Today is the first day that applications for J1 visas will be taken from USIT offices. Although it may mean months of anxiety and expense for parents, a survey from USIT itself suggests that for those who go to the States, the experience is more than worth it.

Ninety-five per cent of those responding said they would recommend the programme to their friends, while 84 per cent of participants agreed that it was "an experience of exceptional value".

The 1999 crop of students earned an average wage of $7.55 per hour - not including those famously huge tips - with students taking home on average $347.79 per week, for an average 43-hour week.