Going to the United States or the United Kingdom: the programme that fits you
Work & Travel is an exceptional opportunity: a summer in the United States, a paid job, English that takes off. But it does not fit every project, nor every profile. If you are not eligible, or if what you are really after is genuine professional experience, your plan to go abroad is still very much alive: an internship in the United States of up to 18 months on a J-1 visa, or a work placement in the United Kingdom on a GAE visa.
Three ways to live the experience
The same family of projects, three different frameworks. The real question is not “will I be accepted?” but “what am I looking for: a season, a skill, or both?”
Work & Travel — summer in the United States
A paid summer job in the United States during your university holidays, on a J-1 Summer Work Travel visa. Open to students enrolled in higher education. Everyday English, independence, and time to travel once the contract ends.
Internship in the United States — J-1 visa
An internship or a professional assignment in an American company, with or without a school agreement, up to 12 months on a J-1 Intern visa and up to 18 months on a J-1 Trainee visa for graduates with experience. The right choice when the goal is professional skill.
United Kingdom — GAE visa
Professional experience in English without crossing the Atlantic: the GAE visa (Government Authorised Exchange) allows you to do an internship within a British company, supervised by an approved sponsor. We are the official representative of a British sponsor in France.
Not eligible for Work & Travel? The United States is still open
The Work & Travel criteria are strict: student status, level of English, availability over the summer. Not meeting them does not mean giving up on the United States — it means taking another door.
An internship without a school agreement, up to 18 months
No internship agreement from your school? That is not an obstacle. The J-1 Trainee visa allows you to join a company in the United States for up to 18 months to build real professional skills, including after graduation.
A network of partner companies
Building a professional network in the United States from France is hard. That is exactly what our colleagues at MyInternshipAbroad do: they start from your wishes and your ambitions, and look for the company with you, within a network of partners that already exists.
Compare at a glance
| Work & Travel | Internship in the USA (J-1) | United Kingdom (GAE) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you do there | A paid summer job (restaurants, parks, hotels, resorts) | An internship or a professional assignment in a company | An internship in a British company |
| Duration | Your university summer holidays | Up to 12 months (Intern) or 18 months (Trainee) | Depending on the approved sponsor’s programme |
| Time of year | Summer, within the programme’s dates | All year round | All year round |
| Who it is for | Students enrolled in higher education | Students and recent graduates | Students and recent graduates |
| School agreement | Not applicable | Not required | Not required |
| Who supports you | The Work n Travel team | Visa J-1 and MyInternshipAbroad | Visa UK |
Shall we look at your project together?
Two minutes are enough to know whether Work & Travel is open to you. And if it is not the right door, our team points you towards the programme that matches your project, in the United States as well as in the United Kingdom.