Inscriptions open for Work & Travel USA
PROGRAM · STUDY ABROAD
Live the experience of being an American student! Spend a semester or an academic year at a US high school, improve your English and discover a new culture from the inside.
DESTINATIONS
It is purely a study program: high school students, usually aged 16, spend a semester or a year at public schools across the United States and live with volunteer host families, with full board. Private schools are also an option, at an extra cost. A life-changing experience to make friends, gain independence and broaden your horizons.
OPTIONS
You travel in August and return in June of the following year. To arrive in August, the application deadline is April 15, 2027, or until spots are filled.
You can travel in August, for the first semester, or in January, for the second semester, until June.
WHAT IS INCLUDED
REQUIREMENTS
Be between 15 and 18 and a half years old on arrival, not have graduated from high school and not have completed more than 11 years of schooling.
3 to 5 years of English study, good grades and oral and written proficiency, with a recommendation from an English teacher. You take the ELTIS test and there is an interview before acceptance.
An average of 6 or 7, or higher, in all subjects over the last 3 years.
PROCESS
We get to know your profile and help you choose the program: public schools for one or two semesters, or private schools for a shorter time.
You complete the form, which has several stages, and upload reference letters, the medical report and the rest of the documents.
You take the English test.
We secure your place at the school. Once accepted and with the program balance paid, you apply for the visa and travel to start your experience.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
They are carefully selected, middle-class volunteer families who welcome the student as one more member of the family, with a room and full board. They include the student in their family and school activities and also want to learn about their country and culture.
Regional coordinators and local representatives place you with the family and support you as you settle in, with a national office in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Schools are public high schools and the curriculum is not standard: you choose subjects such as English (grammar, writing, literature, theater), physical education and health, science, math, social studies (US history and government), business, psychology, philosophy, industrial design and economics, among others. There are extracurricular activities such as sports, music, photography and volunteering.
Sports are among the extracurricular activities, but taking part in school sports is not guaranteed: it depends on the district and the state athletic association.
Yes. Some private schools take part in the J-1 visa program; tuition and fees are paid separately. There is also the AYP Select option, at an extra cost, for applications completed before January 1, 2027.
First you pay the registration fee, after the preliminary information. Once the application is reviewed and accepted by Interlatina and its US partner, you pay a deposit, and the balance is paid in full before arrival. The DS-2019 is issued after the deposit.
Under State Department regulations, your final placement (family and school) must be confirmed before August 31. We work until that date to secure it; if there is none, you can request a full refund.
Cancelling has a fee that increases as the travel date approaches. For the August program, the fee goes up after June 1 and again after July 1; for the January program, after October 1 and again after November 30.
Book your info session to sign up for your new experience.
