HOSTING AN INTERN OR TRAINEE
What you can expect from CAEP
Trainee and host support
What CAEP expects from Hosts
Training Plan Information
How CAEP recruits trainees
Trainee Placement Process
Accommodation Guidelines
What is the difference between an “Intern” and a “Trainee”?
- Trainees will generally be between the ages of 18-28 (*Enology trainees are generally between 21-35 of age). Exceptions can be made by mutual agreement
- Trainees will have at least 1 year practical experience in the field of requested training
- Trainees will have a basic understanding of English
- Trainees will be in good health
- CAEP, through its closest country partner, will review and interview the prospective trainee to determine if they are acceptable to the program as well as instruct them regarding the program and visa rules. If there is no office in the applicant’s home country, CAEP will instruct and interview the trainee through its closest regional office or corporate office in the USA
- CAEP will make the best possible placement with the information provided to us
- CAEP will prepare the paperwork needed for the trainee to obtain a J-1 training visa
- CAEP will contact hosts regarding the trainee’s arrival
- CAEP will instruct trainees they must have adequate medical/accident and travel insurance upon arrival. If they cannot obtain this on their own, we will order it for them
- CAEP will contact host and trainee after they arrive and throughout their stay to answer questions. This may include an on-site supervision visit and mandatory informational trainee seminars
- CAEP will provide host and trainee with helpful “handbooks” that should answer most questions.
- Hosts can reach CAEP at our toll free number (USA)
- CAEP will send hosts evaluation forms for feedback regarding the placement which has been made and the assistance they have received from CAEP
- CAEP will send a host newsletter including updates about changes
- Hosting has the added benefit of cultural exchange. We expect that CAEP hosts are interested in more than having "another employee" and that you will treat your trainee differently that you would a regular employee. You may find that you learn as much from your trainee as they are from you!
- CAEP must have a complete, updated Hosting Application Form and Training Plan on file. A training plan must list the skills imparted to the trainee on a month-by-month basis.
Hosting Responsibilities:
- All CAEP hosts become members of the non-profit worldwide membership organization called Communicating for America. Click here to read more about this important piece of CAEP! The nominal membership fee enables these programs to exist, so timely payment of the membership fee is important. The annual membership fee is off-set in its entirety by CAEP allowing waiver of one placement fee. Hosts will receive a membership package explaining the benefits of the $96.00 Communicating for America membership.
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Hosting Fee Details
$96.00 annual membership fee - $100.00 placement fee for each trainee (one placement made free with membership)
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$75.00 per month/per trainee administrative fee
You do not need to send any payment with your application. You will not be billed until your approved trainee arrives. - You must provide your trainee with a reasonable stipend at least once per month. Stipend must be a minimum of your area’s minimum wage rate times the average number of hours per week. This typically works out to a minimum of $900 plus an extra stipend for room and board as necessary.
- You need to provide room and board to your trainee. Minimum food allowance is $200.00 per month. Find out more in the Accommodation Guidelines
- Your trainee will participate in your operation approximately 55 hours per week (40 hours of work and 15 hours of training). We understand these hours may vary. Trainees must be compensated for extra hours.
- Trainees should be allowed, on average, 1½ days off per week. Trainees in the U.S. for six months or more are entitled to 3 weeks of unpaid holiday time during their stay. This time is to be agreed upon beforehand by trainee and host.
- You are responsible to obtain worker’s compensation or sufficient liability insurance as required in your state. You also will withhold taxes from your trainee, however you will not be withholding or paying FICA taxes for your trainees.
- You will assist your trainee in attending CA sponsored seminars and events. We make every effort to schedule these to accommodate host needs.
The U.S. Department of State sets the rules and guidelines for all exchange visitor programs. The State Department requires each host with CAEP to have a completed, current Training Plan on file. The Training Plan is a “syllabus” of the training you offer at your operation. Training plans should include at a minimum:
- Description of Trainee’s Role
- Specific Tasks and Activities to be completed
- Specific Goals and Objectives
- Knowledge, skills, or techniques to be imparted
- Description of how the trainee will be supervised and evaluated
The Training Plan is taken to the embassy during the applicant’s visa appointment on the official government form called a ‘Training/Internship Placement Plan’ or ‘DS-7002’. To assist with the creation of a training plan to the U.S. Department of State standards, CAEP has developed “Skillability” – our online skill database - which tracks the skills that hosts offer participants and builds an online resume, which the trainee can use around the world.
One of the sections of the CAEP Hosting Application asks that you to develop a training plan using CAEP Standard Skills and create skills of your own that reflect the training offered at your operation. CAEP has created a list of the basic and commonly learned skills for each CAEP program- CAEP Standard Skills. You will also have the opportunity to create Personalized Skills which describe specialized learning and training opportunities or unique aspects of your operation that you will share with your participants.
When a host accepts a trainee to participate with them on their operation, a trainee receives specific information about their U.S. placement, including the training plan their host has written. This reduces the number of surprises for the trainee upon arrival. Other information sent to the trainee includes: information about the family, weather in the area, community events, equipment the trainee will use and contact information for the host.
We strongly encourage contact between the host and trainee prior to the trainee’s arrival so that a relationship can be established and questions answered before the host or trainee make the final commitment to the program and each other.
- Established country partners promote our program and provide information to universities and agriculture communities in other countries.
- Applicants friends may have been a past participant with CAEP and recommended the experience or has become a paid CAEP recruiter. (learn how you can become a CAEP recruiter)
- Host members may find a trainee on their own, through personal contacts, friends of the family, or trainees/international workers they’ve hosted previously.
- A trainee may contact a U.S. operation asking to be a part of their training/intern program.
- A potential trainee contacts CAEP directly through its website, social media, or other marketing channels.
In all of these cases, our organization can help. It can be very difficult to host a citizen of another country legally. Or, for our trainees, it can be difficult to find assistance, and/or someone they can trust. To help them come to the U.S. Sponsoring organizations, like CA, can help hosts and trainees through the process efficiently, answering questions and offering support along the way. If a trainee is interested in applying for the program, we will refer them to our foreign offices or partner in their home country to begin the paperwork process. Our offices or partners handle most of the trainee's concerns prior to their arrival in the U.S. (answering questions, completion of an application, arranging travel, passing along information from CA, collecting fees, and assisting with visa validation). CAEP finds the placement for the trainee, issues the DS-2019 (visa application), and becomes the trainee’s support upon their arrival in the U.S. and throughout their stay.
Many hosts wish their trainee could come immediately; however, there are many steps that need to be taken by your trainee, the country partner and CAEP before your trainee can arrive in the U.S. We are not a job service, but an exchange program, overseen by the U.S. Dept. of State. We must take the time needed to ensure all trainees have gone through the proper procedures necessary prior to our issuing the DS-2019 (visa application forms).
Following is an example of the “typical” trainee’s placement process.
1. Trainee receives online paperwork and information from our country partner organization, completes paperwork online and submits it to them.
2. The country partner reviews the paperwork and interviews the trainee.
3. The paperwork is sent via the internet to our office in Fergus Falls, MN for processing.
4. The paperwork is passed along to the proper coordinator.
5. If the trainee has applied directly, the above is handled solely by the CAEP office.
6. After ensuring all needed documents have been submitted and the trainee meets the guidelines of the program, the coordinator sends the application to a potential host.
7. If the trainee has approached a business first that is not yet a CAEP host, that business must go through the process of applying to become a host. This includes the completion of a Hosting Business Application, training plan and an interview with a CA coordinator.
8. After receiving written acceptance of the trainee from the host and a signed training plan (DS-7002), CA passes the placement information along to the country partner or directly to the trainee.
9. Upon acceptance from the trainee, CAEP must confirm how and when the trainee will pay their administrative fee and confirm they have made arrangements for the proper insurance coverage.
10. We then send the trainee’s DS-2019 to the appropriate Country Partner organization or directly to the trainee.
11. The trainee must interview at a U.S. Consulate/Embassy (except for Canadian applicants) and have their DS-2019 validated by an Embassy/Consulate official (A Canadian’s paperwork is validated upon arrival in the USA). Depending on the country and time of year this process will take 2-6 weeks. Some trainees may be asked to return for a second interview or submit additional documents which will further delay the trainee’s arrival further.
12. Once a trainee has the validated DS-2019, they are free to make travel arrangements to the U.S., which are passed along to the CAEP office. CAEP will then pass this information along to you.
13. Trainees will usually arrive at the airport closest to your operation or where you live.
As a host you must supply or help your trainee locate adequate living accommodations. This can be achieved in several different ways. If separate living accommodations are provided, the trainee must be compensated adequately above the minimum allowance to pay for his/her lodging and food expenses.
Appropriate Living Guidelines:
1. A bed, chair, desk or writing table, chest of drawers and closet as minimum furnishings.
2. Bedding (sheets, blankets, pillow) and towels, shower or bathing facilities and sink with hot and cold running water.
3. Toilet facilities with adequate sewage disposal.
4. Access to cooking facilities and a refrigerator (if meals are not provided).
5. Safe drinking water.
6. Access to vacuum cleaner, broom and other cleaning materials.
7. Access to washing machine, detergent/bleach, and clothesline or dryer (if laundry is not done by the host).
8. Access to a storm shelter.
9. Access to a telephone.
10. Access to safe and secure storage for personal belongings.
What is the difference between an “Intern” and a “Trainee”?
- An intern is a current student or recent graduate with at least one year practical experience.
- A trainee is a recent graduate with at least one year of practical experience or, in lieu of a degree, at least five years of practical experience.
- A trainee will have a more in-depth training plan than an intern