About the Work & Travel Program - Information for Employers
Employer Common Questions
Q. Who are WISE® participants?
A. WISE® Work/Travel students are:
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· From diverse countries from around the world.
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· Currently enrolled full time at a college or university.
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· 18 years of age or older.
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· Able to speak and understand English at a level suitable for the position they fill. · Click the following link to view the English Proficiency Instructions our overseas partners use when interviewing each participant.
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· Eager to work and available for up to 4 months.
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· Excited to learn about the US and make friends.
Willing to participate in an unskilled or service sector job.
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Q. How much does it cost to hire international students?
A. Nothing. The WISE® service is free to employers.
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Q. When is the program available for my staffing needs?
The WISE Work and Travel program is available during the participant’s summer vacation. This means that participants from the Northern Hemisphere can enroll during our summer, starting as early as May. Participants from the Southern Hemisphere can enroll in the program during our winter, starting as early as December. Participants from Thailand and the Philippians can start as early as March. Dates and duration that a given participant is available also depend on specific school break periods, which vary from country to country and university to university.
Participants can work only during the official summer break of their University and no more then 4 months. After their working period, the participant is allowed to travel for a maximum of 30 days. During the final 30-day grace period, the participant is not allowed to work.
Due to the requirement that the job’s for participants be seasonal WISE is only allowed to sponsor participants for a particular employer for 2 out of the 2 seasons listed above. WISE staff will work with you to mold the program to best fits your staffing needs when they are needed most.
The general dates of availability are listed below.
A. Summer Program: May-October (4 month maximum)
Students arrive as early as mid-May and as late as early August.
Participants are generally from the Northern Hemisphere.
Winter Program: December - March (4 month maximum)
Students arrive from early to mid-December.
Participants are generally from the Southern Hemisphere.
Spring Program: March - June (4 month maximum)
Students arrive from early to mid-March.
Participants are generally from Asia.
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Q. How are the participants selected?
A. Candidate Referral through WISE®: WISE® places hundreds of candidates in host companies around the US each year through our extensive network of overseas partners and relationships with employers that have come to know the benefits of participation in this program. The WISE® Work & Travel Program Staff works closely with both participants and employers, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of both your needs and the participants interests and qualifications. WISE® carefully selects and screens applications to our program through a comprehensive application and orientation process.
We can adapt our selection process to suit your particular requirements and we provide checks and balances that help you ensure you are getting the best-qualified and prepared participants. Your company can be directly involved in any part of the process you choose. Whether it is traveling abroad to interview candidates in pre-arranged interviews with groups of students, selectively interviewing candidates by phone, or allowing our overseas partners to selectively interview candidates; you can be directly involved at any level. By request, WISE® is also glad to conduct random samplings of candidates for English levels, etc., as further assurance that the selection process is one in which you are confident.
Please contact the WISE Work & Travel Office at worktravel@wisefoundation.com to start the recruitment process with WISE.
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Q. Can I recruit my own students?
A. Yes. WISE® is able to assist employers that prefer to source their own qualified candidates for the Work and Travel Program or who may wish to work with qualified students that they have screened through their own resources.
Our role is to:
- · Ensure that the candidates your company may select meet all of the qualifications of the Summer Work and Travel Program.
- · Facilitate the application process with the student, and to provide all of the support to the employer and participant as we do for all of our Work and Travel participants.
- · Provide the same level of detailed and accessible support that we do for all of our Work and Travel sites and participants.
Please contact the WISE Work & Travel Office at worktravel@wisefoundation.com to start the recruitment process with WISE.
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Q. Can a participant get more than one job?
A. Yes. The J1 Work & Travel visa allows participants to work at more than one job, however WISE® instructs participants that their main commitment is to their visa sponsored employer.
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Q. Do I have to provide housing?
A. WISE® does not require employers to provide housing. However, when a participant is deciding which job they are interested in, many take into account whether or not the employer provides the housing. If you do not provide housing, we request that you provide assistance to participants in finding housing in close proximity to the work site.
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Q. Will WISE® help me structure my program?
A. Yes. Our experience over the years administering international programs has taught us some key points that, when used consistently, achieve great success. We will be glad to share our experience with you as we help you structure your program.
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Q. Do the students have medical insurance?
A. Yes. Participants are required to have travel and accident insurance while on the WISE® Work & Travel Program and this insurance is provided by WISE®. The WISE® Policy is designed to meet and exceed Exchange Visitor Program (J-1) regulations. The WISE® policy is mandatory and cannot be substituted. Participants will receive a booklet and insurance card with their DS-2019 package. WISE® is available to assist candidates with the claim process, should they need assistance. The policy is not designed for preventative health but rather to cover participants for illness or accidents that may occur while they are on the program. Any job related accident or injury must be covered by worker’s compensation insurance.
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Q. What should I pay international participants?
A. Pay international participants in accordance with minimum wage standards but not less than what is customary for US residents holding the same job. Pay rates should be equal to that of American staff with the same experience, availability, time of service, and ability. Also, Host employers are required to pay participants for any overtime work, in accordance with state-specific and federal employment laws.
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Q. How should I handle work place discipline with the international participants?
A. We ask that you treat the international participants as you would any other employee through your normal on the job discipline system. However, WISE® is always available for support in any disciplinary situation.
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Q. What are my responsibilities when hiring international workers who don’t have a Social Security number?
A. If your participants have worked in the US before they will already have a Social Security card. If they have not worked in the US before, we ask that you direct them to the nearest Social Security office so that they can apply for a Social Security number and card. Participants are legally able to work once they have applied for their Social Security Number and have received a receipt from the Social Security Administration. Until the worker has received a Social Security number, you should get the following information: the worker’s full name, address in the US, date of birth, place of birth, father's full name, mother's full maiden name, gender and the date he or she applied for a Social Security number.
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Q. What causes delays when international workers apply for Social Security numbers?
A. When international workers apply for Social Security numbers, SSA verifies their documents directly with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Most applications are verified immediately, but there can be delays. Social Security understands that this process may affect companies who hire foreign workers, but in the interest of homeland security, direct verification from DHS is vital to ensuring the integrity of the Social Security number.
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Q. Is my international staff exempt from Social Security, Medicare tax, and unemployment withholdings?
A. Participants on a J-1 Visa are considered non-resident aliens. They should not have Social Security (FICA), Medicare, or federal unemployment (FUTA) taxes withheld. For more detailed tax information, please review the IRS’s Employer Tax Guide at www.irs.gov.
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Q. Is my international staff exempt from paying taxes?
A. No. All participants are required to pay federal, state, and local taxes. While participants are all university students in their home countries, the IRS does not consider them students while they are in the U.S. For tax purposes, Work & Travel USA participants are considered non-resident aliens and must file a tax return. Participants are often eligible for a refund at the end of the fiscal year.
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Q. Do I have to provide a W-2 form?
A. Yes. W-2 forms should be mailed to participants in their home countries at the time that you mail all of the W-2 forms to American employees. Make sure you have the correct international address from the participant prior to them finishing employment. WISE® can also coordinate sending the W-2 forms to each participant through our overseas partners.
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Q. Can the participants extend their stay if I need them to work and they are interested in staying?
A. WISE® J-1 Work & Travel participants are allowed to work a maximum of 4 months. The program is not extendable under any circumstances. There is a 30-day period at the end of the program during which the participants can stay in the U.S., but this period can only be used for travel. It is illegal for participants to work after the end date on their DS-2019 form.
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Q. What if I’m not satisfied with the WISE® participants?
A. If you feel that a participant is not meeting your expectations, we ask that you treat the participant as you would if you were not satisfied with an American employee. Please first talk to the participant and make your expectations known. We have found that communication is key to solving problems. Many times the participant does not even know that he/she was doing something wrong. WISE® is also always available to talk to the participant. If the situation does not improve and you need to terminate the employee, please call WISE® so that we can assist the participant.
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Q. How do I participate as an Employer?
A. Whether you choose WISE® recruiting and selection services to assist you with your seasonal staffing needs, or if you choose to select your candidates through your own networking with international students, WISE® will help ensure that the Work and Travel Program is a valuable means for your company’s seasonal staffing needs. Please contact the WISE Work & Travel office at worktravel@wisefoundation.com.
Soon thereafter, a WISE® Work and Travel staff member will contact you regarding required documentation for participation. We will also exchange information and ideas about the program and to answer any questions. The process of exchanging information is one of the most important ways we can ensure that the expectations of you and the participating students are set appropriately. This information is used throughout the recruiting, screening, and orientation process along with the dates during which the participants are working at your company.
In some cases, WISE® will visit your company before the participants’ arrival in order to ensure our understanding of your program is complete, to answer questions you may have, and to consult with you in order to select the best qualified participants. During this time, we are frequently able to recommend policies and make suggestions about infrastructure to benefit the program. These visits and our general communication are key to ensuring the best understanding to thoroughly prepare you and the participants for the upcoming program.
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