application for Co-Op

Ima lurker

Have just filled out application for Co- Op 2nd year business, Economics and Finance would like to stay in Limerick (GAA comitments) but didn't say so as I reckon places will be hard to find, given the current economic climate! should I approach student services and request a place in Limerick or even munster or should I just take what is given to me?

amybabes

my advice (as a final yr BBS student) is take what ur given! but things might worked out for the best and you could get limerick anyway.

i wanted to stay in limerick as i was living with my bf at the time, and had 2 other interviews before one for a position in limerick, one in dublin and one in longford (wtf!?) but was lucky enough to get offered the one in limerick the day before i got offered the one in dublin....so it worked out for me!

BUT most of the positions in limerick and outside of dublin in my experience arent as good as the ones youll get in big companies in dublin. one of my friends got to go to germany, london and south africa on her co-op! and all of my friends who did co-op with deloitte and kpmg signed contracts to go back there in sept, so they got permanent jobs outta their co-ops, know that might not mean much to u when ur in 2nd yr, but im starting to wish i had pushed for a placement in dublin! also dublin placements tend to be better paid, even if living expenses are higher, it still works out with alot more in your pocket at the end of the day....maybe upto 100 euro more a week!

So thats my advice anyway, its only 8 months....and thats not a whole lot to not play as much GAA, plus theres a real party atmosphere for co-ops in dublin, whereas i was d only co-op in my place, next youngest to be was 30! so not much fun.

BUT the way things are at d mo, youll be lucky to get a placement at all! i know alot of people supposed to be on co-op now couldnt get any for love nor money so ended up doin 3 modules or something ****ty! eugh!

amybabes

also, they really dont take kindly to fussy students in the co-op office! so dont make any enemies in there! i tried my hardest to get out of the interview for the longford job and they werent having ANY if it!!

i know one person did ask to be placed in limerick as she was severely diabetic and needed to be near home and her doctors and specialists in limerick........she ended up not gettin an interview til end of feb (while we were all 2 months into our co-ops) and ended up in the procurement office in u.l....nothing to do with marketing!!

just be wary!!

ninty9er

With an economics degree in the current climaye I wouldn't really be hoping to get a job out of co-op if I were you. Your best bet is to get your own co-op, but you'll need to let the co-op office know asap if you get one.

Rineanna

Ima lurker wrote: »

Have just filled out application for Co- Op 2nd year business, Economics and Finance would like to stay in Limerick (GAA comitments) but didn't say so as I reckon places will be hard to find, given the current economic climate! should I approach student services and request a place in Limerick or even munster or should I just take what is given to me?

Unfortunately, you don't have a snowball's chance in getting the co-op office themselves to keep you in Limerick on the grounds of GAA commitments. In fact, I'd imagine they'd chase you out of the office if they heard that reason

Seriously though, a couple of people in my course who were going through the process attempted to stay in Limerick too, but they were refused. And, as you say yourself, with the way things are at the moment you'll be very lucky to get a placement at all. But, you never know, fire in your C.V anywhere you can durinig the summer, use every family connection you can and you might be lucky. I know a good few Economics and Finance students this year ended up in AIB in Dublin. And prepare to do a co-op that doesn't exactly match your majoe either, as a lot of my fellow 3rd year BBS students are doing.

Good luck with it though.

1huge1

Hey just wondering about anyone who did a language with business.
I'm gonna be majoring in economics and finance next year (which would mean my co-op would be in the 1st part of 2011 and hopefully economic conditions will have improved by then).

Anyway I was just wondering how easy it is to get a co-op job abroad, as im doing german myself and would prefer to have my co-op in Germany.

Mossin

I can vaguely understand why you'd put playing GAA in front of getting a co-op placement outside of Limerick, but I wouldnt let it get in the way.
If you are that dedicated about the GAA, then you would make every effort to continue playing regardless of where you were on co-op [obvious exceptions like being abroad, or in Donegal, or other farther regions of Ireland]
But if you were in Dublin, it wouldnt be that difficult to come back and play regularly. It'd suck big time, and cost you a small fortune, but it could be done...

As for the co-op process itself. It has been mentioned already to try and organise your own, and this is still the best option. Even when there were jobs going for all co-ops, it was still advisable imo to get your own. Otherwise you get stuck in jobs which are of no relevance to your degree, career, general interests or sanity!

Dont make the co-op office angry either, or annoy them with requests. Given the way things are now, they are lucky to be getting any co-op placements at all for students! Take what you are given....

Sure you might be lucky [unfortunate depending on how u look at it] in that there might not be a co-op job going, and you get to stay in UL for the duration of co-op and do a project...That'd allow you plenty of time to play GAA too.