BUNAC | |
Company type | Private |
Founded | United Kingdom |
Headquarters | , United Kingdom |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
Services | Work abroad and Volunteer Programs |
Revenue |
|
Parent | STA Travel Holding AG, Switzerland |
Subsidiaries | International Exchange Programs Pty Ltd, Australia |
Website | bunac |
BUNAC (British Universities North America Club) is an organisation that enables people to explore the world through work abroad and travel programmes. After starting as a not-for-profit members Club, it was taken over by Bunac Travel Services Ltd which was acquired by STA Travel in 2011. The 'BUNAC' brand and all associated work and volunteer abroad programme brand names are now owned by STA Travel. Previously, the company was owned by the non-profit British Universities North America Club in order to provide work and volunteer programmes for their members. Due to this, the term 'BUNAC' now refers exclusively to STA Travel owned products, and not the non-profit Club.
The British Universities North America Club was founded in 1962 by Christopher Harbour and Martin Truscott. It grew out of the Canada Clubs and North America Clubs at the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge and University of London. It is a not-for-profit members Club and was one of the largest and oldest international work exchange organisations in the UK.
During the 1960s, the British Universities North America Club was actively involved in the efforts of Lord Harlech (British Ambassador to the USA 1961–65) to formalise the reciprocal arrangements between the US and the UK to enable students from one of those countries to work in the other. This resulted in the development of the Exchange Visitor Programme (EVP) which allowed degree-level students to work in the USA during their summer vacation and, in 1966, the creation of SEEP (the Student Employment Exchange Program) US to UK programme. SEEP became known as the Work in Britain/Blue Card programme. The US administration of Work in Britain was originally undertaken by BUNAC's American partner CIEE until it was taken on completely by BUNAC USA in 1997. BUNAC's Work in Britain quickly grew to become the largest outbound work abroad programme from the USA until September 2008 when the 5-Tier Managed Migration restructuring of work-based immigration policy by the Home Office UKBA abolished the concession under which it existed. BUNAC's long-running Work America summer programme operates within the US State Department J-1 visa [1] Program framework.
In 1969 Lord Harlech became Honorary President with The Rt. Hon John Freeman and Senator James William Fulbright as Honorary Vice Presidents. The BUNACAMP programme was established by John Ball and Howard Crew in 1970. BUNACAMP (later BUNACAMP Counsellors and now Summer Camp USA) enables young people to spend a summer working as camp counsellors for American children on a wide range of summer camps.
BUNAC's early involvement with Canada was through a relatively restrictive tobacco picking programme. In 1986, in co-operation with the Canadian High Commission and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, BUNAC was authorised to offer a small but much more open Work Canada programme for students only. This developed into a much larger programme allowing 18- to 30-year-olds to work in Canada for up to a year, which is still offered today as BUNAC's Work Canada programme. [2]
Throughout the 1990s BUNAC expanded the range of work abroad destinations from the UK to include Australia, New Zealand, a Teach & Travel China Programme, volunteer programmes to South Africa, Ghana, Costa Rica, Peru, Cambodia and, most recently, India.
BUNAC did not run their Summer Camp USA programme for the 2013 camp season, however in September 2013 they announced that it will again be running a summer camp program for 2014, this time called Summer Camp Exchange USA. [3] The difference in this new summer camp program is that an applicant needs to have experience in coaching specific skills, so it seems that people can no longer apply to be a general cabin counselor.
As of July 2013, BUNAC in the UK currently operate work abroad, summer camp, volunteer and internship programmes to the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, Thailand, Nepal and South Africa. From the US, BUNAC operates programs to Great Britain, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand. [4]
The British Universities North America Club was a not-for-profit club, separate to the BUNAC [5] brand which operates work and volunteer programmes. The Club membership elected an Honorary Chairperson, Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Secretary annually. These “officers of the Club” sat on a fully voting basis on what was BUNAC's governing body, the General Council. Previously there was also a National Committee (known as the NatCom) made up of members of the club (usually students), and this group met frequently during year.
The club's objectives were
to encourage interest in Canada, the United States of America and Mexico among students at British universities and colleges and interest in Britain among students at universities and colleges in the aforementioned countries, leading to a better understanding between our nations, and generally to promote the advancement of learning and education of students of Britain and the other aforementioned countries. To work with other organisations with similar aims in any fields that will further these objects.
It was reported [6] that what remains of the non-profit club was likely to be closed in 2013.
Originally started by the club, BUNAC offers financial assistance for British students wishing to study in the US and Canada through scholarships. A number of scholarships are awarded each year through the BEST (British Universities North America Club Educational Scholarship Trust) Scholarships. These are marketed and administered by BUNAC, the brand. [7] The individual amounts awarded vary but are typically in the region of $5,000–$10,000.
Introduced in 1996 in honour of the late Howard Crew (General Secretary of BUNAC, 1966 to 1992) the Green Cheese Awards consist of the scholarship and prizes and are awarded on a competitive basis. Entrants are required to submit a humorous piece of creative writing which is judged according to originality, presentation and content. The unique nature of the awards reflects the personality and the sense of humour of Howard Crew. These are also marketed and administered by BUNAC, the brand. [8]
Previously offered were the BEST Travel Awards of $1,000, intended to offset the cost of travel to the USA or Canada by British university students taking part in a year of study abroad in North America as part of their UK undergraduate degree. These have not been offered since 2009.
BUNAC's Head Office is currently in Kensington, London and BUNAC's US office is located in Dallas, Texas. Previous office locations in the UK include Farringdon and Victoria in London and Edinburgh - in the US previous locations are Boston, MA and Southbury, CT.
In Australia BUNAC provides outbound programmes through its wholly owned subsidiary organisation International Exchange Programs Pty. Ltd (Australia). Inbound participants are serviced by the company Work n Holiday as of 2011, who have offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. IEP Australia has their office in Melbourne - they previously also had an office in Sydney, however this closed at the end of 2010.
In New Zealand BUNAC provides inbound and outbound programmes through International Exchange Programs Ltd. (New Zealand). The IEP New Zealand office is in Auckland.
Long-term partnership arrangements also exist with countries such as South Africa, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, France, Serbia, Hungary, Macedonia, Lithuania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.
BUNAC was a founder member of IAEWEP (the International Association for Educational and Work Exchange Programmes) which has since become the WYSE Work Abroad Association, and is a founder member of The Year Out Group [9] in the UK. BUNAC is also a member of BUTEX, ISTC, BETA (the British Educational Travel Association) and of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office “Know before you go” [10] safety campaign. In the United States, BUNAC USA is a member of NAFSA: Association of International Educators [11] and the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange and a founder member of the American Camp Association ICEO Group (International Cultural Exchange Organisations).
In December 2007 a consortium of BUNAC, Christian Aid and Islamic Relief was authorised by Department for International Development (DFID) to create, administer and operate Platform2. This was a DFID-funded 3-year volunteer programme designed to provide short-term (c10 weeks) overseas volunteering experience for 2,500 economically disadvantaged young UK citizens.
AIESEC is an international "youth-run" and led, non-governmental and not-for-profit organization that provides young people with business development internships. The organization focuses on empowering young people to make a progressive social impact. The AIESEC network includes approximately 40,000 members in 120+ countries.
International students, or foreign students, are students who undertake all or part of their tertiary education in a country other than their own.
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills. Via the program, competitively-selected American citizens including students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists, and artists may receive scholarships or grants to study, conduct research, teach, or exercise their talents abroad; and citizens of other countries may qualify to do the same in the United States.
A gap year, also known as a sabbatical year, is a period of time when students take a break from their studies, usually after completing high school or before beginning graduate school. During this time, students engage in a variety of educational and developmental activities, such as traveling, working, volunteering, or taking courses. Gap years are not limited to a year-long break and can range from several months to a few years.
A student exchange program is a program in which students from a secondary school or higher education study abroad at one of their institution's partner institutions. A student exchange program may involve international travel, but does not necessarily require the student to study outside their home country.
Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) is a Rotary International student exchange program for students in secondary school. Since 1929, Rotary International has sent young people around the globe to experience new cultures. Currently, about 9,000 students are sponsored by Rotary Clubs every year. Typically, students are sent to another country for a year-long stay, generally living with multiple host families during the year and being expected to perform daily tasks within the household as well as attend school in the host country. Short term exchange programs are also quite common. These typically involve direct student exchanges between two families arranged through Rotary to coincide with major school holiday periods.
Some students from the United States pursue educational opportunities outside the United States. This can include primary, secondary and post-secondary students.
Rachel Andresen was an American social worker and founder of Youth For Understanding (YFU), a non-profit organization dedicated to international exchanges of high-school students.
Pablo de Olavide University is a public university in Seville, Spain. UPO offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in the traditional majors, as well as in biotechnology, environmental sciences, humanities, labor relations, second language acquisition, social work, sports sciences, and translation.
The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) is a non-profit organization promoting international education and exchange. It was founded in 1947 and is based in the United States. The organization is headquartered in Portland, Maine.
Work abroad is the term used when a student teaches, interns, or volunteers in a foreign country through a programme. Students gain work experience while being immersed in a foreign work environment, though the position may be paid or unpaid. Dependent upon the programme, a student working abroad may live in a dormitory or apartment with other students or with a "host family", a group of people who live in that country and agree to provide student lodging.
The US-UK Fulbright Commission was created by a treaty signed by the United Kingdom and the United States on 22 September, 1948. It is a non-profit organisation based in London and UK.
International Student Volunteers (ISV) is a non-profit organization based in Yorba Linda, California. Originally founded under the name Youth in Action, the organization operates on a voluntary basis and provides educational and travel programs for university students.
Platform2 was an international volunteering programme for young people in the United Kingdom. It was run by a coalition of Christian Aid and BUNAC, and was funded by the Department for International Development of the UK government. Volunteers took part in 10-week community projects in countries such as South Africa, Ghana, India, Nepal and Peru.
The American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) is an American travel and insurance company, managing a number of educational and travel programs centered on cultural exchange founded or acquired by British businessman and politician Sir Cyril Julian Hebden Taylor starting in 1964. Its operations include college study abroad, au pair placement, camp counsellors and staff, gifted education, and high school foreign exchange. AIFS maintains global offices in 15 countries and is headquartered in Stamford, CT.
Student migration is the movement of students who study outside their country of birth or citizenship for a period of 12 months or more. During the period of globalization, the internationalisation of higher education increased dramatically and it has become a market driven activity. With the rapid rise of international education more and more students are seeking higher education in foreign countries and many international students now consider overseas study a stepping-stone to permanent residency within a country. The contributions that foreign students make to host nation economies, both culturally and financially has encouraged major players to implement further initiatives to facilitate the arrival and integration of overseas students, including substantial amendments to immigration and visa policies and procedures. Institutions are competing hard to attract international students at a time when immigration policies in leading destinations like the US and the UK are not enabling transition to work visas.
The Kennedy Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Programs (KL-YES) are fully-funded student exchange programs administered by the U.S. Department of State. YES includes the "inbound" program for students from close to 40 Muslim majority countries to study and live in the U.S., and the "outbound" program, called YES Abroad, for students from the U.S. to study in selected YES countries.
AFS Intercultural Programs is an international youth exchange organization. It consists of over 50 independent, not-for-profit organizations, each with its own network of volunteers, professionally staffed offices, volunteer board of directors and website. In 2015, 12,578 students traveled abroad on an AFS cultural exchange program, between 99 countries. The U.S.-based partner, AFS-USA, sends more than 1,100 U.S. students abroad and places international students with more than 2,300 U.S. families each year. As of 2022, more than 500,000 people have gone abroad with AFS and over 100,000 former AFS students live in the U.S.
William L. Gertz is the Chairman, President and CEO of the American Institute For Foreign Study (AIFS), a cultural exchange and educational travel company with 10 global locations, headquartered in Stamford, CT.
British Bhutanese are people of Bhutanese ancestry who are citizens of the United Kingdom or resident in the country. This includes people born in the UK who are of Bhutanese descent, and Bhutan-born people who have migrated to the UK.