Program Costs

Abroad Career Services Fees

Initial Program Fee: $3000 — The Initial Program Fee includes one year of sponsorship, DS2019 form, visa application support, program support, document review, and optional 12 months of insurance (at no additional cost) and pre-arrival and orientation information.
Annual Program Fee: $1500 — The annual program fee is charged each May after the first year, should you decide to continue on to teach a second, third, fourth, or fifth year. The fee covers ongoing sponsorship and support and an additional twelve months of insurance if applicable. See “US Government Visa Fees” for additional fees regarding extending your visa beyond three years.
J-2 Sponsorship Fee: $500 — This fee includes assistance in all matters related to obtaining the J-2 visa, as well as support upon arrival in obtaining Employment Authorization if needed. This fee does NOT include insurance. All J-2 applicants must obtain compliant insurance. At this time, ACS’ insurance is not available to J-2 participants. ACS Program Specialists will assist you in finding compliant insurance prior to obtaining your visa. The cost of this outside insurance ranges from $40 to $200 per month per individual.
Host School Transfer Fee: $500 — This fee covers the labor involved in screening a new host school, procuring and completing new documentation, and issuing an updated DS2019 form. NOTE: ACS may choose to waive or reduce this fee should circumstances requiring the transfer be outside of the participant’s control.
DS2019 Form Replacement Fee: $100 — This covers the costs of generating and sending a new DS2019 form.
Extension Fee: ACS does not charge a fee to extend your program a fourth or fifth year. The extension is included in the annual fee listed above. Please see “US Government Fees” for the cost that must be paid to the US government to extend your visa a fourth and fifth year.

United States Government Visa Fees

The following fees are to be paid to the US Government:

I-901 SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) fee: $220 — payable to SEVIS
Embassy Fee: $185 — payable when scheduling US Embassy visa appointment
Visa Extension Fees for individuals who choose to extend their program beyond the first: $367 — This is paid through ACS, but ACS does not charge an additional processing fee.
Visa Extension Fees for individuals who choose to extend their program beyond the third year: $367 — This is paid through ACS, but ACS does not charge an additional processing fee. This is a one time fee.

Working with a Third Party

Abroad Career Services does not partner with any third party agencies. Participants DO NOT need to work with a third party agency to participate in a J-1 Teacher program. In the future, should ACS enter into a partnership with a third party agency, the agency name, website, and program fees will be listed here.

Other Estimated Initial Costs and Fees

Flight Ticket to the United States: $900-$2500
Transportation from airport to lodging upon arrival: $20 to $100. You may use rideshare apps, public transport (bus or subway), or taxis.
Initial lodging at a hotel or Airbnb if housing is not immediately available: $600 to $3000 for one month.
Security Deposit and first and last month’s rent: $2000-$8000. In order to secure a rental, typically landlords require a security deposit and/or first and last month’s rent.
Driver’s License: $30-$200 through your state Department of Motor Vehicles or Department of Licensing.

Estimated Initial Employment Fees

Host State Teaching Certificate and License Fee: $60 to $300
Cost of obtaining applicable background checks and fingerprinting: $50 to $200
Credential Evaluation and translations: $150-$500
Employment Authorization for J-2 Dependents (optional): $410

Estimated Health Insurance Costs

Many J-1 Teachers choose to have two forms of health insurance while on their program:

J-1 Compliant Insurance (Required): All J-1 and J-2 visa holders are required to have insurance that meets certain requirements set forth by the Department of State.* ACS provides this insurance to J-1 participants at no additional cost. We do not currently provide this insurance to J-2 participants, therefore J-2 participants must purchase outside insurance. See “Purchasing Outside J-1 Compliant Insurance” below for more details on obtaining this insurance for your J-2 dependents. This insurance provides important coverage in the event of medical evacuation, repatriation of remains, and other services. However, employer-provided insurance is typically preferred for customary medical expenses. See number 2 below.
Employer-provided Health Insurance (Highly Recommended): It is recommended that you enroll in your employer provided health insurance plan, in addition to the insurance provided by ACS, to cover customary medical expenses. This will cost between $100 to $500 per month for one person, and is typically deducted from your paycheck. It is further recommended that you enroll all of your J-2 Dependents in your employer provided health plans. This will cost an additional $100-$500 per person per month.

ACS Provided J-1 Compliant Insurance Information: ACS includes J-1 compliant insurance to all J-1 participants at no additional cost. Our current insurance provider is One Team Health (OTH) and is administered by Global Secutive LLC. The preferred provider network for this plan is Aetna. The name of the plan is Comfort500. All participants who opt-in to ACS provided-insurance will receive login information to access the online insurance portal. Additionally, as part of your Program Enrollment packet, you received a document entitled “ACS Insurance Coverage Details” that outlines all coverage details included in the plan. Among other benefits, the insurance provides the following minimum coverage:

Medical benefits of at least $100,000 per accident or illness
Repatriation of remains in the amount of $25,000; Expenses associated with the medical evacuation of exchange visitors to his or her home country in the amount of $50,000
$500 deductible per accident or illness

Purchasing Outside J-1 Compliant Insurance: All participants may choose to opt-out of the ACS provided J-1 compliant insurance. If this is the case, you must purchase outside insurance that meets the minimum requirements set forth by the Department of State J-1 regulations,* and maintain that coverage for the entirety of your J-1 program. Furthermore, ALL J-2 visa holders must obtain outside insurance for the entirety of their J-2 program. Remember, this insurance is in addition to the recommended employer-provided insurance plans (number 2). Outside insurance plans typically cost between $80-$200 per person per month. We recommend using this tool to compare plans and prices when purchasing outside insurance:

IMG Global Insurance Plans

You can purchase your insurance plan directly from that website. Prior to purchasing the plan, please allow an ACS Program Specialist to review the plan to ensure its compliance with J-1 visa regulations.* All outside insurance must be purchased in twelve month increments.

*All J-1 Visa Holders must have insurance that meets these requirements: Medical benefits of at least $100,000 per accident or illness; Repatriation of remains in the amount of $25,000; Expenses associated with the medical evacuation of exchange visitors to his or her home country in the amount of $50,000; and Deductibles not to exceed $500 per accident or illness. Any policy, plan, or contract secured to fill the aforementioned requirements must, at a minimum, be: Underwritten by an insurance corporation having an A.M. Best rating of “A−” or above; a McGraw Hill Financial/Standard & Poor’s Claims-paying Ability rating of “A−” or above; a Weiss Research, Inc. rating of “B + ” or above; a Fitch Ratings, Inc. rating of “A−” or above; a Moody’s Investor Services rating of “A3” or above; or such other rating as the Department of State may from time to time specify; or Backed by the full faith and credit of the government of the exchange visitor’s home country All participants sponsored by ACS may choose to have J-1 compliant insurance through ACS at no additional cost.

Employer Provided Health Insurance Information: Your employer (host school) will have an employer-sponsored health insurance option that you may choose to participate in. You will have the opportunity to enroll yourself and your dependents in your employer-provided health insurance when filling out new employee paperwork with the human resources personnel at your school. The insurance provided by your employer is likely more comprehensive than the insurance provided by ACS or other J-1 compliant plans when it comes to customary medical expenses. As stated above, your employer may deduct a monthly fee from your paycheck in the amount of $100 to $500 per month per individual in order to partake in the provided insurance. All insurance plans vary, but typically employer-provided health insurance can be used to cover a variety of healthcare expenses, ranging from routine check-ups and preventive services to more extensive treatments and hospitalizations. Employer-provided health insurance typically includes coverage for all or a portion of doctor visits, laboratory tests, prescription medications, and necessary medical procedures. In the event of an illness or injury, employer-provided health insurance will offset the expenses of hospital stays, surgeries, and rehabilitative services. Moreover, health insurance often covers preventive measures such as vaccinations and screenings. By providing financial support and access to a network of healthcare providers, employer-provided health insurance allows you to receive the necessary medical attention without facing overwhelming financial burdens.

Estimated Monthly Tax Deductions

The following is an estimate based on a sample salary of $50,000, paid monthly, bi-weekly, or bi-monthly over the course of twelve months (one year).

Gross Income (Monthly)	$4,167
Estimated Federal Tax Withholding	$475
*Estimated Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA) Tax (7.65%)**	$318
Estimated State Income Tax Withholding**	$0-$250 depending on state
Estimated Net Income	$3,374-$3,124

*This tax is also known as Social Security and Medicare tax.
**Each state has a different income tax structure. Some states have zero income tax while other states have a high income tax. The highest state income tax is the state of California.

Please visit the IRS website to determine specific tax brackets. To calculate your tax burden, you can find a tax calculator here. We recommend that participants consult a qualified tax professionals for advice about taxes. Many countries have tax treaties with the United States. These treaties may affect your tax burden. You may find a list of all tax treaties by country on the IRS tax treaty information page.

Estimated Monthly Expenses

The following list is meant to assist you in planning your monthly budget while in the United States. The costs listed are estimates, and are provided in order to present a range. Note that this list may not cover all additional financial considerations, and it is your responsibility to plan and budget for your specific locale and lifestyle. The following numbers are estimates, and vary greatly depending on location and your own situation and lifestyle.

Housing (Rent): $900-$3,500
Utilities (electricity, gas, water): $80-$130
Car Ownership (car payment, insurance, gasoline): $200-$600
Childcare: $500-$2,100
Public Transportation: $30-$100
Cell Phone: $100-$300
Internet: $100-$250
Food: $250-$650
Miscellaneous (leisure, clothing, recreational activities, etc.): $150-$500
Payroll Deductions: $100-$400 — NOTE: Payroll deductions include, but are not limited to, health insurance, union dues, and teacher pension plans. These costs are variable, and can be determined by consulting a qualified school personnel in the Human Resources Department.
Emergency Fund and Savings: $200-$300

TOTAL COSTS: $2,610 (Low Range) to $8,680 (High Range)

Sample Budgets

The following is a sample budget for a high cost of living city compared to a low cost of living city in the United States for one person. The costs listed are based on a single individual, living alone without roommates or family. These sample budgets are variable based on individual preferences. The costs are estimated based on average costs of goods, services, and housing in San Diego, California (high cost of living) and Rapid City, South Dakota (low cost of living) and are intended to provide a high level estimate of cost of living expenses on a monthly basis for one person. Please use this information to inform your understanding of the cost of living in the United States. The cost of living in the United States varies greatly depending on the location and the individual, therefore please use this cost of living calculator to determine an estimate of a specific city or town in the United States.

Category	Rapid City, South Dakota (Low Cost of Living)	San Diego, California (High Cost of Living)
Housing (Rent a full unit with no roommates)	$1100	$3000
Utilities (electricity, gas, water)	$80	$130
Car Ownership (car payment, insurance, gasoline)	$200	$500
Public Transportation	$30	$100
Cell Phone	$150	$150
Internet	$100	$100
Food	$250	$650
Miscellaneous (leisure, clothing, recreational activities, etc.)	$150	$350
Payroll Deductions (health insurance, union dues, teacher pension plans, etc)	$100	$300
Emergency Fund and Savings	$200	$200
TOTAL	$2360	$5480