Sagamore Policies

Sagamore Policies

MOVE POLICY: If you wish to transfer to another school you must complete an application to move and the move is subject to approval by Sagamore staff. In most circumstances, Sagamore requires a letter from your current principal that indicates that you are in good standing and that the school has no objections to the move. A $300 charge is applicable for moves outside the current district. The standard window for requesting a move to another school is between the successful completion of the second-year and before the commencement of the third-year teaching in the U.S. and only if the health, safety and welfare of the teacher is impacted by forces out of the teachers control. A move at a different time will only be considered in extreme situations. Do not end your contract or begin interviewing at other schools until your move has been approved. (Move Request Form)

  • This move policy does not apply to teachers in the Embassy of Spain program. EoS teachers should refer to the embassy program for their policy on transfers.

EMPLOYMENT POLICY: You must remain employed (under contract) as a full-time,  lead teacher for the duration of your stay in the U.S. in order for your J-1 Visa to be valid. Authorized employment includes compensation received from the host school for a teaching position that is included on the DS-2019.  You may receive supplemental income from the school/district for things like coaching a sport, leading a club or teaching summer school.  However, part-time employment outside of the host school/district where a social security number needs to be provided, is not permitted.  Unauthorized employment is grounds for visa termination.

INSURANCE COVERAGE POLICY: You must maintain compliant coverage for yourself and any J-2s for every day you are in the program, including when you are traveling outside of the country. You can read more about what is required for a plan to be compliant on our insurance page.

HOST SCHOOL POLICIES: Host schools typically maintain a code of conduct that you’ll need to sign. Please make sure you are following both your school’s policies and Sagamore’s policies.

EXTENDED LEAVE: Extended leave is primarily determined by your school and must be requested through their system or process. You must notify Sagamore by emailing j1@sagamoreinstitute.org when you request a leave of absence from your school. Leave requests should not exceed 20 working days during the school year or 80 working days for maternity leave.

THINGS TO NOTIFY US ABOUT RIGHT AWAY:

  • The initial arrival of you and/or a dependent into the US on your J visa (Email Us)
  • An incident with the police or a car accident (Incident Form)
  • Serious medical issues (Incident Form)
  • A serious incident at your school that endangers your employment (Incident Form)
  • Within 10 days, changes to your: Email Address, Cell Phone Number and Home Address (Update Your Information Form)
    • Address: you must live within 50 miles of the school you are teaching at
  • A change at school: you are teaching a different class or grade level, or you get a new principal (Update Your Information Form)
  • A new passport (Update Your Information Form)
  • Dependents who will be joining you in the U.S. (Bring a J-2 Form)
  • Plans to travel outside the country (you will need your DS2019 signed for travel by a Sagamore J1 staff member) (Travel Signature Form)
    • we are now permitted to sign DS2019 forms electronically- however you MUST have a physical copy of it when you travel so please print it once we email it back to you.

THINGS TO COMPLETE EACH YEAR:

  • File your U.S. and State Income Taxes annually by April 15.
  • Submit your cultural activity report on time (Cultural Activity Report Form which will be sent out each fall)
  • Periodically you will be sent an email with a form to complete to verify your current information and address. These forms need to be completed when you receive them.  Sagamore sends a monthly newsletter to all Exchange Visitors with important information.

Emergency Contacts

Medical Emergency:
         9-1-1 (from cell phone or landline)

Insurance Emergency: If you have an issue with the EGI insurance that needs to be resolved after business hours, please call our insurance provider below:

        IMG Insurance Emergency Number:   855-731-9445 or 317-927-6806

For a non-medical emergency, please reach out to the sponsor first:

       Sagamore Emergency Line: 317-754-4227

US State Department: If you have an emergency and are unable to reach your sponsor, you may call the US State Department emergency line (example: you have been arrested, have been the victim of a crime, or are being threatened with being deported)
        US State Department Emergency Hotline: 866-283-9090

Change of Status

The purpose of the Teacher Exchange program is to foster cultural exchange, which includes returning to your home country at the end of your program. Pursuing any change of status violates this purpose and can result in program termination.

All teachers participating in our J‑1 Program must reaffirm the following each year:

  • You will not apply for or pursue any change of immigration status (including H‑1B or any other visa category) while your J‑1 program is active.

  • If you marry while in the program, you will not apply for a marriage‑based change of status until after your J‑1 program has officially ended.

  • Any attempt to change status during the program may result in termination of your J‑1 sponsorship.

Important Reminders

  • We will periodically send emails and requests for you to connect with us. Please answer these promptly. Check your spam email periodically and mark us as a safe sender with your email provider.
  • Keep your DS2019 and passport together at all times.  DO NOT travel without your DS2019! You will have a stamped version of your DS2019 and potentially another version if any updates have been made. Print in color so our signature shows in blue.
    • To travel with your DS2019, it will need to have a valid travel signature in the box on the bottom right hand side of the page. Each signature is valid for 1 YEAR. After that you will need to obtain another signature from us in order to travel outside of the country. You can find information on how to submit it to us here. 
  • Pay your invoices on time.  Talk to us if there is an issue.
  • In a school setting, societal norms regarding acceptable behavior may differ from those in your home country. This is particularly important to keep in mind when it comes to interactions with students. Teachers should under no circumstance use any form of physical punishment in a class or use profanity in the classroom. Teachers also should refer to their host school’s policy for guidance on appropriate physical contact with students.

You and your J-2 dependents will need to pay visa fees each year.  Refer to the fees page of this website for current information.  Most school districts will pay the visa fees for teachers and some school districts will also pay the fees for dependents.  However, you will be responsible for paying these fees if your school or district does not.

Annual visa fee invoices are sent out during the months of July and August. If dependents arrived separately than the J1 teacher, teachers may request to add their dependent fees to the J1 annual invoice. Otherwise, we will invoice separately around the anniversary date of their arrival, each year. Payment plans are available upon request for a nominal fee. Late fees may apply on overdue invoices.

It is our hope that teachers with families will be able to bring their families with them to the US.  If your spouse or children will be coming only for short stays periodically they should consider using a B visa to save money. Your spouse and any children under the age of 21 may come with you for the duration of your stay on J-2 visas. Your spouse or older child may apply for a social security card once they are in the US so that they may be able to work too. J-2 dependents that are in the U.S., must reside with their J-1 parent unless they are attending college or university. J-1’s must keep Sagamore up to date with the current address of the J-2.

We provide a form so that you can let us know that a dependent will be coming to the US.  We will issue a DS2019 for your dependent so that they may apply for a visa as well.  Dependents on a J-2 visa have the same insurance requirements as teachers on a J-1 visa.

It is important to remember that there are additional expenses associated with having family members in the US.  We encourage you to review the budget estimator  before making decisions about who will join you.

I-765 Resource Page

J-2 spouses and older children who want to be able to work in the United States may file Form I-765,  Application for Employment Authorization, to request an Employment Authorization Document (EAD).

  • There is a non-refundable $520 filing fee paid to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
  • The application can take up to eight months to process.
  • This is not a service that Sagamore offers but we have a I-765 Resource Page you can use to guide you through the process.

The application process must be completed very precisely.  After reviewing the application, the USCIS may deny the request or they may send a letter asking for additional information.  If additional information is requested, follow the directions in the letter to submit the documentation.

We hope that you receive all of the support and information that you need about the school that has offered you a job so that you will be successful in that placement throughout your time as a J-1 teacher.  However, we do allow you to move to a different school after the second year in the US if you have a valid reason. There is a $300 charge to move schools.

All moves must be approved by your sponsor prior to accepting a new position.  Do not resign from your current position until you have approval from us for a move to a different school.

Moving can be expensive, particularly if you are changing locations.  A new school must meet the program requirements.

Your health, safety and welfare are our primary concern, so if you have an issue with your current school, please let us know so that we can assist you in resolving it.

As part of our commitment to your health, safety and welfare, we ask that you report to us any incident that we need to know about.  For example, if you are very ill or hospitalized, if you have a car accident or an interaction with law enforcement, if you need to return home because of an emergency, we ask that you let us know.

We provide a form for you to complete to document the situation and in some cases, we need to report this to the State Department.  You can find the form here.

Social Media Policy

Click HERE for a full copy of Sagamore’s Social Media Policy.  Your social media accounts are subject to monitoring by the State Department for the duration of your program. 

  • Your behavior on social media should reflect the same standards of honesty, respect and consideration that you adhere to in all forms of communications and interactions.
  • Consider whether a particular posting puts your professional reputation and effectiveness as an Exchange Visitor at risk.
  • Do not submit or post confidential or protected information about Sagamore or the school where you are located, its students, alumni, or employees.
  • Do not post photos of students on social media (if a student is in a picture their face must be blacked out).
  • Do not use language that could be considered defamatory, obscene, proprietary, or libelous, or that constitutes an incitement to imminent violence or a true threat.
  • Do not post or otherwise publish content that is or could reasonably be perceived as bullying, discrimination, or harassment.
  • Refrain from accepting current students as “friends” on personal social media sites.
  • Assume that anything you post to a personal social media site can be accessed by anyone and will be available forever.
  • Be sure to be familiar with any social media policy that host school/ district may have and adhere to those guidelines.
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