International students say they worry about limited opportunities to gain Canadian job experience and the inability to apply for certain on-campus jobs.
There are 3,849 international students enrolled at Toronto Metropolitan University according to 2022-23 enrollment data. The university’s website states international students pay tuition fees ranging from $33,423 to $38,584, depending on their program of study.
Students can apply for on-campus jobs through Career Boost, a work-study program, which provides domestic and international undergraduate and graduate students paid work experiences. These opportunities, however, are limited for international students because of a difference in how the roles are funded.
In the 2023-24 year, 140 roles were requested to be funded out of the Career Boost International portfolio and 85 were awarded, as opposed to 1,215 available roles for the domestic portfolio.
In an emailed response Emily Jones, director of student success & career navigation career, co-op & Student Success Centre, said Career Boost undergraduate domestic and Career Boost graduate/ law roles are funded from a pool of funding known as Tuition Set Aside (TSA).
Jones said that given TSA funds can only be redistributed to domestic students, international Career Boost positions do not benefit from the same secure funding source each year. “However, the Office of the Vice-Provost, Students (OVPS) has ensured that there is a set amount of funding available to Career Boost International each year,” she said.
Birthi Sehra, president of International Students at The Creative School (ISTCS), said she feels most international students turn to university jobs given their restricted knowledge of the Canadian landscape and their limited network. “Some people [international students] come from money, but not everyone does,” she said.
”What am I paying so much for if I can’t even get access to jobs?” she said.
Vignesh Patil, a first-year mechanical and industrial engineering master’s student said he hasn’t had much luck with Career Boost. He further said that he feels there’s an added layer of difficulty as a master’s student and that most roles he has heard back from are usually through internal emails and one-time gigs on eHR.
He further added that these jobs help gain Canadian work experience. “A couple of recruiters have said you might have job experience back home, but it doesn’t really count here,” he said.
According to data Jones provided on Career Boost jobs, Career Boost employs 3.1 per cent of domestic students and 2.2 per cent of international students. “This 1 per cent difference is attributed to the different ways in which the programs are funded,” she said.
Sehra said it’s disheartening to hear there isn’t enough funding for [international] students, adding these jobs are a way of being financially independent and establishing a stronger base in Canada.
Another issue identified by students is the distinction on which roles international students can and can’t apply for. Sehra recalls being approached by a university department in hopes of speaking about her work experience and pursuing her for a role.
However, as soon as she mentioned she was an international student, she was told international students weren’t eligible to apply. “It hurt more because they reached out to me,” she said. “I was so excited.”
When asked about this distinction in which roles international students can and can’t apply to, Jones said hiring departments on campus apply for roles to be funded out of three portfolios, Career Boost Undergraduate Domestic, Career Boost Graduate/Law and Career Boost International.
“The Career Boost program, and OVPS, cannot influence which program hiring departments apply to,” Jones said.
Jones further added that the university is continuing to pursue funding that would them to grow the number of roles offered through Career Boost International as the international student population at TMU grows.
She also said international students who are unable to find work through Career Boost are encouraged to access the Career, Co-op & Student Success Centre’s services. “We know how many international students want to gain Canadian work experience as part of their learning journey,” she said.
Fourth-year journalism student seeking a platform to inspire conversations. Reporter, OTR, winter 2024.
