 Mass.; Calgary, Montreal; Ottawa; Raleigh, N.C.; Richardson, Texas; Santa Clara; or Toronto. Students can apply for internships and the co-op program directly through the web site. OUR SURVEY SAYS Laid-back atmosphere, but hardworking Nortel is less hierarchical than other top employers, insiders say. Insiders appreciate the company-wide "open door policy." One source describes the company HQ as "a Visit Vault at www.vault.com for insider company profiles, expert advice, VAULT CAREER career message boards, expert resume reviews, the Vault Job Board and more. LIBRARY Vault Guide to the Top Telecom Employers Nortel Networks Limited cube city." "There are no offices," that contact explains, "they do have cube-offices, where they put doors on high-walled cubes, but that's about it." The company insists that some employees do have offices. The relaxed atmosphere extends beyond an open-door culture. "It's very laid-back," says one insider. That contact explains why. "It's the dress code, number one; and number two, the hours are very flexible. People come in at all different times." As for the dress code, says one contact, "in the summer, I see both men and women wearing shorts to work all the time. Normally, though, you'll see a lot of blue jeans, T-shirts, polo shirts, Dockers, sneakers, loafers, and stuff like that." Explains another insider about the dress code: "It's shorts and T-shirts. I mean it's really taking business casual to an extreme." This doesn't mean that Nortel employees don't work hard. Reports one contact: "Nortel, unfortunately, seems to cultivate workaholics. It all depends on what your ambition is. If you want to be a director or a VP, I can tell you that 40-hour weeks won't get you there. If you'll put in 60-hour weeks you'll find that people will give you more than enough to do for 60 hours." On the upside, "alternative work schedules, work at home, and responsible part-time work are usually available to help us balance our work life and personal life." Great training Perks at Nortel range fro