Work exchange programs encourage international understanding through
short-term work experience in the United States. These programs vary
widely in nature; for example, some programs allow you to accept any
type of work that is offered, while others restrict you to working
in a job related to your chosen career, or even to doing a specific
job, such as being an au pair. Each program has different
eligibility requirements, and you should check to see which programs
best suit your particular situation and needs.
Work exchange programs do not operate between the United States and
every country. Contact an EducationUSA center to find out if any
programs are available to citizens of your country. Also use the
Internet to search for information on work exchange programs.
These programs can be administered only by organizations that have
been authorized by the U.S. Department of State to issue the
Certificate of Eligibility (Form IAP-66/DS-2019). This form allows
work exchange program participants to apply for a J-1 exchange
visitor visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate. The J-1 visa allows the
participant to work legally in the United States for a specified
period of time. This type of J-1 visa should not be confused with
another category of J-1 visa that is issued to students enrolled in
degree or exchange programs at U.S. universities (see Booklets One
and Two of this series for further information on degree-level study
in the United States); you will not be able to study full-time while
you are on a work exchange program. Further information on the J-1
Exchange Visitor Program and the Au Pair Program is available on the
website https://exchanges.state.gov/education/jexchanges.
You should plan your participation in a work exchange program as far
in advance as possible. Some work exchange programs require that you
obtain an offer of employment in the United States before you apply
to the program. Programs may have application deadlines, or they may
require that you apply a certain number of weeks or months before
you intend to leave for the United States. Ask the individual work
exchange organization how long the whole process will take. Allow
time to apply for and obtain your visa, and, if possible, do not
purchase a plane ticket before you are informed that your visa
application has been successful.
If you are interested in learning more about your particular
profession in the United States, you might want to consider taking
part in a professional exchange program. A number of programs
operate between the United States and other countries that allow
members of certain professions, most commonly teachers, to
experience living and working at that profession in the other
country. An example of such programs is the Fulbright Teacher and
Administrator Exchange Program, which operates between the United
States and more than 30 countries. Further information on this
program is available on the World Wide Web at
https://exchanges.state.gov/education/fulbright. Contact an
EducationUSA information and advising center for information on this
and other professional exchange programs available between your
country and the United States. |
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