It’s football on Sundays, apple pie, country music, Hollywood celebrities, and Texas Longhorns; Tea Parties and hot dogs and The New York Times. Yes, The United States of America is a collection of many weird and wonderful things, but it’s also a major player on the world field in almost every industry. (iPod anyone? How about Google?) The Yanks boast a proven track record of supporting new ideas, resulting in some of the greatest and coolest inventions of our age – like the artificial heart, and, uh, the Internet.
“If you want to be exposed to a lot of new creative and innovative ideas,” says Jean-Marc Hachey, author of The Big Book of Living and Working Overseas, “American work experience is going to be really valuable to you. America plays a role in the world and being a part of the inner workings of any American institution is going to be beneficial no matter what your career aspirations are.” And while American work experience will look great on anyone’s resume, it’s especially impressive if you have aspirations for an international career.
Yet procuring a position at Awesome Company, USA, can be a lengthy, difficult task to undertake on your own. Never mind finding the actual position, you’ll also have to convince your would-be employer that you can do the job better than local students, secure a visa, and find housing. Thankfully, the best time to try working in the States is now, while you’re still in school with access to campus Career Centres and a plethora of co-op programs.
In fact, a co-op may be your best bet for working stateside. They’re tied into a program of study, which means following a tried and tested process with lots of support. There are advisors to help guide you through the process, as well as field coordinators whose sole job is to develop co-op opportunities and monitor a student’s performance. Both the advisors and the coordinators are there to help you through the process from start to finish.
“Generally speaking, each school has a prescribed process,” explains Tony Munroe, a field coordinator at the University of Waterloo, which has the largest co-op program of its kind in the world – 13,000 students enrolled in a co-op program over three semesters. “If a student is looking to find their own job in the US, then the sooner they start the better,” he advises. Hachey agrees, and recommends researching the international hierarchy in your line of work. “So, for example, if you talk about somebody wanting to work as an intern curator at a museum, there’ll be a world umbrella organization representing that sector, there’ll be regional organizations, then local organizations, as well as employees working at those organizations. So on every one of those layers, there are people to contact for networking — there are job opportunities.”
Once you’ve found your ideal co-op placement, you’ll have to obtain a J-1 Visa, which you must do through a sponsoring agency. “The US government has designated certain agencies as being the sponsors for any individuals coming into the US on the J-1 Visa,” Munro says. “The sponsoring agencies ensure that the employer is legitimate and that the student is properly qualified.” And, just like everything else in life, a co-operative education program does come with its costs. “Each of these sponsoring agencies charge an administrative fee to manage the process of getting the documentation,” describes Munro. “In our case, we work primarily with an organization based in New York, called CDS International, and their administrative fee for a Visa is $850 U.S. dollars. Then on top of that the US government has implemented an information system that tracks all individuals entering the country on a series of visas called exchange visitor visas.” That tracking system is called Sevis, and will run you $180 U.S.
Just like any student, money situations can sometimes be pretty tight for US-bound candidates, and some assistance in costs is always much appreciated. “Depending on the situation we try and encourage the employers to cover those expenses on the part of the student, and many of those actively recruiting companies do that.” What’s more is that companies will also pay for relocation expenses. “Usually what they’ll do is cover one return air-fair at the lowest available rate,” explains Munro.
Housing is typically your responsibility. “In some cases, depending on the employer and how they recruit,” Munro says that “there are employers who provide some financial assistance to students as part of their compensation.” The process may take time, and even cost a pretty penny, but a co-op or internship in the States will help you stand apart in an increasingly competitive global workplace. And don’t worry about missing out on a more international cultural experience. “While our neighbors are very much like us,” Hachey points out, “they are also very different on multiple levels. The first thing a student realizes is how segmented the various parts of the US are, and how different they are, so there’s a very valuable cross-cultural experience.” jp