USA - Internship / Training

The Internship/Training is a programme focused on your career

The host business will help you to gain a thorough insight in your career field. There may be different methods in which that business conducts the internship/training – it could be through observation, rotations in different departments, training seminars or research.

For the first two weeks, you should expect an introductory period whereby the host business may need to assess your skills and objectives before assigning specific tasks and/or projects. Also, while the host business makes every effort to keep the participant fully engaged in interesting activities, there may be "down" times in which you may be asked to do basic tasks in your field of focus and/or general jobs in the office such as clerical work.

1. Placement Hold
2. Applying in the United States of America
3. Standard Living Expenses in the US

The programme offers two options: Self-Arranged (Paid or Unpaid) and Global Choices arranged (Paid or Unpaid) programme types.

Programme A – Self-Arranged programme

Participant has to research his/her own paid or unpaid internship placement and housing. Additionally:
• Participant must be eligible for the programme;
• Global Choices must approve participant’s internship/ training placement;
• Global Choices partner will give a phone-orientation within 48 hours of the participant’s arrival in the US;
• This programme runs for 3-18 months (Hospitality internships from 3-12 months).

Requirements for Host Business (For Self Arranged programme type)

• Employer should be with more than 25 employees and more than three million dollars in annual revenue. If employer doesn’t suit these requirements, Global Choices is required by the programme regulations to perform a site visit at employer’s organization prior to approving.

Programme B – Global Choices Arranged programme

In order to be considered for Global Choices arranged paid (or unaid) internship/training, the applicant is required to be a highly capable candidate who is qualified to train in the following occupational categories:
• Hospitality;
• Arts and Culture;
• Agriculture;
• Information;
• Media and Communication;
• Education;
• Social Sciences;
• Library Science;
• Counselling and Social Services;
• Management;
• Business Administration;
• Commerce;
• Finance (including hospitality and hotel management);
• Engineering;
• Architecture;
• Mathematics;
• Industrial Occupations;
• Public Administration;
• Law;
• Computer Science;
• Marketing and Sales;
• Internships are available in other fields.

Additionally:

• Participant must be eligible for the programme;
• This programme runs for 3-18 months (Hospitality field from 3-12 months);
• The applicant has sufficient funds to cover all expenses, or funds must be provided by the sponsoring organization in the form of a scholarship or other stipend
• The applicant has a permanent residence in his/her home country, which the applicant do not intend to abandon
• The applicant intends to depart the U.S. upon completion of the program. The applicant may establish this by presenting evidence of economic, social and/or family ties in his/her homeland sufficient to induce the applicant to leave the U.S. upon completion of studies

We recommend that for both options, the participant begin the programme either on the first or last weekend of the month. Participants are required to submit a mid-term and final programme evaluation report. Participants for Programme B must also be available to communicate with the Community Coordinator (CC) on a monthly basis. The CC provides ongoing support and supervision throughout the participant’s stay including securing assistance with a Social Security card.

Placement Hold

If you’ve already been placed and you decide to delay or postpone the programme for an indefinite period of time, we will put you on a 30-day "hold" status. The original placement will also be on hold for 30 days.

If you need more than 30 days delay for your programme, you will need to re-apply to the programme and pay a £500 reinstatement fee. The original placement will be void; and a new placement process will begin.

Applying in the United States of America

If you plan to apply in the USA, you need to know how to do so in a way that it not only leaves a good impression at prospective employers, but also evokes their interest in getting to know you better. This can be a difficult goal to achieve, but Global Choices would like to guide you through the myriad of formal and stylistic criteria to ensure you make the most of your application!

1. The Cover Letter

Your cover letter allows you to indicate the position you would like to apply for, your qualifications and skills, and the reasons why the employer should consider you for the position. Generally speaking, it should be no longer than 3 to 4 paragraphs. It is meant ot be a supplement to your resume — i.e. do not repeat exactly what you have listed there.

The cover letter is a great way for the employer to get to know you better (and your English and writing skills!), so make sure it is clear, informative, and grammatically correct. Since your resume will be sent to a number of different employers, you need to make sure that your cover letter is tailored not to a single position but to the specific type of postion you want to apply for. For example, if your desired job is in marketing, you should focus on one specific field in marketing (e.g. online marketing, sales, market research). Mention why you would like to work in this type of position, why in the US, and why you are the right person to do the job! We have assembled a sample cover letter that you should have a look at. And if you really want to stand out and gain a competitive edge, you can tailor your cover letter to each position you apply to!

2. The Resume (CV)

Your resume or CV (short for curriculum vitae) is a one-page schedular summary of your education, former employment, and skills. Its structure is standardized, however you are free to change fonts, font size and make minor(!) alterations to suit your needs. The main sections are:

• Your contact details and objective at the top (do not attach a photo!)
• Your education (list in descending chronological order)
• Your experience (always mention company, location, your position, and a summary of your tasks, list in descending chronological order)
• Your other skills
• Your interests

You can find a sample resume here that you can use as a template.

Standard Living Expenses in the US

When you go to the United States, it is important to have a rough estimate on what you are going to spend. It turns out that this estimate varies greatly, depending on where you are going to live. Generally speaking, cities are more expensive than rural areas, and the larger the city, the more you will spend. Expect especially famous places like New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco to be really expensive.

Another factor is: How are you going to spend your money? Are you planning to just buy food, or do you want to go out a few times a week, do excursions, travel around? Of course all those activities will increase the amount of money you will spend.

A rough idea of how much you are going to spend on food and groceries only would be a minimum of 300 USD per month.

Apartment costs are difficult to predict, because this depends on both where and how you are going to live. For a one bed room apartment you should estimate between 500 and 800 USD a month.

Shared bedrooms are cheaper of course, although we cannot give you exact numbers. There are simply too many variables like state, area, city, number of rooms, number of roommates, etc… Cost for shared accomodation starts roughly at 250 USD, if you are not in a big city.

Cars add additional 100 USD for insurance and 100 USD for petrol per month. Car licence renewal and emission test cost approximately 140 USD (once a year).

In summary, to survive you would need a minimum of about 700 USD, but to live we recommend that you have at least 1,200 USD available per month.

Additionally, we strongly encourage you to over-budget your trip to the USA, so that – just in case – you will have some savings to rely on.

Finally, we have assembled a handy reference for some estimated average prices:

• Bar with DJ or Music: Girls 5, Boys 7 USD (Admittance)
• Beer: 3 USD
• Nightclub: 5-10 USD (Admittance), more in large Cities
• Bowling: 1.50 USD for Shoes, 3 USD per Round
• Cinema: 9-10 USD
• Museum: Students 5-10, Adults 10-15 USD (Admittance)
• Coffee: less than 1 USD
• Fast Food Meal: 6-7 USD
• Dinner in Restaurant: 10-15 USD for a One Course Dinner