Departures at the end of a school year:

This information is intended for Ambassador Teachers who depart at the end of a school year. This page is applicable to both those who are completing their program and those who are not renewing for the next school year.

If you are ending your program participation at the end of the school year, below are a few things to consider as you prepare to leave the country.

Departure Timeline and Visa: Your J-1 status will end on the program end date on your DS-2019 form, and you must leave the U.S. within the 30 days after that date so that you do not overstay your visa. You may be issued a final DS-2019 form to reflect a program end date within 15 days of your last teacher workday. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) provides a 30-day grace period for you to arrange your personal affairs and travel in the United States following the completion of your exchange program participation. Be aware that you may be denied future entry to the U.S. or suffer other adverse immigration or legal consequences should you stay in the U.S. beyond the authorized period. We highly recommend that you allow for the possibility of delays or other unforeseen events when arranging your departure travel plans to assure that you exit the U.S. in a timely manner. You cannot enter the U.S. in J status after your DS-2019 form program end date. If you leave the U.S. during the grace period, you cannot re-enter in J status. Contact Teacher Resources with any questions regarding your J-1 status end date.

Employment: You (and/or any dependents) cannot work or study after your J-1 status has ended.  Work or study is prohibited during the grace period. You must complete your last day of teaching by the program end date on your DS-2019 form, or earlier if your program has been ended, terminated, or shortened prior to that date. 

Exit Package: We are happy to provide Ambassador Teachers that complete the full school year with a certificate of achievement and letter of participation about their ability to adapt as a successful exchange teacher. This digital exit package will be sent to you via email before the end of your program participation.

Exit Survey: Participate Learning constantly strives to improve program offerings for our Ambassador Teachers and host schools. You will be sent an email asking you to complete a survey regarding your experience. We greatly appreciate your honest feedback and your time in completing this survey.

Driver’s License: If your driver’s license expires before you plan to leave the U.S., be sure to renew your driver’s license at least one month before the expiration. If you receive questions from the DMV about the grace period, you may direct them to http://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/dmv_factsheet.pdf. If you encounter problems in applying for your driver’s license, contact us at [email protected].

Letters of Recommendation: We encourage you to collect letters of recommendation before your departure. In addition to the general letter provided by Participate Learning, you may wish to request a letter of recommendation that specifically highlights your performance at school from your principal or district office. While Participate Learning can only provide general information regarding the dates of your participation in our program, your principal or other supervisors at your host school or district will be in a better position to provide a reference evaluating your teaching abilities and performance based on their first-hand observations, should they be willing to do so. You should also keep copies of any performance evaluations you have received for future use.

U.S. Criminal Background Check and Retaining Document Copies: Before you leave the U.S., we strongly recommend that you obtain a statewide criminal background check. 

These can be very difficult to obtain from outside of the U.S. (particularly in the U.K.) and are often required for future employment. Participate Learning cannot obtain a criminal background check on your behalf, nor can we endorse any private companies to assist you in this process. Therefore, we suggest that you consider the following options before departing the U.S.:

• School District Personnel Office: Many personnel offices either complete criminal background checks themselves or contract with a private company. Your Human Resource administrator may be able to assist you in this endeavor.
• Police Check: You can obtain a criminal background check at your local police station. Be prepared to explain that you are required to obtain such a police check to continue your teaching career in your home country. At a minimum, we recommend a statewide check.
• Castle Branch: This is a private company that will supply a way for you to obtain a simple criminal background check. You will be able to access this background check online at any time even when you are back in your home country. The Certified Background package will cost $144 and will include County Criminal, Nationwide Federal Criminal, Nationwide Sexual Offender Index, Nationwide Database, and Residency History. You may obtain a smaller package that includes only the County Criminal and Residency History for $20, but most employees and agencies will require a more extensive search. The results will include Participate Learning’s name as the company you worked for in the U.S.
  • Go to https://www.castlebranch.com/.
  • In the Place Order box, enter VI99 (the second character is a capital letter “i”).
  • Check the box to indicate you understand the terms and click Submit.
  • Enter your personal information as requested.
  • Select a method of payment.

• We also remind you to keep all copies of your DS-2019 forms and other immigration documents in a safe place and to refrain from requesting from us or any host school any letter, information, or other assistance to remain in the U.S. as we are unable to accommodate such requests.

 

Health Benefits: Your health benefits coverage, as well as that of any J-2 dependents covered in your plan, will end on the last day of the month in which your J-1 status ends or is terminated. The plan will not pay claims for services provided after this date. If you wish to continue benefits coverage beyond your end date, you may elect COBRA coverage. COBRA stands for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986. U.S. law requires that group health plans offer covered employees and their families the opportunity for a temporary extension of health coverage in instances where plan coverage would end.

• Participate Learning Ambassador Teachers and their dependents who are enrolled in our health benefits are eligible to continue receiving health benefits for a period up to 18 months under the U.S. law known as COBRA. The company that manages COBRA administration for Participate Learning, will mail you a separate notice explaining how you can continue coverage. Note that this notice will be sent after June 30 or the J-1 status end date and the coverage is retroactive should you elect coverage in a timely manner and pay the associated cost. You have 60 days to elect COBRA after receiving your notification. Please keep in mind the cost of COBRA coverage is much more expensive than the subsidized health benefits for our active Ambassador Teachers.

 

A similar option is available for continuing dental insurance; however, dental insurance coverage is not available outside of the U.S.

Travel: Begin making travel arrangements to return home as soon as you know when your last day of work will be. Remember that the cost of an airline ticket to your home country may increase closer to the date of travel. All costs associated with returning home are the responsibility of the Participate Learning Ambassador Teacher.

Taxes: All people who earn wages in the U.S. are responsible for paying taxes and submitting a tax return for every year in which they earn these wages. Therefore, if you leave the program at the end of the school year, you will be responsible for submitting a tax return to the IRS each year no later than on April 15th the following year for any wages you earned in the U.S. during the previous calendar year.

Participate Learning and/or your school district will be sending you certain tax forms the February following your program departure. Therefore, it is essential that both Participate Learning and your school district’s Human Resources department have an accurate forwarding address for you. Be sure to update both Participate Learning and your school district if your address changes.

Forwarding Information: Please provide Participate Learning and your school district with a forwarding address as soon as possible so that any mail, including important tax or insurance information, can be sent to you. Visit your nearest U.S. post office to arrange to have your mail forwarded to your new address.

Two Year home country physical presence requirement / Repeat participation: U.S. Department of State expects Participate Learning, its partner school districts, and participating Ambassador Teachers to uphold the intent of the Exchange Visitor Program. As a participant of an Exchange Visitor Program, you are expected to return home after your program participation to share what you have learned during your time in the U.S. with those in your home country.

• If you are subject to the two-year home-country physical presence requirement, you must return to your home country for at least two years once your program participation has ended before returning. Even If you are not subject to this regulation, the U.S. Department of State’s regulations nevertheless require that all J-1 teachers reside outside of the U.S. for at least two years before being eligible to repeat participation in the program.

 

Note: Any Ambassador Teachers who have been approved for a waiver of the two-year home residency requirement and have not returned to their home country will no longer be eligible for program participation.

Future Program Participation: Ambassador Teachers who successfully complete their participation with Participate Learning and comply with the above requirements are encouraged to apply for another tour. To indicate your interest in returning, visit the Participate Learning website and complete the registration form should you wish to repeat participation after you have completed the two-year home physical presence requirement, if applicable, and have resided outside of the U.S. for two years. A Participate Learning staff member will contact you to invite you to re-apply and to talk with you about the abbreviated admissions process available to Participate Learning alumni. Ambassador Teachers must complete their home residency requirement before returning.

Staying Connected: We hope you’ll stay in touch even after ending your program participation with Participate Learning. You’ll continue to have access to our communities of practice. In addition, at the end of each school year, you’ll be invited to join our  Participate Learning Alumni Community to stay connected with other educators you met while teaching in the U.S., and to meet more from around the world! You can also continue to connect with us on our public social media channels, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram – we hope you’ll visit us often and continue in these conversations.