'Summer Work, Travel' Brings Many Students to US (2/2)

Sally Lawrence heads the State Department office responsible for the program. She says students should begin to gather information a year before they want to travel. More than fifty organizations are approved to act as sponsor" class="hjdict" word="sponsor" target=_blank>sponsors.

Sally Lawrence advises students to avoid unapproved groups offering services, and to research a few different sponsors.Sponsors must confirm the English language ability of students and make sure they are currently in school. But sponsors do not all charge the same price for their services.

Another difference: some sponsors arrange employment and housing for students before they leave home. Others permit students to find their own jobs after they arrive. Sally Lawrence says the first thing to do is to find the list of sponsors on the Web page for J visa exchange programs.

The address is a little long, but here it is: exchanges.state.gov/education/jexchanges. Click on Designated Sponsor List, then choose Summer Work/Travel under Category Description. For more information about the program, go to the main page and click on Private Sector Programs.