While we now go by The Arc of East Middlesex, our legal name remains EMARC-   East Middlesex Association for Retarded Citizens, Inc. 

EMARC is an International training site for foreign individuals with teaching or social service backgrounds. We offer you a chance to experience an 18-month paid work- training placement, working with developmentally disabled adults in our residential or vocational division. Our Administrative office is located in Reading Mass., which is approximately 10 miles from Boston Massachusetts. EMARC has discovered that trainees from other countries bring the richness of their culture and provide our American counterparts with fresh ideas and a different perspective within our service system.

Since 1996 EMARC has placed more than 50 British, Hungarian, Canadian, Jamaican, and staff from the Czech Republic. EMARC continues to work closely with the American Youth Work Center in Washington DC to sponsor the training J-1 visa. An applicant must have experience within the social service field, an International Drivers License, ability to speak and write English and arrive for placement with an appropriate amount of personal funds. (US $3,000.00) Once EMARC has selected an applicant for the training placement, the American Youth Work Center will assist the individual in filling out all the proper documents. Once the applicant has a valid passport and a valid J-1 Visa, a representative from EMARC will coordinate all arrival and living arrangements.

Placements are 18 months, the maximum by law. In our program, you must agree to and are obligated under U.S. Immigration Law to leave the U.S. within 30 days of the end of your placement or immediately if you leave your placement early for any reason.

EMARC recognizes that the transition from your home to the United States may be a difficult one so we provide the following support to help you with the change:

• May offer up to US $500.00 in resettlement expenses payable at the time of arrival. If provided, it may be deducted from the trainees final paycheck if he or she is dropped or terminates the program early.
• Pay the Practical Trainee the prevailing wage and fringe benefits for the same position filled by our workers.
• Offer health and all other time off benefits (3 weeks of Earned time off).
• We locate and furnish an apartment
• Pick up the new trainee at the airport.
• We go food shopping to purchase certain basis food staples.
• Take the applicant to the Social Security office to obtain a SS#
• Assist the trainee in the purchase of a car/insurance.
• We provide orientation, training and supervision.

As EMARC continues to grow and move forward we will continue to look world wide to find the best possible staff that can enrich our organization. We will continue to look for other countries to add to our list and embrace the cultural diversity that it brings to our service system.

If you have a question about the program please email mberardo@theemarc.org