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J1 Career

Intern in the USA this summer

5 months' visa sponsorship + placement advice

Want to spend your college summer holidays getting ahead in your career - but don’t want to miss out on an Irish J1? Introducing J1 Career. Stand out and see the world with a 5-month summer USA internship.

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Our famous J1 USA program - that also works for your career too!

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Boss your summer

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What is USIT J1 Career?

The ‘slightly more studious’ sidekick to our legendary J1 USA program, J1 Career has all the summertime fun of a J1 – but with a 5-month internship instead of a traditional J1 hospitality or retail job. We sort your sponsorship paperwork, medical insurance, and you'll have access to our Intern Hub for support finding your US internship.

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Stand out + see the world

Why intern in America on your J1 this summer?

Helping to bridge the gap between college and your career, J1 Career is the chance to put your academic skills into a professional work environment over your summer holidays. You’ll get short-term professional internship experience directly related to your field of study – all while having a summer to remember living and travelling in the USA.

Is it for me?

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€1,449

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18+ and full-time degree student

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5-months (May/Jun-Sep)

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30 days before + after to travel

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Intern in your academic field

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Alternative to an Irish J1

Reasons to intern in America

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Professional experience

Getting practical work experience can be essential to nailing that first opportunity after college. You’ll get professional training in your academic field, grow your skillset, and bag that all important employer reference for your CV.

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Future opportunities

If you’re considering heading over to the States on our 1-year Grad USA program after graduation, a summer internship now is a great way to test the water. You’ll discover if it’s right for you, plus build a network of valuable contacts.

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Explore America

Just like a traditional J1, you’ll get to live and work in a US destination of your choice for the summer. Plus, your J1 visa allows you to travel for 30 days either side of your placement. CV goals + travel goals.

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Global POV

Why intern abroad vs at home?

You’ll be exposed to different work opportunities and cultural environments than at home – helping you to grow personally as well as professionally. In an interconnected world, being culturally aware and global in your thinking can help your CV to stand out in a crowded pile!

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Visa + cost

Who can apply for J1 Career?

Like our J1 USA program, J1 Career is open to Irish degree-level students who are eligible for a J1 visa. Check the full eligibility below. Already graduated? Check out our Grad USA program instead.

About the J1 visa

You’re not able to apply for a J1 visa independently, it must be done through a US approved company. Together with our US partner, we provide the sponsorship for you to work in America, apply for your J1 visa and attend your embassy interview – with 1-on-1 support from our dedicated J1 team.

Am I eligible?

  • You must be aged 18+
  • Any nationality studying in Ireland
  • Your course must be at a recognised Irish college or university and be at least a two-year course that ultimately leads to a degree or higher qualification, or a full-time one-year Masters course
  • Unfortunately online, lifelong, special purpose or distance learning courses are not permitted on this visa.
  • You must be able to commit to the full duration of your summer placement
  • You must have proof of USD $2,000 support funds
  • Your placement must be related to your academic field of study
  • Have a 1-5 month internship offer before we can start the process of sponsoring you

Deposit


€150

Second payment


€450

Final payment


€849

Total

€1,449

What’s included

  • Up to 5 months’ sponsorship to intern in the US
  • 5 months’ medical insurance
  • J1 legal work papers (DS-2019)
  • Training plan (DS-7002) guidance
  • SEVIS US Government fee
  • Intern Hub resources to help find a placement
  • Step-by-step J1 visa guidance 
  • US Embassy interview prep 
  • Online orientation to get US ready
  • 1-on-1 support before you go 
  • 24/7 support on the ground

US Embassy fee

This is paid directly to the US Embassy and currently costs USD $185

Site visit (if required)

Check our FAQs for the cost and scenarios

Travel insurance

Medical cover is included, but you must buy travel insurance to cover against the rest of your trip

Flights

We don’t recommend booking flights until your visa is approved

Support funds

You must be able to show you have $2,000 when entering the USA

Accommodation

Chat with our team about accommodation options over the summer.

Travel after your placement

Get 10% off worldwide Contiki trips before you go! Friends = benefits

We can sponsor you via our Intern USA program to intern at any time of the year for up to 12 months. If you'd like to explore other internship durations or interning outside of your summer holidays, just get in touch.

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US internship culture

Why intern in America?

America is the leading place in the world to do a professional internship - with every industry from finance to fashion represented. The US also has an established internship culture - with most large businesses hosting a summer internship program.

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Internships

What types of internship can I do?

  • Other than some restricted fields (check our FAQs for more) you can intern in most industries anywhere in the USA – as long as your training position is related to your area of study.
  • You can intern for up to five months between May-Oct, with 30 days before and after your placement to travel around America.
  • Your internship can be paid or unpaid. If paid, the salary will depend on the type of employer and location, but typical salary ranges from USD $2,000-3,000 per month in the major US cities.
  • Your internship must be office based, full-time (minimum 32 hours per week) and not be more than 10% clerical based. Jump to our FAQs for the full requirements to pass onto prospective employers.
  • You must have an internship secured before we can start the process of sponsoring you via the J1 Career program.

You’re responsible for finding your own internship in America, but don’t worry if you don’t have an internship lined up – we’re here to help you start your search

Finding your summer internship

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Info call

You can request a call with our dedicated intern team where we’ll dive into your degree and career goals – advising on the types of positions you can target.

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Intern Hub

From defining your career goals to building your personal brand and converting your CV to a resume – our Intern Hub is full of advice to help find and secure your placement.

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Employer directory

On our Intern Hub you’ll also find a directory of US employers (along with details on how to connect with them) who have previously hosted our USIT interns.

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What industries can I intern in?

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Some popular internships

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Get experience in your field

About

Providing it’s connected to your academic field, you can work in most industries and sectors – helping to grow your skillset and boost your future employability. Here are a few of the industries you can work in and skills you’ll pick up.

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Technology and software development

Internship + skills

Working on cutting-edge innovations in AI, app development, or cybersecurity - gaining technical expertise and problem-solving skills.

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Finance and banking

Internship + skills

Insights into financial analysis, investment strategies, and risk management - fostering strong quantitative and analytical abilities.

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Marketing and advertising

Marketing and advertising

Brand management, digital marketing strategies, and consumer behavior analysis - enhancing creativity and communication skills.

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Non-profit organisations

Internship + skills

Learning about fundraising, policy advocacy, and program development – contributing to social causes while building up your strategic skills.

Upcoming events

Get hired or get the intel

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In-person camp hiring days | Ireland + UK

28 Jan Dublin | 01 Feb London

Meet Camp Directors face-to-face, connect with others heading to camp, and (fingers crossed) get hired on the day. To register your interest, apply for Summer Camp USA and let us know which city you'd like to attend. We can't wait to see your face, but don't worry if you can't make an in-person event - the quickest way to get hired is in our hiring pool.

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J1 USA | Virtual hiring days

Video interviews throughout Dec

Beat those bah-humbug blues and get hired now for J1 summer '25! Video interviews for San Diego J1 jobs are happening on the 3, 11, 12, 18 + 19 Dec; Boston J1 jobs on the 9, 11 + 13 Dec; and our Chicago J1 employers are hiring throughout Dec - with more positions and locations dropping every week on the Job Hub. You must have booked USIT Job to book an interview, so get your Christmas winter skates on.

View all events

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USA experts

Book a video call

USIT has been helping students to live, work and travel in the States since 1959! So trust US when we say we’re US obsessed. Book a video call with our intern team for all the intel on what placements you can do, where you can go, and when you need to apply.

How it works

When do I need to apply?

Once you’ve found your internship, it can take up to 12 weeks to get you through the sponsorship, internship vetting and visa process. We advise applying as early as possible to ensure that we can get you out to the US for May/Jun when most summer placements will start.

The process

Check your eligibility in the visa + cost section, hit Apply now and create your profile to start your application. You can then access your online account anytime from the top of this page. Once you’ve paid your deposit, book a time to have your compliance call with our team. This can take up to 45 minutes and is a US Government requirement to check your suitability for this program - plus it's a great time to ask any questions.

You need to have a US internship secured before we can start the process of sponsoring you. If you don't have one confirmed already, check out the resources on our Intern Hub or arrange a separate call with our team to talk about how you can go about finding your placement.

1+ days

Your US employer will need to fill out your DS-7002 Training Plan - detailing their company information, your training goals and information about your role. All the instructions and links to the form are provided in your online account. Once completed, we send this to our US sponsor for approval to ensure it meets US Department of State requirements. Please note, if a site visit to your host employer’s workplace is required, this can take an additional 21 days. Check our FAQs for the scenarios and cost.

7-30 days

Once your internship is approved and you’ve paid your balance, your work papers (DS-2019), training plan (DS-7002) and SEVIS receipt will be sent to you electronically. You’ll need these to apply for your J1 visa. This involves an online application (DS-160) and in-person appointment at the US Embassy or Consulate in Ireland. The timeframe here is dependent on appointment availability.

3-30 days

We recommend booking your embassy appointment the day you receive your DS-2019, as it's not unusual for embassy appointments to run out – especially in the lead up to summers. The embassy will keep your passport for up to 10 days, returning it by post along with your visa stamp. Unfortunately, we don’t have control over the availability of visa appointments or the outcome of your appointment.

10 days

Once you have your J1 visa, it’s safe to book your flights, travel insurance, and confirm any accommodation you have sourced. Make sure you book a return ticket – as you’ll need this to get through US immigration. You'll also have an online orientation to make sure you’re perfectly prepped for life in the USA.

1+ days

You can arrive in the US up to 30 days before the start date on your DS-2019. When you arrive, you’ll need to download a i-94 form from the US government website and go to a local social security office to get your Social Security Number. Your US sponsor will check in with you regularly to make sure your training is going to plan – plus they’re on hand for 24/7 emergency support.

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Intern info + intel

Step-by-step guide to finding your internship

Need help finding your placement? Our free Intern Hub breaks down the process of finding an internship into simple steps. Plus, gives you access to a directory of US employers who have internship programs or have hosted Irish interns before.

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FAQs

Got a question?

Not found what you're looking for? Open up Ask a question on this page and one of our USIT team will come back to you.

We don’t match you with a customised placement, however we do provide you with access and tools to assist in your placement search in the USA. From defining your career goals to attending interviews - on our Intern Hub you’ll find a step-by-step guide on how to find an internship overseas.

If you are repeating the J1 Career program with a new host organisation, a wait period of 90 days is required between internship programs.

If you are repeating the J1 Career program and returning to the same host organisation, a wait period of eight months (equivalent to two semesters) is required between internship programs. You may return to the same host organisation if additional training clearly demonstrates an advancement in skills/tasks from previous internship.

If you want to intern at another time of year or you're looking to do an internship in America as part of a semester abroad, as a sandwich year, or after graduation – we can help. We can sponsor you for up to 12 months to intern in the USA via one of our other programs. Get in touch and we’ll go over your options.

When approaching US employers, make them aware that you are looking for an internship that meets the below requirements. Also, lead with telling them that you will have sponsorship to intern in America via USIT - as the red tape and cost of sponsoring international interns can often be a barrier for US businesses looking to take on non-domestic intern.

  • It must be connected to your field of study
  • It must be a training position and not a job
  • It must be full-time - a minimum of 32 hours a week
  • It must be office based, not remote
  • It mustn’t involve more than 10% clerical or basic work, or include unskilled labour
  • It must benefit your career and have a clear training plan
  • It must be doing work that is additional to the employer’s normal staffing requirements
  • Unpaid internships are allowed for up to six months only
  • There must be a minimum of five full-time employees to every intern at that location
  • A site visit may be required to assess your future employer’s workplace. See the next FAQ for more

If your host company hasn't taken on an intern before through this program, if their annual revenue is less than USD $3 million, or if they have less than 25 full time employees - our US sponsor will need to conduct a site visit. This is a US Department of State requirement. Site visits will be charged at USD $250. Unfortunately, we only find out if a site visit will be necessary once your internship offer goes through vetting. And if required by the sponsor, it will be added to your booking.

On this visa, there are some fields that are restricted. In general, you can’t have patient or person contact. For example, you can intern in medical research or nutrition development, but you can't work as a doctor or PT seeing patients or clients.

The below list isn’t exhaustive, so give the team a call before you start your search so that we can get a feel for what you’re interested in.

  • 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 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.
  • Sales You cannot do commission sales, sales quotas as part of evaluations and/or compensation, cold calls and direct sales, independent representation of host organisation on sales calls. But you can do forecasting, budgeting, sales analysis, presentation creation, client presentations under supervision, learning how to pitch sales, client management, learning sales management tools and attending client meetings.

Yes, your position must be connected to your area of study. However, with the breadth of sectors, industries and businesses in the United States – our team can work with you to understand your career goals and try and advise on a position to target that would both satisfy your degree requirements and the direction you’d like to take your internship in.

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 $220 and is included in your program cost.

Both are summer programs that allow short-term work in the USA over your university summer holidays – May/Jun to Sep/Oct. Our J1 USA program is designed for full-time university students to do seasonal hospitality, retail or tourism roles in America. Our J1 Career program allows you to have that typical summer in the States experience – but doing a short-term professional internship instead.

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