What is Work and Travel (WAT)?

Work and Travel, WAT or Work and Travel in USA are the brands used by the sponsoring organisations of the Work/Travel program, which is one of the ‘Exchange Visitor’ programs that the United States of America has been running since 1961 through the ‘Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ of the US Department of State, in order to ensure rapprochement between cultures and to help meet the increasing seasonal need for low/medium skilled workers, as well as the well-known names of the program.

The program enables university students from the participating countries, including Turkey since the early 90s, to work in temporary jobs in the USA during the summer months and to improve their English by travelling and getting to know the USA during this period. The program is also considered the best way for US employers to find workers for unskilled or low-skilled jobs, but only during the peak season.

Participation Requirements

To participate in the Work And Travel program;

- To be between the ages of 18-28,

- be enrolled as a full-time student in an undergraduate or graduate program in the year of application to the program

- at least an intermediate level of English,

- with a GPA of at least 2 out of 4,

Since 2007, final-year students can also participate in the program, as well as those studying only in the English Language Teaching Department of Open Education. From 2-year universities, translation and interpreting departments and tourism-related departments can participate in the program.

The first step is for the eligible candidate to apply to one of the Turkish representatives of the non-profit organisations authorised by the US government to run the program as a sponsoring organisation.

Source: http://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_And_Travel