An internship or professional traineeship in the US can take your CV to the next level. Whether you’re a student, grad or working professional – we can help put your career on the map.
Let’s be frank. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.
USIT, I’m confused…
If you’re an Americanophile like us, you can actually do all three of our professional internship programs throughout your education and career. Which in total, would add up to four years living and working in the States! (American accent also included). All three USA programs have different eligibility and rules, so if you feel like you need a traineeship just to figure it out, call the team and we’ll talk you through it.
Internship USA
If you’re a current student, Internship USA should be your first port of call if you’re needing to do work experience as part of your course or if you want to get ahead with a summer internship in America. You must be a student aged 18-30, you can do a single paid or unpaid internship for between 1-12 months with 30 days before and after to travel, and you must have a position secured before you go.
Grad USA
As the name suggests, Grad USA is the best option if you’re 18-30, in your final year or have already graduated. You must enter the USA within 12 months of graduating, you can do multiple paid or unpaid internships with 30 days between positions to travel, and you can stay for 14 months. Uniquely for USA visas, you don’t need an internship before you go – you have 90 days when you arrive to find one.
Trainee USA
If you don’t have a degree or you graduated over a year ago, Trainee USA is for you. You can do a single paid or unpaid traineeship in your professional field for up to 18 months, with 30 days either side to travel. Non-grads must have five years’ work experience in their field and grads must have one year work experience – with at least a two-year break if you did our Grad USA program. Traineeships must be secured before you go.
What is an internship?
Does USIT secure my internship or traineeship?
It’s your responsibility to secure your own internship or trainee position. Applicants come from different backgrounds, have different work experience and different career goals – and your internship should be a position that works towards your specific career path.
Our team will give you advice on where previous applicants doing your degree or with your professional experience have interned, tips on how to lay out your US resume, and give you access to the USIT Job Hub (as below):
Internship USA and Trainee USA You’ll have access to the Job Hub after you’ve booked. Here you can search positions, reach out to any suitable employers, and set up video interviews to secure your position prior to us starting your US sponsorship.
Grad USA On this visa, you must find your position when you arrive. (You have 60 days to get your internship placement approved by you US sponsor). Before you go, we'll share a list of US employers where previous Grad USA participants have interned. (If they match your degree and the location you'd like to intern). You can use this list to set up meetings and conversations for when you land.
Can I do more than one internship or switch employers?
- Grad USA You can do multiple internships in your field of study and move around different states working for different companies – they just can’t overlap! For example, secured a five-month marketing internship with your Business Degree in New York – might be time for a change – how about another six-month finance internship in San Francisco? You have 60 days to secure your first internship and 30 days after your first internship to secure your second. You cannot train past your DS2019 end date.
- Internship USA and Trainee USA You’re only permitted to do one internship or traineeship with one employer on this visa. Your sponsorship is tied to that employer and the duration will be based on the length of your pre-arranged internship – with 30 days before and after to travel.
Will my internship be paid?
Can I do a summer internship or my college work placement with USIT?
Yes. Casual or seasonal work is not permitted on this visa.
- For Grad USA and Internship USA Your position must be related to your area of study.
- For Trainee USA If you’re a graduate, you must have one year’s work professional experience in the field that your traineeship is in. If you’re not a graduate, you must have five years’ professional work experience in the field you’re doing your traineeship in.
Are there any restricted industries I can’t work in?
Depending on the program, there are some restricted sectors within industries that need to be considered before finding your internship or traineeship. The below list isn’t exhaustive, so please give the team a call before you start your search.
Education: You can’t work as a teacher or teaching assistant, but you can work in curriculum development, lesson planning and more.
Oenology and Viticulture (that’s wine to you and us): You can’t do fruit picking, vine and harvest work, but you can do fermentation management, distribution and more.
Construction: You can’t operate heavy machinery or intern as part of a work crew, but you can do project management, drafting and more.
Healthcare and veterinary: You can’t do clinical care or administer medication or procedures, but you can do observation-based internships.
Hospitality: Typically, hotels must be rated 4-star or higher and have broad operations to facilitate a comprehensive training in the hospitality field. For culinary training, restaurants must be a fine dining establishment in order to qualify.
Social services: You can’t work directly with patients, but you can do social work and policy (unpublished), community outreach and more.
Sports and nutrition: You can’t do coaching, physical therapy or personal training, but you can do Sports Medicine business management, food product development and more.
Retail: Internships must be management-focused, and typically include training in areas such as human resources practices, accounting, staffing practices, buying, merchandising and more.
How will my internship be approved?
- Internship USA and Trainee USA USIT will provide sponsorship for you via CIEE, our US partner. CIEE will approve your position based on your internship training plan (this form is called DS7002). This must be completed by your employer.
- Grad USA Your employer must complete your DS7002 in-country, and it must be approved by CIEE within 60 days of arriving in the USA.
Will CIEE need to conduct a site visit?
If your host company has never taken on an intern through the program before, if their annual revenue is less than USD $3 million or if they have less than 25 full time employees, CIEE will need to conduct a site visit. This is a US Department of State requirement.
- Grad USA All site visits are included in your program fee.
- Internship USA and Trainee USA Site visits will be charged at USD $250. We wouldn’t find out of this is necessary until the application goes through vetting and the fee would only be added to your booking if and when we are officially notified from the sponsor that it has to take place.
What should be on my DS7002 training plan?
Our team will give you guidance on this, but briefly, your employers will be asked the below questions:
What happens If I want to change to another visa while in the USA?
Just the summer
Want to work in America without using up an internship visa?
Students can work in America for up to four months on our J1 summer program – with 30 days after to travel.
Get hired or get the intel
Net lag is real! Why spend hours online finding out about J1, when you can get all the inside intel in one go from our J1 team? Your summer J1 ride or die, we'll tell you everything you need to know - including where you can go, what jobs you can do, and when you need to apply. Sign up now for our free travel talk.
Looking for a fresh start? The most liveable cities and the coolest ski resorts, Canada is the ultimate working holiday visa. Join our Canada Crew for all the intel on who can go, when you need to apply, and what types of jobs you can do. Plus, that age old question - summer or winter in Canada? (Both being the correct answer!).
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