Internship USA and Professional Career Training Programmes allow undergraduates, post-graduates, recent graduates and qualified professionals with skills in a speciality occupation, of eligible courses or professional experience - the unique opportunity to work as trainees in the USA.

Provided the work is directly related to your field of study and/or career, you may apply for one of these Traineeship Programmes to live and work in the US for up to 18 months.

Get a true insight into the American way of life first hand, while gaining invaluable trainee experience in the US! Whether you're hungry for action on Wall Street, or marine biology in Hawaii or an architect's office in San Francisco, Internship USA or Professional Career Training USA can help you realise all your ambitions. These programmes are operated jointly by USIT and Council Exchanges (CIEE). Council Exchanges is a membership organisation of universities, colleges and cultural organisations with international offices, affiliations and representation throughout the world.

Internship USA is open to full-time university level students or recent graduates (within 12 months) whom are seeking practical training directly related to their studies. If you do not fit these requirements, then please see the eligibility requirements for the Professional Career Training USA programme as you may be eligible for it!

Professional Career Training USA enables a wider range of non-students to participate in a training exchange programme. To be eligible for Professional Career Training USA, participants must be at least 20 years old (and generally not older than 40), have graduated from post-secondary school and have at least 12 months of relevant professional experience outside the US. If an applicant has not graduated from a third level institution then they must have 5 years of professional experience outside of the US in their occupation.

• Applications take approximately 6-8 weeks to process provided they meet all eligibility requirements, are submitted fully complete, have fully comprehensive training plan attached and provided the Host Company Vetting requirements are met. If there is any question regarding your application the processing time will increase. At certain times throughout the year such as Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving etc, processing times will be longer please allow a minimum extra two weeks processing around holiday periods.
• All applicants must attend an individual interview with the US Embassy/Consulate. USIT and CIEE are not responsible for any applications rejected by the US Embassy. If you are refused a visa by the US Embassy/Consulate, full cancellation fees will apply.
• Participants cannot enter the USA more than 14 days before the commencement date of the Traineeship or stay more than 30 days after its end.

Flights:

Flights must be booked with USIT as part of your programme. They are not included in the fee but must be booked before your embassy interview in order to receive your DS-2019 (please note you cannot sit your interview without this document, so book your flights sooner rather than later!). Bear in mind USIT cannot guarantee your application will be approved by CIEE (the partner organization in the US that issues your documents) or by the US embassy when you sit your interview. USIT book you the most flexible flight available to avoid any disappointment should you need a flight change.

NB! Please read all sections of our website for comprehensive information on this programme.