Frequently Asked Questions

The story of the International Exchange Center began on June 27, 1989, when two recent graduates from the University of Latvia arrived in New York full of hope — and with only $8 between them. A little earlier, when they applied for their J-1 visas and mentioned they were planning to work at an American summer camp, the staff at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow were so surprised, they took a three-hour break to “consult with Washington.”

When the two finally landed at JFK, their American host couldn’t believe they had actually come — or that they were who they said they were. He even thought they might be KGB agents. During their first two weeks at the camp, they didn’t understand a word of English — despite the fact that languages were their major!

Later that fall, one of them had a wild idea: “If we managed to do this, maybe others can too.” That idea grew into what is now the International Exchange Center — with offices and partners in eleven countries, and thousands of students taking part in over twenty different programs every year. The first students joined in 1990.

So feel free to explore our website, check out the programs, and maybe — just maybe — this will be the start of your own amazing story.

Actually, we just want to make sure you have enough English skills so you don’t get lost during the first few days. A conversational level is enough — about 5 to 6 on a 10-point scale.

Participants of the Work & Travel USA program work alongside American students in positions that do not require special training. These jobs are typically offered by stores, restaurants, hotels, and amusement parks in small tourist towns across the country. Students can either search for a job on their own or entrust us with the job placement.

The minimum wage in the USA is $7.25 per hour.
Upon arrival in the USA, it is recommended that participants have at least $1,000, as well as enough money to cover transportation to their workplace and initial living expenses.

It should be submitted at least three months before the desired travel date, approximately by March 1st. This deadline can be extended upon agreement with the program coordinator.

The vast majority of students in this program work in resort towns. The main streets of these towns are lined with endless shops, restaurants, and hotels. All you need to do is walk around and keep an eye out. Once you see a red sign saying “HELP WANTED,” that’s where you should go. Even if there’s no sign, it’s worth checking in anyway, because during the season these resort towns become nonstop tourist service machines — so they need lots of seasonal workers. Most of our participants work two jobs.

To get started, just give us a call or fill out the form at the bottom of the page.
After that, a program coordinator will walk you through the application steps and schedule a short interview to check your English level.

The DS-2019 is an official document issued electronically. It’s extremely important — you’ll need it to apply for your J-1 visa.
Only a small number of authorized organizations, called program sponsors, are allowed to issue this form.

The J-1 visa allows you to legally work in the U.S. during your summer break.

You’ll be traveling to your employer on your own. Most of you will arrive at JFK Airport in New York City.
After landing, go through passport control, collect your luggage, and pass through customs.
Your I-94 form (record of entry) will be attached to your international passport by the border officer.

Once you’re out of the airport, here are the main ways to get from JFK to the city:

By Subway
Take the AirTrain JFK to either Howard Beach or Jamaica Station — it costs $8.25.
Then transfer to the subway (regular fare is $2.90).
Total cost: about $11–12. Travel time: 1 to 1.5 hours.

By Taxi
Flat fare to Manhattan is $70, plus tips and possible tolls.
Expect to pay around $75–85 total. Travel time: 45–60 minutes, depending on traffic.

By Shuttle or Bus
Some private shuttle companies offer transportation for around $15–25.
Make sure to check availability in advance, as not all services run daily.

Once you reach the city, you may need to take another bus, train, or domestic flight depending on your final work location. Your employer or program coordinator will provide more detailed arrival instructions, so be sure to stay in touch with them.

Keep your money in the bank, on your personal account — and nowhere else.
There have been too many cases of theft when students kept cash at home. Don’t take the risk — a bank account is the safest option.

The easiest way is to use messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and others.
They let you call and chat for free as long as you have an internet connection.

The students won’t have to pay large amounts for medical care in the U.S., as they will be reliably covered by insurance. Of course, we hope that all participants will stay perfectly healthy and won’t need to use it at all. But just in case: the total coverage amount is $150,000.

Work hard, go easy on the soda (that’s what Americans call sweet fizzy drinks like Coke and Pepsi), try biking to work when you can, don’t go overboard with all the fast food, and treat yourself to a nice home-cooked meal every now and then.

Student exchange programs between countries emerged in the late 1940s as a form of international cooperation. They were designed to give young people from different countries a chance to get to know one another and to experience other cultures. To make the programs accessible to students, they were allowed to work in the host country to cover part or all of the program costs, and to travel after the program ended.

Age limits for each program are listed in its short description. The minimum age is 18 by the program start date (for American programs, June 1 of the intended year of participation). Some programs (for example, Work and Travel and Work South Africa) are open only to students.

That depends on the program you want to join. Once you pick a program, you’ll have an interview with an IEC representative. The strictest requirements — and therefore the most in-depth interviews — apply to working with children (as counselors at summer camps and in host families), as well as to internship programs (Internship programs). For camp support roles, Work and Travel programs, and agricultural programs, you need the language at a conversational level — you should be able to express yourself clearly and understand others. Don’t stop studying the language after the interview: the more you improve your conversational skills before you leave, the more you’ll be able to get out of the program. For example, you’ll be able to earn more and travel more.

The registration fee to join the International Exchange Center is paid after your interview with IEC representatives.

In the country you’re traveling to, our partner organizations handle these tasks — they’ll give you phone numbers you can call any time for prompt help or advice.

Yes. All programs let you recoup the program fee to some extent.

It depends on the program. Generally, it’s only possible in Self-Arranged programs where you find your own job.

Student exchange programs were established at the government level to give international students a chance to experience life in other countries.

As for specific employers, they readily hire international students for summer seasonal jobs because:

• Students are known as reliable, hardworking, and quick learners;
• Their vacations coincide with the peak tourist season;
• International students bring part of their home culture with them, which can sometimes even help increase an employer’s customer base.

Yes. All participants receive the necessary documents (in the USA that’s the J-1 visa; in South Africa and France it’s a work permit, etc.) and can work legally.

Typically, program duration ranges from 2 months to 18 months (see program descriptions).

In some programs, yes; in others you’ll need to buy medical insurance separately (see program descriptions).

It depends on the program you choose.

If you didn’t find the answer to your question, email info@iec.lv or contact an IEC representative in your region.

Actually, we’d just like to know you have enough English to manage in the first few days. A conversational level will do — about 5-6 out of 10.

The first step is an interview at IEC. They say the first step is the hardest — you know that saying? Well, that’s not how our interview goes. Yes, we know you’re nervous — we’ve been there ourselves — so we’ll make the interview as relaxed as possible so you can be yourself without any stress. It’s just a casual chat about general things: where you study, how you spend your free time, and why you want to go to the USA. Nothing complicated — don’t worry.

Find your representative’s address on the site’s main page in the contact information section.

After your interview at IEC, you’ll need to pay the registration fee — $300 + $35 (SEVIS fee) — within one week. The second part of the program fee is due within one week after you receive the DS-2019 form or job offer (usually in February–April).

You’ll get plenty of materials to help you learn more about the country, its laws, and everything else. You can always reach out to our partners in the USA if you run into any problems.

This is the essential form you need to apply for a J-1 visa. Although it looks like a simple A4 sheet, only a handful of organizations are authorized to issue it. They’re called program sponsors. In our case, that’s InterExchange.

This visa lets you legally work in the USA during your summer break.

Resume template (CV) (DOC, 24.5 KB)

Job offer template (employment offer) (PDF, 116.4 KB)

According to the Participation Agreement, to take part in the Work and Travel program you must obtain your international passport no later than February 1 of the year you participate. The passport must be valid at least through October 15 of that year. IMPORTANT: despite rumors, passports of the current type (i.e., those without biometric data) are valid — the U.S. Embassy accepts them and will continue to accept them until those passports expire.

Now you don’t have to worry about paying huge medical bills in the US — you’re well covered by insurance. But let’s hope you’re in great health and won’t need it. The total coverage is $50,000.

Don’t worry if it sounds a little scary — most students feel the same, so you can do it too. Besides, we’ll always be here to give you advice and walk you through exactly how to find an employer in the USA. It’s not as scary as it seems.

Per the participation agreement, it’s three months before your desired travel date — so around March 1.

Most students on this program work in resort towns. The ground floors of those towns are an endless row of shops, restaurants, and hotels. All you have to do is walk down the street and look both ways. As soon as you see a red HELP WANTED sign — head in. In fact, head in even if there’s no red sign, because in season these resort towns turn into conveyor belts for serving tourists: they need to be fed, entertained, and put to bed — which means they need lots of seasonal workers. Most of our participants work two jobs.

Of course — that option exists, and it costs only about $200 more (the Plus option or Full Service).

No problem. On the application, you’ll just need to provide the last and first name of the person you’re traveling with.

Many participants manage to work two or three jobs, putting in 70-80 hours a week. Whether that’s for you is up to you.

The earliest possible departure date is May 5.

Yes, like anyone legally working in the US.

Yes — even if it’s not the full amount, up to 15% of what you paid.

Yes, we help with tax refunds. You’ll need to submit the following to us:

• RTTax registration form;
• W-2 forms and/or your final pay stubs (originals) from each employer;
• a copy of your Social Security card;
• a copy of your passport;
• a copy of your visa;
• a copy of your DS-2019.

It may sound confusing now, but by the time you return from the U.S., you’ll be a pro at handling all these documents.

You have two options: with tickets or without. It’s up to you.

Yes. If you decide to stay a couple of weeks longer or head home earlier, just contact the airline. Usually you’ll have to pay a fee of about $50–$200 to change your departure date.

One rule of thumb to remember: housing follows a simple principle — the farther from the action, the cheaper it is. So resort towns packed with tourists (and students) do offer student housing, but it isn’t free. Typical costs are $60–$90 per person per week.

Also remember that housing in resort towns isn’t only for tourists — there are student options too. Prices and quality differ accordingly.

What to expect? Usually a house or part of a building (for example, a floor) made up of apartments with a living room and kitchen, and one or more bathrooms depending on the number of bedrooms — 1, 2, 3, 4+. Bedrooms typically fit 2–3 beds. Generally you’ll find white walls, gray carpeting throughout, a TV, a sofa, chairs/armchairs, assorted kitchenware, a microwave in almost 100% of cases, beds in the rooms, and pillows (bed linen costs next to nothing).

Searching isn’t hard. Start by asking everyone around you — at work, fellow students, people you happen to strike up a conversation with; basically, everyone. You might not find something in a single day. That’s fine. Go to the cheapest motel you can find and, if possible, book a room for several people for a week rather than night-by-night (it’s always cheaper than paying for seven separate nights).

The next morning you can calmly walk around, look for houses with “for rent” signs, and visit real estate agencies. But that’s not the best method, since that mostly turns up tourist rentals — which are expensive. And if you do find student housing, it’s usually whole apartments where they ask for payment for the entire summer up front — like 3,000–5,000. Sure, you can split that between 7–8 people and live cheaply until October, but you’ll need to bring together both the people and the money right away — even if you’re only covering part of the total.

It’s always better to move into a place where students already live and the rent is paid weekly. Usually, if people want to save money they’ll start packing in together and it can get crazy — lots of people cramming in just to pay 40 instead of 60. But that’s really a question of how willing you are to squeeze in to save money.

Also keep in mind that when you move in they may take a furniture/security deposit, and often it turns out they don’t want to give it back — something always happens over the summer and one of your housemates will break something, and usually everyone is held responsible. But that’s only about $100–$200. If nobody breaks anything, they’ll usually just apply your deposit toward the rent for the last weeks before you leave.

Self-Arranged. Almost all of you will arrive at New York’s JFK airport. You’ll go through passport control, collect your luggage, and pass through customs. They’ll attach Form I-94 to your passport. From JFK to the city you can take a bus — about $13 — which goes to New York’s Port Authority, or the subway — $2 (from the airport to the Howard Beach JFK subway station you’ll take the AIRTRAIN — $5, then the A train on the blue line). A taxi will cost about $40. If you arrive in the evening, you can spend the night at one of the hostels (dormitories). After that, head to the bus or train station. It’s best to plan your travel around the U.S. in advance using the sites www.greyhound.com and www.amtrak.com.

In the bank. In my account. Nowhere else. Too many thefts happen when cash is kept at home.

Work a lot, drink less “soda” (that’s what Americans call sweet carbonated drinks like Coke and Pepsi), bike to and from work, don’t overindulge in free food at work, and don’t be too lazy to cook yourself a proper meal at home sometimes.

The maximum stay in the U.S. on the program is up to 5 months. Of that, you can work for up to 4 months, and the final 30 days are for travel — the so-called grace period, during which you can’t work. Each country has its own official program window that determines the dates when participants can enter the U.S. and start and finish work. So the exact dates depend on your citizenship and the program year.

The main rule remains the same: you may work for a maximum of 4 months, after which you can spend up to 30 days in the U.S. as a tourist.

It depends a lot on whether you work in food service. If you do, you’ll spend next to nothing on food — about $15–$20 per week; if not, food costs can be around $50–$60 per week.

Every small town has its own library with several computers connected to the internet. The service is either free or costs a nominal fee (about $1 for half an hour). There’s Wi‑Fi almost everywhere, so if you bring your laptop you can even get online from your bed for free.