2. The IT Job Market in Canada
3. Professional Credential Evaluation First Step
4. How’s Your Spoken English?
You’ve made up your mind. You want to work in Canada, but you’re not sure what preparations you need to make. A good place to start is to have your Korean educational background report prepared by the International Credential Evaluations Service (ICES) which officially assesses courses and certifications and compares them to a Canadian equivalent.
ICES evaluates formal for-credit educational programs for people who have studied in other provinces or countries and determines comparable levels in British Columbian and Canadian terms. The results of an ICES assessment are provided in evaluation reports that are objective, consistent and reliable. Employers need to know whether your credentials meet the educational or training requirements of the job you applied for, but most employers do not understand credentials from other countries. An evaluation report from the ICES can help an employer understand your credentials.
Your ICES evaluation report should be attached to your résumé when you apply for a job. This will help an employer understand your education and may increase your chances of being selected for an interview. These reports are especially important if you are seeking employment in a regulated occupation such as engineering or architecture. Professional associations need to know whether your training has met the educational standards required to practice in British Columbia. In addition, if you are seeking further post-graduate education in Canada, institutions need to know whether your credentials meet their admission or transfer credit requirements.
ICES can provide two kinds of reports, the basic and the comprehensive. For IT professionals seeking employment or education in Canada, the basic report is not detailed enough about individual courses. Therefore, the comprehensive report is a better option as it also lists courses and converts both grades and credits or units, provides a calculation of the grade point average (GPA) and identifies the language of instruction. It is important to note that ICES evaluations measure the level of education, not the content of the courses, and do not specifically mention exactly which Korean courses match courses and programs in Canada.
To get started with your ICES report, visit the website. set up your account and start requesting your official documents. For a document to be considered official, it must have the proper seals and/or signatures according to the practices of your home country and must be sent directly to ICES from your educational institution(s). A comprehensive ICES evaluation takes a minimum of 7 weeks to complete and costs approximately $250 CAD.
Your ICES evaluation is valid for years and is an effective first step to complete to move towards your goal of working in Canada.
Kari Karlsbjerg and Elaine Chu are authors of the best-selling bilingual guidebook, Everyday Vancouver, which contains all the practical cultural information and resources Korean newcomers need for life in Vancouver, Canada.