Jobs/Location Selection

Table Of Contents

Start With a Clear Plan #

First, decide where in the United States you want to go, and what kind of job you’d like. You will spend up to four months at your job, so it is important to choose one that matches your personality and skills. Yourinternational representative (US agency) can tell you what jobs are available during the time you wish to visit.

To get the job you want, do all you can to make yourself appealing to employers. Create a resume that highlights your skills and experience, such as cooking, swimming, or helping at a family business. Include anything that shows you can handle responsibility, such as child care, tutoring, or volunteering. Even if you do not have past job experience, you should share what you can do.

Customer service is a big part of most jobs, so employers want to know that you are comfortable working with people and are at ease speaking English.

Job Placement ( With approved US agency) #

The agency will arrange a basic, entry level job for you, much like one that a student in the US would have during a school break.

You will not normally be able to have a position that offers training for your future career, but you will certainly be able to learn a lot through your job if you are open to new people and experiences. The Work & Travel Program does not require that participants have special training or professional skills. We just ask that you have a positive attitude about hard work! Earn money while you get to know the country as no tourist can. Here is a sample of the types of businesses where agencies place students in the country. These types of positions are located in many states across the US:

What kind of summer jobs are available? #

With so many different jobs available, you‘re sure to find one you like! You can work at hotels, restaurants, amusement and theme parks, ski resorts, national parks, or retail stores. A variety of job opportunities are available to the participants, including positions in:

AMUSEMENT & THEME PARKS

Get outdoors and interact with the public. Most parks are located in resort areas. Below are available positions:

  • Ride operators
  • Games operators
  • Food & beverage hosts
  • Guest services
  • Merchandise/retail hosts
  • Lifeguards (shallow and deep water)
  • Admissions
  • Parking hosts
  • Cashier
  • Employee housing hosts
HOTELS & MOTELS

Work for one of the world’s great hospitality chains or a small, locally owned hotel. Below are available positions:

  • Hotel front desk clerk
  • Housekeeping/room attendant
  • Guest services
  • Bell staff
  • Concierge
  • Waitstaff/host/cashier/banquet server
  • Dishwasher/busser/utility
  • Food runner/line server
  • Line/prep/banquet cook
  • Retail sales associate/cashier
  • Gift shop clerk
NATIONAL PARKS

The National Park System is one of America’s greatest treasures and a symbol of national pride, offering amazing landscapes. Most jobs are available from May through September, during the U.S. summer vacation season. See what you can do below

  • Café attendant
  • Front desk
  • Hospitality crew
  • Server assistant
  • Food and beverage hosts
  • Guest services
  • Kitchen utility worker
  • Resort worker
  • Guest room attendant
  • Snack bar attendant
 RESTAURANTS

Join the team at a well-known national chain or a small, family-run business. See what you can do below

  • Server
  • Server assistant
  • Dishwasher
  • Host/hostess
  • Bar-back
  • Prep cook
  • Line cook
  • Busser
  • Salad/sandwich maker
RETAILERS

Help shoppers at one of America’s large stores, or at small boutiques. These jobs are often in attractive destinations popular with tourists. See what you can do below

  • Cashier
  • Grocery clerk
  • Product stocker
  • Ice cream shop worker
  • Convenience store clerk
  • Bicycle rental technician
SKI RESORTS

A popular option for those who have their university break during winter in the United States, these jobs can place you at some of America’s greatest ski resorts. See what you can do below

  • Ski/snowboard instructors
  • Ski/snowboard rental shop attendants
  • Lift operators
  • Ticket sales
  • Guest services
  • Snow removal
  • Merchandise/retail hosts
  • Cafeteria cashiers
  • Servers/waitstaff
  • Dining room hosts
  • Dishwashers
  • Prep cooks
  • Housekeepers

Finding a Job by Yourself #

Some students from select countries are permitted to find their own jobs. Your agency international representative can tell you if this applies to you. It’s also possible for you to find another job once in the United States. Your agency must approve any job before you get hired. They want to make sure you are protected and have a positive work experience!

To get a job you find on your own approved by your agency, you must ask your host employer to provide job details such as contact information and physical address, wage per hour, job start and end dates and housing cost. You will add this information to your application and submit it to your international representative.

Job Guidelines #

  • Jobs must meet the rules, regulations, and intent of the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program, which focuses on cultural exchange.
  • The agency cannot approve a job if there are questions about your safety and well-being, or if the job prevents you from having a meaningful cultural exchange experience.
  • You must be able to balance your work responsibilities with time spent exploring the local community, learning about the United States, and getting to know Americans.
  • You may only work for employers whose staffing needs are seasonal or temporary in nature.
  • Your job must pay a salary that meets minimum wage regulation.

How much money will I earn? #

This will depend on how high the minimum wage is in the state where you will go. Your hourly wage needs to respect the state minimum wage. If you have a job where you earn a tip, this will not be included in your salary, but please note that the minimum wage for a job with tips is lower.

How many hours will I work during my summer job? #

You will need to be able to work 32 hours per week on average over the course of your program. Some weeks you may work more and some less. During busy times of the season, employees can expect to work 40-50 hours per week. Also your work schedule might depend on company needs. i.e. Hotels might need to cover early morning or late evenings shifts. Your work schedule might vary.

How to Prepare For a Great Interview #

In person or via webcam, interviewing is a big part of getting a job. This is your chance to make a good impression. Here are a few tips to help you succeed:

Learn About the Employer
Before the interview, find out what you can about the job and what it requires. Be prepared to talk about your background and why you are a good candidate. Come with at least two questions to ask. It shows you are interested.

Make a Good First Impression
Be sure to arrive on time, and present yourself professionally. Introduce yourself with a friendly handshake and a smile.

Talk About Your Experience
If you have work experience, talk about it. If not, talk about what you have done–for example, volunteer work or involvement in university clubs. Use examples of how your skills fit this job.

Ask Specific Questions
This shows you are interested and responsible.

Notes for acceptable/prohibited jobs #

Prohibited Positions

based in the U.S. Department of State regulations and guidance to verify that participants will be pursuing the purpose of the J-1 Visa program. The following positions are not allowed on the InterExchange Work & Travel USA program:

Prohibited Jobs

  1. Positions that could bring notoriety or disrepute to the Exchange Visitor Program;
  2. Sales positions that require participants to purchase inventory that they must sell in order to support themselves;
  3. Domestic help positions in private homes (e.g., child care, elder care, gardener, chauffeur);
  4. Pedicab or rolling chair drivers or operators;
  5. Operators or drivers of vehicles or vessels for which drivers’ licenses are required regardless of whether they carry passengers or not;
  6. Positions related to clinical care that involve patient contact;
  7. Position in the adult entertainment industry (including, but not limited to jobs with escort services, adult book/video stores, and strip clubs);
  8. Positions requiring more than four hours of work between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.;
  9. Positions declared hazardous to youth by the Secretary of Labor at Subpart E of 29 CFR part 570;
  10. Positions that require sustained physical contact with other people and/or adherence to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Universal Blood and Body Fluid Precautions guidelines (e.g., body piercing, tattooing (including henna), massage, manicure, hair braiding);
  11. Positions at businesses that offer body piercing, tattooing (including henna), massage, manicure, hair braiding;
  12. Positions that are substantially commission-based and thus do not guarantee that participants will be paid minimum wage in accordance with federal and state standards;
  13. Positions involved in gaming and gambling that include direct participation in wagering and/or betting;
  14. Positions in chemical pest control, warehousing, catalogue/online order distribution centers;
  15. Positions in the mobile amusement and itinerant concessionaires industries;
  16. Positions for which there is another specific J visa category (e.g., camp counselor, intern, trainee);
  17. Positions in the North American Industry Classification System’s (NAICS) Goods-Producing Industries occupational categories industry sectors 11, 21, 23, 31-33 numbers as outlined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, including, but not limited to: construction (includes specialty trade contractors), mining (includes oil and gas extraction, support activities for mining), manufacturing (food manufacturing, textile mills, apparel manufacturing, wood product manufacturing, printing), natural resources (crop production, animal production, fishing, support activities for agriculture and forestry);
  18. Positions through employment or staffing agencies;
  19. Positions in kiosks or cart stands at malls;
  20. Positions in home-based businesses;
  21. Positions in warehouses or factories;
  22. Administrative positions handling sensitive/personal information;
  23. Positions as an independent contractor (1099 Form employee);
  24. Positions in fisheries;
  25. Positions in door-to-door sales or canvassing;
  26. Positions in industrial style/scale service sector (jobs that involve assembly lines, repetitive movement using heavy machinery, use of industrial size steamers/pressers and dryers, use of industrial chemicals, factory-like atmosphere);
  27. Position where an exchange visitor is solely responsible for the safety of others (e.g., as a lifeguard); does not have regular on-site or timely on-call supervision by the host entity and/or would be without reasonable time off for breaks and meals;
  28. Positions that are not compensated hourly (e.g. piece wages, stipends, etc.);
  29. Placements that employ the exchange visitor as a mover or in any position where the primary work duty is the movement of household or office goods
  30. Positions in waste management, janitorial, or custodial positions
  31. Position with a host entity that participates in the Summer Work Travel Program on a basis other than seasonal (e.g., for more than two seasons during the year, or that covers a total period of employment longer than eight months in a single calendar year);
  32. Locations where telephone and Internet communication is not accessible.
SPECIFIC JOBS THAT CANNOT BE APPROVED
  • Domestic help positions in private U.S. households, such as au pair, servant, gardener, or chauffeur
  • Modeling or jobs in the adult entertainment industry
  • Jobs on casino gaming floors
  • Jobs in warehouses, factories/manufacturing, moving companies, or catalog/online distribution centers
  • Jobs in the fisheries industry
  • Jobs at mall kiosks or carts
  • Jobs as operators or drivers of vehicles or vessels for which drivers’ licenses are required
  • Operators of pedicabs, rolling chairs, other passenger carrying vehicles for hire, and/or vehicles requiring a commercial driver’s license
  • Farm or ranch jobs
  • Jobs with traveling carnivals / concessions
  • Jobs providing clinical care, medical services or involving patient contact, hands-on therapy, counseling, administering treatment or making diagnoses of medical, psychiatric or psychological patients, or veterinary work involving hands-on care
  • Jobs as ship or aircraft crew members or as pilots, except as crew members on ships that travel only within domestic U.S. waters
  • Jobs as teachers, teaching assistants, or coaches
  • Jobs entailing sustained physical contact with customers, such as, body piercing, tattoo parlor work, or massage)
  • Jobs with domestic cleaning companies
Acceptable Jobs
  1. The position offered must be seasonal. Employment is of a seasonal nature when the position is tied to a certain time of the year by an event or pattern and requires labor levels above and beyond existing worker levels.
  2. The position offered must provide opportunities to work alongside and interact regularly with U.S. citizens. Participants must be able to experience U.S. culture during both the workday portion of their Summer Work Travel program as well as outside of work.
  3. The position offered must not displace domestic U.S. workers
  4. The position offered must provide pay and benefits commensurate with those offered to their similarly situated U.S. counterparts and pay eligible participants for overtime worked in accordance with applicable State or Federal law.
  5. The location must contain suitable, affordable housing (e.g., that meets local codes and ordinances) and reliable, affordable, and convenient transportation to and from work
Important notes about Work and Travel in large cities

If a large city (e.g. Miami, New York, or Los Angeles) is submitted as a potential place of employment, the following must be demonstrated:

  • The job is seasonal or temporary in nature.
  • The employer has reasonably attempted to hire locals for the season and the placement will not displace U.S. workers.
  • There is access to suitable, affordable, and safe housing
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