II. A. Work Only Exchange Placements

International co-op placements can be facilitated by formal or informal exchange agreements established between individuals or educational institutions. They are based upon reciprocal arrangements where, in principle, each domestic student sent to the partner is balanced by a foreign student received from the partner. This facilitation will address most of the important issues seen by practitioners as being important to successful international placements, namely: In the Work Only exchange model, students are engaged as full-time employees and do not complete any academic studies during their stay with the foreign country. This model can be adopted simply by the two partners drawing up a memo of understanding that identifies the nature of their agreement. An example of such a document is shown later, in IV.C: Getting Connected. Its purpose is not only to clarify the intentions of the collaboration and who is responsible for what, but also to gain support and recognition from governing bodies and even immigration authorities.

the incoming foreign students have been pre-screened by the exchange partner using criteria agreed to by the two partners;

jobs are identified through the exchange partner's existing network of domestic employer contacts;

a knowledgeable exchange partner can ensure student and employer needs are more closely met when assigning students to jobs;

in reciprocal agreements, the hiring of each incoming foreign student results in an employment opportunity for a domestic student abroad. This reciprocity is viewed favourably by immigration authorities as well as by domestic employers;

the exchange partner can be responsible for monitoring the placements through site-visits or other means, and ensure that any program requirements such as reports and evaluations are completed.

reliable and committed exchange partners are difficult to find;

successful exchanges take time to develop and require a significant commitment.

A Guide for Developing International Co-op Programs