About us
Who is USIT?
USIT is Ireland’s leading work abroad organisation. But who are the people behind the headsets? Why do they love travelling so much? And why do they keep wanting us to work on our holidays? It’s kind of a buzzkill, USIT.
Celebrating 65 years of exploring for longer by earning while we do it. Genius.
A lower impact way to see the world, we believe that working abroad opens doors, connects cultures and challenges perspectives.
Our story
It was 1959. Hair was long, collars were wide, and beatles would never just be six-legged creepy crawlies again (although people still continued to scream and throw things at them). In Dublin, students at UCD and Trinity College wanted more from the world. They knew that crossing borders had the power to break down barriers and build cultural connections. So they chartered a plane to the USA, started running cultural exchanges, and with it – started USIT. Now, why the history lesson? Because 65 years later, this mission has never been truer for our team.
What we do
Ranging in duration from 3-24 months, USIT provides supported work, camp and intern abroad programs in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Whether you want to fund your summer at camp or on a J1 in the USA, bankroll your gap year or round the world with a working holiday visa, or advance your career with a professional internship or graduate visa – USIT has 65 years of experience making it happen.
How we help
The Swiss army knife of the work abroad world, we take care of everything you need to work overseas. Including processing or helping you apply for your work visa, finding a job or internship, bank account and tax number set-up, arrival orientation and more. We’re a licenced agent to issue USA, Australia and New Zealand visas – and provide full support to apply for all other work visas in the countries where we operate.
Who we are
All our team have worked the world. In fact, before we became professional visa whisperers and job finders, most of us were USIT customers. And continue to be. We must have the only job in the world where we’re regularly encouraged to quit (… to go travelling). Many of us return to camp or to do a J1 each year – coming home with even greater intel and stories to tell on where you can go and what you can do.
The bigger picture
Travel you can trust
A household name in Ireland, globally, USIT is part of a tightknit family of three work abroad brands. Including BUNAC in the UK – another OG of the work and travel world founded by students in 1962, and JENZA – the latest addition to our work and travel family based in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and USA. As one organisation, united in our belief that working abroad is the most transformative (and fun) thing you can do in twenties, we work together to create life-shaping experiences for our travellers.
What we stand for
We’re making positive changes to impact our customers, our team and the world we operate in
Our world
As a business, we’re on track to become a B Corp by 2024 – meaning we’ll meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance and accountability. In 2022, we recruited a Youth Advisory Panel (YAP) of international 18-25 year olds – who work with us each week to ensure youth voices and concerns remain at the heart of what we do. And our sibling company, JENZA, has just launched its Youth Access Scholarship Fund – providing funding for applicants from underserved and lower-income backgrounds to have the life-shaping experience of working abroad.
Our community
We’re on a five-year mission to build a more inclusive workforce, and with it, a global community where our customers feel represented and reflected. We’ve already started making hiring and cultural changes to attract global talent from underrepresented groups. This includes removing the requirement of a degree from all job specs to focus on potential over experience, becoming a remote first business to remove geographical and physical barriers to working for us, and moving to flexible working hours to support the life, cultural and religious commitments of our teams.
Why book with USIT
Flexible payments and conditions
Secure your place on our programs with a lifetime low deposit, giving you time to save. And if you change your mind, we can move your deposit over to a new program – no awkward questions asked. T&Cs apply.
Making it work
Introducing the USIT Job Hub
We get it, the fear of arriving into the unknown with just a backpack of barely clean washing and a dog-eared CV. On our online Job Hub, you can search and apply for hundreds of working holiday and J1 summer jobs with vetted employers in the USA, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
Ask the experts
Book a call with USIT
Don’t call us, we’ll call you. All our USIT team have worked the world, so are here for real talk and authentic advice about where you can go and what you can do.
© GenTAO Ltd trading as USIT is a company registered in Dublin, Ireland with Registered Company No. 670958 and registered address at 29-31 South William St, Dublin, Ireland, D02 EY96.