USA Pools

International Guide
1. Before arriving to US The earliest you (the international visitor) can arrive to a USA Pools office for lifeguarding work is May 15 of each year. The latest an international USA Tea Me !er can arrive to work for lifeguarding is "une # of each year. $ifeguarding work can !e %rovided through Se%te !er 15 of each year. &or a su%ervisory %osition with USA Pools' an international USA Tea Me !er ust arrive for work !y A%ril 1 of each year and work through (cto!er 1 of each year. )ou (the international visitor) ust !e a!le to s%eak and read *nglish fluently. )ou (the international visitor) ust know how to swi . +t is a good idea if you take the lifesaving class' lifeguard training ($,T) and -P.' in your country and receive your lifesaving certificate !efore you arrive to the US. Thus' you will !e a!le to start working right away. To %ass the ($,T) in A erica you will !e re/uired to Swi 011 yards (A!out 235 eters) continuously using two (2) different strokes (front crawl (free style) and the !reast stoke). )ou will also !e re/uired to swi 21 yards using the front crawl or !reast stroke' surface dive to de%th of 3411 feet' retrieve a 11 %ound !rick off the !otto of the %ool' return to surface and swi 21 yards !ack to the starting %oint with the o!5ect held in !oth hands with your face a!ove water. You will need to provide a $250 dollar non-refundable deposit to USA Pools for our !o"pan unifor" and t#e $ed %ross lifeguard !ourse &if not !urrentl !ertified'. +f you already have your lifeguard certificates you will only need to %rovide a 6151 dollar de%osit and a co%y of your lifeguard certifications. USA Pools ust receive these no later than A%ril 1 of each year to ensure a %osition with the co %any and to receive your 5o! offer. (a)e appro*i"atel $1000 dollars for t#e i""ediate !osts of living &rent+ transportation+ !o""uni!ation+ food+ et!.' until you start receiving your %aychecks fro USA Pools. )ou will !e %aid every two (2) weeks according to the %u!lished %ay dates. Paydays7dates will !e in the USA Payroll Packet8

Items/Expenses that YOU will have each month!

9elow is a /uick list of e:%enses that each international USA Tea Me !er will have on a onthly !asis. &urther infor ation of these ite s are listed in ore details throughout this guide. 1. ,iving-.ousing (A%%ro:i ately 631 %er week) 2. (ransportation (&i:ed 60; %er week) /. 0nsuran!e (A%%ro:i ately 612 %er week) 1. %o""uni!ation-%ell P#one (A%%ro:i ately 611 %er week) 5. 2ood-3eals (<ill vary %er %erson)

This is an affordable living plan of ONLY $120 per week.

0nternational USA (ea" 3e"ber 4uide

9e very careful in kee%ing u% with your oney and docu ents on your way to the US. )ou are not advised to carry a lot of cash since it is easy to lose or steal. Please take a s all a ount of oney to the country where you transfer flights. The rest of the oney you can take in the for of traveler=s checks. A good idea is to use a ulti4%ocket travelers %urse for your oney and docu ents' which you can wear on your neck and under your clothes. )ou could also use a oney4and4docu ent !elt. Take edicines and7or anti!iotics in which you know how to use. The edicines in the US are different fro *uro%ean edicine and are e:%ensive. <hile traveling to US' carry a rucksack with war clothes and first4need ite s' as you ay need the if there is a flight delay. )ou can take an electrical ada%ter if you carry so e electric a%%liances with you. The electricity tension in US is 111>.

2. Upon arriving in t#e USA Atlanta Airport The Atlanta Air%ort is a little !it different fro other fa ous air%orts. <hen you e:it the %lane' have your %ass%ort with the US visa inside' your +AP4?? and +4@# for filled out. )ou will go to the Pass%ort -ontrol to show these docu ents in which they will %ut a sta % in your %ass%ort. )ou will then %roceed to go down an escalator to take your !aggage. 9efore you e:it the international arrival area' you again ust give your !aggage to !e transferred to the 9aggage -lai Area' which is in another !uilding. Make sure you know which !aggage clai nu !er your !aggage will !e at. )ou will then catch the shuttle to the 9aggage -lai Ter inal. There is a a% of the sto%s inside the shuttle' so you will not !e confused. <hen you reach the 9aggage -lai Ter inal sto%' go u% the escalator and follow the signs. There you will clai your !aggage. Please re e !er to hold on to your !aggage clai ticket' you will need this to e:it the security area. 5ote6 +t will !e very hel%ful if you can find a and train syste MA.TA fro the Air%ort. a% of Atlanta and of the !us

.ow to rea!# t#e USA Pools %orporate 7ffi!e8 To reach the office you can use Atlanta=s !us and rail syste MA.TA (its arta.co ). The entrance to MA.TA=s train station (at the air%ort) is located inside the western end of the Air%ort=s ain ter inal. To ride MA.TA you will need to !uy tokens fro their achines. The ticket is 62.11. That is why you should have change in hand (several !anknotes of 61 and several /uarters .25 cents). Push the !utton so you can take a transfer ticket for the !us syste . )ou will need to catch the northern line train to the Aorth S%rings sto%. Make sure that the train is traveling towards Aorth

S%rings and not towards Boraville. The a%%ro:i ate travel ti e is #1 in. Then you will need to take the ;5 !us towards .oswell (you will travel with your transfer ticket) and tell the driver you are traveling to ,reen Street' in .oswell. The !us sto% is at a &ire Station on Al%haretta Cighway. ,reen Street is on the right side of the direction of traffic. The address of USA Pools' +nc. is8 1130 ,reen Street .oswell' ,A 01135 Phone8 (331) 2#;41;32 +f you have any %ro!le s finding the MA.TA station' you can call MA.TA=s -usto er Service at (#1#) ;#;40#@;. An internal US call is .05D. /. 9#en ou are in US So!ial Se!urit %ard The first thing you should do after you arrive in the US and get settled in to your living arrange ents is to a%%ly (in person) for a social security card. )ou will !e given a social security nu !er within 2 to 0 weeks. +t is very i %ortant to have this nu !er since you cannot receive a %aycheck without it. Ask the ad inistrator at the SS office for a te %orary certificate or for %roving that you have a%%lied for the card. This for is a SSA45101 for . )ou ay call the toll free nu !er to learn what your SS nu !er will !e within 54? !usiness days after you have a%%lied for a nu !er. <hen calling' talk to a Elive %ersonF !y hitting the E1F !utton on the %hone key%ad after listening to the enu choices. )ou will need to have your %ass%ort and +AP4 ?? co%y with you during the call. The Social Security Ad inistration office' which is closest to the USA Pools office' is located at the following address8 Social Security Ad inistration 10@5 S Marietta Pkwy Marietta' ,A Toll4free %hone8 14;11433241210 <orking hours8 ;801 a 40801 % Mondays4&ridays www.ssa.gov )ou should !ring your %ass%ort' +AP4??' +4@# for ' a s%onsor letter' !irth certificate and7or at least one official %icture +B that is older than one year. +f the %ass%ort and the driver=s license are !oth less than one year old' a !irth certificate is re/uired. There is no fee. (a*es &ederal' state and local ta:es will !e withheld fro your %aychecks. )ou are A(T su%%osed to %ay social security ta:. +f a deduction has !een ade !y istake' contact the cor%orate office. )ou ay find ta: infor ation fro this site8 www.irs.gov.

Buring your interview %rocess you will !e given an A%%licant Packet' %rovided !y USA Pools. +n that %acket you will fill out a <4@ ta: for (federal). At the end of "anuary' US 9usinesses (USA Pools) ust ail to your ho e a 11@@ for ' which re%orts all the wages you have earned and all the ta:es withheld fro your %aychecks. This is used with the 11#1 for A. to file your US ta: returns. +t would !e hel%ful if you would leave a self4 addressed envelo%e in the cor%orate office to send you these for s. +nfor ation a!out different for s can !e found at www.irs.ustreas.gov.

More information: &ederal +nternational Ta:%ayer Services8 142124;3#41#?1 +nternal .evenue Service (+.S)8 14;114;2@411#1 &or ta: refunds after you have returned !ack ho e' you a%%lication7docu ents fro *SS Ta: .efunds8 21 *den Guay Bu!lin 1' +reland Phone8 H 050 1 ?31 ?@5@ *4 ail8 infoIess.ie .egister online8 www.ess.ie ay re/uest an

Ban) A!!ounts and 3one To o%en a !ank account you can go to any !ank and ask an ad inistrator for hel%. )ou should !ring your %ass%ort and social security card with you (if it is not ready' you can !ring it later). )ou can a%%ly for a >+SA de!it card' in which you can %ay for al ost anything' anywhere (i.e. alls' arkets' stores' restaurants' etc). J )ou can have two (2) accounts on your >+SA card8 -hecking Account K this account you can use for e:%enses Savings Account Kthis account you can use to save oney $ocal 9anks are8 9ank of A erica SunTrust <ells &argo 9anks ay charge a fee of 61 462 %er withdrawal for using an ATM achine fro another !ank. Currency The !asic unit of currency is the dollar (61.11). 9ills (notes) are %rinted in the value of 61' 65' 611' 621' 651' 6111. The coins are8 1 D 4 a cent or %enny 5 D 4 a nickel 11 D 4 a di e 25 D 4 a /uarter

51 D 4 a half a dollar

%#e!)s )ou will receive your wages in the for of a %aycheck. )ou ay cash your %aycheck at your !ank or de%osit it in your account. )ou ay de%osit either fro a 9ank teller (%erson) or through an ATM achine. :river;s ,i!ense +t is very likely that your trans%ortation ethod will !e a car. )ou can drive with your countries driver=s license for 01 days after your arrival in US. )ou ay also look at o!taining an +nternational Brivers $icense !efore arriving to the United States. )ou can do this !y visiting www.international4license.co . After this %eriod you should take the e:a for the ,eorgia driver=s license. The e:a is not difficult. )ou do not go out in the street for the driving test4 you do it in a designated area. +f you can really drive' it won=t !e a %ro!le J The driver=s license center is located at8 ;?11 .oswell .d. $oe an=s PlaLa Tel8 (331) 55143030 Briver=s $icense Auto ated 2# hour infor ation Tel8 (#1#) ?534@011 (ransportation -ar (#ere will be a $150 per "ont# transportation fee per person. <e#i!les will be furnis#ed for ever one so t#at t#e !an get to and fro" wor). (#e wor) lo!ations are too far for bi)ing and wal)ing options. Bus transportation is also not an option. 0n order to drive a !ar at least one person "ust #ave an international driver;s li!ense or a 4eorgia driver;s li!ense. 1) USA Pools will hel% arrange for a co on Used -ar Bealershi% so that you can get a discount on a %urchase of a car. 2) )ou can !uy a car fro an auctionM (-ars are chea% there !ut there is always a chance that so e %art of the car ay not work %ro%erly' they do not re%air cars at auctions) 0) )ou can !uy a car fro a car dealerM (cars are ore e:%ensive than fro an auction !ut at least the car is checked and re%aired). #) )ou can also rent a car. +f # %eo%le share a rented car' it will !reak down to a%%ro:. 6351 a %erson for the su er. The advantage of the rented car is that you don=t run the risk of having a %art !roken and re%airing it. Please )eep in "ind t#at at t#e end of our sta in t#e US ou !an sell t#e !ar ba!) to t#e !ar dealers#ip and retrieve so"e of our "one ba!). After you !uy a car' you should !uy ? onths of car insurance that will cost a%%ro:. 651146?11 that !reaks down to 612546151 %er %erson' which is 3A5:A(7$Y. +t is a good idea to have a ,eorgia driver=s license in order to !uy car insurance. )ou will also need to get a car tag.

(-ost a%%ro:. 621) )ou ust have the EtitleF to the car to %urchase the car tag. This is usually given to you when you !uy the car. The auto tag office in .oswell is at 33#1 .oswell .d.' tel.8 (331) 55143?21. Pu!lic Trans%ortation MA.TA is ,eorgia=s train and !us syste . This ode of trans%ortation' however' will not take you to every %ool that USA Pools o%erates. To receive a schedule of the train and !us routes you can call MA.TA=s -usto er Service at (#1#) ;#;4#;11 and %ress the E1F key when %ro %ted. MA.TA=s we! site is8 www.its"arta.!o" .ousing )ou can rent an a%art ent (UA&U.A+SC*B) for a!out 6;11 %er onth or even less. +f you have # %ersons sharing the onthly %ay ent it co es down to a%%ro:. 6225 a %erson %er onth. Cot and cold water are included. As the a%art ent is unfurnished you should %rovide !eds' linens' eating utensils' a ta!le and chairs etc. )ou can !uy inflata!le !eds (very co forta!leJJJ) fro any arket or all (the chea%est are in <al4 Mart and Target). The rest you can !uy fro garage sales. )ou can search for an a%art ent at www.citysearch.co or www.digitalcity.co . These ty%es of we!sites will give you an idea what the cost of housing and living is in your 5o! %lace ent co unity. ,rocery stores like <al4Mart and Nroger=s usually carry free real estate guides. There are three ty%es of renting8 1) .ent8 )ou sign a lease or agree ent with your landlord for a s%ecific %eriod of ti e. 9e clear with your landlord that you need the housing for short %eriod of ti e. 2) Su!let8 )ou do not sign the lease with the landlord. +nstead' you lease the a%art ent fro a leaseholder. 0) Share8 )ou live with so eone who has already rented the %lace and you share the e:%enses with this %erson. Rental agreements: +f you rent or su!let' ake sure you sign a rental agree ent and kee% a co%y for yourself. This agree ent %rotects the tenant and the landlord !y stating the rental %rice and the ti e %eriod for which you will reside in the a%art ent and %ay rent. 9efore you sign any agree ent' read the contract thoroughly. (nly written infor ation on a rental agree ent is legally !indingM ver!al agree ents are not. )ou can also live in a hotel roo . This will cost (with # %ersons) a%%ro:. 6@11461111 %er onth which co es down to 622546251 %er %erson %er onth. The advantage of a hotel roo is that it is already furnished with ost of your living needs. +f you live in a hotel or if you change your address fre/uently' it is !etter to rent a P.(. 9o: (6014#1) where you will receive all your letters' !ank

state ents' ail' etc. So e of the !anks do not acce%t hotel addresses since %rivacy is lost. 57(=6 USA Pools will help assist you in the arrangements of setting up a pre-determined apartment or hotel. (elep#one and =-"ail !o""uni!ation *ach international USA Tea Me !er ust %urchase a cellular %hone with local US service to have co unication with the USA Pools office' their %ool location and the other %eo%le that they will !e working with. $ocal cell %hone service usually can !e %urchased for as little as 60@ %er onth. USA Pools reco ends that each international USA Tea Me !er %urchases a o!ile %hone with local US service %rior to arriving to the United States. This will hel% in having eans to co unicate with the USA Pools office while the international USA Tea Me !er is traveling and does not yet have a %er anent %lace of residence. There are a !ig variety of %hone cards' es%ecially for *uro%e. *ach %hone card co %any gives a s%ecific a ount of inutes for a given su of oney. )ou can !uy a %hone card fro al ost any store or arket. &or e:a %le8 the chea%est card for *astern *uro%e is Atlantic S%ecial -ard. +f you have a >+SA card' you can also !uy %hone cards through the +nternet at8 www.5ust%honecards.co *4 ail is free in the li!raries. The .oswell li!rary is very close to the USA Pools office K 115 Aorcross St. Tel.8 (331) ?#140135 2un &irst' look for the >isitors -enter. )ou can find !ooks and !rochures with discount cou%ons in itJJJ Briving directions8 www."ap>uest.!o" Si: &lags a use ent %ark (331) 30@40#11 )ou can find flyers in Nroger=s arket for a 611 discount on Si: &lags tickets. <hite <ater a use ent %ark (331) #2#4@2;0 Stone Mountain Park (331) #@;45?11 $ake $anier +slands (331) @0243211 Ooo Atlanta' ;11 -herokee Av S*. (#1#) ?2#45?11 Atlanta 9otanical ,arden Pied ont Ave at The Prado' (#1#) ;3?45;5@ -AA -enter8 1 -AA -enter' Marietta St. at Techwood Br.' (#1#) ;2342#@1 Attraction in -hattanooga' Tennessee &irst visit -hattanooga=s >isitors 9ureau to have !rochures and discount cou%ons8 2 9road St.' -hattanooga' TA 03#12 (close to the A/uariu )

Tennessee A/uariu 4the !iggest in the world 1 9road St.' -hattanooga' TA 03#11421#;' Tel.8 (;11) 2?241?@5' www.tna/ua.org .u!y &alls $ookout Mountain' 1321 South Scenic Cwy. -hatt. TA 03#1@' Tel.8 (#20) ;21425##' www.ru!yfalls.co .ock -ity ,ardens 1#11 Patten .d.' $ookout Mtn.' ,A 01351' Tel.8 (31?) ;214 2501' www.seerockcity.co Biscothe/ues4in 9uckhead (ravel 0nfor"ation Student Travel Agencies8 STA Agency8 14;114;0?4#115 -ouncil Travel Agency8 14;11422?4;?2# The following site lists ost airlines= toll4free tele%hone nu !ers8 www.neuro%hys.wisc.edu7travel7air%hone.ht l:. ,reyhound 9us Service8 14;1142#?4;532 or 14;11420142222 A trak Trains8 14;114;32432#5 %li"ate K hot and hu id in the su erM ild winter

.olida s There ight !e two a5or US holidays during your stay in the US8 +nde%endence Bay ("uly #) and $a!or Bay (Se%te !er 0). The weekends surrounding these holidays are %o%ular ti es for traveling and rela:ing' so you will %ro!a!ly !e re/uired to work those weekends. :rin)ing and s"o)ing +f you are under 21 years of age' you are A(T allowed to drink and to enter ost of the discos. ,enerally' s oking is not as %o%ular in A erica as it is internationally. Most restaurants have designated s oking areas and any %u!lic !uildings do not allow s oking at all. Aon4s oking A ericans find it rude if you s oke in their ho es without first asking for %er ission. 4eneral Attitudes A ericans are generally frank and outs%oken. )ou should avoid e:tre ely %ersonal /uestions such as those a!out salary' religion or ro antic interests unless they are close friends. <hen s%eaking' A ericans tend to stand a%%ro:i ately two feet away fro each other. Cowever' they ay s%ontaneously touch each other on

the ar or shoulder during conversation. ,enerally' A ericans feel unco forta!le when so eone stands too close to the while s%eaking. 9oth en and wo en usually shake hands when greeting. +n casual situations' %eo%le ay wave instead of shaking hands. A ericans ay greet strangers on the street !y sayingM Hello or Good Morning' although they ay %ass without any greetings. A ericans ay also greet you withM How are you doing! 9ut usually they don=t e:%ect you to answer. (ipping +t is ty%ical in the United States to ti% 15P on a full service restaurant !ill. $ess than 15P is nor ally inter%reted as a sign that the service could !e i %roved. Sending "one #o"e +f you have an account in your ho e country' you should !e a!le to transfer oney to it fairly easily' es%ecially if it is a US dollar account. The transfer usually costs around 601 and ay take three to four weeks to a%%ear in your account4usually it is even faster. +n ost countries the !ank will charge !etween 1.5 K1P of the total su to withdraw cash fro the a ount. )ou can find it convenient to !uy traveler=s checks. +t is a safe way to carry oney' you can use what you need as you travel and change the checks !ack into cash at ho e is relatively easy. The ost i %ortant %art of traveler=s checks is that they are refunda!le if lost or stolen. )ou can re%urchase traveler=s checks at any !ank. There are so e fees involved in converting traveler=s checks to cash in ost of the countries. +n so e %laces it is as low as 1P. +nternational %ostal oney ay also !e a good o%tion. The fee varies de%ending on the destination country and is either 60 or 6;.51 %er oney order. *ach oney order can !e a a:i u of 6311 and there is no li it to how any can !e sent in a given ti e %eriod. +nternational %ostal oney orders are generally issued in US dollars and then converted into local currency at the ti e they are cashed according to the current e:change rate. Most large %ost offices should !e a!le to offer this service. The %rocess ay see a little co %licated at first !ut is relatively easy once you !eco e fa iliar with the ste%s. )ou ay also leave your US account o%en and use your ATM card to withdraw oney as you travel as well as after you return !ack ho e. There ay !e ATM fees that vary fro country to country. +t is also easy for you to close your account !y ail after returning ho e.

Useful Phone Au !ers and we! sites USA PoolsK(331) 2#;41;32M 14;3342#;41USAM www.usa%ools.co Police' A !ulance' &ire Station K @11 +nfor ation 4 #11 Social Security Ad inistration K (331) @0#41021 www.ssa.gov MA.TA K (#1#) ;#;4#;11 www.its arta.co Aew -o er Associations in .oswell K (331) @@24013; * !assy and -onsulate +nfo www.* !assy<orld.co Measures8 &ahrenheit and -elsius Begrees &or ula - Q (&401)8 2 1 foot Q a%%r. 01 c 1 yard Q 0 feet Q a%%r. 1 1 ile Q a%%r. 1?11 1 $i!ra Q a%%r. 1.# kg 1 inch Q 25.5 1 ounce Q 2; gr 1 gallon Q #.5 liters Ti e Lones *astern8 12 noon -entral8 11 a. . Mountain8 11 a. . Pacific8 @ a. .