Opt for the program option: Self ADVENTURE, Full ADVENTURE or Lifeguard program 2021. We advise you to initially get information from our website and to contact one of our representatives to resolve any doubts.

Once you have decided on the program you need to fill out the application form on our website. After that, our representative will contact you and generate a set of documents on the provision of the service, which also includes payment instructions. The price of the program is the application and advance payment for the desired program, which are paid on the day of signing the contract, the second installment is paid after receiving the work offer and the third installment upon receipt of program documentation from the sponsoring agency and no later than May 1 2021.

Upon admission to the program, our associates will be in touch and guide you through the job application process (CV generation, job interview training…).
The job application will comply with your location requirements and all available jobs will be in our job database on the website.
In the case of the Self ADVENTURE program, your task is to submit the required Job Offer.
If you have chosen the Lifeguard program 2021, you will know in advance that you have applied for a job as a lifeguard at swimming pools.

Once you have been hired for the desired job, the sponsoring agency, which is in charge of you during your stay in the United States, will start generating program documents that enable the issuance of a J1 visa.
In the meantime, we are working on issuing the DS2019 form, paying health insurance and SEVIS costs.
When all the documents have been settled, an interview is arranged at the embassy in Belgrade.

Before the visit, we will hold a meeting at which you will be informed in detail about your obligations regarding the program while you are in America. Attendance is required.

The agency makes an appointment for you. It is your responsibility to pay a $ 160 fee beforehand.
After you interview the vice consul, he will inform you if you have received a visa.
It is also possible to buy an air ticket before going to the sight, because the air ticket is refundable in case you do not get a visa.
The participant of the program is obliged to provide the ticket through the agency.

DISHWASHER – the duty of the dishwasher is to wash the dishes, maintain cleanliness in the kitchen and utility rooms.

BARTENDER – the duty of the bartender is to work at the bar in the bar. He is in charge of preparing and serving drinks.
This job requires experience in making cocktails and extensive knowledge of different types of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

BAR BACK – the person employed in the bar back is a support to the bartender. His duties are: storing and taking out drinks, maintaining the hygiene of the bar, etc.

CASHIER – the duty of a cashier is to work at the cash register. He is responsible for all issues related to money, account closing, as well as for all credit card transactions.

FOOD SERVER / WAITER – the duties of the server are to receive orders from guests, serve drinks and food. This position is characterized by low hourly rates due to high amounts of tips. American culture is such that guests leave 15-20% of the total amount of the bill. This gesture is respected by all guests.

BUSSER – the duty of the busser is to assist the server by supervising, cleaning the tables after the departure of guests and preparing the table and utensils necessary to welcome the next guests. This position includes tips.

FOOD RUNNER – the duties of a runner are filling carts for transporting food in buffets, then transporting food, preparing spices, filling appliances with hot water or ice as needed, working with food and storing it, often tidying the kitchen and taking care of its cleanliness, etc.

FRONT DESK – the duty of the person employed at the front desk is to welcome hotel guests, receive reservations by phone or through the reservation system, check in – check out guests as well as provide various types of information. This position requires a very good knowledge of English and is usually characterized by a high hourly rate.

BELL MAN – the duty of the person employed in this position is to carry the luggage of guests at the entrance or exit of the hotel. If he does not carry baggage for guests, the bell boy is required to greet guests warmly at the entrance to the hotel or lobby. The work is sometimes arduous. Knowledge of another language is useful, but only to the extent sufficient to warmly greet guests from various countries and different speaking areas.

HOUSEKEEPING – the duty of the person employed in this position is the daily maintenance of hotel rooms, but also the maintenance of hygiene in the hotel in general. This position requires a minimum knowledge of English.

ROOM SERVICE – the duty of the person employed in this position is to deliver orders to guests per room.

HOSTESS – the duties of the hostess are to receive reservations, welcome and greet guests, make a seating schedule, ie. arranges guests at tables in the hall and brings menus to guests. If necessary, work at the cash register can be added to the list of duties. Often this position includes a tip.

SALES HELP positions are available mainly in smaller stores, boutiques, commissions. The duties of this business can be the sale of clothes, jewelry, ice cream, souvenirs, food, help with payment, help to customers. This job requires a good knowledge of English.

MAINTENANCE – these positions are available mainly in hotels, motels, countr / golf / yacht clubs. The duties of this job can be repairing broken things, mowing the grass, maintaining the hygiene of the facility, cleaning the pool, moving furniture, helping with painting, painting, parking cars, etc.

DELIVERY BOY – this position is available mainly in pizzerias and fast food restaurants. The duties of this job are delivering food and drinks. This job requires a driving test.

FAST FOOD WORKERS – these positions are available in popular fast food chains, clubs. Duties in these jobs are different and often rotating. Students can work in preparing food, sandwiches, pizzas, salads, as well as waiters, work at the cash register, take care of the hygiene of the facility. This job requires a conversational level of English. It is not uncommon to receive a small part of the tip along with the hourly rate.

MARKET WORKERS – positions available in large markets and stores. Duties will depend on the departments in which students are deployed. Front Desk – welcoming guests, answering the phone, helping customers. Cashier – work at the cash register, scanning groceries, taking care of the compliance of sales and money in the cash register. Pharmacy department – sales of pharmaceutical products, perfumes, cosmetics. Clothes and Shoes department – sale of clothes and shoes. Deli department – sale of salads, preparation of sandwiches, etc. Bakery department – preparation and sale of various pastries and cakes. Fruit department – fruit display, measurement, etc. Technical department – sales and assistance to customers with technical goods. Restaurant – Hostesses, Waiters, Bartenders. Liquaur store – drinks for sale.
Possible jobs are packing groceries in bags, collecting carts, storing, filling shelves, etc. Jobs in the markets are fun, with a lot of guests and colleagues and are not as stressful as some other types of work. Working hours are mostly before or in the afternoon, which is ideal because there is a free part of the day left for another job or rest and entertainment.

GROUNDS / LANDSCAPE – the responsibilities of the guys in these jobs are regular mowing of lawns, maintenance of hedges, etc. The girls mostly take care of the gardens, flowers, etc. These jobs are done outside and generally do not require advanced knowledge of English.

PARKING LOT ATTENDANT – obligations in this job are standing in front of the parking place, welcoming guests, directing to free places, often taking the guest’s car to a free parking place. These jobs require advanced knowledge of English as well as a driver’s license if the student parks the guests’ vehicles himself.

COOK / KITCHEN HELPER – the duties of the kitchen assistant are to cooperate with the chef and listen to his instructions, to prepare certain types of dishes, chop vegetables, fruits, take into account the expiration dates of groceries, make sandwiches, cakes, some basic dishes for what will be trained by the boss. No experience is required for these jobs, but it is important that the student likes this type of work.

AMUSEMENT PARK STAFF – it’s a business inside an amusement park. These are most often the positions of food, juice and driving sellers, vehicle operators and game and game controllers, as well as positions in park maintenance jobs. These jobs are most often outdoors. Earnings are closely related to the hourly rate, but there is also the possibility of earning through tips. This job requires a conversational level of English.

LIFEGUARD – lifeguard job at the pool / beach. Duties are ensuring the safety of all present at the pool / beach, ensuring compliance with the rules of conduct at the pool / beach, cleaning the pool, etc.… This type of work requires a conversational level of English.

Dear students, when you arrive in America through the Work & Travel program, know that you will enjoy the same rights as Americans. In most cases, you can easily find another part-time job. It is important to know that you have the right to do as many additional jobs as you want (as long as these jobs are reported to the sponsoring agency that takes care of your status during your stay in America), that you will have an agreed hourly rate, tip and overtime compensation. Full-time work usually means 40 hours per week. Employers are legally obliged to pay overtime to their employees, which is 150% of the regular wage rate, for each additional hour over the 40th of the week.

Our advice is to record every working hour you spend at work. It is very important that you have a calendar where you will record your working hours before starting work. Mistakes happen everywhere and to avoid inconveniences, it is important to have a document where you can prove and justify your working hours to the employer.

A very important piece of information about the job offer you receive before going to the United States is the number of weekly working hours. Hourly rates, on a weekly basis, usually range between 32-40 working hours. An important note for this is that these are not the working hours that the employer is obliged to give you but it is the AVERAGE hours that the employer thinks they will be able to give you throughout the entire program. Sometimes you work less than 32 hours a week and sometimes you work up to 50-60 hours a week.

Sometimes jobs with a lower hourly rate are even better because you have the opportunity to do two jobs at the same time.

“TIPS” positions are usually held by returnees to the program, but also by candidates who speak perfect English. These are usually server or bazaar positions in a restaurant, hotel … American culture is such that any guest will leave a tip. Tips usually range from 15-20% of the bill at the table you serve. Sometimes, if guests are extremely keen on your service, they leave you an abnormal tip. For this reason, these earnings are shown as quite small, e.g. $ 2.5 / h + tips.

Note: the amount of the hourly rate mostly depends on the country in which you are and work, and then on the job position you are in.

Every participant in the Work and Travel program has all the rights as well as American citizens in many ways. The difference is that for J1 participants there is a list of jobs that they are not allowed to do during the program.

A list of jobs that J1 students cannot do can be found here:

1. Jobs that disrupt the Cultural Exchange program.
2. Positions that require program participants to buy goods that they will then sell in order to make a profit.
3. Positions that require help with household chores in private homes, such as child care, care for the elderly, gardening, transportation of persons.
4. Driving a Pedikeb or similar vehicle (once a popular rickshaw, discontinued since 2011).
5. Positions requiring the management or driving of means of transport on land or water for which permits are required, regardless of whether they are carrying passengers or not.
6. Positions that involve clinical care and require contact with the patient.
7. Positions in the adult entertainment industry including escort services, work in adult movie and book stores, and strip clubs.
8. Positions that require work longer than 4 hours from 10 pm to 6 am.
9. Positions considered dangerous for young people according to the Secretariat of Labor (Subpart E of 29 CFR part 570)
10. Positions requiring physical contact with other persons and / or compliance with the rules of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (eg tattooing (including henna), piercings, massages, manicures, hair braids, etc.)
11. Positions in facilities that offer piercings, tattoos (including henna), massages, manicures, hair braids.
12. Positions that are based on realized sales and thus do not guarantee participants that they will receive a minimum hourly wage that is in line with federal and state standards.
13. Positions that include playing games or gambling as well as direct participation in betting.
14. Positions related to chemical pest control, then work in warehouses, work in distribution centers through catalog or online orders.
15. Positions in the field of mobile entertainment.
16. Positions that include another J1 category such as intern, intern, or campus advisor.
17. Positions that include construction, mining (including extraction of gas and oil), production of food, goods, wood products, printing, natural resources such as crops, animals, fishing, support activities for agriculture and forestry.
18. Positions obtained through employment agencies.
19. Positions in kiosks or stands in shopping malls.
20. Positions related to household chores.
21. Positions in warehouses or factories.
22. Administrative positions that handle sensitive or personal information.
23. Positions of independent contractor (1099 Form employee).
24. Positions in ponds.
25. Positions that involve door-to-door sales or agitation.
26. Positions in the industrial sector – jobs that include working on assembly lines, repeating movements using heavy machinery, using presses and dryers for industrial use, using industrial chemicals, and working in facilities similar to factories.
27. Positions where the exchange participant is responsible for the safety of other persons, e.g. lifeguard, who do not have regular supervision by the host nor enough time to rest.
28. Positions involving the use of delicatessen cutters.
29. Positions that are not paid by the hour, e.g. scholarships.
30. Positions that involve any relocation of other persons or things.
31. Positions involving waste management, caretaker or guardian positions.
32. Positions that involve working out of season, e.g. more than two seasons during the year, or employment longer than 8 months during one calendar year.
33. Positions in places without telephone and internet communication.

Talking to an employer can be an inconvenience, fear and insecurity for many of you. Our Agents are here to make the whole process as easy as possible for you. We are aware that the conversation and what you will show in the conversation itself, carries a great responsibility. It is the same when you are looking for a job in Serbia, and it is especially stressful when you have to do it all in a foreign language.

First of all, DON’T PANIC
Prepare well for the interview, comb through the most frequently asked questions by the employer and learn those answers as best you can. With the help of our Agents as well as the ENGLISH LANGUAGE school, you will go through everything that bothers you and that could make it difficult for you to communicate and leave a good impression to get the job you want. Since your conversation will most likely be organized via Skype, make sure that EVERYTHING works in that part (connection, connection, microphone, camera) and pay attention to appearance and dress. If you still have a LIVE conversation, dress decently, be clean and tidy. Always keep your CV in front of you clearly to remind yourself what is written in that document, because most often the employer will be guided by it and ask you questions based on what you have written about yourself. What you should always wear is a SMILE!

Find out about the future employer
Try to find out as much information as possible about your future employer as well as about the job you will be doing. It is very important that you know what the company is like, how long it has been operating and what its qualities are. You can find all this information on the website of your potential employer, on google or with our Agents who will be happy to meet you if you have any questions or concerns.

Pay attention to dressing
We have already talked about this in the section DO NOT PANIC, but it is worth repeating. Take some time and think about what it would be best to train if you have a live meeting with your employer. So make sure it’s something elegant, not too intrusive, neat and clean. For a Skype conversation, it is very important to pay attention to your SKYPE name (to be polite, especially if there are English words, so that the employer takes you as seriously as possible). It is always allowed and necessary to have a smile on your face and be pleasant during the conversation.

Prepare answers to the most common questions

The best candidates research the job description, think about the type of questions that will be asked and plan the answers well. Some even practice with friends. Expect questions specific to your business !! Don’t expect just basic questions, such as “what’s the weather like?” or “tell me about your family.” Below is a list of the 25 most frequently asked questions for interviews in the US:

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. Why should I hire you?
3. What work experience have you had?
4. How has your education prepared you for this internship?
5. Do you work better as a team or on your own?
6. What is your greatest weakness?
7. What is your greatest strength?
8. How would your professor describe you?
9. How would your co-workers describe you?
10. What would your employer tell me about you?
11. What qualities do you have which will make you a good employee?
12. Tell me about any major obstacles you have overcome in your life?
13. Why do you want this position?
14. What’s the most important thing you will do on your first day of work?
15. Why are you the best candidate for this internship?
16. Tell me about a stressful situation in a past job and how you handled it.
17. Tell me about your interests.
18. What do you hope to achieve from this program?
19. How can you contribute to this company?
20. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
21. What led you to your field of study?
22. Describe a situation where you worked as a team. How did you contribute?
23. Why did you want to be part of this program?
24. What is your greatest success?
25. What is your greatest failure?

It is very important to understand the American way of thinking about talking about oneself and about past work experiences and schooling.

Alleviate your weaknesses and failures. By saying “I am lazy” or “I am always late”, you provide yourself with a safe rejection for work. If you have such traits, you have to overcome them (pushing yourself, by buying a new alarm clock (). A typical American answer to the question “What is your weakness” is something like, “It’s difficult for me to stop before the job is done.” This may annoy others because I just can’t rest until the task is complete. ”. Do you understand the point?

Never talk negatively about your previous job, boss, co-workers, or school. Even if you have had a negative experience, find something positive to say about it. For example “There was often confusion in the kitchen, but this tought me the importance of being organized, calm and to assist coworkers as needed.”

Prepare the questions you will ask the employer
Feel free to write it down on paper or simply memorize everything you want to ask the employer during the interview. Ask about the job you will do, the place, the accommodation (if you are provided), what is the next step regarding the interview and of course tell him to ask you if he is interested in telling him something else … At the end of the conversation feel free to say that you were glad that you talked and that you would very much like to work for them, as well as that you will do your best to justify their trust if they hire you. So they will see that you are very interested in working in their company as well as that you are someone who is ready to give his maximum in order to show himself better at work.

GOOD LUCK!

The form of the CV is adapted to all students of different educations. This is a very important first step in introducing yourself to an employer! At the very beginning of the program, you send us your CV in ENGLISH. You fill it out in electronic form (we will send you all the guidelines and links by e-mail).

Here are some tips for your personal promotion:

1. Personal data: make sure you specify the email address as well as the Skype ID. Letter errors in this data can cause you great trouble getting the job you want!
   Pay attention to the date when you are available for work, check your schedule at the faculty!
   The picture must be cultural, nice with a white background! The pictures from the night life are interesting but not for this occasion!
2. Work experience: Do not hesitate to put your previous work experience, no matter how irrelevant in your opinion! You are a student after all and you are not expected to have several years of work experience in any field!
3. Knowledge of English language:Don’t be modest, don’t underestimate yourself! Maybe you just need a little reminder.
4.  Hobbies: Since most beginners and students do not have too much work experience when looking for a job, it is very useful to list special hobbies or knowledge that you have that are not visible from the previous data.

Your advertisement to a potential employer ends here. All in all, you have to understand that this is a document that should present you in the best light and that the one who doesn’t know you, wants to meet you!

American Adventure Agency mediates in the purchase of airline tickets for all program participants.

The authorized partner with whom we have been cooperating for years chooses the most favorable tickets with benefits that are included for all Work and Travel participants. We also provide online support during your stay while you are in America.

The agency will provide privileged tickets for all program participants – This means that the tickets will be tailored to the candidates. Most tickets have the benefit of free change of return date, the possibility of two free luggage…. This is an important item regarding your return. It often happens that the return dates are shifted (extra charge for ordinary tickets between 130 and 160e) and of course it will suit each candidate to have the opportunity to carry as many kg as possible (if only one suitcase of 23kg is included, extra charge for each kg that you exceed $ 50). Other luggage is usually charged up to $ 100.

It is important to note that the air ticket is not included in the price of the program, because the candidates go to different parts of America and therefore the price varies from location to location.

How to pack:

1. Hand luggage: Its transport is free and you are responsible for it.

Maximum dimensions of luggage (including handles, pockets and wheels) 40x20x55cm length x width x height.

2. More personal items that can be with you during the summer:

1. One women’s bag or laptop bag or briefcase (must fit under a standard Economy Class seat)
2. Coat, scarf
3. A small amount of duty free goods

      3. Luggage packaging advice:

• Remove all pendants from previous flights from the suitcase.
• Carry all valuables, money, medicines and documents in your hand luggage.
• Lock the suitcase or wrap it with a strong belt.
• Leave your contact information in the suitcase and place it on the outside of the suitcase.
• Mark your luggage so that you can immediately notice it on the collection bar.
• Pack all the things that can’t fit in your hand luggage and hand them in at the airport. The amount of checked baggage that you can carry free of charge will depend on your class of transport, route and fare.
• You hand over your luggage at the counter for passengers at the airport. It will be marked with a pendant, and part of the pendant will be handed to you when you hand over your luggage.
• Checked baggage will be transported in the trunk of the plane and will be waiting for you at the destination airport, on the conveyor belt in the baggage claim room.
• It is necessary to adhere to the prescribed conditions for safe carrying of liquid substances, dangerous goods and other items in your luggage.
• Certain items cannot be carried in luggage or their transport is allowed under special conditions.

       4. Rules for transporting liquids in hand luggage. Is not allowed:

• Liquids, gels, pastes and aerosols can be carried only in containers up to 100 ml.
• Containers larger than 100 ml will not be allowed, although they are partially full.
• All containers must be packed in a transparent plastic bag with a zipped closure or a zipper.
• The bag in which the containers are packed must not be larger than 20 × 20 cm and its volume must not exceed 1 liter.
• The plastic bag containing the containers must be closed and handed over separately during the security screening of hand luggage.
• One bag is allowed per passenger.

      5. Exceptions when you can bring containers with more than 100 ml of liquid into the plane:

1) Baby food and milk, in the amount necessary for the baby depending on the length of the flight

• Liquids, pastes, gels and aerosols, purchased in duty-free shops in the security-restrictive zone of the airport, packed in a transparent sealed plastic bag that must not be opened to the final destination. The bag (sealed in the store) must contain a fiscal invoice for the purchased goods, exclusively with the date of the day of travel.
• Medicines in the form of liquids, gels or aerosols, exclusively with a medical report issued by a competent medical institution or an authorized medical office.
• Medical preparations such as insulin, blood plasma, etc., only with the confirmation of the competent medical institution or authorized medical practice.

The following are prohibited in hand luggage: tools, sharp and blunt objects, explosives, ammunition and weapons, batteries, gases and oxidizing substances, toxic and infectious substances, corrosive substances, radioactive magnesium.

Procedure for changing the return date:

• Let your airline ticket agent know by email or phone what date you would like to travel;
• The agent will tell you which flights are available;
• If you need to pay extra to change the date, ask your agent to send you payment instructions;
• Avoid weekends for changing return dates;
• Make sure you send an instruction to change it at least three weeks before the desired return date.

NOTE

1. Time needed to change the return date – Request a change of date as soon as you are sure of the return date, 2 weeks earlier is optimal, but keep in mind that the first change is free when there is space on your tariff, and each subsequent one is paid according to the tariff conditions (from 150eur and up). Study the map well and do not confuse the return date with the transfer date, keep in mind that you are moving from one time zone to another.
2. Be at the airport at least 2 hours before the flight.

For all additional information you are interested in regarding airline tickets, you can send an inquiry or call:

Email adress: aviokarte@workandtravel.rs

Tel: +381 66 107 205

On this online form, enter information about the dates of entry and exit from the United States.

Anyone who is not a U.S. citizen is required to record a date of entry within 72 hours of entering the U.S., which is crucial data for the U.S. Immigration Service’s online database.

The  I-94 form correlates with the status of your J1 visa.

The chapter “D / S- Duration of Status” is highlighted on the form and that date coincides with the date that exists on your personal DS-2019 form. Based on these dates, you have 30 additional days scheduled for travel.

If the dates on the I-94 and DS-2019 forms differ, the candidate is required to leave the country according to the date on the I-94 form.

Candidates are not allowed to stay in the United States after the date listed on I-94 because that puts them in a situation of being deported and banned from entering the United States in the future.

Instructions for applying to the I-94 form will be sent to you by e-mail. Don’t forget to register after landing.

SSN is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, and U.S. temporary workers. The SSN is issued through the Social Security Administration. The primary purpose of SSN is to monitor tax revenues. Over time, it also became a National Identification Number. Students, participants in the Work & Travel USA program, must apply for SSN upon arrival in the United States.

To obtain an SSN, you will apply at the local social security office – SSN administration office.

Investigate after receiving a job offer where your nearest SSN administration office is: https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp

Since SSN is received only after 15-20 days and the card with the number after 1-3 months, you will receive a confirmation that you have submitted the documents for SSN and you are free to work with it until your card is ready. SSN cannot be obtained only by students who are not confirmed in the SSN system or those who do not show up for work on the first working day.

When applying, you must submit the following original documents:

• Passport
• DS – 2019 form
• J-1 visa
• I-94 form
• Confirmation that you have received a job – job offer (official letter from the employer that is signed and certified).

What if I don’t get an SSN?

If you do not receive an SSN after 6 weeks, call the Social Security Administration at toll-free 1-800-772-1213. Have ready, at hand, your certificate of application for SSN – Social Security Receipt.

If you applied for SSN and did not receive it, you have the right to work and receive a salary.

If you have more questions contact the sponsoring agency.

The W4 form – Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate – is a document that you receive from your employer and you need to fill out before you start working. If you change employers or have an additional job, you also fill out the W4 form. It correlates with the tax refund process in that the address listed in the W4 form will be used to provide you with the W2 form later – necessary for a tax refund. The W4 form states the permanent address of residence in Serbia.

Help with filling out the W4 form:

Most of you are unmarried, it is obligatory to fill in the third line “single” because the calculation of taxes is different for married people and unmarried.

On line 6, you need to fill in the “Non Resident Alien” because that way you get a tax refund.

Every participant in the Work and Travel program must have health insurance during their stay in the United States. The medical insurance granted to participants in the Work and Travel program includes a basic insurance package and such a package is approved by the State Department. It is very important, before applying to the program, to tell us if you have any health problems of any kind, because treatment in the United States is extremely expensive.

Insurance does not cover:

Pregnancy,
Dental interventions,
Serious illness,
Injuries that occurred before coming to the United States cannot be treated under this insurance,
Routine physical examinations and vaccinations,
Eye
Preventive medical services
Testing for sexually transmitted diseases
Mental illness
Self-harm
The cost of treatment if you have used alcohol or drugs.

We suggest all candidates to perform a systematic examination on their own initiative before leaving for the United States.

The duration of medical insurance is in accordance with your job and the start and end dates of the job. You are not insured after this period. If you want to travel after work, we advise you to buy additional insurance for the travel period.

You can buy with the help of our intermediaries while you are in Serbia, or contact the sponsors when you know the exact dates of the trip when you are already on the program in the USA.

IMPORTANT:
If you have been injured at work, inform your employers immediately.
Insurance is included in the price of the program. Each visit to the hospital costs $ 500, and a doctor’s examination costs $ 150.
Be sure to get an invoice so you can get a refund from the insurance company.
Bring with you an insurance brochure that you received from the agency, when giving medical treatment you will need information about the insurance company.
Insurance often covers treatment up to a certain amount, so you have to bear the rest of the costs yourself.
IT IS BETTER TO PREVENT THAN TO TREAT 🙂 Be careful and do not expose yourself to risky and dangerous situations for your health.

Sponsorship agency

Every student in the W&T program must have a Sponsorship Agency. A sponsorship agency is an organization that operates under State Department rules and is licensed to operate. Before you go to the United States, sponsors check the legality of the work of the employer whose job offer you are signing and whether he meets all the conditions regulated by the program to accept and cooperate with J1 students. It also checks the correctness of the accommodation in which you will stay. Provides the necessary documentation with which you go for sighting. You did not have to know this information until now because while you are in Serbia, American Adventure will mediate between you and the Sponsorship Agency. However, you will definitely need to get to know them before going to America because that is where their real role begins, which is to ensure that all your rights are respected, but also to remind you that you have obligations to the program and to the Sponsorship Agency. according to the employer and the person who rents you accommodation.

What are the obligations towards the Sponsorship Agency?

1. Upon arrival in the US, the residential address should be reported to the sponsoring agency

The most important thing is to learn which documents you need to fill out and where you need to apply when entering the United States.

You must first fill out the online form I-94 and register for SEVIS no later than 72 hours after arrival in the United States.

It is very simple, you log in to your account (you will receive instructions for all of the above during the program) and enter the required information.

2. Monthly Check-In. Regular communication with sponsoring agencies

As you left information when you entered the US, you also need to check in monthly through your SEVIS account on the sponsor’s website.

You need to leave all the information required of you on your account. They are mostly compiled in the form of a short questionnaire about the previous month spent in the US.

3. Report departure from the US

Departure from the USA is registered in the same way via the I-94 form and via the SEVIS program. Fill out the dates of leaving the country and your obligation to sponsors ends here.

4. Report to the Sponsors any change of residence in the United States

When changing the address where you reside, you are obliged to immediately enter the information of the new residence on your SEVIS account.

You have the right to change your place of residence if you are not satisfied with the original, but you are obliged to report it immediately to the sponsor, so that he can find you at any time. Information about your change of residence is also very important due to the delivery of checks and other documents during the program.

5. Notify the Sponsor of any problem that you CANNOT solve. Ask for help

As mentioned above, sponsorship agencies are in charge of taking care of you since you set foot on U.S. soil and to meet you if you have any problems, obstacles, issues.

Before leaving Serbia, you get all the necessary information about your sponsor, contacts where you can get people from the agency who are in charge of you (address of the sponsor agency, e-mail, contact numbers, emergency numbers)

6. Another job – extra. Be sure to notify Sponsors of another deal. Do not start work until the sponsor approves the employer

Unfortunately, many students avoid this obligation, so over time, stricter rules have been introduced regarding additional work.

You need to understand that by applying for extra work you are not losing anything. The sponsor can follow that employer and protect you if necessary, and of course the insurance covers everything related to the other employer as well as for the primary job.

The process of verifying additional work is short, you need to be patient for a maximum of a few days for the employer to be verified, and if you violate any rule and start working before approving or in the worst case not registering additional work can lead to visa waiver and termination.

Do not allow or compromise the program due to impatience.

If you do not report additional work:

– the sponsor cannot protect you in case of possible disagreements with the employer,

– you do not have health insurance, so if there is an injury at that workplace, you will have to bear the costs of treatment yourself, and the costs of the examination are extremely expensive.

– For each job you do, you pay a certain contribution tax and you are able to repay that tax when you complete the program. If you do not report all the employers you worked for, you would have problems with refunds.

Medical insurance

The sponsoring agency in cooperation with American Adventure provides you with medical insurance. Every student received all the necessary information about medical insurance by e-mail before leaving for the United States.

Important information regarding insurance:

Medical insurance lasts as long as your job offer. You are not insured during the trip after the end of the job (you have the option of paying extra insurance for the period of travel).

Insurance does not cover:

• pregnancy,
• dental interventions,
• serious illness,
• injuries that occurred before coming to the United States cannot be treated under this insurance,
• routine physical examinations and vaccinations,
• ophthalmological examination,
• preventive medical services,
• testing for sexually transmitted diseases,
• mental illness,
• self-harm,
• treatment costs if you have used alcohol or drugs.

We suggest all candidates to perform a systematic examination on their own initiative before leaving for the United States.

• If you want to travel after work, we advise you to buy additional insurance for the travel period. With our help, you can buy insurance while you are in Serbia, or during the program, contact the sponsors directly when you know the exact travel dates.
• If you have been injured at work, inform your employers immediately.
• In case of going to the doctor or possible hospital treatment, be sure to take the bill so that you can get a refund from the insurance company. They will usually ask you for information about the insurance and the insurance company at the medical institution.
• When the Agency provides you with a medical insurance brochure (in print or online), READ IT and be sure to take it with you to the United States.

Accommodation:

One of the important items of this program is accommodation.

Questions are asked: Do I have accommodation provided? Where will I live? Who will I live with? How much will I pay for accommodation?

Accommodation is tailored to program participants and their needs in this program. It is mostly student accommodation in which students will be able to rest, take a shower and put their things away after a hard day.

All candidates must be aware that they do not expect luxury in accommodation that will be assigned to them by the employer or organized in some other way.

In rare cases, there are better equipped apartments with a kitchen, terrace, some with a yard (if you are staying in the house), but it depends solely on the employer.

Important items related to accommodation:

• Before leaving, you must know whether the employer provides you with accommodation or you have to take care of the same yourself – guided by the experience of previous seasons, our agency employs candidates for jobs where the employer has included accommodation in the job offer. If you do not have accommodation provided, we will be happy to assist when booking accommodation in the place where you will work. Students usually go to work in tourist places with a high frequency of people during the season. Therefore, accommodation must be requested on time, ie. immediately upon receipt of a job offer.
• Candidates who opt for the Self option of the program are obliged to independently provide accommodation and to inform us about the information related to it, otherwise their job offer would not be approved by the sponsoring agencies. Sponsorship agencies have criteria for approving accommodation for J1 students, so not every registered accommodation needs to be approved.
• If the conditions of accommodation do not suit you during the program, you have the right to change it at any time, but you must first inform the sponsoring agency and report a new address where you will stay during the program. All information regarding the new accommodation must be sent to the sponsoring agency – via the SEVIS program. Accommodation prices depend on the place you go to (prices vary from $ 50- $ 140 per week, and for larger cities such as Boston, prices can be several times above the average accommodation price) and the employer. In some cases, accommodation may be free.
• It is very important that you are familiar with the location of accommodation – use Google search, explore the place where you got the job, view photos, experiences of previous participants, map of places, nearest airports, shops, laundries, banks, hospitals, police station, SSN branches, attractions …. In some cases, it is necessary to rent a bicycle or use public transport to get to work. It is important to know this in advance.
• You maintain hygiene in the space where you live – each candidate is obliged to comply with the conditions of renting, ie renting accommodation. Any non-compliance can lead to the landlord keeping the deposit (in most cases a certain amount is paid up to the amount of one annuity, before entering the accommodation or deducted from the first payment at work) in order to repair the damage caused to the accommodation, home appliances, or hired cleaning staff in case of poor hygiene in the area. If you have complied with the Lease Agreement, the deposit is refunded upon expiration of the Agreement.
• Behave in the assigned accommodation as well as towards your property and your living space, so as not to put yourself in awkward situations due to non-compliance with the rules.
• Tolerance towards family members – be aware that you are going to a cultural exchange program, where you will meet a large number of new people, colleagues, associates, friends who, just like you, came to this program from different parts of the world.
• You will share the accommodation with your colleagues, who have different life habits than you, who are of different cultures, religions, thoughts and for that reason each participant must respect their roommates in every way. Take advantage of this situation to get better acquainted with the customs and culture of other nations and make new friends!

Read the Contracts you sign for rent well – when you sign the Contract it is valid and therefore you and the employer can refer to the Contract at any time if there is a problem. For this reason, read the terms of the Rental Agreement carefully.

An agreement exists to protect both the student and the person renting the accommodation. You need to know what your monthly rent is, what date the rent is paid, what the deposit is, under what conditions it is returned, how you can leave the accommodation before the deadline, whether you have certain consequences, ie penalties for early departure, whether your monthly the amount of rent depends on the number of household members, who you can contact in case something in the accommodation does not work, whether cigarettes are allowed to be consumed in the accommodation….

Useful websites for finding accommodation in USA:

•  http://www.studentrent.com/
•  http://www.apartmentguide.com/
•  http://www.campusrent.com/
•  http://www.sublet.com/
• http://www.rent.com/
• https://housing.ucla.edu/
• http://www.roommates.com/
• https://web.allfriends.co/
• https://craigslist.org

If you have a problem during the program or have any doubts in resolving certain situations, you are provided with online support, 24/7 phones, and of course people in sponsorship agencies who are in charge of you during the program.

At any time, you will also have the help of our agency for any type of assistance if you do not know how to solve the problem or who to contact.

Belgrade

Phone:

+381 11 4257230

+381 64 1072004

Email: office.americanadventure@gmail.com

Call your sponsoring agency and contact the person assigned to you before leaving for the US.

Depending on your sponsoring agency, you will receive cards with all the information: address, telephone numbers and e-mail of the competent person in the sponsoring agency (we work with a number of agencies and after getting the job you will be assigned an agency that will be exclusively in charge of you).

If your rights and life are endangered during the program you can contact the Department of Human Rights, but before that it would be advisable to call your sponsoring agency.

Exchange Visitor Program Emergency

Contact Information:

Department of State Emergency Hotline: 1.866.283.9090

National Human Trafficking Resource Center: 1.888.373.7888

Department of State Email Address: JVISAS@STATE.GOV

Exchange Visitor Program Website: J1VISA@STATE.GOV

During your stay in the United States, you will live in a culture that is very different from here. During the adjustment period, be prepared to experience large differences in attitudes, standards, expectations and reactions in terms of accommodation, food, leisure, language and more. Remember that you chose to travel abroad to get to know and understand a different culture, because otherwise, you would decide to stay at home during the summer. It will be a period that will remain deeply etched in your memory. Remember, you are responsible for adapting to the new culture of the host country because it will not change because of you.

Culture Shock

Culture shock is often experienced by people who travel and live abroad. Humans are creatures of habit and the process of moving to another country results in the loss of some normal daily activities. Regardless of your degree of tolerance, open-mindedness and readiness for new cultures, changing the environment will result in some degree of frustration. Recognizing the symptoms of culture shock will allow you to manage the situation more effectively. Accept the irritation and ask yourself why some particular aspect of the culture irritates you, but it looks perfectly natural and suits the citizens of the host country. Remember that everything is a matter of habit, so after some time spent in America, you will be able to get used to a different way of life, a different environment, accommodation, food, as well as new things that you will encounter every day while you are there.

Hang out with strangers as much as possible because there are plenty of them there. You will meet people from all over the world, be open-minded and will be grateful in the end for going home with many new insights that you have not had the opportunity to discover before. On these trips, love was born, but also great friendships that last a lifetime. It is definitely the greatest treasure you can take with you when you return home.

Set yourself up as follows, according to challenges and new things you are not familiar with:

• Maintain an attitude of curiosity and a desire to learn.
• Gain a sense of adventure.
• Learn to generously accept “corrections” and learn from your mistakes.
• Be generous and sincere in showing gratitude.
• Be flexible.
• Maintain a sense of humor, especially about yourself.
• Show an honest and considerate attitude towards others.
• Be cooperative and willing to compromise.
• Enjoy.

Another job in the US – extra.

All program participants are allowed to do additional work. When you go to this type of program, you will first have to respect the employer on the basis of which you received your visa. Adjust work on additional work to the shift schedule at the primary employer. If you want to earn extra, this is the perfect solution for you.

Do not hesitate to ask for a job in your area and to offer and leave your CV, so that you can be contacted and taken into consideration by other employers.

We suggest that you use the CV form you received from us supplemented with the employer you currently work for and the phone number you use in the United States.

With this form, you can start looking for additional work. Copy your CV in about twenty copies when you arrive in the United States.

You can send electronically or leave a printed CV in person to the employers you are interested in in your place of residence.

Be sure to notify the Sponsorship Agency of any other business.

Do not start work until the employer has been approved by the Sponsorship Agency.

Not every additional job as well as every employer needs to be approved by the Sponsorship Agency.

See the list of prohibited jobs for J1 students here.

After informing the Sponsorship Agency about the desire to do additional work – the documentation that your future employer must fill in will be forwarded to you by e-mail. Don’t be impatient, the procedure for approving additional work takes only a few days. For most Sponsoring Agencies, this is a free process, but some Sponsors charge up to $ 50 for this verification process.

Working with an unapproved employer is a condition for losing the right to a program and deportation to Serbia.

Verification of another job is NECESSARY because only in that way can you be protected in case you have trouble with additional work. You will not be able to exercise your right to a tax refund with an unregistered employer.

Remember, you need to fill out a W4 form at each job. In it, you leave the exact and permanent address where you or your parents reside in Serbia. This is the address to which, after returning from America, you will receive a W2 form from your employer.

Advice:

Take a walk around the city and ask where additional labor is needed. It is very likely that they are restaurants and hotels. Ask if they have employed J1 students so far. If so, your process of approving an additional employer will be much easier and faster.

Your stay in America is coming to an end and it is time to slowly prepare to return home. You are full of impressions and you probably don’t think much about some things that are very important and that you MUST do before you return to Serbia.

Check your plane ticket and return date

Take a good look at your ticket and what the return date is on it. If your return plans change during the program and you want to change the flight date, you are free to do so by contacting our Airline Ticket Agent and moving the return date. It is very important that you do it on time, at least three weeks before the flight, so that there are no unpleasant surprises afterwards.

Pay your debts if you have them

Be sure to settle ALL debts you have to the landlord, pay all remaining bills properly, if you have any medical bills, any bills you are told to pay before leaving.

The accommodation you leave behind

Keep in mind that in the accommodation where you spent the summer, someone should live after you. Be sure to leave everything as you found it when you first entered the apartment. Do not break, tear or violate the rules of the Rental Agreement by the landlord, otherwise you will not be refunded the deposit you left to the landlord at the very beginning. Maintain the hygiene of the space and do not leave things behind. If you adhere to these items, you will have no problems leaving.

Close your bank account!

Before leaving, close your bank account and withdraw money from it. If you haven’t cashed all your checks by now, it’s time to do so before you go. Of course, when you open a bank account, it is up to you to settle all the details with the bank, so that later, when closing the account, there will be no additional unforeseen costs and unpleasant surprises.

Check out from I-94

Another thing you must not forget before you leave the country is to check out the I-94 form. Simply enter the site where you applied for it and log out!

Log out of SEVIS

As with document I-94, go to the site and log out. The dates of SEVIS and I-94 when entering and leaving the country must match.

Check your luggage

Pay attention to excess baggage weight. Take a look at the allowable weight of the suitcase on your plane ticket, and be guided by that. Remember that every kilogram is over the allowable salary.

The W4 form – Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate – is a document that you receive from your employer and you need to fill out before you start working. If you change employers or have an additional job, you also fill out the W4 form. It correlates with the tax refund process in that the address listed in the W4 form will be used to provide you with the W2 form later – necessary for a tax refund. The W4 form states the permanent address of residence in Serbia.

Help with filling out the W4 form:

Most of you are unmarried, it is obligatory to fill in the third line “single” because the calculation of taxes is different for married people and unmarried.

On line 6, you need to fill in the “Non Resident Alien” because that way you get a tax refund.

Required documentation for tax refund

• Copy of social card – SSN
• Copy of the first page of the passport
• A copy of the W-2 form or the last pay slip

At the end of the fiscal year, the employer is obliged by law to submit to its employees a report on the earned earnings and taxes paid, the so-called W-2 Form. As many employers as you had in the U.S., so do you have W-2 forms. The employer is required by law to send W-2 forms to employees no later than January 31 of the following year. W-2 forms are sent by regular mail. Before finishing work, be sure that you have left the correct address in Serbia for the employer.

If you do not receive the W-2 form, you can also get a tax refund with the last pay slip. Pay slip is a part of pay check that remains with you after cashing. The latest pay slip contains the same information as the W-2 form and for that reason it is very important to save the latest pay slips from all employers.

To get the W-2 form to the right address, it is important that you fill out the W-4 Form (W-4 Form) with all the required information when starting work with the employer. The most important is the address you specify in the W-4 form, as this will be the address to which your W-2 form will be sent.

Completed Easy Tax Store Tax Refund Application (PDF)

IRS Form 2848 (PDF)

Easy Tax Store Contract (PDF)

It is important to report all employers you have worked for in the US!

Upon return from the program you should have all the documents listed below required for a tax refund except the W-2 form. Based on the documents you have, a calculation of your tax can be made and you can immediately know how much the refund will be. The important thing to know is that the U.S. tax authorities open the tax season on January 15, which means that your tax cannot be filed before that date.

Very simple! Download the Tax Refund Form, Form 2848 (you only need to return the scanned and signed other page of Form 2848) and the instructions for submitting the documentation.

When you finalize the documentation, return it to us in .pdf format via the Work and Travel portal.

Our operators will contact you after receiving the documentation.

Have you collected all the documentation? All you have to do is send it to us.

You submit all documentation to us in one PDF document (in the same order as in the enumeration above). If you are not sure how to put all scanned documents in one PDF, we have found an online service (CLICK TO UPLOAD THE DOCUMENTS) which does it for you. Once you have merged all the documents into one, all you have to do is send that document to office.americanadventure@gmail.com.

The tax refund service is done through a certified IRS agent and this service costs 6000.00 RSD for State and Federal tax refunds.

If it happened that your employer by mistake deducted FIC and Medicare tax, the costs of the tax refund service are increased by 4000.00 RSD.

Contact us to send you payment instructions.

How do I get to paycheck?

You can get a check:

1. To your home address. Waiting an average of 6 – 12 weeks. Only you can cash the check yourself!
2. As a direct deposit to your US account. The average waiting time for a deposit is 4-6 weeks.

There is a possibility for each candidate to monitor the status of the tax refund refund online.