<p>No honest or respectable company would ask a student to defer his education for even a semester let alone an entire year. </p>
<p>The company and its offer are unethical. They are trying to buy cheap labor. Honest companies use co-op’s as short term, paid evaluation periods. They do not use them for regular labor. To do so is unethical. I advise to stay in school. If he is that interesting as a student, he will garner even more interest as he is about to graduate. </p>
<p>And since he is over 18 and will be working full time you will not be able to cover him under your health policy.</p>
<p>When I was in college co-op, it did involve taking semesters off to work, but only one at a time, plus the summer, so my co-op stints were 7-8 months long. A full year is quite unusual. I had to co-op to earn money to pay for my schooling, so the long stretches worked well for me. If he doesn’t seriously need the money, I wouldn’t take a whole year off to work.</p>
<p>I see it differently than others. In the market nowadays (and this is BEFORE we had a sense of an econ downturn), many students do coops and it gives them a leg up. Having this year under his belt will make him much more marketable compared to his peers (and that might be particular valuable if things get worse economically). And graduating a year later in an economic downturn isn’t a bad thing. Add in the present value of money, and its not bad to get a bird in the hand.</p>
<p>I don’t think it has to be good enough to be a permanent position. The kinds of work one can get part way thru their degree may not be as good as they will upon graduation. It’s apples and oranges. Getting a company to invest in you- training you- is worth a lot! Its an investment in one’s future. Moreover, working at a place for a year is easy compared to a lot longer (if it turns out to really suck, maybe he can resume in January).</p>
<p>I don’t see it as unethical. The choice is the student, this isn’t slavery. They may have a need for someone for one year, not 6 months, who knows. Some students need a break for a year. Some would like the extra ‘coop time’. I dont’ see anything questionable about looking for someone for a year.</p>
<p>^^ I don’t see how it gives him a leg up over a student with more normal internships. As an employer, if anything, I’d question why they took a year off to ‘work’.</p>
<p>Regarding the ‘market downturn’, only certain markets are experiencing a downturn. I don’t know about the opportunities for a materials engineer. Regardless, the OP’s S still has almost two years or maybe more before graduation. The job market won’t be the same then as now (as it wouldn’t be in almost any two year period).</p>
<p>And this isn’t all or none - the student can likely find other internship opportunities that aren’t so invasive regarding his college education.</p>
<p>I think it sounds kind of sad to miss senior year and all that entails to live far away in a small town where you don’t know anyone. You have the rest of your life for the work grind, don’t rush or compromise the college years if you don’t have to. Maybe not a popular opinion, but that’s what I’d advise my kids.</p>
<p>Intel has long co-ops with our local engineering universities. </p>
<p>Some positions take longer to learn than others. Some less so. </p>
<p>Pay seems to be about right for a jr+. DS has had internships that paid well and some just OK. He’s gonna to start #5, at 2000Euro/mn, with BSME and MSCS, in Germany, with his internship #4 mentor. Internship #4 paid $6K/mn plus subsidized apartment and transportation. DS junior internship paid $3k/mn in 2005. He’s gonna do exactly the same thing in #5 as he did in #4, but in Germany, university setting rather than company research environment. </p>
<p>There are many pros and cons. Do Your Due Diligence.</p>
<p>Can he get back on your health insurance after taking a year off school? My parent’s insurance continues while I’m a full time student - UNLESS I drop out/take a year off in which case, it stops and does not resume if I return to school. Something to check out…</p>
<p>I fall into the “not such a good idea” camp, and have one question. You said it’s a military contractor. I would ask whether the job involves travel (and where). I don’t see what your s. gains by taking a year out at this point. I do know that the during a previous economic downturn (late 1980s) materials scientists were still in demand. It’s a hot field. Could the company provide your son with contact information for other students who have done what he’s considering so he could discuss it with them?</p>
<p>great points, thank you. I will call and see if he can get back on our health insurance after a year off, thanks now that would be a deal breaker.</p>
<p>I don’t think that a year long internship is that unusual as my S has mentioned others that have done the same thing. The last company that he interned at they told him in the interview that they wanted him to come back the next summer because they wouldn’t have to retrain him but they downsized (auto industry) and he won’t be able to go back.</p>
<p>From the recent graduates we know in engineering, summer + semester as well as full year are not exactly common but they aren’t exactly uncommon. Even some of the petroleum companies do it. Generally, the companies have been pretty proactive in suggestion a return to college and finishing the degree. </p>
<p>However, to do it out of fear doesn’t seem like the best way to approach this. If he were my son and he were excitedly telling me what projects he would be working on, how great the people he talked to at the company were, etc., then I would say it could make sense. If, on the other hand, he is seriously considering this out of fear of any kind, then it doesn’t seem like the best option of continuing school versus taking a year off. Yes, engineers get hired without a jr year internship but it is a little more difficult. You need to continue to let him know you will support him however you can both this summer and for a few months after graduation if he doesn’t get an internship and that lengthens his job search. When you take the fear off the table, if he still really wants to do this, then go for it. </p>
<p>Also, since the school actively supports internships, have them put him in touch with a couple of recent graduates who did a year long internship for feedback on whether it was ultimately worth it. They would probably be able to give him the best advice about how hard it was to come back to college, how much they missed, etc.</p>
<p>Have you tried posting this in the engineering forum as well? There are several good forum posters that are currently engineers that may be able to offer perspective as well considering the offer is engineering. And yes, offers do come in the fall, as our son is currently sitting on an offer right now. We are concerned considering the location is more than 10 hours away in a city in which he knows no one. Our concern, as well, is the economy and the gamble he might take should he decide to pass this up and wait for any spring offers. Do some companies go on ahead and make offers in the fall so as to cherry-pick before other companies make spring offers?</p>
<p>ND Al, this doesn’t help the OP, because it does not relate to full-year internships. I share your curiosity about the timing of these early offers.</p>
<p>Here is my take, based on nothing but observation. S applied early to a few companies and, as a result, had some interviews. I guess some of the companies were satisfied with what they saw/heard and had no reason to wait to make an offer. S had about a month to decide. This effectively means that the decision has to be made before he is likely to interview with other employers (especially as he is studying off campus so is not there for career fairs). So the end result for the companies may well be that they are “cherry picking” from the more organized or motivated students–those who apply early. </p>
<p>Son decided to accept one of the offers, though he said it felt “funny to be pulling the trigger so early.” The economy may have had something to do with it, but, more likely, it was because he knew that this company is quite highly regarded in his field.</p>
<p>I agree with posts #7 & #30. Nevertheless, internships are valuable & can enable a student to gain a greater appreciation for education as well as to refine his educational & career goals. It may be possible to get course credit for his work in addition to work experience, good wages & a leg up on the employment market when he graduates.</p>