Realistic chance to get internship through workshop paper at big conference (ACL) in Canada as a foreigner (CompSci)? [closed]

Question

I am finishing my undergraduate studies soon (CompSci) and am currently writing a paper. I am still deciding whether to submit it to a smaller conference or to a workshop at a big conference. (I don't think it's enough for the big conferences themselves).

One option is to submit it to a workshop, which is at the ACL conference in Toronto. I would like to work in Canada for several months. As a European and a graduate student it is difficult to get a regular work visa, but through an internship it should be theoretically possible.

I have read that at such a big conference there are also many recruiters.

My background with a single workshop paper is probably not very interesting there in general, but still I wonder if I would have realistic chances to get an internship opportunity in Canada through going to this conference?

Answer 1

Realistically, I think the chances are low. People are mostly focused on other things at conferences. And even with the recruiters there will be competition for any available slots, not all of which will be for internships.

I'd suggest that you focus on more productive options. A workshop paper is good on a CV, of course, and you can use the attendance to meet people and look for collaborative relationships, but you should not put too much of your hopes into this. Certainly, nothing is guaranteed.

In the US, at least, you can apply for graduate study, perhaps even a doctorate, with a bachelors. This is more likely to be fruitful and the workshop paper will be a plus in that quest.

The competition at a "smaller" conference might not be less than at a bigger one, though. Sometimes a small but highly focused conference will have a lot of competition.