Stepwest

I was asked to do an internship during my communication and media studies in Germany. I wanted to extend my working experience, but also to travel and get to know new places at the same time. Therefore, I decided to intern abroad. I contacted a local organiziation that connected me with Stepwest in Vancouver. The team from Stepwest helped me to apply for an internship in Toronto, to make sure my C.V. and motivation letter are written very well and to find a suitable company regarding the requirements of my university.

During the whole application process, I had at least two experienced people I could contact at any time and get help within a very short time. I felt very supported and encouraged and received a lot of help and advices on my way to apply for my working visa. More over, I had a great time in Toronto, extending my knowledge ad working skills and getting to know the Canadian culture. Every Canadian has been as open-minded and friendly as I already had experienced with the team of Stepwest. You always have somebody by your side for upcoming uncertainties and challenges.

I definitely recommend this program to everyone who would like to experience one of the most beautiful countries, get to know new people that make you feel like home and work in a company that matches your previous working experience and ideas of a great internship abroad.

Planning your Working Holiday prevents you from wasting your time, your energy, and your savings! Contacting Stepwest was the best thing I could have done to live and enjoy my Canadian adventure.

Since the very beginning, I contacted Stepwest because despite having intermediate English (academically), I had a very elementary level English for day to day. I thought it would be more difficult for me to find a job in Canada and deal with a new culture where I didn’t know how to start to look for a job.
During my second day in Vancouver, Stepwest already arranged my first job interview as a waitress in an Italian restaurant on a central street of Yaletown, which is a really nice neighbourhood in downtown Vancouver. The interview went very well (despite my limited English), I made my trial shift, and in the same week I started to work (it all happened in the twinkling of an eye!). Now, I have been working in this restaurant and living in Vancouver for one month, and I feel very comfortable here.
Much of this I owe to the speed with which I found work and the warmth with which I was welcomed by the restaurant team! And, of course, I improve my English step by step, day by day!

Really, when you come to a new and unfamiliar place, it's very comforting to find people like the team at Stepwest. I feel they advised me very well whenever I had a doubt, before and after getting my Working Holiday. And I think that two of their most prominent values ​​are empathy and sensitivity with which they work to your situation of a “newcomer” in Canada. From my experience I can say that they have sensitivity when they choose the companies where you could work. They also offer the best rates to get a Canadian cellphone and a bank account that offers the best advantages when you open your account!

I am very glad to have contacted Stepwest to plan my adventure! I will do it again. During this time, I could compare my experience with other people I've met in Vancouver and, like me, came here with the Working Holiday Visa. Having the support of Stepwest has provided me with motivation and safety in every step I took. In addition, it has also saved me a lot of headaches and money thanks to the speed with which I found work and the good advice received.

Canada opens its doors with the Working Holiday Visa and this is a great opportunity to have a unique and unrepeatable life experience, to expand your knowledge about other cultures and about yourself, to improve your English and to test yourself in many ways. Twelve months seem long...but it goes so quickly, so it is important to speed up certain processes (such as looking for work, for example).

I never thought about finding a place as multicultural as Vancouver, is incredible how many people from all around the world live here.

I have known a lot of nice people, who have thought me a lot about them and the places they are from. Not only the people is amazing here, the beauty of the country is something else too, if you like nice views and lakes, you have to come to Canada.

I have enjoy it every second of my experience, cause life is about that, experimenting.

Well, my life here has been amazing, I'm really enjoying this opportunity to work and live in the rockies! I cant choose just one story about my experience . I have been meeting a lot of new people from everywhere, I love this moment to share different cultures and also learn about it, I'm so excited because I came here for work and save money, but I didn't know I would have so much fun, I feel so lucky, I have good friends, coworkers, housemates and I live in the most beautiful town . what more can I ask for.. !

When I was in my country I knew it will be a wonderful year but I never imagine how is this helping me, I'm without my family and friends but I havent feel bad or alone at all. I feel so mature now, I can organize my life perfectly and I think I'm ready for something new. I will always remember canada and all my stories here, I choosed the right way for one year full of experiences.
Thanks!

I would like to start mentioning that I'm glad of having made use of the services of Stepwest because I was quite lost at the begining and it was really hard to find a company accepting me for my internship as well as dealing the whole visa process. Once in the process with Stepwest, the first interview that I had it was succesful and I felt really happy.

After that it was hard to deal with the feeling of not knowing if I would get the visa, but once I had my port of entry to Canada I could sense that something great was waiting for me in Canada!

Concerning to my internship I can say that it's being a really nice experience in which apart from getting new knowledges I'm having the chance to work within a really fun, interesting and amicable environment.

Concerning to my free time:
I've always been concious that this could be my first and maybe the last time here in Canada so since the beginning I just wanted to really live and experience what Canada has to offer. I didn't want to spend my time being at home so I had clear in my mind that I was going to go out every single day to enjoy this amazing place as it deserves. Not even the rain or cold was going to be an excuse to be lazy, so I started meeting new people really quickly and spending my time with those ones who had the same mentality as I do. This was really important because we have done a lot of trips and have lived amazing moments together. Tofino, Ucluelet (Vancouver Island), Squamish, Garibaldi lake or Leavenworth (US) are just some the trips in which we have been camping and hiking as much as our legs could afford.

The good thing in British Columbia is that it's not all about hiking y camping, specially if you are living in Vancouver. This city has everything you need to feel alive and enjoy, in fact you can find pubs, shoping areas, interesting gastronomy from all over the world, multiculturalism, respect, safety, beaches, mountains, green parks, wild animals, the sea... you can go to any of these places within a radio of 10kms? It's just great, so how could you stay at home!