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Welcome to the terms and conditions for Skilled Summers, if you are reading this before you sign up to the program, we salute you! It shows you are doing your research.
We don’t want to confuse you with lots of technical jargon and hidden clauses, our aim is to keep things clear and transparent so you know what we expect from you as an applicant and you know what to expect from us when you enter in to a relationship with us by becoming applicant.
The purpose of this agreement is to explain the professional relationship between Skilled Summers and you as an applicant. It will set out the services we will provide to you and what we expect from our applicants in return.
Skilled Summers is a skill specific recruitment agency, we look for candidates who have certain skill sets that can work as counsellors and instructors at summer camps in the USA. We work in partnership with our visa sponsor and, between us, we work together to place you at the camp that best suits your skills.
Our visa sponsor IENA are a J1 visa sponsor who specialise in the J1 work & travel and camp counsellor program. They provide the DS2019 form which allows you to apply for a J1 cultural exchange visa.
The purpose of the program is to foster a global understanding through shared experiences and friendships that are formed at summer camp with staff and campers.
Our visa sponsor will ask you to sign their own terms and conditions ensuring that you understand the program, visa, insurance and what is expected of you whilst you are working at summer camp.
In order to apply to the program, Skilled Summers need to collect, use, share and otherwise “process” certain personal information that relates to you (including, but not limited to, your name, age, gender, contact details and country of residence, as well as photographs and/or videos) in accordance with our privacy policy.
In particular, you acknowledge that Skilled Summers needs to process certain sensitive personal information about you including, but not limited to, (a) medical and/or health information; and (b) the information contained in your criminal record check, which you are required to provide as part of your application.
Your camp will pay a fee to cover agency sponsorship and administration fees as well as your camp salary.
Guide you throughout the application process, assist you in completing your written application then meet you for a face-to-face interview to see whether you are suitable for the program.
Once you have fully passed the interview process, we will then match you with a suitable camp for placement.
Visa Assistance
Skilled Summers will provide all advice and support required to allow applicants to apply for their J1 cultural visa at the US embassy.
Pre-Departure
Skilled Summers will ensure you are fully prepared for your placement by hosting an in-person orientation before you leave for camp. Attendance at an orientation is mandatory.
Medical Insurance
Included as part of the program is your medical insurance which is compliant with the Department of State minimum level for cover. Your medical insurance is provided by your visa sponsor not Skilled Summers. You are required to thoroughly read through the policy and ensure you have a full understanding of what is covered.
Please be aware, pre-existing medical conditions may not be covered and it is your responsibility to take extra coverage if required.
The insurance provided is medical insurance only, we do not provide travel insurance. Skilled Summers highly recommends you take out travel insurance to cover personal possessions, delays and flight cancellations.
To apply to the Skilled Summers program you must be 18 by the 1st of June of the summer you wish to work. However, many of the camps we work with have their own internal hiring policies when it comes to ages so you may not be eligible for certain camps if you are under the age of 21.
We require all participants to disclose a full police background check and also a full medical history. Failure to disclose any issues which may later arise after acceptance to the program will lead to dismissal from the program without refund.
Applications to Skilled Summers are made by the applicant only, staff will not discuss an application with anyone other than the applicant. We will not discuss applications with parents, family members or legal guardians.
Skilled Summers will not tolerate any form of abuse, bullying or harassment towards our staff or other applicants. Any applicant found to be abusive either verbally or in writing will be immediately dismissed from the program without refund.
Skilled Summers screen our applicants in a variety of different ways, including an in-depth application, interview and reference checks. We may also screen any publicly available social media. If applicants are deemed to have inappropriate content on their platforms, we reserve the right to remove them from the program without refund.
We actively promote diversity in our applicants and welcome applications from all backgrounds. We select our participants based on the skills, qualifications and experience for the role in question. If you are unsuccessful at the application stage, we are more than happy to have an open discussion about why your application was not suitable for the program.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to complete their application in a timely manner. Failure to submit documents or payments required within the given time frame will result in your application being withdrawn from the program without refund.
Payment for the Skilled Summers program is as follows:
UK & Ireland
Rest of the World (ROW)
*Pay in full discounted rate $500
Third Party Fees
In addition the following fees are also due:
Skilled Summers is a recruitment and placement service. Payments made to Skilled Summers, including application and placement services, cover the time spent by our staff to prepare your application for camps to view and match your application to a suitable summer camp.
Also included in your fees is your J1 visa sponsorship and medical insurance.
Return flights to America – you are advised to book a flight that has an option to re-book and change the date.
Third party costs – this includes the cost of the US $185 paid directly to the US embassy.
Any cost associated with obtaining a medical check.
Police background check – we require a ACRO police check dated with 12 months of September, if you are applying from outside the UK we require a police background check with a certified English translation.
Any costs associated with travelling to the embassy, to attend a camp fair, orientation or travel to camp.
Payments to Skilled Summers are due no later than 14 days after you are accepted onto each stage. Non-payment of fees due, without prior communication, will result in termination from the program without refund.
Acceptance onto the program is confirmed after a successful interview, you must be available for a minimum of 9 weeks no later than the 24th of June. Acceptance on to the program is pending a clean police background check and 2 verified professional references. Skilled Summers reserves the right to cancel applicants from the program if we are not satisfied with these documents.
Although we work hard to match you with a suitable camp, the final decision to hire an applicant lies with the camp director and this is dependent on a successful interview with them.
You will be notified of your placement either through your camp directly or via Skilled Summers. Your placement will then be confirmed in the system. Your final placement fee will also be due within 14 days of receiving this confirmation.
All applications must submit a health history from completed by a physician before visa documents will be issued.
Failure to disclose relevant medical information at the initial application stage is grounds for dismissal from the program. Any payments already made will be forfeited.
Even after acceptance to the Skilled Summers program, any changes to your medical or criminal background check must be disclosed. Please be aware that this may affect your placement status. Failure to disclose changes which later come to light will result in immediate dismissal from the program without refund.
In order to participate in the program, it is a mandatory requirement that you have been vaccinated against measles. Camps may also request that you have been vaccinated against tuberculosis. Camps may have their own individual policies which they expect you to adhere to. If you are unwilling to provide evidence of vaccination, you must get in touch with the Skilled Summers team so we can discuss your options.
e) If you are refused a visa by the US embassy, you must contact Skilled Summers immediately for assistance.
In line with standard protocols when working with children and vulnerable adults, participants are expected to ensure all social media accounts are set to private prior to departure to the US. Participants are required to supply personal social media accounts as part of the visa application process and the US Embassy may use this information to determine suitability for the programme.
If you are fired, it is your responsibility to make your own return flight reservations and all costs incurred are your responsibility.
All camp counselors who hold J-1 visas are required to file a U.S. Federal income tax return and, in certain cases, a State income tax return to satisfy their U.S. income tax liability. If tax has not been deducted by your camp, then participants are required to make their payment to the US tax authorities when submitting their tax return. The deadline for tax payments is January 15th in the following year.
If you are not offered a placement at camp after being accepted by Skilled Summers you will be eligible for a full refund of your stage two payment. If you have chosen the pay in full option you will be entitled to a full refund less the stage one fee. Should you turn down a placement without a legitimate reason no refund will be offered, if you fail to respond to Skilled Summers attempts to contact you regarding placement within 7 working days we reserve the right to cancel your application without refund.
Substantial expenses are incurred by Skilled Summers on your behalf while your application is considered by Camp Directors. If you withdraw following a successful interview, you will forfeit your application fee, acceptance fee and placement fee dependant on the stage of the applicant you are at. Once you have signed a contract with camp accepting a job offer you are considered ‘placed’
If you have chosen to pay in full and withdraw before accepting a placement you will be eligible for a refund less the application and acceptance fee
At our discretion, non refundable fees may be transferred to another year. If you do not pass your initial interview you are eligible for a refund of fees paid less a £10 processing fee or $20 processing fee if applying from outside of the UK.
Skilled Summers is a service based business, our responsibility is to secure a camp placement and provide visa documentation.
The responsibility for applying and obtaining the visa lies with the applicant.
Once DS2019 documents are produced no refund is available regardless of whether the DS2019 is used.
In terms of rejection of the visa no refund of application fees will be given.
We will only respond to complaints submitted in writing to info@skilledsummers.com within 90 days of the issue arising. We endeavour to undertake a full investigation into the matter and will provide you with a reply within a timely manner.
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