Engineering Summer Internship Program (ESIP)

As you may know, U of T Engineering rolled out a new model for co-op, starting with engineering students who entered first year in the 2020-2021 academic year. A part of the new co-op model includes an optional summer work-term after second year. As such, after 2021-2022, ESIP will no longer be offered as a stand-alone program.

At this time, ESIP is available to two cohorts of engineering students:

• Second-year engineering students in the 2020-2021 academic year [registration is now closed for work terms in the summer of 2021]
• Third-year engineering students in the 2021-2022 academic year. See eligibility requirements below for exceptions.

If you have already registered for ESIP for 2020-2021 or are eligible to participate in 2021-2022, you can look forward to:

• Putting your technical competencies and professional skills to practice in a full-time summer position.
• Gaining experience in an industry or company of interest before pursuing further opportunities, whether through PEY Co-op or after graduation.
• Earning money! Every ESIP position is paid. In 2020, ESIP students earned $23/hour on average.
• Earning hours toward your 600-hour Practical Experience Requirement

If you are a current first-year student in the PEY Co-op Program, you will have access to optional summer work-term positions in your second year. You will receive more information through your first-year PEY Co-op programming.

The total fee to participate in ESIP is $400 CDN. This includes:

• $125 non-refundable registration fee
• $275 work-term fee, which is paid through ACORN in August at the end of your work term

The ESIP fee gives you access to:

• Career Portal – which contains hundreds of job postings for summer roles.
• Career advising – providing lifelong job-search, resume-writing, interviewing and professional skills
• Work-term preparation workshops – enabling you to become a better negotiator and networker

1. Take note of the registration deadlines

Registration for ESIP is now closed for the 2020-2021 academic year.

In the 2021-2022 academic year, there are two ESIP registration periods:

• September 10 – 21, 2021
• January 5 – 17, 2022

Please note, you only need to register during one of these two periods (i.e., if you register in September, you don’t need to re-register in January).

2. Ensure you meet the eligibility requirements

To participate in ESIP in the 2021-2022 academic year, you must meet the following requirements:

• Be in good academic standing
• *Be a third-year, full-time undergraduate engineering student on the St. George Campus

• Hold full-time student status for the academic years both before and after your work term. This is a government requirement for co-op programs.

• Not be part of another co-op program at U of T, including the AEINTCOOP subject POSt

If you are an international student, you will need to ensure your study permit is valid during your work term. Please visit the Centre for International Experience for details about study permit extensions.

**Registrations are handled on a case-by-case basis. If you have a special circumstance, please contact us at registration.ecc@utoronto.ca   

3. Register online and pay your ESIP registration fee

During ESIP’s two registration periods – September 10-21, 2021 and January 5-17, 2022 – you will be able register online. To complete the registration process, you will pay a non-refundable fee of $125 to gain access to the Career Portal and ESIP programming. Once fully registered, you will receive your login information and further details via email 2-3 business days after the registration period closes.

The Engineering Career Centre Career Portal manages all aspects of the ESIP recruitment process. Through the Portal, you can:

• View and apply to job postings
• View interview invitations and select interview time slots
• Sign up to attend Employer Information Sessions
• Sign up for workshops and book appointments
• Upload important documents including your acceptance form, and a copy of your letter of offer or contract

As an applicant seeking a job, you are responsible for checking job requirements, policies and resources that are posted on the Career Portal. You are also responsible for checking your U of T email regularly throughout the process for updates on your interviews, job offers and more.

While there is no limit to the number of job applications you may submit, remember that success comes from strengthening the quality of your applications. Take full advantage of coaching and workshops through ESIP to help you identify job fit and create strong, tailored applications that will be noticed by employers.

All applications should include:

• Cover letter
• Resume
• Copy of Transcript (unofficial is fine)

Congratulations! To formalize the acceptance of your ESIP job offer, there are two steps:

1. Upload the ESIP Acceptance Form to the Career Portal in the “My Documents” section after accepting an offer
2. Upload the signed copy of the letter of offer or contract once it is released by the employer

Accepting an ESIP job offer, whether verbally or in writing, is considered final. For this reason, we strongly encourage you to carefully evaluate the offer prior to making a decision. You should also observe the following:

• Once you’ve accepted a job offer, cancel all interviews and decline future offers.
• You are expected to commit to the entire work term stated in the contract.
• You are not allowed to combine positions in multiple organizations.
• You are prohibited from rescinding an offer unless you have a valid and justifiable cause such as those concerning health and safety.

Failure to follow these policies may lead to release from ESIP.

Be sure to reach out to the Engineering Career Centre if you require assistance with an offer: pey.coop@utoronto.ca

You may obtain an independent ESIP work term outside of the Career Portal. To ensure the opportunity meets the program requirements, it must be reviewed and approved by our Co-op Coordinators, they can be reached at: pey.coop@utoronto.ca The steps required to register and approve an independent work term are listed HERE. If you have any questions such as whether an opportunity would qualify before you approach the employer and apply for the role, please contact us.

ESIP students that obtain a work term are required to view the Transition to Workplace workshop video and complete the corresponding quiz before starting work. Current 2020-2021 ESIP students can access the session online via the Quercus course.

Please note that ESIP students are not eligible to take courses during the summer.

Prior to starting the work term, ESIP students are provided with guidance and knowledge surrounding entering the work force in the Transition to Workplace session which is found online on Quercus as part of the PEY and ESIP Co-op 2021-2022 course. While on their work terms students have the full support and guidance of the ECC staff should they have any questions or concerns. Monthly newsletters provide up to date knowledge on current trends and important information regarding programming. Students are expected to complete their final evaluation and final report for full completion and credit of the program. Details on both will be emailed to students. Students should be checking their utoronto email accounts regularly.

To receive your ESIP non-academic credit, you must submit the following:

1. Final evaluation
2. Reflection report

Students will receive more information regarding this process once they have begun their work term.