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It is no secret that most of us just love to travel and explore the world, but financial resources cannot always allow us to translate our plans into reality. Therefore, it is necessary to look for options for how you can combine business with pleasure, namely, to go on a journey with the aim not only to relax, but also to earn money.
Now on the Internet you can find many different offers for students about volunteer work or internships, which give the opportunity to get acquainted with foreign countries and do business.
Work and Travel USA
The most popular program among Russian youth is Work and Travel USA. It is ideal for students who can go to work in the summer, as they have a relatively free schedule. The duration of stay in America under this program usually does not exceed three to four months. The work is provided in the service sector: hotels, hotels, amusement parks, shops, bars and restaurants. But there are also restrictions: participants in the Work and Travel USA program are not allowed to work in their specialty, or associated with a risk to their lives, you cannot work with children, it is forbidden to practice your skills in medicine, or earn extra money on sea vessels. The rest of the range of work is fully available to foreign students. The minimum wage per hour is $ 7.25. Sometimes the rate is much lower, from two to three dollars, but in this case a tip is provided for the student. The working week does not exceed 40 hours, otherwise you will have to pay overtime one and a half times more for every extra hour. Most often, funds are issued once a week in the form of a bank check.
It is best to look for agencies that have an agreement with the inviting party to provide a foreign citizen with housing, otherwise problems may arise.
Elena Zhidkova
“I worked for two seasons under the Work and Travel USA program, 2008 and 2009 from May to October, in Bar Harbor, Maine. The main documents that I initially needed were the J1 visa and DS form. Already there, it was necessary to issue a social security card and a job offer from the employer.
I have only positive impressions from the trip. I liked the attitude of the people, the wonderful Akadia National Park, various free excursions for whales and fur seals. By the way, excursions are free for those who submit a pay check from an employer. I worked as a waiter in an Italian restaurant, as a cashier in a clothing and souvenir shop, as a breakfast barista. To make good money, of course, you need two jobs. In the first year I earned one hundred thousand rubles, in the second - one hundred and fifty thousand rubles. The first time, housing was provided by a friend of the employer, but we paid for it, and the second time we looked for it ourselves, the price of the issue was $ 65-80 per week."
Artem Koltsov
“It is very difficult to say what exactly I liked and what I didn’t. In general, everything was cool. During the trip, of course, there were difficulties: you need to go through an interview, pass an exam ahead of schedule, look for housing and work in America, get along with your neighbors. But if you are able to solve problems and are ready for it, then you will like everything.
I issued a work permit, received a visa, upon arrival in America, the social security number is something similar to our TIN. In general, everything is simple and accessible. He worked in 2008 and 2010 in South Carolina, myrtle beach. Average salary $ 7-8 per hour. As a rule, if you live in cities that are designed for tourists, then this is either a morning shift or an evening one, so most people work at 6 o'clock in the morning and 6 o'clock in the evening, a total of $ 420 per week, which is quite good at our rate. Also, earnings depend on the level of English, you can earn $ 100-150 dollars as a waiter in the evening without any problems. Well, the average salary for normal people was about $ 1500-2000 per month.
For foreign workers, the service sector is mainly available, that is, cleaning tables, washing dishes, working as a cashier, loader, waiter, cook or handyman in a hotel. But it all depends on the place of residence and the seasonality. Each state is different."
Nelly Ramaeva
“The overall impression of the trip was good, the people liked it very much. WT did a good job too - they met everyone they promised at the airport. We spent the night at the hostel and went all along their own routes. I went on a program that already assumed a job, so I was sent to Bar Harbor. I worked for about a month for an employer who was found for me and then fired. There, as it turned out, many were fired from this job after 2-3 weeks, since many more people had to come to the hostess from different countries, and she could not keep all of them. I didn’t like that, of course, WT didn’t do anything.”
Stas Spirchenko
“In 2011, I went to Wisconsin for exactly 4 months. Of the most important documents, I had to issue a visa and a job offer, presenting, of course, a document confirming my student status, otherwise it would be difficult to obtain a visa. Upon arrival, I was looking for housing myself. I got a job as a lifeguard in a water park. In this specialty, one could earn an average of $ 2,500 to $ 4,500. I worked for 3 seasonal months, and decided to devote the remaining time to travel. In general, I liked everything, there were no serious problems, I am pleased that I was able to visit another country, and even make some money”.
Work and Study
The Work and Study program is great for young people who can undertake internships abroad in finance, management, marketing, media, IT, tourism or hospitality. This kind of program provides an opportunity to improve the language and open up the horizons of new perspectives. Both students and graduates of universities can apply for participation. They do not pay special attention to the specialty indicated in the diploma, there is no mandatory criterion to continue studying strictly according to your profile, you can choose any direction that interests you. Going on a trip, you should know that the main preference is still given to study, rather than work. Basically, there are two types of this program: in-depth study of a foreign language, or obtaining a basic education.
So, for example, the international recruiting agency "Rospersonal" (link -rospersonal.ru/stazhirovka), offers internships in Work and Stady in the following countries: Australia, Great Britain, Spain, Canada, China, New Zealand, USA and France. More detailed information can be found on the website rospersonal.ru.
Lilit Dabagyan
“I trained for two months in the Russian edition of Deutsche Welle in Bonn, Germany. Our HSE University has connections with the company. As a student, I received a newsletter in the mail that there was an opportunity to undergo an internship. Required knowledge of German and a letter of motivation. After I was selected by the university commission, I was contacted by the company "Deutsche Welle", I sent them a motivation letter and my resume in German. This, in fact, was the whole procedure with the documents.
I worked as a journalist in the multimedia editorial office. She wrote articles, interviewed (mostly in English), came up with topics, compiled a photo gallery, adapted articles from the English and German editions for a Russian-speaking audience, and also wrote news. For ethical reasons, I have no right to disclose confidential information about wages, I can only say that it was very good, I had enough for housing, food and travel. Every weekend I went to some city. It was interesting and it seemed like the weekend was well spent.
I liked the team at the Deutsche Welle very much. Very helpful and friendly people work there. Everyone greets each other, even if they don't know personally. Plus there are a lot of different nationalities, and therefore when you go to work in the morning, such different people are packed into the same bus. For example, people working in the UN traveled with us.
Trainees first undergo special training in the programs that the company works with. If you have any questions or need to get feedback about your article, the editors are always very open and politely suggest what needs to be done to write better.
However, in the beginning it can be difficult for those who are used to working within tight deadlines. Trainees are not particularly stressed, that is, trainees are often left to their own devices. If you haven't come up with a topic, then it's okay, you can come up with it tomorrow. Nobody demands anything from you. Therefore, it seems that you simply do not have enough work. At the beginning, it was difficult for me to come up with topics that Deutsche Welle had not yet covered. But then it became easier. I delved into the audience of the Russian edition of Deutsche Welle and it became easier. I came to every meeting with a large number of topics for development. For myself, I concluded that interns are largely responsible for their internship. It can go very relaxed, and very intense, but only the trainee himself determines how much work he has to do."
USA Camp
If you like working with children, then you can try to implement your data as a born teacher in one of the children's summer camps under the USA Camp program. For the student, this is an ideal seasonal job that will not interfere with their studies and will help improve their English proficiency. Plus, you don't have to worry about food and lodging. The duration of the work at the camp varies from 8 to 10 weeks. The main requirement for the staff is that the participant must be a student over 18 years old, mentally balanced, without a criminal record, with a good knowledge of English. After the end of the shift, they can pay a small amount of pocket money, the monetary remuneration varies depending on the position held. The remaining free time can be spent on a trip to the cities of America.
By the way, the enrollment for the 2015 season is already open, it will roughly end sometime in April, so you need to collect documents now. The USA Camp cultural exchange program includes payment for air tickets to America in both directions, medical insurance, as well as free meals and accommodation in the camp. InterAir Group, which is the official representative of Camp America in Russia, can help with paperwork. All participants in this program are guaranteed assistance in preparing a full package of documents and obtaining a J1 visa, which makes it possible to work in America.
Aliya Akhmetova
“I went for a long time, back in 2009. I really liked the trip, as did the camp itself. The impressions were vivid, I remember these moments with warmth. There were no problems with the documents, everything went well. I got to the girls' camp. The kids and the staff treated me well - they were pleasant, cheerful, kind people. I earned only half of the amount spent, but I got a lot of good impressions, which I do not regret at all. For me, payment was not so important, I just wanted to get to America, see New York, other cities, states, people. It was my old dream."
Important: Paperwork
To go to the far abroad on one of the above programs, you must apply for student or work visas. In the United States, a Green Card is needed, which will greatly facilitate the problem of finding a job; in Europe, the Blue Card has now been introduced, now it can be used to issue a work permit according to a single procedure, however, with the proviso that the specialist is highly qualified. In many European countries, it is possible to obtain a temporary residence and work permit for those who are engaged in volunteering without any particular difficulties, therefore it is very profitable to look for such programs. For information on international volunteering, visit volunteeringsolutions.com, wwoof.net, or goabroad.com. Sometimes there are offers with payment.
Before choosing this or that program, you need to familiarize yourself in detail with the agency through which all the necessary documents are drawn up: read reviews, ask people who have previously used the services of this organization, since there are egregious cases when, due to the negligence of the staff working there, a work permit is issued on the territory of the inviting state.
Svetlana Mazurina
“My trip to America happened very spontaneously, because I am a person of emotions and if I hear about something interesting and exciting (as it seemed to me then), then I immediately start to act and look for all the ways to accomplish, implement and try. And so it happened with America. I met my friend Nina for a cup of coffee, and she told me in colors how great it is to live in another country, to live in their rhythm of life, to learn the language and come back refreshed and completely different. I was 20 then, I got interested in the idea and I began to think how I could implement all this, if it was already February, and fly out according to the program in June. You need to collect documents, find money, quit your job, inform your parents about the trip. And only now I understand how crazy it was. At that time, I just got a job in a good company, which for me was a dream company - Comedy Club. I liked everything very much: wonderful, interesting and very unusual colleagues, interesting work, career prospects, a wonderful boss, colleagues. And what pushed me? Probably my crazy boss, whose father lived and worked successfully in America. I remember the boss told me then: “Miss Positive (that’s my name at work), your English is weak, and it’s very useful for you at work, go for it!” And then, when you are 20, the world is all pink, it seems to you, that you are the king of the world and all the stars of the Universe have lined up for you in a happy way, you say to yourself: “Forward!” Which I did. First I applied for a trip, then I was assigned an interview at the student exchange center, I remember how much I was worried, because my English was weak, to put it mildly, I spent the whole night learning information about myself, why I want to go to America and how badly I need it. young men a little older than me with Hollywood smiles and fueled my desire to travel with their stories about America. well the cost of the trip. To say that I left the office elated is to say nothing.
At the end of April, I was scheduled for an interview at the embassy, for which I also prepared very hard, but everything went surprisingly quickly and magically there! The visa was approved, only in all this turmoil and emotions, I never found out what position I was flying there. After the embassy, I once again visited the office of the student exchange center and was informed that there were very few vacancies: hotel cleaners, waiters, lifeguards in the pool, shop assistants, and that's all. Since I'm not very good at swimming, I asked for any other position, but not a lifeguard. A week before departure, they sent me my flight data and my job offer. I was very surprised, but there was a lifeguard position. I called the company, but they assured me that they would be met by a company that recruits rescuers, and then, on the spot, following the results of communication with me, they would determine where to go. The 16 hour flight went well. Arriving in New York, I took a bus to Silver Sprin and there I was safely met by the host, accommodated in an apartment where there were 4 more rooms and students from other countries of the world lived.
A couple of days later I was brought for an interview, but not for communication, as I was told in Moscow, but for a swimming test, which I did not pass and I was told that within 4 days I had to find a job and leave the apartment. I was in shock. During this time, I met a Russian young man who was with friends just like me, who just already made friends with each other and said: "Don't worry, we have friends in Washington, we will live with them for free and look for work together." … I felt a little relieved, but I nevertheless wrote a letter to the Moscow office with a claim, to which no one has answered to this day.
Further, it turned out that in Russia we were not issued documents for a work permit in the United States, and our whole friendly company went to issue this social security number. The only problem was that this document comes to your actual address of residence within a month and without it, no company has the right to hire you. For a month I lived with the guys, cooked food for them, spent the money that I took with me, and all this bothered me very much, since I had a ticket to Moscow in mid-September, and there was no money to change the ticket. And then my journey began under the name Trouble and Travel.
Friends of friends drove us out, saying that relatives were coming to see them. We were looking for Russians in America and worked for them illegally in order to live as our family of friends in the amount of five people. We were helped by ordinary people, mostly Americans. One of our company, according to Russian education, studied to be a builder. He found an American who was building a house, and we all lived at this construction site, and did the work there. There were a couple of days when we lived on the street with immigrants. There was anything, because in the summer in America there is a very large influx of students from all over the world, it is very difficult to find a job on your own. I only found a job in August as a breakfast waitress. And she worked there before her departure to Moscow. I earned $ 900 in two months.
My feelings are twofold. I can’t say that it was really bad, I’m rather unhappy with the organization of the trip to Moscow, their irresponsibility towards students, since I met a lot of young people with a similar history, and they survived as best they could. What kind of earnings are there? To earn money for food and where to sleep. On the other hand, the trip was amazing, I met so many good people with amazing souls who helped, did not leave in difficult times, and I still communicate with half of them. There is a very good phrase, I don’t remember who the author is: “There are no enemies or friends in life, there are only teachers”. So, I am grateful for this trip for the teachers."
