Work in the USA this summer

Work USA is a J-1 summer work and travel experience exclusive to university students. It allows you to work for up to four months in a paid seasonal job anywhere in the USA over the summer period – with 30 days after to travel. The dates vary according to the country you are studying in, but you can usually work between May/Jun-Aug/Sep.

Applications for Work USA are usually accepted until 1 April each year. The entire booking process can take up to three months, so unfortunately, we cannot accept applications after this date for the summer. Please also note that J-1 visas are limited, so it’s important to apply as early as possible. If you are finding your own job versus a job from our Job Hub, please add an additional 4-6 weeks to the above timeline.

Yes, you can apply for Work USA for every summer you are a full-time university student – up to three times in total.

Apart from some restricted areas, your J-1 visa allows you to work pretty much anywhere in the USA and we have pre-vetted jobs in a range of US cities, including New York, San Diego, Boston, Chicago, LA and San Francisco. However, jobs can be more competitive in the cities and accommodation more expensive, so consider applying for jobs in surrounding areas popular with tourists – such as Long Island, New York State and New Jersey for NYC; Cape Cod for Boston; and Catalina Island for LA. You can then travel into the city on your days off.

All our employers need multiple international students to cover their busy summer period and actively recruit via our Work USA program, so it’s unlikely you’d be working by yourself. If you want to ensure you’re working alongside American and international students, target jobs on our Job Hub that advertise for multiple positions and include staff accommodation where you’ll have a ready-made group of friends.

Each person must interview individually for jobs and are hired on their own merit. Therefore, there is no guarantee that you will be placed together. We recommend mentioning in your application that you’re applying together, but be clear that you are happy to work in different areas of the company. Then apply for the larger employers advertising multiple positions on the Job Hub – such as country clubs, hotels and theme parks.

Annually we add 1,000+ jobs to our Job Hub, so are confident that we can get you interviews with our US employers. If you’re struggling to find a position, our JENZA team will step in, review your CV and recommend jobs that will fit your skills and interests. We’d also recommend applying early when there are still plenty of jobs available and being open-minded about where you work.

If you don’t want to use one of the vetted employers on our Job Hub, we may still be able to sponsor you. However, we would need to get your job and employer approved by our US visa sponsor. The cost and process to do this is the same as the Work USA price.

Yes. Medical insurance is included that covers against accident and illness while you are in the USA, but does not cover for routine care. You must also purchase comprehensive travel insurance to cover you against other aspects of your trip – including cancellation, curtailment, legal cover, luggage, personal items, repatriation and more.

DS-2019 (Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status) is the official certificate of eligibility that you need to apply for a J-1 visa. After your US Embassy appointment, your passport will be returned to you with your visa stamped inside. However, you must keep your DS-2019 with your passport at all times. One is not valid without the other.

SEVIS stands for Student and Exchange Visitor Information System and is a database where the US Government keeps track of cultural exchange visitors on a J-1 visa. The cost of being placed in the SEVIS database is USD $35 and is included in your camp program.

To apply for your J-1 visa, you must have a US Government approved sponsor. Together with our US partner CIEE, we provide the sponsorship to work in America, apply for your visa and attend your embassy interview – with 1-on-1 support from our J-1 team throughout the whole process.

Nothing! We’ve always been the same team running identical programs, just with different brand names in different countries. As you can imagine, this got crazy confusing. So in 2024, JENZA became the new name for all our working holiday and intern programs, and BUNAC went back to its 1972 Americana roots, and became our summer camp brand.