Job: Summer, seasonal and short term jobs - New York, USA - Expatriation Expatriate International

Now is the time to prepare for your summer job experience abroad.

In order to help you to find a job for an experience abroad, we have selected a few organisations for each of the themes below.

You will find information on voluntary jobs or internship abroad in our other articles on the left column of this page.

Job Hunting in USA

Unless you plan to enter the USA under the Visa Waiver Program, before departing it is essential that you make sure that you can obtain an entry visa (see our information below on visa).

Plans to work in restaurants, bars, ski resorts etc. in the USA may sound flexible and readily available, but such casual work is in fact illegal without an a H1-B Temporary Worker Visa, J-1 Student Visa, or a Q Cultural ExchangeVisa, which can involve a long application process.

Despite these restrictions many people still choose to work illegally in the USA, which can lead to deportation and refusal of return to the country. It is therefore often recommended to secure a job through an agency or organisation.

BUNAC (British Universities North America Club) and Camp America are probably the most publicised job organisations for gap year students.

BUNAC (http://www.bunac.org) offers opportunities working with children on a summer camp in the USA, for example as a counsellor.
Camp America (http://www.campamerica.co.uk) is similar in offering placements during summer months for teaching, cooking, and cleaning etc. in a children�s summer resort.

Both organisations provide flights, food, accommodation, and spending money

You will find a lot of information with BUNAC (British Universities North America Club: http://www.bunac.org), a non profit member club which has been offering work abroad programmes suitable for gap years and summer vacations for over 40 years. Programmes include in country support and last up to 18 months. They offer money to cover all expenses and a samll salary for the work.
It covers the following countries: UK, USA, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ghana, Holland, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, Montenegro, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden.

You will find also a list of organisation that offer voluntary programmes and gap year in the Gapyeardirectory website or to work as a J1 holder in the US.

Working holiday visa

Visa requirements are crucial to your trip planning.
This section is intended for reference only. We strongly recommend that you contact the embassy directly for the most up to date info.

In the USA

In order to work in the United States you will need a J-1 visa. You have several categories of J1 visas, so you will particularly focus on those for foreign students, missions and internship and seasonal jobs.

Applicants for exchange visitor visas should generally apply at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate with jurisdiction over their place of permanent residence.

Required Documentation: Each applicant for an exchange visitor visa must pay a nonrefundable US$100 application fee and submit:

An application Form DS-156, together with a Form DS-158. Both forms must be completed and signed. Some applicants will also be required to complete and sign Form DS-157. Blank forms are available without charge at all U.S. consular offices and on the Visa Services website under Visa Application Forms;
A passport valid for travel to the United States and with a validity date at least six months beyond the applicant's intended period of stay in the United States. If more than one person is included in the passport, each person desiring a visa must make an application;
Photo Requirements
For the "J" applicant, a completed Form DS-2019.

J-1 visas for Seasonal Jobs in the USA can be renewed several times, as long as the candidate is between 18 and 30 year old. They take place during summer (betweem June and October), for the chosen duration (1 to 4 months).

You can also be candidate for an internship on this programme, as long as the same conditions apply. You just need to ask your employer to sign an internship contract. However internships or missions are valid only once in your life. You cannot either do an internsphip, then a short term mission or contract. For internship the student must be between 18 and 30 year old and for short term contract he/she must be between 20 and 40 year old. In this case it must be related to your qualification or a previous job.

In France, CIEE is the only company to have a mandate from the American government to apply for the "J" visa on your behalf.

Discount Cards

A youth card or student card can offer you a lot of advantages abroad and is a recognition of your status. Two international cards will give you discounts and are essential for those taking a gap year or going backpacking:

ISIC card (International Student Identity Card): this is for any full-time student over 12 years old.
IYTC (International Youth Travel Card): if you are not a student, but are under 26, then this card is for you. IYTC has become internationally recognised as an identity card in 50 countries.

What the Cards offer:

Valuable discounts on air, travel, bus and ferry, transport and accomodation (gap year backpacking discounts).
Access to over 33,000 discounts in over 100 countries.
Reduced admission to museums, galleries and historic states.
Access to student travel organisations in over 90 countries.
24 hour emergency, legal and medical help line services.
Basic sickness and accident travel insurance.

You can apply directly online to get the cards (http://www.isiccard.com) or buy asking your University or youth centers.

You will find information on voluntary jobs or internship abroad in our other articles on the left column of this page.