Job Discussion Forums

[svenhassel]

Work and travel in the states often results in students being sent to factories as cheap labour.

So many students have told me similar stories....

warn your students.

[delal]

Not so great for them in the UK through the au pair system either
Think it was Al-Jazeera that did an expose on US factories using students as cheap/unpaid labour

[billy orr]

All my students who did work and travel (about a dozen so far) came back delighted with the experience. Placements included an amusement park in New York, a supermarket on an island off the east coast, a hotel in the Grand Canyon, a summer camp for deprived kids, plus various fast food outlets. They all had a fantastic time, improved their English and learned a lot about the US and lots of other people's cultures.

[delal]

Maybe Al-Jazeera found the ones who get a raw deal then

[billy orr]

I am sure some get a raw deal, and the media are happy to sensationalise that.

All I can say is that all the real cases I know of had a great time and the experience made an enormous contribution to their personal development and to their futures as teachers of English.

[delal]

I agree re the medıa, of course
However, not sure I would recommend au paırıng to anyone after all the exploıted au paırs I knew ın London

[svenhassel]

No doubt some people do have positive experiences but I would advise avoiding factories, fast food outlets and other work places which have a reputation for exploiting their workforces.