FAQ - WEST

For Participants

Q.	What kind of assistance will I receive from KUSCO during the program?
A.	Our Staff will be available to personally assist you with any questions or concerns, related to housing, insurance and assimilating into a new company and culture. Our staff will conduct periodic check-ins to monitor progress and address communication issues to ensure that you gain the most out of your experience.

Q.	Where do you offer English Language Training and internships?
A.	Information on English Training will be updated soon. Internships will be available at hosting organizations across the United States.

Q.	How long is the program?
A.	18 months, including up to 5 months of English instruction, followed by an internship lasting up to 12 months and one month of travel.

Q.	How Long am I Permitted to Stay in the U.S. After my Program has Ended?
A.	The initial admission of an exchange visitor, you may not exceed the period specified on Form DS-2019, plus a period of 30 days for the purpose of travel. The 30-day grace or travel status period is intended to be a period following the end of the exchange visitor’s program and is to be used for domestic travel and/or to prepare for and depart from the U.S., and for no other purpose.

Q.	Can I choose where I am place as an Intern?
A.	We match participants and host organizations through a comprehensive pre-screening and consultation process. While applicants may indicate preferred host organizations, KUSCO will work with host organizations to determine the best candidate for their organization and host organizations make the final placement decision.

Q.	Do people ever get hired by their sponsor company?
A.	While this occasionally does occur, it is not a policy the WEST program to either endorse or decline to endorse this situation. If this does happen, best to consult first with KUSCO

For Hosting Organizations

Q.	Who supports this program?
A.	It is KUSCO, the sponsor organization that supports the selection, interview, communication with the hosts and training.

Q.	What are the student’s majors?
A.	The students have various majors such as: business, English, engineering, IT, mass media etc. What majors are you interested in?

Q.	Do I have to provide housing?
A.	No. You may include housing as part of the intern’s compensation. If not, it would be helpful to offer the intern assistance in finding housing.

Q.	Do I need a training plan?
A.	Yes, this is a requirement of the US State Department. The training plan is a brief description of your internship program. This plan will outline the objectives, skills to be acquired and training activities for the intern. Please refer to the Host Employer application for the exact format. (this is to be provided by KUSCO)

Q.	What is the minimum internship?
A.	Six months. As the students are paying all their own costs for this program they would need at least 6-months lasing up to 12 months in order to gain minimum benefit from the program.

Q.	Do I have to pay a program fee?
A.	No. The Interns have paid all the costs for the program upfront. It is a normal practice that a host organization pays the interns a wage, the same as you would pay any other intern.

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