The Coop Japan Program - Current Students

Students
Information for new students, current students and Canada-Japan Co-op alumni

Students > Current Students > Work Term Requirements Guideline

Co-op Placement Guidelines

Thank you Letters

Upon matching notification, students may receive an email from the host employer advising them of information required by the company for contract purposes. It is essential that students cc. coop.japan@ubc on all correspondence to assist in the documentation collection and visa processing.

Once information is received from the host company, students are requested to send a thank you letter to the company expressing their appreciation for the opportunity to work for the host company in Japan. The initial email contact will form the first impression by the host company, it is important to be business like in all correspondence. Please direct questions through The Canada-Japan Co-op Program Assistant prior to requesting information from the host company; this will alleviate general information requests being sent to the company.

Guidelines for Health Insurance while in Japan

Travel health insurance is mandatory for all students completing work term/internships in Japan. The insurance is needed to cover students in the event of accidental illness or injury. Most insurance companies offer extended health insurance policies which are supplemental to the provincial health plans. Proof of provincial health plan coverage is required in order to be eligible for travel health insurance. Should you decide to prolong your stay in Japan; additional health insurance will be required. It is each student's responsibility to ensure travel health insurance coverage is attained prior to departure and a copy of the insurance is forwarded to The Canada-Japan Co-op Program.

Documentation Required during Co-op Work Terms/Internship

Upon commencement of your period in Japan you will be required to complete the following documentation outlined in The Canada-Japan Co-op Program Work Term/Internship Checklist Yuko please update Checklist form - title, logo and check information with me tomorrow so Ryan can have this tomorrow.

Upon arrival please complete and fax back the Contact Information Sheet. Your contact information is necessary as The Canada-Japan Co-op Director will contact you by phone within the month of your arrival to check in on your progress and transition to work and living in Japan. If your contact information changes during the period of your internship you are expected to contact the Program immediately with updated information. Yuko: I am not sure if that is the correct name of the sheet, if any different please advise Ryan. Please also send all forms to Ryan so he can put them in PDF format and link each bullet point to the appropriate form. This does not have to be linked at the moment if it takes too much time.
Learning Objectives must be completed within the first month and will be discussed during the phone call with The Canada-Japan Co-op Director and also referred to during the on-site visit. Yuko/Ryan link to Canada-Japan Co-op Learning Objectives Form and Tips for Writing Learning Objectives Form.
Please ensure you complete The Canada-Japan Co-op Student Evaluation form at the end of your period in Japan and fax, or email the form to The Canada-Japan Co-op Program. Your evaluation provides valuable insight into your experience in Japan, and assists the program to ensure future students can learn from the feedback you have provided to the program.
Please ensure your supervisor completes The Canada-Japan Co-op Employer Evaluation form on your period in Japan prior to your departure. Please ask to have time with your supervisor to review comments and suggestions provided and ensure this is faxed or mailed back to The Canada-Japan Co-op Program. The employer evaluation is 50% of your overall mark for your participation in the program.
It is imperative that every experiential and technical report is reviewed for confidentiality prior to submission to The Canada-Japan Co-op Program, or to your home educational institution if specifically requested. Please ensure when providing your supervisor the report/s that you also include a Canada-Japan Co-op Work Term Release Form for signature. This form must be submitted in conjunction with your report and returned to The Canada-Japan Co-op Program preferably prior to your departure and at the latest immediately upon your return to Canada.
If your employer has deemed your report confidential and is not willing to release the report for marking in Canada, then your supervisor is requested to complete The Canada-Japan Co-op Technical Report Work Term Marking Form. The technical and/or experiential report (you will be advised on your educational institution requirement agreement with The Canada-Japan Co-op Program prior to departure) is 50% of you overall mark for your participation in The Canada-Japan Co-op Program.
Within two weeks of your end of work term/internship please send a thank you letter to the same contact to which you wrote at the commencement of your work placement as well as to any other people you would like to thank and acknowledge formally in the organization.
Ensure you contact your provincial health ministry in order to re-instate your health coverage.

Experiencial Report Requirements

An experiential report is required by every Canada-Japan Co-op student upon the completion of their duration in Japan. The experiential reports are a formal requirement of the program and will be reviewed by the company prior to release. The experiential report will be used in recruiting and marketing activities.

The objectives of the report are to assist students to:

Reflect on Japanese work experience and how it relates to academic goals and career development aspirations;
Allow an opportunity for reflection on the soft and technical skills acquired during the work terms/internship;
Assist in the clarification of future co-op work terms based on the experience in Japan; and
Assist future Canada-Japan Co-op students who may be interested in participating in the program or who actually are placed at the same company.

Upon Return to Canada

Please contact The Canada-Japan Co-op Program to arrange for a de-briefing of your experience in Japan. If possible this will be done in person, if this cannot be arranged a telephone conference will be organized with The Canada-Japan Co-op Program Director.

Please keep in touch with the program upon your return to Canada! In order to track the impact of your Japanese work placement/internship on future career and personal development, we will follow up with questionnaires and surveys from time to time. The first annual Canada-Japan Co-op Alumni event will occur in Vancouver on May 3rd, 2006, we hope to initiate the event annually and will keep students informed of important dates on the website.

Documentation Required for VISA Processing

For students who have been successfully matched with a Japanese employer the next phase of the process that is, obtaining a visa for the duration in Japan takes up to three months. To ensure smooth processing and no delays, during this stage students MUST check their email daily and respond to The Canada-Japan Co-op Program Assistant immediately upon information requests being received.

The Program Assistant will email out placed students with a request for documentation upon confirmation of matches being received from employers. Students are asked to gather documents and send them in one batch to:

Essential documents required for visa application:

Photocopy of the inside page of passport**.
Transcript
Resume: hardcopy, PDF and word document (email PDF and word document to coopjapan@ubc.ca
Letter of Studentship (prepared by Canada-Japan Co-op Liaison Officer at your educational institution)
Letter of Declaration (Student's responsibility to prepare)
Letter of Recommendation (prepared by the Canada-Japan Co-op Liaison Officer at your educational institution)
6 passport photos
Copy of your provincial health insurance (or copy of card)

**Note - It is important that passports do not expire during the student internship period in Japan; it is imperative that students renew their passports immediately and submit passport pages of renewed passport. Visas will not be issued to students if their passport expires during the internship period. Passports cannot be renewed in Japan during the internship.