Frequently Asked Questions

Having people from different cultures and backgrounds increases diversity at your organization and creates a more dynamic professional environment that fosters new ideas and ways of doing business. International interns and trainees can help your company gain insights into countries or regions that you currently do business in. If you have international sister or parent companies, our J-1 programs can serve as a way to develop talent and facilitate training for international employees.

Once you identify a candidate, the intern or trainee should contact the CIEE international representative in their home country to get started on their application materials. You will then be invited to complete an online training plan for your intern or trainee.

The training plan (or DS-7002) is a U.S. Department of State form that serves as the official outline of the proposed training. Please visit our page on training plans for more information.

CIEE advises applicants to allow at least 4-6 weeks for the application process. If your intern or trainee needs faster service, advise them to request expedited service when they submit their application to their CIEE international representative; expedited service is available for an additional fee.

As a host organization, you must provide your intern or trainee with structured and guided training as well as continuous supervision and feedback. Interns and trainees must train for a minimum of 32 hours per week and be provided any resources they need to complete their tasks, including their own workspace and any necessary equipment (such as a computer or a phone). Host organizations must also seek to engage their intern or trainee in American cultural activities, both in and outside the workplace.

Most J-1 interns and trainees are paid a stipend during their program. They should be onboarded and paid through payroll just like a regular employee. No intern or trainee can be paid as an independent contractor (using a MISC-1099 tax form). Interns and trainees are subject to federal, state, and local income tax, but not Social Security, Medicaid, or federal unemployment tax.

No. The J-1 visas that interns and trainees use are exchange visas only; participants are expected to return to their home countries at the end of their programs.

Host organizations are not subject to any CIEE fees for hosting a J-1 intern or trainee. However, participants pay fees and some host organizations provide assistance with these. For more information about program fees, the intern or trainee can consult their CIEE international representative.

J-1 interns should be enrolled in an academic institution or have graduated within 12 months of their internship start date. Some may have a little work experience, while others may not. J-1 trainees must have a diploma and one year of relevant work experience or, if they don’t have a degree, they must have five years of relevant work experience. Interns may train for up to 12 months while trainees may train up to 18.

Interns may train for up to 12 months while trainees may train up to 18. All programs must be at least three weeks in length.

Internships that are shorter than 12 months may be extended up to the 12-month maximum; training programs that are shorter than 18 months may be extended up to the 18-month maximum. (Please note that hospitality internships or trainings have a 12 month maximum duration.) If your intern or trainee is interested in extending, they should reach out to their CIEE international representative to determine if they are eligible and to submit an extension application.

As the host organization, you will be asked to submit a new phase for the training plan that demonstrates the new and more advanced skills the intern or trainee will be learning during their extension.

Please note that extension applications should be submitted 4-6 weeks before the last day of an internship or training program. 

In addition, please note that participants of our 1-Year Graduate USA Visa Program are not eligible to extend their programs.

No. CIEE interns and trainees are covered by travel medical insurance for the duration of their time in the U.S. In most cases, this policy is provided by CIEE. Full details on the insurance plan provided by CIEE are available on our insurance website.

All paid J-1 interns and trainees must be covered by their host organization’s workers’ compensation policy (unless the organization is exempt by state law). If the intern or trainee is unpaid, CIEE may be able to accept coverage under a general liability policy. For more information, please read our page on the legal responsibilities of host organizations.

Depending on the size of your organization, you may be eligible to host multiple CIEE interns or trainees at the same time. Host organizations should have 5 full-time employees at the site of training for every intern or trainee in the office. This ensures every intern or trainee receives appropriate supervision and resources.

J-1 interns and trainees must train at least 32 hours per week.

You can find eligible interns and trainees by sharing your training opportunities on the CIEE Internship Board. Many of our international representatives also are able to assist with locating participants. We make it easy to search for international representatives by country. Each representative’s recruiting program operates differently and maintains different fees; please reach out to your selected representative to learn more and begin the recruitment process.