Help in Arranging for Jobs Abroad

Although spending a working vacation in a foreign country is an exotic idea, making arrangements can be frustrating. Most foreign governments want proof of employment before providing a visa, and employers want a visa before they’ll offer employment. Fortunately, the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) has arranged a program that helps cut through that red tape.

The CIEE is a nonprofit organization established in 1947, and has been operating Work Abroad programs for 24 years. Next summer, assistance is available for American students who want to work in Britain, France, Ireland, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Germany, Jamaica and Canada.

The CIEE will not find jobs, but it will arrange proper documentation to legally seek work and arrange for affiliated foreign student travel services to assist students upon arrival. For a $125 fee, participants will be provided with an information handbook and will be invited to an orientation at which they can ask questions and meet similar-minded students.

The program is open to most U.S. college and university students who are full-time or carrying a course load of at least eight credit hours. Applicants for programs in France, Germany and Costa Rica must have completed at least an intermediate level of French, German or Spanish. There are no language requirements for programs in Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada or Jamaica.

Students can expect to earn enough money to cover day-to-day living expenses, but shouldn’t expect to make enough money to pay for air fare home and tuition for next year.

In the past, jobs have varied from barman in Britain for $196 per week, plus room and board, to a typist in Montego Bay, Jamaica, for $20 a week, plus room and board. Other students have been able to get jobs as a kiwi fruit picker in New Zealand for $135, a hotel receptionist in Costa Rica for $52, a secretary in Dublin for $189 and a golf instructor in France for $142, all per-week salaries.

The British program operates throughout the year, and the visa granted is valid for working up to six months. Participants in the French program can work up to three months; those in Ireland can work for up to four months.

The German program allows students to work from May 1 to Oct. 15; in New Zealand, April 1 to Oct. 1; Jamaica, June 1 to Oct. 1, and Canada, May 1 to Oct. 31.

There is no deadline to submit applications. It takes about three weeks for qualified applicants to be informed of their acceptance.

For more information, contact CIEE Work Abroad, 205 East 42nd St., New York 10017, (212) 661-1414, Ext. 1130.