You will need to:

1. Apply for an internship work permit online through the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website. You will need an Internship Support Letter (please note that IRCC refers this letter as a Co-op letter). Please contact the FAS Graduate Program Coordinator at fas_grad_coordinator@sfu.ca to request this letter before you apply.
2. Ensure that you apply for your work permit at least 2 semesters before your intended internship semester. More information regarding the processing time can be found on the Government of Canada website. If you intend to carry out an internship outside of Canada, please consult the embassy of the particular country.

Please note that the internship employment cannot form more than 50% of a student’s total program of study.

For more information, please visit the following web pages: SFU Instruction guides and SFU International Student Services Contact.

STEP 4

APPLYING FOR AN INTERNSHIP PLACEMENT

Please ensure that you have a valid work permit before applying for any internship placement. The advertised internships you find will have a clear description of the job and directions on how to apply. Make sure that your Supervisor is aware of your intention on applying for an internship position. You will need his/her approval before applying for any internship as well as when accepting an offer.

It is recommended to apply for a few internship positions with a variety of company/organizations. Your internship placement must take place within a semester. A typical internship is four consecutive months. Please note that an internship must start at the beginning of a semester and end at the end of the semester.

Step 5

SECURING AN INTERNSHIP OFFER & NEGOTIATING

Industrial Internship is primarily focused on gaining industrial experience but remember that salary and other offer conditions such as working hours, commute/travel etc. are important factors to consider before accepting an offer.

If you are successful in obtaining an internship placement, speak with your supervisor for approval beforehand. Once they approve this, remember to secure an offer letter from the organization of your choice.

Step 6

OBTAINING SUPERVISOR APPROVAL

Once you have decided on your choice of internship placement, you must inform your supervisor and she/he will have to approve before you can accept the offer. You must complete the following forms and have it signed by your supervisor and submit the below documents to the FAS Graduate Program Coordinator:

• Document 1: Supervisor Industrial Internship Approval Form
• Document 2: Supervisor Industrial Internship COI Form
• Document 3: Student Declaration Letter
  

NOTE: Please ensure all paperwork and a scanned copy of your valid work permit (for international students) is submitted to the FAS Graduate Program Coordinator before you start your internship.

Step 7

ACCEPTING YOUR OFFER

Once you have accepted an offer, the employer must provide an official job offer letter to the student that includes the following details:

• Your job position/title
• Work address
• Start and end dates of work (14 -16 weeks for the 4 month internship or 28-32 weeks for the 8 month work term). Please note that an internship must start at the beginning of a semester and end at the end of a semester.
• Hours per week (standard is 35 - 40 hours). Minimum requirement: 35 hours per week
• Name of supervisor and their contact information
• Salary rate (per hour or month)

You must sign and return the letter to the company prior to the start of the internship term. Please ensure that you keep a copy for yourself and submit another copy to the FAS Graduate Program Coordinator at fas_grad_coordinator@sfu.ca.

Step 8

ENROLLING IN THE INDUSTRIAL INTERNSHIP COURSE

Once you have accepted a job offer, you will also need to register in the following course for the term(s) in which you will carry out the internship:
SEE: Industrial Internship – [Course Number - coming soon]

Please note that you cannot register in these courses on your own. The FAS Graduate Program Coordinator will register you once all required forms are complete and submitted.

SEE Students: DO NOT register in [course number], Graduate Co-op Practicum I – III

Step 9

TUITION FEES DURING PLACEMENT TERM(S)

Students are required to pay their full time tuition even when they are doing their internship for the semester. Please visit the SFU Calendar - Tuition and Fees webpage for the most up-to-date details. Please note that you are not required to pay an application fee for the industrial internship.

Step 10

DURING YOUR INTERNSHIPS

To ensure that you have a positive and successful experience, the FAS Graduate Program Coordinator will check in with you once a month to see if there are any concerns from you.

Your work supervisor will also have to complete a mid-internship check-in form as well. You will need to ask your supervisor at work to complete this form: Industrial Internship Mid-Internship Form

If there are any changes to your internship, you will need to inform the FAS Graduate Program Coordinator and your Senior Supervisor at SFU as soon as possible.

Step 11

COMPLETION OF INTERNSHIP

Once you have completed your internship, your work supervisor will need to complete an end-internship check-in form as well. You will need to ask your supervisor at work to complete this form at the end of your internship.

• Industrial Internship End-Internship Form

You will also need to create your Industrial Internship Report. This report must be submitted to your academic Senior Supervisor in a soft copy (electronic) format. You must submit this report within a month after the completion of your internship. Please note that without your report, we will not be able to provide any marks for this course.

• Industrial Internship Report