What exactly is considered as "work ex" in CAT?
Basically the title. I am just curious about the criteria that IIMs and other colleges use to evaluate work ex during the admission process, and not just in terms of duration but in terms of job sector and industry. I have even heard stories about some food delivery and rapido jobs being counted as work ex, as they should be.
But if a college has to put some restrictions, where would they draw the line on someone working in an odd job?
Internships are not counted no matter what. It has to be a job after your graduation. Getting into your family business or just working under your family to make it look like "work ex" also seems fishy to IIMs. Only just a personal opinion because they might question you a lot on this. Not quite sure what exactly their take is.
Now from a more personal perspective. I am preparing for CAT this year. I graduated in 24 and worked for one year in marketing at a start up (still like 12 to 13 years old, lead by an ISB graduate) just after college. Sure, that is work ex but due to some critical health issues from Sept 25, I had to quit my job and was unemployed for a few months. But after a few months, I was just healthy enough to get out of the house and since then, I have been teaching kids and other other students at a music school and learning things for myself too. I have always been in love with music and it has been a hobby of mine since a few years. I teach just music theory stuff tho and instruments like guitar, drums, and keyboard, like 3 to 4 days a week (more like part-time because classes are in evening). Some students opted for home tuition as well, so going for that too. Tbh, it is just a music class but it is registered as a school. We offer music programs which are certified from trinity college of london and follow the grade hierarchy and exam system to evaluate students. After a successful grade completion, students are evaluated by trinity itself and issued a certificate for it.
Now is this work ex credible for me? Or will it just be a point to talk about in interviews but not actually worth anything? If it is, what all things will be required to make it count? What letters, statements, etc?
I may just be trying to salvage myself because of my health issues and unemployment periods. I just want to know if there is a silver lining at the end of it all or not? Obviously, I won't stop taking my classes just because they won't count as work ex.
Why the switch will be a completely different story but not worried about that now. Any insight is appreciated on this. Thank you so so much for reading this through.