Work and Travel: A
Kind of Modern Slavery?
Summer is coming closer, and, like every
university student, I want to go abroad and experience life there on my
own. The kind of trip I want isn't a typical "tour" vacation. It would
be more like a journey of discovery. With a pack on my back and a map in
my hand, I want to explore a country that I've never been to before.
There are a number of programs for
university students who want to spend the summer abroad. The most
popular ones are Work and Travel, and Inter Rail. For those who aren't
familiar with it, Inter Rail offers a special discounted rail pass to
people aged 26 and under, allowing them to travel throughout Europe by
train at an affordable price.
The other alternative, which offers young
people the opportunity to go to the U.S., is Work and Travel. As is
obvious from the name, you both earn money and have a chance to travel.
It sounds like fun. But when I did a little research and talked to
people who have actually done this, I realized that it isn't as good as
it might seem. Yes, there are plenty of jobs that university students
can do. What are they? They're jobs that, in my opinion, university
students are overqualified for, like washing dishes, cleaning hotel
rooms, or working as waiters, salesclerks and so on.
Well, I'm not looking down on these jobs.
But the thing is, you can only earn about $5-6 per hour (without tips),
for doing a job that won't give you experience relevant to your future
career. Moreover, if you participate in this program, there are some
rules you have to obey. You can't work less then 40 hours per week. You
can't just do whatever you want to.
Do you think it's still worth seeing
America, the so-called "Dreamland," if you have to work under these
conditions? And, that's not all. Working so many hours, you won't even
have much time to travel. You also need to think about your dormitory.
Do you think that you'll live with 2 or 3 roommates, close to where you
work? In fact, most people who work in big cities under this program
live in crowded houses that are very far away from their workplaces. It
may take two hours by bus to get to
work. So, that's four hours' commuting time, plus at least eight hours
of work a day, and for this, you might get as little as $200 a week.
I haven't even mentioned how much you have
to pay for your airline ticket, passport and visa ($750-$1100). The
agencies that offer this program claim that students earn a lot of money.
However, those who come back to Turkey with money are the ones who stay
and work for a full four months, and don't really take the time to
travel.
Of course, I haven't actually tried the
Work and Travel program myself--and now, I definitely won't--but when I
did a little research about it, I learned the things I've written about
above. And, two more things: be careful about culture shock (you'll
probably feel alone there) and about the health care situation (you'll
need health insurance, which is very expensive in the U.S).
So, don't end up being someone who spends
the warm summer days working hard, and, despite this, doesn't cover
their expenses or even have any fun. It may be that, at least under
these conditions, America isn't really Dreamland after all. Think about
all this and do some research before you decide how to spend your money,
effort and summer on such a venture.
Gülay Acar (COMD/III)
howtoreachgulay@yahoo.com
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