Internships in Ottawa, Canada

Ottawa - the capital of Canada - is the fourth largest city in the country with population of 1.1 million inhabitants. It’s known for beautiful views of architecture of the city with a backdrop of the waters of the Ottawa River. It is also one of the fastest developing areas in the whole of North America.

Ottawa is a great place for various educational, job and internship opportunities of various fields.

What it’s like in Ottawa

One of the first things that separate Ottawa from other Canadian cities is its truly bilingual environment. Both French and English are widely spoken by the citizens of Ottawa and both of the languages have been recognized as the official languages of the city. Around 1/3 of all inhabitants of Ottawa speak both languages, thus most of the people that are employed at the service industry can easily speak with their customers both English and French.

Secondly, Ottawa is one of the safest Canadian cities. A 2010 police report claimed that the overall crime rates had dropped by 3% in comparison with 2008. According to the latest data of Statistics Canada, the severity of the crimes has decreased by 10% while the crime rate itself has dropped 12%.

Ottawa is a city of superb infrastructure, making it a very convenient place to live in despite the large area it covers. With a well-developed public transport system, pedestrian-friendly streets and lots of bicycle lanes, it is easy to get around the city by various means of transport.

Opportunities in Ottawa

The employment rates in Canada are also very encouraging, showing a great variety of opportunities for job seekers. Around 3000 new jobs have been created in the past few months and the current unemployment rates are the lowest in Ottawa since December. However, one should bear in mind that job seekers who are not the citizens of Canada need a working visa in order to work  in Ottawa.

With superb education rates, Ottawa is a great place for students. Nearly 50% of all citizens of Ottawa have obtained one or more advanced degrees. It is also the Canadian city with the largest percentage of people holding a PhD in engineering and science.

Local institutions, such as Carleton University, University of Ottawa, Algonquin College, La Cité collégiale, and many others offer plenty of disciplines to study in for students with interests in many different fields. Moreover, the government of Canada has announced that it will aim to double the number of foreign students and is ready to invest a large amount of funding in order to attract young and bright students from all over the world.

Finding an internship

Various internship opportunities are offered by the institutions of higher education in Ottawa as well. For instance, the University of Ottawa provides its students with Summer Undergraduate International Research Internships (SIRI) including a scholarship worth 3000 CAD. Carleton University has several internship programs for its students as well, including international internships.

While one (and very effective) way of finding an internship in Ottawa is applying for studies in one of the education institutions named above and seizing the internship opportunities that are offered for their students, one can also seek internship placement online. Check sites like talentegg to keep yourself updated with the latest and most suitable internship offers.

Conclusions

With a superb study and job environment, along with positive safety and growth statistics, Ottawa is a very friendly place for internship seekers and students.  Ottawa offers all kinds of high-quality learning and workplace opportunities for students of any discipline. As a safe, multi-cultural, and fast-developing city, it certainly provides an attractive opportunity for those interested in a fast-paced and bilingual atmosphere.