Are internships paid, and how much?
This depends on the company and the opportunity. The compensation and benefits offered are usually specified in the job description. If not, you must ask this question during your interview with the company.
Will I have to pay for my flight ticket, relocation expenses, and accommodation in the USA?
This depends on the company. Usually, when a company is willing to offer this benefit, it specifies it in the job description. If it’s not specified, it might not offer it. You’ll need to ask this during your interview with the employer.
Are there any days of holiday, and are they paid?
While workers are entitled to up to 12 weeks of unpaid vacation via the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, no federal law regulates paid vacation minimums. This will rely on State laws and regulations and, more often, on each company’s policy.
Typically, US employers will allocate 10 days of paid vacation time per year to each employee, increasing the number of days provided based on the time an employee stays with their company. It’s what you can expect if this is not specified in the job ad, but again, it can depend more or less on the company’s policy and your relationship with your direct manager.
How many days off per week, and what shift will I have?
For a full-time job, the standard shift in the USA is eight (8) consecutive hours over five (5) days, with at least eight (8) hours of rest between shifts. Over 40 hours is considered overtime and should be paid 1.5x more unless indicated in your agreement with the company.
You should have at least one day off (24 consecutive hours) per week except if it has been agreed upon at the beginning with the company, and this should be temporary.
Office jobs typically have workdays from Monday to Friday, with time off during the weekend. However, some other jobs, such as health care, hospitality, and tourism, may require you to work during the weekend. You can expect this for a full-time job if it is not specified in the job ad.
What salary can I ask?
This will depend on several factors, including the location, the position, your experience and education level, and your savings for this project.
It is your responsibility to research the living costs and do your calculations.
First, we recommend you check how much your living costs will be. The living cost depends on the work location and your situation. You can use this tool to estimate your living costs in a specific city/area in the USA. This allows you to know the minimum salary you can accept.
Second, we recommend you check how much you can expect for the position and the location you seek. You can use this tool to explore the salary range for a position in a state/city. Please note we always speak in gross salary. You’ll need to calculate the tax you would pay and deduct it from your gross salary to estimate your net salary.
How much taxes will I have to pay?
Here are the typical taxes deducted from your paycheck:
- Federal Income Tax – Calculate them here
- State Tax (if any) – Those 9 States do not collect State taxes: Alaska – Florida – Nevada – New Hampshire (doesn’t tax earned wages, but does tax investment earnings) – South Dakota – Tennessee (tax investment earnings only) – Texas – Washington – Wyoming. – For all others, you’ll need to go to the Department of Taxation and Finance of the concerned State to calculate the State tax).
- County Tax (not all counties collect taxes; you must research the county of your work location to know how much taxes you will pay to the county, if any).
- Social Security Tax
- Unemployment Tax
- Medicare Tax
The total social security, unemployment, and Medicare taxes represent 7.65%. Please note that you’ll be exempt from these taxes under a J1 visa.
