Nothing! Our Work and Travel Program is a free service to employers.

We have international participants that can meet all of your seasonal needs. Our summer participants arrive between May and July and can often work until October 1. Winter participants begin to arrive in Mid-November, through January, and can work until March or April.

Our participants come from more than 30 countries. Summer participants come from Northern Hemisphere countries; winter participants come from Southern Hemisphere countries.

Yes. The level of English ability ranges from basic to fluent. You will receive an assessment of each participant’s English abilities before hiring them. This assessment will include a test score as well as interviewer’s comments on the participant.

Please contact Greenheart by phone 1-866-684-9675 or by email (employer@greenheart.org) if you are in need of additional staff. We will do our best to accommodate your needs based on our availability at the time. We keep a running list of Host Organizations with jobs that are available throughout the season.

Log into your online account and click the “My Hired Participants” tab. There you will find a list of your participants as well as their home country, start and end dates, and links to their profiles. You can also export the information to an excel file, if needed.

Participants expect to work a minimum average of 32 hours per week. The amount of hours worked is based on your assessment of the Job Agreement. We ask that you give Greenheart a clear indication of the schedule that participants can expect so that we can present accurate information to them before they arrive. Participants normally base their job acceptance and budget based on what is indicated on the Job Agreement. Overtime compensation laws vary by state, and these laws also apply to our J-1 participants. There is currently no cap on the number of hours participants can work, but they should make sure to include time for cultural opportunities in addition to their working hours.

The J-1 visa allows participants to work at more than one job. However, we explain to participants that their primary commitment is to their initial, approved employer. If they are interested in working another job, we ask that they discuss this with you.

In order to apply for a second job, both the participant and the second job employer need to fill out a “Self Arranged Job Offer Form”, also known as a SAJO. Employers can find this form by clicking “Resources” on their online account. Click the first link under “Greenheart Information and Links.” Participants can download this form on the right side of their home page under “Important Documents.” Once the form is filled out, please fax it to Greenheart at 1-312-577-0692. We will then call to confirm the information. Please note that participants cannot begin working at a job until the employer and positions are approved by Greenheart.

All Work and Travel participants are responsible for their own transportation costs. They should follow the instructions provided in their Job Agreement. We ask that you please provide as much detail as possible on this agreement, to avoid confusion during arrivals!

If you feel that a participant is not meeting your expectations, we ask that you first talk to the participant and make your expectations known. We have found that a frank discussion about work performance often solves problems. Of course, Greenheart is also available to talk to the participant. In some cases, the participant may not be aware of the problem or how to do a better job. If the situation does not improve and you need to terminate the participant, please call your Greenheart representative so that we can assist the participant. We provide full assistance in ensuring that housing and job arrangements are left in a professional and fair manner.

All J-1 visa participants are employees-at-will and can leave their employment at any time. The Department of State regulations state that neither employers nor sponsors can create barriers if participants want to leave. If one of your participants is asking to leave early, please reach out to your contact immediately, so we can personally speak to the participant and highly encourage them to stay through the remainder of the program.

It is possible that your participants might be experiencing some culture shock. Remember that this is normal for people to experience some adjustment to their new surroundings. It is possible for your participant to experience culture shock after any amount of time here in the U.S… it doesn’t just happen at the beginning of the program. Organizing staff activities, as well as designating native staff members for participants to turn to with problems can be helpful. Doing so can boost morale with both your participants as well as their American co-workers.

It may be helpful to give a reminder to your participants to stay positive, give themselves a chance, try their best to engage in their surroundings while staying open and friendly, and most importantly keep an open mind as both positive and negative feelings are part of this learning experience! In addition to learning about your participants’ local culture prior to their arrival, discuss cultural adjustment issues with anyone who will interact with participants such as managers or local staff as well as the participants themselves.

For other information on the stages of culture shock, please reference the FAQ question, “What do I do if my participant is experiencing culture shock?” If any severe emergency arises, reference the Emergencies Document or call the Greenheart Emergency number at 1-855-767-5642.

The best way to help your participant is communication! Do not be nervous to ask if anything is wrong if they are not performing to your expectations or if their behavior concerns you. Any cultural miscommunications and misunderstandings can always be resolved through good and thorough communication.

Generally speaking, there are typically four phases and can occur in any order and at any time during your participants’ stay here in the US. The first stage is Excitement in which participants are focused on their new experiences. Next is Frustration, where some may feel anxiety or the need to withdraw from the environment around them. This phase warrants kindness and compassion from employers and co-workers. The third phase is Adjustment. Here participants begin to feel confident and familiar with life in the United States. Finally, participants begin feeling at home where they will be focused on enjoying the culture and functioning successfully in their new community.

International participants must be paid the same as an American employee doing the same job, while adhering to State Minimum Wage laws.

Host organizations working with Greenheart are now required to arrange or provide affordable housing in close proximity to the work site.  For questions about this, please reach out to your Greenheart Exchange contact.

Participants must provide you with their address in their home country. This information should be obtained at the start of their work program in order to avoid any confusion or misinformation. We suggest that you have them write the address on a standard envelope that can be used when sending the final paycheck.

Yes. Please note that the Social Security Administration requests that participants arrive to their job site and wait a minimum of 10 days after validating their program in SEVIS before applying for a Social Security number in person.

Please note that participants must ask for a receipt that shows that they have applied for a card, which should arrive within 6 weeks. Please remember that your participants are allowed to work and be paid, as long as they have applied for Social Security. Additionally, the participant must understand that no one but the applicant can call the Social Security Administration regarding card issues. For more information, visit http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/EN-05-10181.pdf.

Participants on a J-1 Visa are considered non-resident aliens. They should not have Social Security (FICA), Medicare, or Federal Unemployment (FUTA) taxes withheld. For more detailed tax information, please review the IRS’s Employer Tax Guide and Publication 515.

No. All participants are required to pay federal taxes. They are required to pay state and local taxes (if applicable). While participants are all university students in their home countries, the IRS does not consider them students while they are in the U.S. For tax purposes, Work and Travel participants are considered non-resident aliens and must file a tax return. Participants are often eligible for a refund at the end of the fiscal year.

Yes. W-2 forms should be mailed to participants in their home countries as early as possible. Ask your participants to give you a self-addressed envelope when they are filling out their W-4. This will help ensure you have their correct international address when it is time to send their W-2.

 

Yes, all Greenheart Exchange participants have health insurance during their entire program (the dates listed on their DS 2019 form). Please note that if your participants are interested in traveling after they finish working they will need to purchase additional insurance either from us or from another insurance company.

Participants have insurance through Greenheart. We have insurance contact information on file for each participant, including the policy number, contact telephone number, description of coverage, and claim instructions. This information is also available through the participant’s online account. If a participant needs assistance regarding their healthcare or becomes ill and cannot work, please contact our office.

Participants are protected by the same labor laws as U.S. citizens. All job-related injuries are covered by Worker’s Compensation. Please refer to your Worker’s Compensation insurance policy.

Please call us at 1-866-684-9675. Our office hours are 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday. There is also a 24-hour emergency assistance line for employers and program participants. This number is 1-855-767-5642. Host organizations can always talk to their Greenheart contact, or email employer@greenheart.org for a quick email response!

Simply show them around your facility and introduce them to your participants. They are just interested in meeting everyone and being on the ground to see the program in action. If you have an upcoming event for your participants, let them know about it. Also, be sure to let your Greenheart contact know.

• How many participants do you employ?
• What type of positions are your participants working?
• Where do your participants live?
• What cultural activities do you plan for participants?
• How is the program going overall?

These are available electronically at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/request.html. Participants can print this form directly from the website. Employers can find this form, as well as other immigration information in the “Participant Resources” section of their online account, simply click “Arrive” > “Immigration.”

A participant’s ID number is actually the last 5 digits of their username. Employers can find this by going to their online account and clicking “My Hired Participants.”