Work and Travel
What is Work and Travel (WAT)?
Work and Travel, WAT or Work and Travel in USA is one of the Exchange Visitor programs which has been working with the US Department of State through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, since 1961 to help the United States achieve rapprochement among cultures and to meet the seasonally growing need for low-skilled workers. Known names of the program are at the same time affiliated with the sponsoring organizations that run the program.
The program allows students in the countries involved – including Turkey since the early ’90s – to continue their lives by working in the US temporarily in the summer months, and to improve their English by travelling and getting to know the United States during this time. The program is also considered to be the most appropriate method for employers in the United States to find workers to work in unskilled or low-skilled jobs.
Terms of Participation
In order to participate in the Work and Travel program, the applicant is supposed to;
– be between the ages of 18-28,
– be registered as a full-time student in a bachelor’s or master’s degree program in the year of program applied
– know English at least intermediate level,
– have a general grade average of at least 2 out of 4.
Since 2007, senior students are now able to participate in the program as well as students of Open Education Faculties only in the English Language Teaching Department. Interpretation departments and tourism related departments can participate in the 2-year universities.
For the participation of candidates meeting these conditions, the first step is to apply to one of the US government’s Turkish representatives authorized for conducting the program through sponsoring non-profit-making organizations.