CS Co-Op At Waterloo

[ndookie]

Hey everyone !
I'm going to Waterloo to study Computer Science and I've been accpeted into Co-Op , but i don't fully understand what co op implies.. Even though there is a summer term which can be a study term or work term , I thought that there would still be some form of vacation in the academic year. Is this so ? If so , when is this ? Do co-op workers get spring break ? Or any kind of vacation during christmas ?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated .

Thank you

[Tony]

co-op is just regular "real world" work (although Waterloo's co-op system itself is not as "real"). Typically one doesn't get vacation days because students are not employed for long enough, although all the public holidays (including Christmas) are off. If you want some extra time for self, travel, etc., negotiate your start/end dates to allow yourself more time.

Typically there's about 1 week of "free time" in between end-of-exams and start-of-work; although for a while I was doing terms where I would end workterm on Friday and start school on Monday (in case one wanted to get more work done).

[ndookie]

Oh , I understand .

So what do the employers expect of you in terms of the amount of weeks ? Are the work terms supposed to be the exact weeks of the school term ? i.e. Will the work term end before christmas (would they expect that , without negotiation) ?

[Tony]

http://www.cecs.uwaterloo.ca/manual/work_term/8_9.php

Quote:

The work term usually begins on the first Monday of the first month of the term and ends on the last Friday of the fourth month of the term

Quote:

the minimum work term length must be not less than twelve weeks

http://www.cecs.uwaterloo.ca/students/resources.php