Accommodation during the internship or training
Where will I live whilst in the United States?
When to begin to search for internship housing? Only after you received the confirmation of an internship or training position you know exactly the location of your internship / training. Of course, you must live somewhere near the internship place. You must commute to your host company every working day. Be it by bus, subway, bike or on foot.
It cannot be expected from you to buy or rent a car for the time of the internship. Although this is of course an option, depending on the location of the internship position and the public transport available in the area. Sometimes host companies give a travel allowance as an internship allowance. You can see this in the job description, as well as whether the company may even provide the accommodation. This can sometimes be the case, especially in the hospitality industry.
Is there any support in finding internship housing?
Yes, you will receive advises about different types of accommodation and information about the affordable housing options available. Also, a list of inexpensive hotels to house will be provided to you on your first few days upon arrival. The cost of housing directly depends on geographical region and location. Of course, central urban centers are more expensive than rural areas. Especially, to find affordable accommodation in New York City and Los Angeles is difficult. In these attractive cities you will spend most of your internship allowances on housing. You should plan to spend at least US$ 600 a month on basic accommodation.
- The internship location defines where to find accommodation
- You receive support to find an accommodation
- Sometime the company offers accommodation
- Housing in attractive cities can be expensive
- You can arrive up to 30 days before start of internship
- You can stay up to 30 days after ending the internship
Can I specify a specific city? I have some internship housing available.
We often get requests to do an internship in a certain city because a friend or relative lives there and there is accommodation available.
You can express wishes regarding the region or eligible cities. These wishes can certainly be taken into account. Then the focus is placed on the internship location and not so much on payment or other requirements. You should think carefully about what is important for you in advance. A payment, the location of the internship or the professional internship area. If the requirements are too special, it will be difficult to find such a job and your application can be rejected after the initial interview.
But let’s be realistic. Finding an internship position that is within the reach of a specific accommodation address is more than unlikely.
How long before my J-1 program starts can I arrive in the United States? How long can I stay in the US after my program ends?
You may not arrive more than 30 days before the program start date shown on your DS-2019 form.
Upon completion of your exchange program, you have a grace period of 30 days to depart the
United States. You can use this grace period to find a suitable accommodation on location, to stay at the accommodation after completing the internship to spend a little more time in your destination city. Or you can leave your accommodation and just travelling through the United States.
What is the 30-day Grace Period?
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provides all J-1 program participants a 30-day travel status period following the completion of their program. This period is NOT included in the program dates entered on the Form DS-2019. The grace period allows participants to travel domestically and/or to prepare for and depart from the United States.