Amerigo FAQs

Since 1997, Advanse International has offered a training program that covers the theory and practice of doing business internationally, particularly in North America. AMERIGO is a unique immersion experience combining an internship, international business workshops, and business English refinement for students and rising executives interested in an international environment, gaining exposure to international organizations, and to the challenges and rewards of doing business cross-culturally.

Here are answers to your most frequently asked questions about AMERIGO.

What is AMERIGO?
Why join AMERIGO?
How does AMERIGO work?
How can I apply?
Who will I be meeting?
Where does AMERIGO take place?
How long is the AMERIGO program? And when does it start?
What will I get out of AMERIGO and what is the advantage over the SPRINT program?
How much does the program cost?
What does the price cover?
Why do I need a J1 visa?
Who pays for my spot in the AMERIGO program?
Where will I live?
How will I get around?
Why should I go through the AMERIGO program?
See what testimonials our AMERIGO alum have to provide!

What is AMERIGO?

AMERIGO stands for AMerican Experience and Research In Global Organizations. The AMERIGO training program is a unique immersion program that combines instruction and application for international students who want exposure to the international business community, particularly in the US.

Why join AMERIGO?

The AMERIGO program is an excellent opportunity for students, beginning executives, and rising entrepreneurs who are laying the groundwork for a career in an international environment. Through its unique combination of seminars, workshops and practical internship, AMERIGO offers a bridge between classroom and career and offers exposure to international organizations and to the challenges and rewards of doing business cross-culturally.

How does AMERIGO work?

The AMERIGO program is a unique immersion experience that combines instruction, application, business English refinement classes, and internships. After the first week of intensive immersion, you will begin an internship at a Washington-area organization, and be exposed to the kind of international environment in which you are likely to find yourself working. You will meet, interact with, and form connections with students, businesspeople, and colleagues from several countries and backgrounds. You will spend time applying all the theory you’ve learned to real life experience. Internship placements are carefully selected to closely match the background, interests and skills of the intern.

How can I apply?

Please email a motivation letter and a resume – both in English – with your contact information to apply@advanse.com. We will review your documents and contact you by email to arrange for the next steps, including an interview in person, by phone or Skype. After the interview, you will be notified of your acceptance status. We will give you additional instructions regarding visas and fee fulfillment upon acceptance.

Who will I be meeting?

You will meet teachers, practitioners, students, businesspeople, and staff from all over the world. You will meet teachers, practitioners, students, businesspeople, and staff from all over the world. You will also meet many fellow interns – some from your own home country, and others from all around the world.

Where does AMERIGO take place?

AMERIGO takes place in the Washington DC-metro region. All courses, seminars and workshops take place in downtown DC offices that are Metro accessible. Many internships are located in downtown DC and others are in the close suburbs of Virginia and Maryland; all are Metro accessible.

How long is the AMERIGO program? And when does it start?

AMERIGO is approximately three months long. It runs twice a year, typically as follows:

Spring: late April through late July.
Fall: late September through December.

Start and end dates vary slightly. If you are interested in finding out exact start dates and deadlines for the next session, please send email to apply@advanse.com.

What will I get out of AMERIGO and how does it differ from the SPRINT program?

Both SPRINT and AMERIGO offer training, business English and the experience needed to launch a career in the international business world. The SPRINT program is one month long, in the summer, intensive, and includes company visits, rather than an internship. The AMERIGO program is conducted over a three month period, explores each topic more in depth, and includes an internship where you will get hands-on experience, learn core office skills, network, make connections, and be exposed to people and cultures from around the world.

How much does the program cost?

AMERIGO program fees are $3800 per session.

What does the price cover?

The program fee for AMERIGO covers all internship placement and monitoring, seminars, workshops, materials, activities, and events. We also provide you assistance in obtaining a J1 visa and the final certificate of completion. You are responsible for your own travel, housing and living expenses.

Why do I need a J1 visa?

There are specific visa types that allow you to come legally to the United States depending on why you are coming. You can find out more about the J1 visa here. Your participation in AMERIGO, an educational and cultural exchange, is allowed under the J1 visa. Please note, this visa allows you to participate in an unpaid internship, and does not allow you to be employed. Any violation of your visa will result in an immediate termination of your participation in AMERIGO.

Who pays for my spot in the AMERIGO program?

You are responsible for all program fees. You are also responsible for all travel, housing, insurance costs, and your own living expenses. Some students have benefitted from local grants and scholarships from their native countries. Please check with your university’s offices if you qualify for any of them.

Where will I live?

You are responsible for securing your own housing. Washington DC has a variety of short-term, furnished housing options. But – and we cannot overemphasize this point – housing is in VERY high demand due to the large number of interns and short-term workers who constantly rotate through DC. You will most likely live in the District, which is what Washington DC is often called in the area. However participants can choose to live in the close suburbs of Virginia and Maryland, which are served by the DC area’s Metro services. We advise and encourage you to thoroughly research and secure your housing options as soon as you know you are coming to the US. Here is a short list of websites where you might want to start looking:

International Student House
LUISS
Randolph Towers
Just Like Home
Craigslist DC

How will I get around?

Metro! Washington DC’s metro system (which includes rail and bus) serves millions daily in the DC-region. All AMERIGO courses, seminars, workshops, and internships are metro accessible. You can find information on everything from fares to routes on metro’s website.

Why should I go through the AMERIGO program?

As hundreds of alum from the last 15 years will tell you, a formal education may be an indispensable and solid foundation for your international business career. But you are so much better equipped for success in international business if you experience what the AMERIGO program exposes you to:

• Diversity – of people, cultures, backgrounds, approaches, experiences, and ideas
• Real Life – It’s a huge leap from classroom to career, even for the most diligent student. AMERIGO gives you an opportunity to experience the little and real things that are useful in career, and don’t appear in a text book.
• Internships – There is no substitute for real life experience, and AMERIGO gives participants the opportunity to observe and participate in American business culture and practices. You will find yourself in an office and part of normal, everyday office rhythms and routines that are good to know before you begin work, but aren’t in textbooks.
• Confidence – Being immersed in a cosmopolitan, largely English speaking culture, being given responsibility, asked to take initiative, being held accountable for presentations in group settings, the daily interactions and demands of internships; all of this gives our students a great deal of real-life experience and confidence as they go out into the job market or new careers.
• Competitive Advantage – Completion of the AMERIGO program gives you a strong advantage over your peers in your job search and career progression.

Here are just a few testimonials from alum:

“I have learned a lot of things that I hadn’t really planned. Such as running an office, computer database skills, presentation skills, negotiation skills. Besides, I have even improved my knowledge and understanding of American English.”

“I am now a better negotiator, a better speaker, a better presenter, and a better part of a team. However the thing I will always treasure the most is that thanks to AMERIGO, I have now a better understanding of what I want to do in my life. And this is priceless!”

“I’ve met a new culture, and I liked it.”

“Dealing with people from other countries, public speaking, accomplishing goals in a short time – time management!”

“I’m more responsible, and I know more about a multicultural nation.”

“I learned how to behave in a foreign business culture. And I opened my mind to new cultures and lifestyles.”

“The main reason why I chose AMERIGO was to have a more accurate comprehension of the US system and to gain some practical experience. Taking part of the seminars and considering the internship is a great opportunity to learn, helped me accomplish my objectives…. I have to confess, I was a little skeptical at the beginning. When I first saw the program of the seminars, I felt they were tailored for those of us with a background in economics. My biggest accomplishment is perhaps feeling less uncomfortable with those topics.”

“I gained a higher degree of professionalism, thanks to the suggestions from the seminars and the internship … It made me focus on topics that I would probably not have focused on otherwise (business plans/international alliances).”

“I learned that I can be emotionally independent, and that I have a strong personality which I could not believe I had. I learned that being patient is important. I learned to leave feelings and emotions and try to understand other cultures.”

“I was shy. I was afraid to talk in front of the camera or other people. But I did it and now I feel comfortable about it. Personally I feel more secure of myself. Professionally I learned a lot about US issues – military spending, financial reform, corruption. Now I am able to produce shows and have interviews.”

“Meeting people from all over the world. Experiencing a real working environment. Living alone! (Which means ‘not with my family.’)”

“I learned how to behave in a foreign business culture.”

“[Since participating] in Amerigo I’ve had a different view of the world, in addition to having access to work experiences and positions that were crucial for my career. A few days after my return to Italy, I began working at Baker & McKenzie. After working there, I created my own law firm, Portolano Colella Cavallo, with a few colleagues, beginning a new experience and maintaining the international approach.

AMERIGO was a growth experience not only at the professional level, but also on the human level. Through AMERIGO I got to know many people and friends from all over the world, many of whom I’m in contact with daily; it also helped me to realize that there is always another way of looking at things.”

“The professional experience I gained has been useful from at least two points of view: 1) It gave me the opportunity to see the modus operandi of a large American company [Morgan Stanley] for a few months. I gained some specific competencies in the areas of management of shareholder portfolios, developed my ability to work in teams and improved my technical English. 2) The internship was also a very distinctive element on my resume. After graduation, it provided an interesting topic of conversation during the selection interviews for the MEDEA master’s in energy economics, and during the interview to be hired at ENI, where I began working immediately after completing the master’s and continue working.

I can therefore state that without a doubt my participation in the AMERIGO program contributed to enriching my ‘professional baggage’ and clearly, along with other elements of my background, contributed to my being hired by ENI.”

“I would define my AMERIGO experience as a turning point. From an academic point of view, it opened my mind and allowed me to apply many of the things that I learned in theory. From a professional point of view, it truly put me far ahead and gave me a leg up…. First of all it was my initial contact with the world of work, a gradual contact (internship alternating with theoretical lessons). Second and more importantly, it was a very interesting topic in every interview I had. It always elicited lots of positive curiosity and was always received very favorably, certainly more than any Erasmus experiences.

I like to define the AMERIGO experience as more a life experience than a work/study experience…it allowed me to meet dozens of people from all over the world, with whom I remain in contact, creating a truly international network of friends and colleagues.”

“I would undoubtedly begin with the personal and cultural enrichment that AMERIGO gave me. AMERIGO gives you the opportunity to spend a period of three months in Washington, DC, allowing you to come in contact with a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic reality very different from the typical provincial Italian reality. Another immense advantage of the AMERIGO program is the opportunity to gain great confidence with the English language.

Afterwards, I was admitted to George Washington University for an LLM in International and Comparative Law…winning two scholarships. I completed the LLM, and it was without a doubt the most beautiful and enriching year of my life. During the LLM, I participated in the New York Job Fair, where I received numerous offers from international law firms. One of them was Studio Gianni Origoni Grippo & Partners, where I began working when I returned to Rome and continue today.”