ADVICES FOR WORK AND TRAVEL PROGRAM IN 2017. 

How can you prepare for your departure to USA? How can you prepare for the Work and Travel program? Anyone who started thinking about it on time has already found the agency they would go through, and surely what kind of job they will be doing. Some of you are going back to the US for the second or even third time. In that case this article is not for you.

This article is dedicated to all of you who have not yet decided where to start, how and where to look.

WHERE TO START

First check if you meet the requirements for the application for the program.

It is rather easy- you have to be a regular undergraduate student or a regular graduate student (master’s degree) and you cannot be older than 28.
You should also pass some of your exams.
Give at least one of the agencies a call in order to check the details.
When you get all of this done, you are ready for the next step.

WHAT JOB TO CHOOSE

On our website you can find more than 600 experiences from about 20 different jobs.

Check the REVIEW section on our website.
Visit our Facebook page where we share them daily. (In progress for non-serbian language speaker)
Even the pickiest of you can find a job you like.

Judging from the experiences from the last season- Alaska, Martha’s Vineyard, Block Island and smaller tourist places on the East coast proved to be a really good choice. Working jobs such as housekeeping, busser and jobs where you can get a lot of tips, students had a lot more time to work at the second job so that at the end of the season they were able to get the invested money back, travel and bring some money back home having moderately spent money during the program.

Being a lifeguard in certain states was not bad at all regarding the working hours, even after the end of the season. However, it is not sure how much lifeguards earn- it is possible to be less than what the students working the jobs mentioned above earn.

WHAT AGENCY TO CHOSE

Once you have decided what job you want to work at and where you want to go, start calling the agencies. On our website there is a list of agencies, the same list can be found on the website of the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade.

Check if agencies’ offers suit your needs. Also look for the sponsor agencies with which your local agencies work. Get in contact with them, too.

PAY ATTENTION- we received some negative reviews in which students regretted choosing a certain agency for only one reason- if students did not choose a certain job offered to them they were not allowed to participate in the program anymore. That was mainly the case with lifeguards.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT JOB OFFER

Nowadays it is easy to find more information about your future employee keeping in mind the social media omnipresence. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and increasingly popular Snapchat are just the first steps you can take in order to get an idea of what is expecting you.  The only problem is that you will see them as they see themselves. The next step is to find out how others see them.

The best thing you can now do is to download the app Yelp and go to their website. Foursquare is not popular in America anymore. Americans love writing reviews and therefore Yelp is currently the most successful generator of comments regarding cafes, pubs, restaurants, even hotels, apartment complexes, tourist attractions, etc.

The same goes for TripAdvisor.

Facebook has recently started doing the same thing.

FIND YOUR FUTURE EMPLOYER

Read what others think of them and what guests’ expectations are.

Only then you will know what will be expected of you.

Also, take a look at Glassdoor. There, you can find information on anything from the employer to the employees, earnings, even the questions they ask at interviews.

Never before were there more ways to find more information about your potential job, your employer and the place you will be going to.

Of course, do not forget to check if there is already an experience on our website about that certain job offer.

If you like what you see then hesitate no longer, but react right away. Start preparing for the job interview with the employer.

WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO KNOW

Ask yourself- what is my main motive for going on this program? Is it money? Is it a chance to see something new, to travel where you have always wanted to? To perfect your knowledge of English language? All of the above?

Do you know why? It is important to ask yourself these questions so that you do not end up being disappointed for not having fulfilled your expectations in the end. Whatever the outcome, you will be richer for one more experience in your life. Be smart, learn from it, and try to use it in your future life adventures.

Good luck with the choice of the job and agency!

Good luck next season!

Photograph: Joe the donkey, American folklore hero. Rumor has it that it was made of steel, that it protected the weak, and that it originated from this part of the world. It was a symbol of hard work invested in the development of American industry.

Jan 8, 2017