The first part of the Reading Task 1
Four people have shared their experience with agencies organising work placement at American summer camps. Read their comments (A – D) and answer the questions. For each question (1-4), choose one of the texts (A – D). Write one appropriate letter (A, B, C or D) next to the question (1-4).
Each text may be used more than once.
A
I cannot fault the office or the service in any way. They are always at the end of the phone or quickly responding to e-mails for support or anything like flights, visas, insurance or interviews. Normally, I am easily overwhelmed when given large checklists and many profile links, especially if the website is not very user-friendly. However, this system felt really easy to navigate and find the placement. Their website is a great place for information and the forum is very useful as well, helping you find any answers to questions during the application and placement stages. So, in my opinion, they have sensible prices, considering how much they organize for you. There was a moment when I was confused at the short window I had to reply to camps and nearly missed the one I wanted, but, luckily, customer support managed to work hard and get me in. This is not the first agency I am applying through and I must admit it has been the polar opposite of my previous experience. Brian
B
The scheme was quite helpful in organizing my summer abroad. I was pleased with the process as it was well thought out and quite straightforward. Despite being a little bit nervous for my interview, it ran really smoothly as my interviewer put me at ease. However, trouble arose when I arrived in the USA. The support there was severely lacking with the provided phone number literally just being an answering service who might as well not know what the agency is. So, if you end up in legal trouble or something similar while there, you will be on your own as e-mail replies also take days to arrive. There is also not really enough transparency on their pricing policy. Perhaps my accommodation could have been cheaper if I had booked it myself. However, overall, if you take care of the details, the agency provides quite a valuable experience. Candice
C
They might be useful in finding you a camp but that is as much as you can expect from them. They already take most of your pay and they find other ways to take your money on top. What is more, there is very little time given to arrange all the documents after the recruitment interview. As a result, I had to pay additional costs to send my documents as well as book last minute flights. When I arrived at the camp, I quickly realised that the camp was understaffed and under-resourced. The management of the camp did not give me any assistance and my training consisted of being handed a leaflet. Moreover, they did not take my claims seriously, but instead dismissed them as me being ‘overwhelmed at being in a new country’, which I find appalling. So, make sure you do your research before choosing an agency. Darren
D
It is a fantastic cultural exchange agency which provides young people with a chance to work in the USA for the summer. From the day I hit ‘apply’, the journey was incredible and I cannot thank the agency enough for giving me the opportunity. The application process as a whole, though pricey, was easy to get through, including the interview part. The customer service was very supportive: even when in the USA, they were able to assist me with their team in close reach at all times. I would not say that work at the camp was as easy as I had expected it to be. However, dealing with daily challenges helped me learn so many new skills and took me beyond what I thought I was capable of doing. The people I met and activities I was part of have profoundly affected and inspired me in a way I did not know was possible. I immersed myself in a totally new culture, developed independence and made lifelong friends. I am currently heading out for my third summer and would not change it for the world! Alice
1. Which person criticises the way urgent cases were dealt with? — Text
2. Which person gives an example of how their concerns were ignored? — Text
3. Which person indicates that, despite financial concerns, they see value in the opportunity provided by the agency? — Text
4. Which person gives an example of a time-related problem the agency helped them resolve? — Text
Atsauce:
https://www.visc.gov.lv. Centralizētais eksāmens par vispārējās vidējās izglītības apguvi angļu valodā 11. klasei, 2023
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