IO or IA?

[SpinFire]

I'm deciding whether to go on Industrial Orientation (IO) or Attachment (IA). It's 22 weeks vs 10 weeks. I also hear from seniors that IA students usually get employed by the same company after graduation, means easier to get a job. It seems like a huge advantage of IA over IO.

Any advantage of taking IO instead?

 

[siandiao]

Let's see...

IA: Die die must get into the company that you want to be in, if not you'll be wasting time. Anyway, not all good companies hire their previous interns, it depends on how much money the company spent on training you.
Another bad thing: 10 AUs earned just for the whole semester is very stupid, when normal load is 18AU. And you still need to pay school fees. So get a company that pays you ridiculously well, like $1000, if not really waste time.

IO: More often than not, you must find yourself, though NTU has its own IO system as well, and alot of gahmen agencies take in interns through this system instead of direct.
Plus it's done during summer hols. Means you get to earn extra money during tt time.
Only thing is that you must tambah 6 more AUs of electives, but that isn't a problem if you take biz minor.

For me, I've switched to IO after failure to secure my 1st local and overseas interviewing companies. But I was in a special situation for the overseas company (damn big one sigh) last minute withdrew from IA due to the 2008 economic crisis, thus I was allowed to change.

 

[SpinFire]

Woah, didn't know go on IA still got to pay school fees. Doesn't make sense for having to pay NTU while not taking any courses there, unless they consider you working elsewhere as a course.

But does the IA experience represent a big deal to employers/HR managers? Compared to your FYP/CCA records etc?

 

[kcxdes]

Woah, didn't know go on IA still got to pay school fees. Doesn't make sense for having to pay NTU while not taking any courses there, unless they consider you working elsewhere as a course.

But does the IA experience represent a big deal to employers/HR managers? Compared to your FYP/CCA records etc?

The issue about the fees were raised by Nanyang Chronicles etc 1-2 yrs back on why people have to pay when we are not in sch and some stupid answer was given from the school and we still have to pay.

I think the experience would be good if you intend to apply for work in a company in a field related to your IA. Otherwise, its just general work experience.

 

[siandiao]

Woah, didn't know go on IA still got to pay school fees. Doesn't make sense for having to pay NTU while not taking any courses there, unless they consider you working elsewhere as a course.

But does the IA experience represent a big deal to employers/HR managers? Compared to your FYP/CCA records etc?

You engineering right? Yes. But in all seriousness, there is little difference in impact between IA and IO, unlike what the profs and your seniors led you to believe.

 

[gvn_crap]

actually most of my friends who decide to take IO have problems clearing their normal AU loads... so they opt for IO so that they can clear a few subjects during that period of time.

If you're in EEE and from poly, IO might also be fun.. cos can take some UEs that EEE poly students dun take.

 

[PhitenX50]

yea i think its IO

 

[PeanutButtor]

take IA dont need study and can accumulate exp...

 

[reavervon]

i hav just complete my IA at ST.

if there is a company in particular that u wanna join, then u shld try to do IA in that company.

IA is time consumming but gives u a gd idea what is out there in the industry, and its a gd time to build up ur contacts

 

[terrykorkor]

take IA dont need study and can accumulate exp...

wa like that can lv up XD

 

[thenewguy]

taking IO cos of INSTEP..

 

[siandiao]

taking IO cos of INSTEP..

y not GIP USA, can skip IA altogether

 

[SpinFire]

y not GIP USA, can skip IA altogether

I think GIP doesn't offer Work & Study for USA anymore. Perhaps USA has enough unemployment already.

 

[-Wanderer-]

I'm taking IA next semester and I was wondering if it is possible to switch from IA to IO after your exam results for this semester is out? Because I'm scared I would dabao something this semester and hence push back my graduation by 1 sem. Then I can use that extra sem to clear any mods that I've dabao-ed...

 

[thrillkiller23]

sorry to dig up thread, did any engineering undergrad secure an IA with a bank? or is it even possible?

 

[SpinFire]

sorry to dig up thread, did any engineering undergrad secure an IA with a bank? or is it even possible?

I'd like to find out too.

From what I know, it's possible to do internship at a bank if you're an engineering student. Internships at banks are usually 10 weeks, similar to industrial orientation for engineering firms. The tough part is to get through the interview process. Engineering student will have to compete with thousands of finance students who have spent 2 years studying finance, while engineering students have only taken a couple of finance-related modules, or read up on finance during their free time.

Anyway, the financial industry is recruiting heavily here in Singapore. There have been at least 10 financial firms who came to NTU during the past couple of weeks to conduct recruitment/internship talks. Anyone interested in Shell's internship? I went for their talk last Friday, and found out they have 10 internship vacancies for Mech engineers to fill, spread among NTU and NUS.

 

[-Wanderer-]

I'd like to find out too.

From what I know, it's possible to do internship at a bank if you're an engineering student. Internships at banks are usually 10 weeks, similar to industrial orientation for engineering firms. The tough part is to get through the interview process. Engineering student will have to compete with thousands of finance students who have spent 2 years studying finance, while engineering students have only taken a couple of finance-related modules, or read up on finance during their free time.

Anyway, the financial industry is recruiting heavily here in Singapore. There have been at least 10 financial firms who came to NTU during the past couple of weeks to conduct recruitment/internship talks. Anyone interested in Shell's internship? I went for their talk last Friday, and found out they have 10 internship vacancies for Mech engineers to fill, spread among NTU and NUS.

To secure an internship in banks is definitely possible for engineering students, at the expense of your holidays. But to secure an IA with banks and earn your 10 AUs from them, then of course NTU will not allow that. There are certain requirements to follow and fulfill for IA and sadly banking isn't one of them. Please take a look at this IA booklet for more information: http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/studentlink/opa/Ia/General_Info.pdf

 

[Junior87]

To secure an internship in banks is definitely possible for engineering students, at the expense of your holidays. But to secure an IA with banks and earn your 10 AUs from them, then of course NTU will not allow that. There are certain requirements to follow and fulfill for IA and sadly banking isn't one of them. Please take a look at this IA booklet for more information: http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/studentlink/opa/Ia/General_Info.pdf

I've actually done and completed an Industrial Attachment with a bank.. so its not impossible

 

[siandiao]

To secure an internship in banks is definitely possible for engineering students, at the expense of your holidays. But to secure an IA with banks and earn your 10 AUs from them, then of course NTU will not allow that. There are certain requirements to follow and fulfill for IA and sadly banking isn't one of them. Please take a look at this IA booklet for more information: http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/studentlink/opa/Ia/General_Info.pdf

It's possible, just depends on the scope.

It's like, if you're MAE/CEE/ENE, and you go bank, of course hard to justify la.

But if you're EEE, becoz EEE has infocomms, it's possible - if you enter the bank as Tech intern

 

[SpinFire]

Something I regret immensely is not applying for a summer bank internship after Year 2. It would have been the best of both worlds, doing an internship at a bank, and then doing an engineering internship in Yr3 to get the 10 AUs. I was really ignorant at that time, and thought I could only do internship in Year 3... Blarh!