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FAQs - Work and Travel - Internship -  Trainee
 
  What services does U.S.E. provide employers?
  Does the program cost anything?
Bullet   Am I able to interview candidates in person?
  What countries am I able to recruit students from?
  What can I expect from a Job Fair?
Bullet   What if I can´t attend a Job Fair?
Bullet   Do U.S.E. participants speak English?
Bullet   Are the participants legal to work in the U.S?
Bullet   Will participants have social security cards when they arrive?
Bullet   Can a participant work if he doesn´t have his Social Security Number?>
Bullet   What is SEVIS?
Bullet   What is a Sponsor Organization?
Bullet   What is a DS 2019?
Bullet   When are the participants available to work?
Bullet   What positions are U.S.E. participants able to work in?
Bullet   In what areas are trainees and interns able to work?
Bullet   Is my company required to provide housing?
Bullet   Will the participants have medical insurance?
Bullet   Who should a participant contact in case of an emergency?
Bullet   Can I fire a participant?
Bullet   My company is interested in joining the program, what is the next step?

Bullet What services does U.S.E. provide employers?

U.S.E. provides employers with qualified J-1 seasonal workers or longer-term interns and trainees. We recruit international J-1 participants based on your specific hiring needs, arrange interviews at a Job Fair or by telephone, organize all participant´s visas, provide you with current status reports on all participants, and assist you in resolving any issues that may arise before, during or after the season. In addition, we have extensive training and orientations for our participants to make sure they arrive prepared and ready to work at your place of employment.

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Bullet Does the program cost anything?

No! Hiring through U.S.E is completely free of charge for employers. If you hire at least 20 J-1 participants, we can even fly you to South America to conduct interviews in person at one of our Job Fairs.

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Bullet Am I able to interview candidates in person?

Yes! U.S.E. invites all employers hiring a minimum of 20 students to visit our South American offices for a Job Fair free of charge! U.S.E. covers all travel expenses and takes care of all travel arrangements. Below is a list of minimum hiring numbers to attend a Job Fair in more than one city:

- Hire 20 students and travel to one city.
- Hire 25 students and travel to two cities in one country.
- Hire 30 students and travel up to two countries.
- Hire 45 students and travel up to three countries.
- Hire 60 students and travel up to four countries

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Bullet What countries will I be able to recruit students from?

U.S.E recruits from some of the top universities and accredited hospitality institutions in:

- Argentina
- Chile
- Colombia
- China
- Bulgaria
- Ecuador
- Moldova
- Peru
- Philippines
- Romania
- Spain
- South Africa

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Bullet What can I expect from a Job Fair?

During the Job Fairs, U.S.E. will take care of all transportation and arrange all meals. Prior to your departure, your account manager will send you a detailed daily schedule describing your time in Latin America. You will coordinate your interview schedule with your account manager and work with them to determine which cities you will visit and how many participants you will interview. The friendly English speaking staff at U.S.E. will be with you during every point of your trip. We are also happy to help you organize additional travel in South America apart from the Job Fair. For more information, please visit the Job Fairs section of the website.

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Bullet What if I can´t attend a Job Fair?

If you can´t attend a Job Fair, U.S.E. will set up interviews through telephone or webcam or you can simply hire online.

- Online Hiring: After reviewing all applications and deciding which candidates you would like to hire, add them to your Hired List and create the Job Offers.
- Telephone Interviews: As with online hiring, you will have access to the resumes of participants carefully selected and pre-screened to match your company's criteria. Your account manager will then work with you to arrange phone interviews with the participants who will come into one of our offices to interview with you by telephone or webcam.

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Bullet Do U.S.E. participants speak English?

Yes! In order to enroll in the program, each potential J-1 participant must first pass an English evaluation administered by a native English speaker. A scale of 1 to 5 is used to evaluate their comprehension, verbal skills and fluency. We also screen and evaluate the social skills and maturity level. Participants who score below a 3 in English level or social skills are not allowed to participate in the program. To see evaluation criteria please click here.

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Bullet Are the participants legal to work in the U.S?

All U.S.E. participants enter the U.S. with a J-1 Visa. This visa gives authorization to legally enter the U.S. and allows participants to work legally during the dates stated in their DS-2019 form (which are the same dates you enter on your Job Offer). A Work & Travel participant can work up to four months and a Trainee/Intern can work for up to 18 months.

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Bullet Will participants have social security cards when they arrive?

All participants will arrive at their places of employment having already applied for their social security cards, if previously advised to do so by their employer. Some employers choose to aid their participants in applying after arrival. Many employers invite a social security representative to come to the resort and process the applications. All social security cards will be sent to the place of employment or to a residence in the United States according to the specification of each employer. The Social Security offices recommend that participants wait 10 days after arriving in the US to apply for Social Security, however this is not possible in some cases. Participants generally receive their Social Security numbers within a month after applying.

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Bullet Can participants work if they don´t have their Social Security Number?

Yes! Participants are legally able to begin work in the U.S. while their petition for a Social Security Number is being processed. If you have any questions, please visit the IRS link explaining that participants have authorization to work while waiting for a SSN: www.socialsecurity.gov/employer/hiring.htm.

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Bullet What is SEVIS?

 

All participants in the J-1 Work & Travel program are tracked during their stay in the U.S. by a system known as the "Student and Exchange Visitor Information System" (SEVIS). SEVIS is operated by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and is designed to maintain accurate and current information on all immigrants. J-1 Students will have 30 days from the date of their arrival in the U.S to fill out their SEVIS information. However, we encourage all participants to register within 5 days of arrival. They can register by entering their sponsor´s website at: www.internationalymca.org , www.geovisions.org or www.asse.com, or by calling their sponsor´s US hotline. Participants that fail to register within 30 days will have their visa sponsorship withdrawn. To fill out SEVIS, participants only need to enter a valid address and phone number.

U.S.E. receives daily updates from our sponsors on the student´s SEVIS status. If any student has failed to register with SEVIS in a timely manner, we will immediately alert both the student and the employer.

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Bullet What is a Sponsor Organization?

 

The sponsor acts as a participant´s legal sponsor while the participants are in the U.S. They are available for consultation any time a participant has a problem or question, and, if necessary, can help resolve disputes. The Sponsor also emits the participant´s DS-2019 form, which allows them to apply for a visa. A sponsor is the only entity with the authority to withdraw or cancel a participant´s visa. U.S.E. currently works with two sponsors - The International YMCA and GeoVisions. You can visit their websites at: www.internationalymca.org and www.geovisions.org.

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Bullet What is a DS-2019?

 

A DS-2019 form is evidence presented to the US consulates showing that each J-1 applicant has a legal sponsor. This is the form that legally allows them to work in the U.S. and the dates that appear on the form are the days in which participants can begin and end work. The YMCA and GeoVisions emit the DS-2019 forms after we receive the Job Offer. A J-1 Visa is not valid without a DS-2019 form.

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Bullet When are the participants available to work?

 

Work & Travel participants can work during their summer university break. Each year, the U.S. Embassy pre-determines the work dates for the participants in each country based on the university start dates. Generally, our winter participants are able to work from beginning to mid-December until mid-March. Some U.S.E participants are available until the end of March and a few into April. Spring participants can work March through June and summer participants can work between June and October. Interns and Trainees are available to start and finish work at any time during the year and are not bound to specific dates.

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Bullet For which positions can I hire participants?

 

International J-1 hires can help fill a wide variety of seasonal jobs. As long as they have a valid Job Offer, they are allowed to work in any position. Work & Travel participants have been placed in, but are not limited to, the following areas: Lift Operations, Bussers, Housekeeping, Ski Techs, Ski/Snowboard Instructors, Pool and Spa Attendant, Beach Attendants, Valet Parking, Servers, Servers Assistants, Bartenders, Food Runners, Banquet Servers, Cooks, Dishwashers, Cashiers, Host/Hostess, Laundry, Room Service, Front Desk, Lift Operations, Ticket Agents, Resort Service Workers, etc.

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Bullet In what areas are trainees and interns able to work?

 

The objective of the trainee and intern programs is to enhance the participants´ skills and development within their profession. Many work in hospitality or culinary areas, however there are also programs in architecture, engineering, marketing, human resources, IT, etc. Interns and trainees are not bound to specific dates and can start at any time during the year.

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Bullet Is my company required to provide housing?

 

No, it is not necessary to provide housing for the students. U.S.E. will work with employers and participants to assist in locating housing. We only ask that you give suggestions about affordable housing solutions in the area. However, employers who do provide housing are able to offer an additional benefit to participants and can be more attractive to participants when choosing with whom to interview.

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Bullet Will the participants have medical insurance?

 

Yes. As part of Universal Student Exchange´s program and according to the requirements for the J-1 visa, each individual is provided with basic insurance. This insurance covers non-job related emergencies and accidents and any necessary doctor´s visits. Participants can purchase coverage upgrades if they desire. The health insurance company varies depending on the sponsor of the participant.

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Bullet Who should a participant contact in case of an emergency?

 

In case of a problem or emergency, our sponsors(YMCA, Geovisions, Aspire) offer a 24 hour hotline for both participants and employers. U.S.E. also has a toll free number that can be reached during normal business hours in case the participant or employer has any question or problem. In the case of medical emergencies, all participants have health insurance and should seek medical attention immediately.

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Bullet Can I fire a participant?

 

If a participant is not performing well on the job, repeatedly arrives late to work, or violates resort rules, you can terminate their employment contract. The U.S.E. staff is on hand to assist you in speaking with the participants regarding work performance should any problems arise. We find that we are able to resolve most concerns by speaking directly with our participants. However, in the event that problems persist and you wish to terminate the employee´s contract, please advise us so we are able to take the appropriate actions and notify the student´s legal sponsor.

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Bullet My company is interested in joining the program, what is the next step?

 

Please contact one of our friendly Employer Services representatives at 1-646-205-0149 for further details or fill out the "Registration Form" . We can also be reached via email at employerservices@workuse.com.

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Universal Student Exchange - 2024 - employerservices@workuse.com - Phone: (305) 289-8180