Summer Employment Opportunities (SEO) Program.
Internships from the Ontario Government for secondary and post-secondary students
If you are a university, college, or high-school student in the Canadian province of Ontario1, and you are looking for a job during the upcoming summer, consider applying to work in the Ontario Government's Summer Employment Opportunities (SEO) Program. There are jobs in many different fields, such as
- policy,
- science,
- parks and recreation,
- environment and wildlife,
- information technology (IT),
- engineering, maintenance, and trades,
- business, finance, and communications,
and many more.
As the official webpage explains, "The Ontario Public Service (OPS) is hiring thousands of positions through our Summer Employment Opportunities (SEO) program where you can contribute to meaningful work within one of our ministries, provincial agencies, or community groups."
There are "thousands of summer student opportunities available across Ontario", and the hourly wage is $17.20 to $18.05 CAD per hour.
You must meet all eligibility criteria by the first day of employment. (The contracts begin on various dates between May and July.):
- Student Status: You must be enrolled in a secondary or post-secondary institution (currently or for the fall semester) OR you must have graduated within the past six months (for example, if you graduated in December, you can apply for and start a summer student position up until June of the following year).
- Age: You must be a minimum of 15 years of age. There is no maximum age limit.
- Residency: You must be a resident of Ontario during the term of employment.
- Work Status: You must be legally entitled to work in Canada and have a valid Canadian Social Insurance Number (SIN) for the full duration of your summer employment.
The deadlines vary by program, but I encourage you to apply as early as possible.
When I was a university student, I worked as a summer intern in the public sector. Although I eventually chose to work in the private sector, I'm glad that I explored this avenue for 4 months and learned what it is like to work in a governmental agency. (I previously wrote about a similar program from the Government of Canada called FSWEP.)
If you are reading my posts for the first time: I'm Eric Cai, a statistician based in Toronto, Canada. I write about statistics, communication, and career development for professionals in data & analytics. Subscribe to get my articles delivered to your inbox at 9:30 AM Eastern time on Monday to Friday.
If you live in a Canadian province other than Ontario, there may be a similar program in your province.