Work and Travel USA: requirements to work in the US
Work and Travel is a perfect opportunity for anyone who wants to live the experience of working in the United States. What is it and what are its requirements?
It is, without a doubt, a trend that is growing hand in hand with an increasingly global and interconnected world. But, beyond "fashion", traveling around the world is the dream of many people. Especially young people, who are increasingly following the Work and Travel (W&T) programs offered by different agencies and countries both in Latin America and in other parts of the world.
What is Work and Travel
They are proposals that consist of working in the country to which one chooses to travel in order to pay the costs of the trip. In short it is: working traveling.
If you imagine these programs as a good way to raise money, question it. It is not the most frequent to be able to save if you join a Work and Travel program. Most of the people who have done it say that they came back “to zero” in economic terms: they earned what they spent during the trip, but they came back rich in experiences, connections and learning.
Work and Travel from Argentina
In general, one of the trips most chosen by young Argentines and Latin Americans in recent times is that of Work and Travel USA, especially in ski resorts.
According to travelers who have experienced it, it is a very nice option where they take friends with them, improve their level of English or other languages and return full of new experiences.
Another positive thing to keep in mind about this trip is that it is usually one of the first experiences of independence away from home. In Argentina and Latin America, because of our culture, it seems normal to us to continue living at our parents' once we finish high school. To Americans it seems inconceivable.
Due to our customs, many young people -especially from the big cities, which have universities and opportunities for development- do not know the experience of being independent from a young age. This trip may be a good opportunity to try this new flavor away from home and return to the country with an open mind and renewed ideas.
Work and Travel USA
If you are thinking (or perhaps just fantasizing) about going skiing and working in the United States, we will tell you about the first steps you have to take and what the process is like in general to achieve your goal. It is key that you know it from the beginning so you can organize yourself in the best way. In addition, it also helps you to eliminate fears or anxiety that may arise from your head.
Process and basic requirements
To begin with, if you want to go to the US for Work and Travel, you must be a regular university or tertiary student. That is, that you are studying and have taken at least 2 final exams in the last six months. The allowed age is from 18 to 28 years old.
Then, you have to look for an agency that connects you with the ski resorts in the United States. One of the most recommended is Global WAT, although there are more options. You can find out which one closes you the most.
It is important that you know that the initial investment in a trip like this is quite high, but that during the trip, being responsible, you can recover it. Calculate an estimate of:
U$S 1900: this is for the services of the agency to contact employers and also the service of the Sponsor who is the one who gives you the medical insurance for foreigners and an essential document to get the J1 VISA approved.
US$ 1,300: this would be for the plane ticket from Argentina to the United States, and then the internal flight to get to your ski resort. Round trip on both.
Keep in mind that it is an estimate (although it is quite true since we spoke with guys who made the trip recently), but remember that it is possible to recover this initial investment. The registrations in the travel agencies to do W&T in general are: in April (at the end of the snow season in the US) and another in the middle of the year.
Travel tip: it is very convenient to get international medical insurance in addition to the one that the sponsor gives you, since the second one is not usually very complete and if you have an accident or get sick, it is likely that you will have to pay for it out of pocket. Medicine in the US is very expensive!
Jobs in the USA: Work and Travel options
As for jobs, you don't have to be a ski instructor yes or yes. You have several options:
Outdoor jobs: child or adult snowboard or ski instructor, lifeguard, elevator operator, ticket checker.
Gastronomy jobs: cook, assistant cook, dishwasher, waiter, bartender.
Rental Jobs: Cashier, Grocery Store Clerk, Retail Sales, Receptionist, Ticket Sales, Ski/Snowboard Rental Store Clerk.
Housekeeping jobs: laundry service, room service, housekeeper.
Guest service jobs (at resorts): receptionist, information desk attendant, bellboy, driver, reservations agent.
Informative talks and W&T interviews
How is this going? Well, it is very likely that the agencies will organize some informative talks at the beginning so that you can clear all the doubts and also so that you can see what places offer you.
Something convenient according to some travelers is that you pay a deposit to the company to freeze the prices for their services. It is something very convenient especially for Argentines…
What are Work and Travel USA interviews like?
Later the agency will make you have a “simulation” interview: someone from the agency will give you an interview in English with the typical questions that your employer will ask you and you will also talk a little about yourself. It can be in person or via skype.
Rest assured that it is more than anything to see that you can handle English. Also, your interviewer will give you advice on what would be best to answer.
Some time later you will have the real interview with your employer. It will be very similar to the one you had before. Just relax! If you did well in the previous one, this one will not be much different. More than anything the employer will want to see your profile to see in which position you will work best.
After a couple of days you will receive an acceptance email if it went well, with a series of documents that you will also have to complete. In general, most are doing well.
Tips for applying to a Work and Travel program
Traveler Tip 1: It adds a lot to your CV to speak a third language other than Spanish and English (Portuguese is very useful since very few people speak it in the ski resorts).
Traveler Tip 2: Be careful where you choose to go! If they have a bad snow season you will be unemployed and in general the agency will take time to give you another job.
Traveler Tip 3: In case you didn't know, working for Vail Resorts you get a free ski pass. This is not something that happens at all ski resorts in the US, where they give you discounts but not a free pass.
Work and Travel USA: papers and visit to the US Embassy
Throughout the entire process there will be many papers and documents that you will have to sign and complete. Don't worry, in general, the agencies are super patient and they are very clear about all the papers. Once you have everything ready, you will have to take it to the embassy and have an interview there, so that they approve the J1 VISA.
There is nothing to fear! They will ask you for all the previous papers, including the regular student certificate and the university transcript. In the interview they will ask you about yourself and some questions from a manual that you should read carefully before going (the agency will provide it to you).
Many people are afraid of this interview, but there is nothing to worry about: just do your homework and get rid of your fear of the unknown. Imagination can play tricks on us.
These interviews are after the middle of the year, around September and October.
Work and Travel United States requirements
Once employed and with the approved VISA you will have to think about where and with whom to live. Choosing friends or people that you at least like is key to coexistence. And more if the rent is not cheap... Because it is not.
Something that several travelers recommended to us is that everyone in the house buy a car for mobility. You can get one in good condition for $1,000. And at the end of the trip they sell it.
Some tips we can give you regarding Americans to make a good first impression are:
Be punctual: always arrive five minutes before the agreed time.
Be neat: they attach great importance to neatness in the uniform and also in personal appearance, such as having well-groomed hair, for example.
Although they seem nonsense, these things will help you obtain benefits such as: priorities for work (if there is little) or to have days-off. It is key that you make an effort to maintain this good impression, especially from the time you arrive until a few days after the New Year, which is the high season. Having a good relationship with your employers will open some beneficial doors for you.
How to save in a Work and Travel program
While most go back to zero (you spent what you earned), saving is not impossible. You're going to have to put a little more claw into it. You can get a second job on top of the one you already have and earn a couple more bucks.
On the other hand, there are certain exams that you can take to increase your salary. The best known is the ski or snowboard instructor exam. It costs around US$400 but it's worth it because you get the money back and they say it's not complicated.
