The Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh (IIP) is a US State Department designated sponsor of the J-1 Summer Work Travel Program. IPP is responsible for approving jobs for the J-1 Summer Work Travel Program.
If you are interested in participating in the J-1 Summer Work Travel Program as an employer and looking for Irish students for seasonal summer work you may submit job information by clicking on link at bottom of the page.
Each year thousands of Irish University students travel to the United States on the J-1 Summer Work Travel Visa (SWT). The visa gives them the opportunity to work in American businesses throughout their Summer holiday (May 15th – August 30th) and participate in cultural exchange.
J-1 Summer Work Travel Employment Terms & Conditions
- understand that purpose of this program is to provide foreign college and university students with opportunities to interact with U.S. citizens, experience U.S. culture while sharing their own cultures with Americans they meet, travel in the United States, and work in jobs that require minimal training and are seasonal or temporary in order to earn funds to help defray a portion of their expenses. Employment is of a seasonal nature when the required service is tied to a certain time of the year by an event or pattern and requires labor levels above and beyond existing worker levels. Employment is of a temporary nature when an employer’s need for the duties to be performed is a one-time occurrence, a peak load need, or an intermittent need. It is the nature of employers’ needs, not the nature of the duties that is controlling.
- understand that Summer Work Travel participants are authorized to participate in the Exchange Visitor Program for up to four months during the long break between academic years as determined by the Department of State. Extensions of program participation are not permitted;
- we shall provide proof of Employment Identification number and business licensing and/or registration to enable us to conduct business in the venue(s) where we operate.
- we shall provide details of the number of positions open in 2018.
- will not displace domestic U.S. workers at work sites where they will place program participants; and
- have not experienced layoffs in the past 120 days and do not have workers on lockout or on strike.
- will make good faith efforts to provide participants the number of hours of paid employment per week as identified on their job offers and agreed to when the sponsors vetted the jobs
- pay eligible participants for overtime worked in accordance with applicable State or Federal law;
- notify sponsor (the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh) promptly when participants arrive at the work sites to begin their programs; when there are any changes or deviations in the job placements during the participants’ programs; when participants are not meeting the requirements of their job placements; or when participants leave their positions ahead of their planned departures;
- contact sponsor (The Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh) immediately in the event of any emergency involving participants or any situations that impact their health, safety, or welfare;
- agree to provide suitable and acceptable accommodations and/or reliable, affordable, and convenient transportation (if relevant)
- have a current Worker’s Compensation Insurance Policy or equivalent in each state where a participant will be placed or, if applicable, evidence of that state’s exemption from requirement of such coverage
- are aware of the J1 Summer Work Travel Program Exclusions and do not engage in any of these, as follow:
- Positions that could bring notoriety or disrepute to the Exchange Visitor Program;
- Sales positions that require participants to purchase inventory that they must sell in order to support themselves;
- Domestic help positions in private homes (e.g., child care, elder care, gardener, chauffeur);
- Pedicab or rolling chair drivers or operators;
- Operators or drivers of vehicles or vessels for which drivers’ licenses are required regardless of whether they carry passengers or not;
- Positions related to clinical care that involves patient contact;
- Position in the adult entertainment industry (including, but not limited to jobs with escort services, adult book/video stores, and strip clubs);
- Positions requiring work hours that fall predominantly between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am;
- Positions declared hazardous to youth
- Positions that require sustained physical contact with other people and/or adherence to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Universal Blood and Body Fluid Precautions guidelines (e.g., body piercing, tattooing, massage, manicure);
- Positions that are substantially commission-based and thus do not guarantee that participants will be paid minimum wage in accordance with federal and state standards;
- Positions involved in gaming and gambling that include direct participation in wagering and/or betting;
- Positions in chemical pest control, warehousing, catalogue/online order distribution centers;
- Positions with traveling fairs or itinerant concessionaires;
- Jobs that do not allow participants to work alongside U.S. citizens and interact regularly with U.S. citizens and to experience U.S. culture during the workday portion of their Summer Work Travel programs;
- Employment with employers that fill non-seasonal or non-temporary job openings with exchange visitors with staggered vacation schedules;
- Positions that require licensing;
- Positions for which there is another specific J visa category (e.g., Camp Counselor, Trainee, Intern);
- Positions with staffing agencies, unless the placements meet the following three criteria:
- Participants must be employees of and paid by the staffing agencies
- Staffing agencies must provide full-time, primary, on-site supervision of the participants
- Staffing agencies must effectively control the work sites, e.g., have hands-on management responsibility for the participants
- are aware that requests to work in the following, require additional investigation by the IIP:
- Lines of business that are frequently associated with trafficking persons (e.g., modeling agencies, housekeeping, janitorial services);
- Employment that has a housing component that does not offer suitable, affordable housing (e.g., that meets local codes and ordinances) and reliable, affordable, and convenient transportation to and from work when making job placements.
Scanned copies of current business license and workers’ compensation document will be required for upload to complete these forms.
- Business name, address, contact details.
- Short job description(s) and number of positions available.
- Employer indicates type of work experience required if any.
- Wages per hour.
- Hours per week.
- Earliest start date and latest start date. Earliest end date and latest end date.
- Business License and Worker’s Compensation document: to be uploaded when completing online application.
- We will select a student for a job position according to the following:
- Student is satisfied with job type, job location, number of hours estimated, wages per hour and job start and end dates.
- Student meets work experience requirement of employer.
- Student CV will be sent to employer.
- Employer confirms they wish to interview student for the position by phone or Skype. Student will be advised not to contact employer before this.
- Employer is given contact email of student to set up interview or alternatively student is given contact email of employer to set up interview.
- Students will only be allowed to apply for one job at a time and expresses strong commitment in taking position if it is offered by the employer. (Students will be assisted in finding another job only if they fail employer interview).
- Employer decides whether to offer job to student. If job is offered employer and student will sign job offer form with job details and terms and conditions.
Click on job submission form to enter job details.