On Your Mark! Get Ready! Go! Winter is Here!

It’s time to lay the groundwork for a successful winter season! Below are some best practices for communicating with your winter students, CIEE, and important program reminders and tips about how to facilitate a lasting cultural exchange experience with your students.

Connect With Your Winter Students
Your students are undoubtedly excited and nervous to meet you! Whether they just arrived or will arrive soon, it is important to open the lines of communication now to ensure a positive experience for everyone. If your students have not arrived yet, be sure to include the following in your welcome email:

• An introduction to your company, with an explanation of what it is like to work there during the winter months 
• Company expectations, including dress and grooming requirements 
• An digital copy of your company handbook, if available 
• A packing list, including weather-appropriate clothing, linens, and so on 
• Basic travel instructions, with a more detailed reminder closer to the date of arrival 
• A schedule of what they should expect to do during the first few days after arrival 
• When they will receive their first paycheck 
• A message stating that you will be in touch again before departure 
• Information on how to contact you with follow-up questions 
• If you provide housing: 
  • Send a description and photos, if available; also include information on how and when to sign up for housing, a reminder if they need to have a housing deposit ready upon arrival, and how to make roommate requests, if permitted 
• If you do not provide housing: 
  • Send information regarding where and when to find affordable housing, and check in to be sure housing has been arranged prior to arrival 

Below are a few things to remind students about within the first few days of arrival:

• SEVIS: Students must call CIEE when they arrive in the U.S. to register in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). They should call CIEE at 1.888.268.6245 and provide their DS-2019 number, housing address, and phone number, if available. 
• Monthly surveys: It is a program regulation that sponsors communicate at least monthly with students. As such, CIEE requires all students to complete a monthly survey to let us know how their program is going. Please remind students to complete these monthly surveys in a timely manner. 
• Second jobs: It is a program regulation that students report second jobs to their sponsor. If you’re interested in hiring a CIEE J-1 student for secondary employment, please remind the student that he/she must have approval BEFORE beginning work at your company. Students can reach CIEE at 1.888.268.6245, or [email protected] for more information on reporting second jobs. 

You will also want to check-in with your students regarding these items:

• Social Security: We ask students to wait 5 business days after registering in SEVIS before they apply for a Social Security number. However, we recommend they apply within 10 days of starting work. While it may take several weeks for social security cards to arrive, it is legal for students to work and get paid in the meantime—as long as they have applied for a Social Security number. Ask your students to provide you with a receipt from the Social Security office to confirm they have applied. 
• Opening a bank account: Provide your students with information about banks in the area, and the paperwork needed to open an account. We recommend creating a handout, which you can add to each student’s orientation paperwork. You can also post a flyer in your break room. Please note: national banks are preferred, as they may also have international branches. 
• Payroll and taxes: Every student must pay federal, state, and local income taxes, but do not pay Social Security tax, Medicare, or federal unemployment taxes. 

Stay Connected with CIEE
Please contact us at any time; however, it’s especially important to contact us in these situations:

• A student does not arrive as expected 
• A student has a medical emergency and sought urgent care 
  • CIEE has a 24-hour emergency support line 1.888.268.6245 
• A student quits before his/her agreed job end date 
• There is a performance issue at work 
• The termination of a student’s employment 

Take advantage of our website for more information on the program, and ways to support your students throughout the season!

Cultural Programming
Cultural exchange is the core of the CIEE Work & Travel USA program. As an employer, you have a fantastic opportunity to cultivate this exchange, which will help students understand what makes the United States special.

Here are some winter activity ideas:

• Provide information about local winter recreation in your area 
• Create a bucket list for students, which can help them share what they hope to experience during their time in the U.S. 
• Organize a buddy system between your international and domestic employees 
• Organize a potluck, cookie decorating, or Valentine card-making party 
• Host a Secret Santa or secret snowflake gift exchange 
• Host a “Winter Olympics” game or party 
  • The 2018 Winter Olympic games kick off in PyeongChang, South Korea on February 2! 
• Encourage students to volunteer by partnering with local charities and community organizations 
• Plan a group volunteer event around the holidays, such as caroling at a local nursing home 
• Utilize email or social media to update your students regarding schedules, things to do in your community, and fun activities they can sign up for (be sure to use hashtag #CIEEWorkTravelers) 

Prepare Your Frontline and Domestic Staff
If you did not get a chance to join us for the CIEE Work & Travel USA Fundamentals webinar, please view this 20-minute recording. The webinar provides you, your supervisors, and frontline staff the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the CIEE Work & Travel USA program, the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders, how to be an impactful cultural ambassador, and discusses the best practices for a successful winter. This is a great opportunity to get your team ready for the busy winter season.

If you and/or your managers would like to have a more extensive training to assist in effectively managing international students, watch our 30-minute webinar: Diving Deeper Into Cultures. Learn how to suspend judgement by adopting a practical tool and resource (D.I.V.E), which can help you and/or your managers become more effective during intercultural interactions.

As always, thank you so much for all that you do!