Odyssey International Exchange

Our teams have cast their votes, and we’re thrilled to announce the winners of this year’s Odyssey & International Trainee Network (ITN)'s Halloween Contest!??? We want to express our gratitude to all the BridgeUSA J-1 Exchange Visitors who took part in this year’s contest and extend our congratulations to the winners!?We were thrilled to receive so many fantastic photo submissions from international program participants and thoroughly enjoyed seeing how you celebrated Halloween in the United States. Thank you for sharing your celebrations and moments with us.??? This year’s winners are:??? 1. Sophie Poussardin 2. Augustin Maire Du Poset 3. Dajeong Heo ? Our team will contact you via email to arrange for your Amazon gift cards.??? We hope you all had an unforgettable time embracing the spooky spirit of the season and enjoying local Halloween festivities.????? #CulturalExchange #ExchangeProgram #CulturalActivities #Halloween

We are excited to share some amazing highlights from the latest International Recruitment Forum, organized by the Swiss Education Group in Switzerland!????? It was a true pleasure to return to Switzerland alongside our wonderful partners from The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. in the United States. We thoroughly enjoyed connecting with the talented and driven hospitality students from Swiss Hotel Management School, César Ritz Colleges Switzerland, Hotel Institute Montreux, and Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland. We look forward to supporting all of you on your career journey through internships and MIT programs in the United States!????? Thank you, Swiss Education Group, for your warm welcome, continuous partnership, and congratulations on organizing another outstanding edition of the International Recruitment Forum.???

Odyssey and International Trainee Network (ITN)'s Annual Halloween Contest is back for more spooky fun memories in 2024, and we are excited to see all your BOO-tiful costumes. ?? ? Halloween will be celebrated on October 31st, and we encourage everyone to join in on the fun with festivities and cultural activities across the United States. Don’t forget to snap a fun picture for the contest! ?? ? To enter this year’s contest, simply follow these requirements: ?? ?? You must be a current BridgeUSA J-1 Intern or Trainee in the USA with us. ?? Take a photo of yourself while wearing your Halloween costume and send it via direct message on our social media accounts (Facebook or Instagram), or email it to [email protected] ?? You can be in the photo alone or with friends, and the picture can be taken at home, outdoors, or at a Halloween event. ?? Be sure to submit your photo by the deadline: November 8th, 2024, at 12 PM PST. ? Contest prizes: ?? The winner will receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card. ?? Second and Third Places will win each a $25 Amazon Gift Card. ? The winners will be announced after the deadline. Cast a spell on us with your spook-tacular costumes - we can’t wait to see how you celebrated Halloween in the USA! ??

Odyssey International Group is excited to announce our new redesigned logos for International Trainee Network (ITN), Odyssey International Exchange and Odyssey International Camp. ?? While redesigned, these logos continue to embody our core values of trust, integrity, excellence, and our commitment to delivering exceptional programs and services in the cultural exchange industry. Our goal remains to empower participants as they embark on their global career journeys. ?? As a group, we look forward to continuing to provide the service and experience that has differentiated ITN & Odyssey for over 22 years. ????

We recently held our annual Live Recruitment Fair in partnership with Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail, along with our fantastic international teams from Indonesia and the Philippines.?????????? The outstanding representatives from Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Seasons traveled all the way from the United States to meet and interview the motivated hospitality and culinary students, graduates, and young professionals for their exceptional J-1 Intern & Trainee Programs in the United States. Here are some amazing highlights from the event in the Philippines.??? We also want to express our gratitude to the team at Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail for their ongoing support and fantastic partnership. We hope your experience in the Philippines and Indonesia was remarkable, and we look forward to many more years of successful collaboration.????? Congratulations to all participants from the Live Recruitment Fair who have been selected for a program. We eagerly await your arrival in the United States and look forward to following your incredible American Journeys. Thank you to everyone who participated, and special thanks to ITN Manila & ITN Bali for organizing the Live Recruitment Fair!??? #HospitalityRecruitment #CulturalExchange #J1Programs #CulinaryRecruitment

Happy Monday! We’re excited to share another amazing program experience and testimonial from our J-1 Interns & Trainees who are currently participating in a program in the United States. ???? Allana Marie De Chavez is currently enrolled in a J-1 Intern Program for 12 months in hospitality under the Route 66 Program structure. Throughout her internship, Allana has had the chance to experience two unique destinations and host companies. She began her journey in Vermont and is now completing her program in New Mexico. In addition to her professional development, Allana has fully immersed herself in American culture and enjoyed a variety of cultural experiences. ?? We could share more about Allana's experience, but it's even better to hear about it straight from her. Here’s her testimonial: ?? "I had an incredibly eventful stay in the USA, filled with unforgettable experiences and invaluable lessons. During my time here, I had the pleasure of meeting many new friends and immersing myself in their rich culture, broadening my horizons along the way. One highlight was finally mastering the art of skiing, a skill I had long aspired to acquire. However, the most significant aspect of my journey was undoubtedly my time in the Food and Beverage Department at Stowe Mountain Resorts. The hands-on experience and interactions with guests and colleagues alike provided me with a profound understanding of hospitality and service. It was an enriching opportunity that not only sharpened my skills but also deepened my appreciation for the industry." A big thanks to Allana for sharing some highlights from the program and testimonial with us! ?? #CulturalExchange #J1Program #J1Intern

?? Celebrating the Success Story and Growth of BFR Systems in the U.S. Market! ?? We're thrilled to share the incredible journey of Charlotte Coulardeau, who just completed her 18-month V.I.E. program (Volontaire International en Entreprise) with BFR SYSTEMS, a leading French company specializing in turnkey solutions for the food processing industry. BFR Systems approached Altix in 2023, ready to take their first step into the U.S. market after years of exporting their equipment to North America through French customers equipping their production facilities. Seeing the huge potential of the U.S. food processing sector, they knew it was time to establish a direct presence—and they chose Charlotte to help lead the charge! In just 18 months, Charlotte: - Expanded BFR’s brand in the U.S., particularly in the cheese processing sector, - Identified and participated in key industry trade shows, learning which events brought the most value and how to maximize their impact, - Helped generate sales growth that met BFR’s ambitious objectives. Thanks to her efforts, BFR Systems is now poised to grow its U.S. presence, expand its local team, and introduce new product lines to the American market. As Charlotte heads back to France for the next three months to learn about BFR’s Snack and Sandwich solutions, we look forward to welcoming her back to the IMHub in February 2025, where she will take on a new role and continue driving growth for BFR in the U.S.! Congrats to Charlotte for her incredible success, and to BFR Systems for their strategic expansion into one of the world’s most competitive markets. We’re honored and excited to support BFR Systems in this endeavor! #bfrystems #USExpansion #VIE #InternationalBusiness #MarketGrowth #FoodProcessing #TradeShows #AltixIMHub #SuccessStory Jean-Claude VANDAIS Vincent LEFEBVRE Melanie BOUDE Business France North America Odyssey International Exchange Charlotte Guyot

We are excited to share the fantastic program experience and testimonial of our J-1 Intern, Elisa Banks, who recently completed her program in Arts & Culture with The Corning Museum of Glass in New York! ???? Elisa started her internship for 3 months in May, 2024. During her program, she immersed herself in American culture, put into practice her knowledge in the field and learned more about the industry in the United States. Here is her testimonial: ?? "When I applied for the Corning Museum of Glass Internship, I was nervous. “Will I be good enough”? That was all I could think. I had an Interview with Kalli who was happy, outgoing and excited to talk to me. After a long chat together, I was offered a position with the “Make your Own Glass” studio. Which, I obviously jumped on. To me this is an amazing opportunity. I found a cute apartment on the museum's preferred list of housing. I packed my life and moved to Corning, New York for the summer. On the first day I was blowing glass, learning all the projects. No matter our skill level there was a place for us to grow. We spent our first three-weeks training and practicing the different projects Make Your Own offered. In this time getting to know the staff we would be beside all summer. Everyone was over the top friendly and easy to get along with. It was not long before I could see my glass skills improving while making many new friends. My first few days off I spent walking around the museum. I was given free admission during my internship. This gave me an opportunity to really study my favorite pieces up front and close. I participated in museum tours hosted by the amazing two Bill Gudenraft and Richard Whiteley. I sat in on the instructor lectures on Tuesday nights, learning about the different artists that were teaching that week. Every day on break, I would take a walk around to see what was going on in the classes. This was the highlight of being at Corning. I have met so many amazing glass artists that I would have never crossed paths with, now we are connected. On Wednesdays we had free time to do whatever we wanted with an instructor there to help us. Cold shop and glassblowing classes were also available throughout the summer. Which helped improve my skills tremendously. I would like to Thank the Corning Museum of Glass, Richard Whiteley, Kali, and Odyssey for making this Internship possible. My summer at Corning has been rewarding and memorable! I met so many amazing people, I never knew how much I would enjoy working with the public and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to blow glass all summer. I hope this starts a path of many more successful internships to come!" Thank you, Elisa, for sharing the fantastic testimonial, photos and program experience with us! ?? #CulturalExchange #J1Internship #ProgramExperience #BridgeUSA

If you participated, or you are currently participating, in a J-1 Intern or Trainee and earned income in the United States in 2024, get prepared for the tax season and attend this free webinar on September 19 at 12:00 PM EDT! ?? Our partner, Sprintax, is the only online federal and state self-prep tax software for nonresidents in the USA. As J-1 Interns and Trainees are nonresidents, we recommend that you attend their free webinar to learn more about filing your taxes and the 2024 tax season. Topics will include who must file, tax residency, FICA, returns, implications of misfiling, as well as how to use Sprintax to prepare a compliant tax return. ?? If interested in attending their webinar, kindly register by using the following link: www.bit.ly/sprintaxweb ??

We had the great pleasure to attend to the Br. Andrew Gonzalez Academia-Industry Conference, hosted by De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, where we had the opportunity to introduce our J-1 Intern and Trainee Programs and connect with other industry leaders!????? The Br. Andrew Gonzalez Academia-Industry Conference is an initiative that aims to bring together the academic community and professionals in the hospitality, culinary, and tourism industries. The conference’s goal is to bridge pathways for development, partnerships, and collaborations to address the demands of the consistently changing tourism industry.??? Here are some of our highlights from the conference. We are grateful to De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde for hosting us and organizing such an outstanding conference.??? #CulturalExchange #J1Programs #J1Intern #J1Trainee