I went to the UK through BUNAC beginning in November 2007. I took advantage of this opportunity to its fullest, as I had a British boyfriend of one year that I actually moved over to the UK for. (Note - now husband!) BUNAC was the only way I could possibly move and work in the UK at that time. I got myself a 'proper' job and started to work at a PR agency. For those looking for casual or fun jobs, I know BUNAC's job finding services were great. A lot of people I met during my time there found jobs through the job posting boards, etc. One of my favourite things about BUNAC was the pub meets; it's where I ended up meeting some of my friend - who I still keep in touch with now, nearly 4 years later. They were truly the best! It was great to visit little pubs that you might not otherwise visit, and to meet others abroad who are in the same situation as you. BUNAC has great programs and I highly recommend them for working abroad... (I know the requirements have since changed, and the exact program I went on is sadly, no longer available) - but do look into them if you'd like to go to the UK, Ireland, Australia, etc.... read more

BUNAC is a wonderful agency that provides reciprocal work visas to young adults & students from the United States, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, NZ & maybe South Africa too? For a fee of a few hundred dollars ($300 in 2004, appears to be $400 now), BUNAC secures a work visa which allows Americans 6 months of unrestricted work in the UK, and provides assistance with setting up bank accounts (shockingly difficult compared to the American system!), finding flats and jobs, etc. I found the office employees to be tremendously helpful, and I've recommended the Bunac visa program to dozens. Go forth, and work abroad, Americans. The minimum wage in London is way higher than ours and you get VACATION TIME! read more

Even though I still recommend BUNAC to all my friends, I was less than thrilled with them during my experience. I had already lived in the UK while getting my Masters degree and therefore already had a flat and job lined up. I was told that I still had to come to orientation (which I understand), but when I take off work and show up 15 minutes until orientation starts, I'm told its full and turned away. Its one thing if I come in late but to show up early and be turned away seems a bit rough considering that there is a time limit for attending orientation. I called later that afternoon after talking to my boss to see if there was another day that I could take off work (again) to go to the orientation and there wasn't one for a few weeks, past the deadline for attending orientation. He offered to call them and explain and he was told that there was nothing they could do and I should quit to attend orientation. I thought that was a bit harsh! He found someone to cover for me (thankfully) and the next week, I went back. They handed out all the paper work and then asked who already had a place to live (I raised my hand) and who already had a job (I raised my had) and then I was told I could go. All that for 5 minutes of orientation before being told I could leave. Seems a bit wasteful to me and there has got to be a better way of coordinating the intake of students, especially if they already have an employer who is willing to vouch for them. read more

UK's BUNAC is very very disorganised to the point you have to wonder who in the world they have staffed there. I was interning at Edinburgh from January to May, and me and most of the interns actually missed and forgot the orientation. The first week I actually called them and asked what I needed. I was told to fill out a postal orientation and after 2 emails they finally sent me the postal orientation needed. I filled out the postal orientation via email, and well they lost my email 3 times....so I had to send the postal orientation multiple times. They never responded or gave me any orientation directions afterwards, and kept on spamming me with more orientation emails. I called a week later and was told that I didn't need to do anything, and that they would send me the postal orientation information. In March, I met up with a BUNAC representative, Ms King and told her about this situation. Although she told me I did not have to attend the orientation and would get the orientation emails sorted out. Nothing was ever sorted out. Fast forward to 2 months after the internship.....I'm still getting orientation emails, and am convinced that UK BUNAC does not respond to emails, and does not do anything productive. read more

I second the comments below, I participated in BUNAC post-undergrad (you have to apply while you're still a student though!), and I had a great experience. There are tons of activities and trips that are organized (all optional) that make it easy to meet other students from America and other countries (lots of Aussies and Kiwis!). The office is extremely helpful and overall this is a very worthwhile program and experience. More American students should participate in a work or study abroad program. read more

I partticipated in the Bunac Work abroad program at age 36. It was a great opportunity for me to work abroad as I did not take advantage of it in my 20's I was very very happy to know that people over 30 could still have an opportunity to experience life and work overseas without being employed by a company that will send you overseas or have a connection for a job transfer which I did not at the time . It seems that many of the work abroad programs assume that once you get a certain age you are automatically settled and can't or won't take time off. Also the Immigration laws in other countries state that people over 30 or sometimes 25 cannot work abroad in these sort of programs geared toward younger people Thank You Bunac!!!!!!!!! I actually found a job at a law firm from the BUNAC job board. I did not think there would be anything except pub type jobs but I found an office job even though it was kind of low paying. I lived in a Bed and Breakfast for a few days, moved to a hostel when the B&B got too expensive and then found a private room at a college dorm that opened to the public during the summer. I stayed the whole 6 months and wished I would have taken the option for an additional 4 month work visa to work in Ireland or Scotland but I decided not to because it was too much to move to another new place, find another job and housing all over again. I know Bunac now has an internship program that is not as good as the old work visa program possibly because of the economic crisis in 2008 and onwards. I had a great time and plan to go back to London to work or school in the future read more

I had an amazing time through Bunac...worked at LSBU. I went through the program in late 2003, early 2004. The cost back then was ~$275 and allowed you to actually work for pay. The rate has gone up to $785 now and only permits an internship. My understanding is that this is due to the US denying equal opportunity to Brits. Still, an incredible opportunity for students, provided the entry barrier isn't too high now.....London is expensive as it is...of course I was living there during a 2:1 exchange rate. read more

I did the KAMP programme with BUNAC, working behind the scenes at an American Summer Camp and was impressed with the service. I was pretty apprehensive at first as I had not worked abroad before, but there was consistent support both before and during my time in America - I had a number to call in the UK or US if I was having problems, they met us at JFK and helped us organise travel arrangements to camp from there, and when at camp we were visited by a BUNAC employee who checked we were happy with everything. I was also placed in a camp that was perfect for me, and in my ideal job (working with horses) so I think their interviewing and application process really does work out your interests and strengths effectively. read more

Keep in mind everyone I dealt with was very professional and apologetic when this happened, but for the amount of money you pay them for their service - it was inexcusable. The internship I had lined up did not meet their requirements (working in an office rather than home). First of all, it took an entire week for them to send the paperwork over to their London offices to begin the screening (their London offices work very quickly). However, after the internship was declined they didn't even contact me. They assumed my employer would do that, while my employer assumed BUNAC would tell me. Either way, BUNAC should have alerted me considering the $700+ I've paid for their service. I was the one who had to contact BUNAC to find out what the holdup was. I now have a new internship lined up and I should be issued my certificate of sponsorship today. I would still hesitantly recommend BUNAC to my friends, with just a few notes of precaution. Don't be afraid to call and e-mail them to make sure you're in the loop. read more

I am currently on the Intern in Britain program and from the beginning, the UK team seemed disorganized. For example, when I was in the United States, I had to wait for my Certificate of Sponsorship after "interviewing" my employer. They didn't call my employer thus I contacted the US team who let the UK team know, they sent an email to my employer to call (he called a lot of times in which they never picked up). The "interview" took about two minutes. As for when I arrived to the UK, they were absolutely awful considering I asked for paid information like the brochure about the Intern in Britain program which I had asked the US team to give but they said I would only receive when arriving to the UK. BUNAC, is unhelpful but I am enjoying my program because I know people who live in the UK. However, if you are going alone and know no one...good luck in getting BUNAC to help you. read more

Can I do negative stars? I am from the USA and obtained a Work and Holiday Visa to come to Australia. I went through BUNAC because I heard they would help with getting settled and finding contacts. I don't know where to begin in describing the complete opposite of assistance that I obtained from BUNAC. First and foremost, they insisted that I purchase insurance through Seven Corners Compass Benefits, insisting that my current Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance coverage would not cover me in Australia despite the fact that I checked with the Wellmark company and they assured me that I would be okay. BUNAC simply would not let me travel to Australia through their company without the Seven Corners insurance. So I got the insurance as they insisted, paying over $600 for it. While in Australia, I injured my back at work and consequently had several medical bills. I sent my claims to Seven Corners but because I had my own insurance (Blue Cross Blue Shield), they refused to reimburse me. Thanks BUNAC. Next issue was that some of our group was going to Australia after we spent a week in Fiji, but half the group had New Zealand as their final destination. We stopped at New Zealand to drop off half our group, but unfortunately for those of us continuing to Australia, BUNAC neglected to check our bags when they booked our tickets. So we ran all over the Auckland airport trying to check multiple bags for hundreds of dollars when we had previously been assured that all our flights and baggage had been booked for us. Additionally, upon arriving to Australia our group was instructed to go to a Work and Holiday office so that we could have our initial meeting in which we were to received information, phone cards, and assistance with setting up bank accounts. We went to the Work and Holiday office in Sydney. The office was upstairs above a grocery store, so we went to go up the stairs to enter the office...we came to find out that it was a public holiday and both the office AND the grocery store were closed and so alarm systems went off. Minutes later we heard sirens and the police were coming down the street. We ran out of there as quick as we could and never looked back. Needless to say, BUNAC was the least helpful service I have ever enlisted. I wasted money, time, and nearly got arrested. I would not recommend this organization to anyone. At the end of the day, I paid a lot of money to receive assistance that left me worse off than what I would have been on my own. read more