<p>I was wondering if any had any insight on how often an engineering co-op turns into a job at that company. </p>
<p>My wife and I would like to have our son live in our city, and he wants to stay here too, so I am concerned that going to an engineering college in another city or state would have the effect of leading him to jobs there rather than nearer to home, especially if he does a co-op there.</p>
<p>I believe co-ops turn into job offers a significant amount of the time. Companies view co-ops as extended job interviews and training periods and after they invest substantial time and money into co-op students they often hope they stay on as permanent employees. However just because they may turn into job offers, students are under no obligation to accept those offers and can turn them down and look for work elsewhere.</p>
<p>Also students don’t have to intern/co-op near their school. If you know of a company located near you that your S would like to work for, he can speak with them directly or he can ask his school to contact them about opportunities. My S lives in Indiana, attends school in Alabama, and is currently interning in Illinois near Chicago. </p>
<p>If you know of a compnay in your area that has co-op students, you can try to arrange your S to get a position there.</p>
<p>Thanks jrcs mom- that’s good news!</p>
<p>So the school may actually contact a company in our local area to set up a co-op?</p>
<p>Not the usual case. The student needs to apply for a co-op. They are then interviewed and evaluated. Then go from there.</p>
<p>I would say it mostly depends on if the company decides to offer him a full-time offer after graduation. It happens very frequently. He should also consider summer internships because they probably fit his schedule more than a co-op. This is my second co-op and it starts from summer and end in mid-fall during the semester. It is not very convenient because I take class from 8am to 2pm (with 2 1hr breaks) then work from 2 to 5:30 or 6pm everyday.</p>
<p>Most co-ops alternate semesters with classes and MANY encourage students not to take any courses during their ‘work’ semesters, although students can generally take 1-2 evening courses if they are behind in their requirements.</p>
<p>Most co-ops work like</p>
<p>Fall - Classes on campus
Spring - Co-op
Summer - classes on campus
Fall - Co-op
Spring - classes on campus
Summer - Co-op</p>
<p>which requires 1 summer session of required classwork during each co-op, and many include 3 semesters of work (but I am sure there are exceptions to that)</p>
<p>the co-op office at the school will have a process about applying for positions, being interviewed, and then having the businesses select which students to make offers to, but those offices are generally eager to expand opportunities and provide opportunities that their students are interested in. If you suggest that the co-op office get in touch with a specific employer that your student is interested in, there is a good chance that they will look into it, especially if you can provide a specific contact. Will that guarantee that they can work something out? Of course not. Will that guarantee that if they do work something out that your student will be the one they make an offer to? No, at that point other students may be interested in working in your area and may compete for the position. But schools do place co-ops in other geographic areas. </p>
<p>The first step would really be to contact the office that handles co-ops tell them what area you reside in and ask if they place any co-op students in that area. If they say no, then tell them that your student is interested in working in that region and ask if you could put them in contact with some businesses in your area that might be interested in working with them.</p>
<p>There is a chance that your student’s school already works with businesses that have multiple locations and that your student can request to work in a branch located near where you reside. The co-op office would also be able to indicate if that’s a possibility.</p>
<p>Of course, if you decide that an internship is a better option than a co-op, then you don’t have to work through the school at all. You can apply directly to businesses in your area. Some internships are over the summer - others can last for a semester or even a full school year - the main difference between an internship and a co-op is after completing an internship there is no requirement to return to the business again later. Although if a student performs very well during an internship, the company will often offer them additional opportunties to intern.</p>
<p>Great information and advice-thank you!</p>