How did you know/apply for this work and travel program?
Around Aug 2003, I first saw its flyers in NUS. Then I attended a briefing talk and registered myself for the job interview in early Oct. After the interview, I waited for the confirmation of the offer by the US side. Around mid-Dec, we got the news from speedwing and paid 250 program fee. In Jan, I paid another 1150 to confirm my place at HMShost Maryland House and got the contract from HMShost. In early March, legal documents from US arrived and I provided Speedwing with the relevant documents to process my VISA application. It took about one month for Speedwing to fix the interview date (they prepared all the documents and send them to the Embassy). I went on the 5th April 2004. And succssfully got it. After our visas are confirmed, Speedwing asked us to book airticket. May 3rd 2004, I left Singapore and started three-month of adventure in US.The organiser in Singapore side is
Speedwing Training (Asia) Pte Ltd
1 Goldhill Plaza, #01-27
Singapore 308899
Tel : 65-62567555 ext 5
Fax : 65-62595426
E-mail : speedwing@gasi.com.sg
How long did you work in US?
2 months. From 7th May to 1st Jul.Note: The length of your working is flexible and subject to your preference. I choose to work in May and Jun and travel in Jul. Some ppl worked even into mid-Aug if they have long enough holidays.
Where did you work?
I worked in HMS host Maryland House - a rest area beside a very busy highway I-95 on the east coast. Note: There are several main types of employer.1. National Parks E.g. Yellow Stone National Park, Great Canyon2. Theme parks E.g. Morries Pierres. 3. Private Service Companyies E.g. HMSHost, Nathen’s hotdog
How about the salary?
I was paid about USD 7/hour. For everyweek, if I worked more than 40hours, the extra hours will be counted under overtime. Overtime pay is 1.5 times normal pay, i.e. 10.5/h. Tax of about 15% (varies in different states) will be deducted from the total sum and they are supposed to be refunded back later. The general wage level is around 6-7/h with slight variation at different places.How long do you work everyweek and how much can you earn?
It highly depends on if the empolyer is in great demand of labour and the nature of the work. For the first two weeks, I only worked about 40hrs, but later I changed my post and the new one required 10-12hrs per day. Weekends and public holidays will give exceptionally long hours, e.g. in Menmorial Day Week (end of May ) and Independent’s day Week 9 (Jul 4th). My normal pay per months is about 400-500 including tax. So it is very possible to earn from 2000-3000 for 8-10 weeks.请Please leave your comment here