J-1 Visa Food Service Director Jobs
Food Service Director roles in the United States are available to international professionals through the J-1 visa Trainee or Specialist program category, administered by a U.S. Department of State-designated sponsor organization. Finding a host employer willing to coordinate J-1 sponsorship is the first step toward securing your placement.
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Get Access To All JobsBuckner International: Camp Buckner
Location: Burnet, TX - Onsite
Address: 3835 FM2342, Burnet, TX 78611
Job Schedule: Summer 2026, May to August
Join a friendly team of passionate individuals at Camp Buckner this summer! Be part of the Guest Services team as a Summer Staff Hospitality Intern, where you'll help create a warm and welcoming experience for our guests. You'll have the opportunity to support the guest services team in delivering a welcoming experience for guests by assigning rooms, addressing requests, and supporting retreat activities.
Through this internship, you will gain exposure to assisting with housekeeping, food service, and facility setup, as well as serving meals and maintaining banquet operations. This role also involves responding to safety concerns, upholding camp policies, and working collaboratively with staff. This is a supervised, learning-focused internship designed to provide hands-on experience in hospitality, guest services, and camp operations.
What You’ll Do
- Assist staff in welcoming guests, supporting room assignments and responding to guest needs. Observe and assist staff in supporting retreat leaders and guests. Assist with housekeeping, food service, and maintenance tasks to enhance guest comfort.
- Set up, clean, and prepare meeting facilities, helping ensure they meet guest requirements.
- Assist staff with retreat activities and guest engagement. Serve guests during meal times and support banquet hall operations as needed.
- Assist with distributing guest feedback surveys and sharing results with the supervisor. Report safety concerns to supervisors and follow camp protocols. Act as a positive role model, upholding Buckner policies and regulatory requirements.
- Work collaboratively with staff, attend training sessions, and participate in meetings.
- Perform office tasks and support housekeeping, maintenance, and banquet operations as required.
- Work nights and weekends as needed to meet business demands.
- Complete additional assignments or special projects as directed.
What You’ll Bring:
- High School Diploma (or G.E.D.) required.
- Requires a current certification or the willingness to obtain and maintain certifications in CPR/AED for Professional Rescuers and Health Care Providers and Responding to Emergencies: First Aid from a Nationally Recognized Certification Program.
- Thrives in dynamic environments with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
- Requires proficient ability to speak, read and write English.
- Requires ability to understand and carry out detailed oral and written instructions.
- Requires ability to speak clearly and make self understood effectively in face-to-face interactions; articulate with accuracy when speaking on the phone.
- Requires ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing and speak in front of large groups; excellent public speaking and presentation skills required.
- Requires ability to hear and receive verbal instructions, answer phones, communicate with people in situations with some background noise.
- Requires ability to establish and maintain effective and appropriate working relationships with staff, vendors, campers, families, church groups, representatives, etc.
- Requires ability to work under pressure and remain flexible as priorities change.
- Requires ability to work under minimal supervision while exercising excellent professional judgment.
- Requires ability to maintain confidentiality.
- Requires recognition that the organization is a faith-based organization operating with a commitment to Christian principles.
- Ability to use up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 25 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force continuously to move objects.
- Work deals mostly with objects, equipment and/or machines where the seeing job is at or within arm’s reach. Depth perception and field of vision (peripheral) are of some importance.
- Ability to stand, walk, stand and sit, sometimes for prolonged periods of time.
- Requires ability to crawl, kneel, climb, bend, turn, twist, stoop, reach, grasp, push, pull and carry or otherwise manipulate objects.
- Requires sufficient good health to properly discharge duties.
EEO
The same way we treat our employees is how we treat all applicants – with respect. Buckner is an equal opportunity employer (EEO is the law). You will be treated fairly throughout our recruiting process and without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status in consideration for a career at Buckner.
Buckner International: Camp Buckner
Location: Burnet, TX - Onsite
Address: 3835 FM2342, Burnet, TX 78611
Job Schedule: Summer 2026, May to August
Join a friendly team of passionate individuals at Camp Buckner this summer! Be part of the Guest Services team as a Summer Staff Hospitality Intern, where you'll help create a warm and welcoming experience for our guests. You'll have the opportunity to support the guest services team in delivering a welcoming experience for guests by assigning rooms, addressing requests, and supporting retreat activities.
Through this internship, you will gain exposure to assisting with housekeeping, food service, and facility setup, as well as serving meals and maintaining banquet operations. This role also involves responding to safety concerns, upholding camp policies, and working collaboratively with staff. This is a supervised, learning-focused internship designed to provide hands-on experience in hospitality, guest services, and camp operations.
What You’ll Do
- Assist staff in welcoming guests, supporting room assignments and responding to guest needs. Observe and assist staff in supporting retreat leaders and guests. Assist with housekeeping, food service, and maintenance tasks to enhance guest comfort.
- Set up, clean, and prepare meeting facilities, helping ensure they meet guest requirements.
- Assist staff with retreat activities and guest engagement. Serve guests during meal times and support banquet hall operations as needed.
- Assist with distributing guest feedback surveys and sharing results with the supervisor. Report safety concerns to supervisors and follow camp protocols. Act as a positive role model, upholding Buckner policies and regulatory requirements.
- Work collaboratively with staff, attend training sessions, and participate in meetings.
- Perform office tasks and support housekeeping, maintenance, and banquet operations as required.
- Work nights and weekends as needed to meet business demands.
- Complete additional assignments or special projects as directed.
What You’ll Bring:
- High School Diploma (or G.E.D.) required.
- Requires a current certification or the willingness to obtain and maintain certifications in CPR/AED for Professional Rescuers and Health Care Providers and Responding to Emergencies: First Aid from a Nationally Recognized Certification Program.
- Thrives in dynamic environments with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
- Requires proficient ability to speak, read and write English.
- Requires ability to understand and carry out detailed oral and written instructions.
- Requires ability to speak clearly and make self understood effectively in face-to-face interactions; articulate with accuracy when speaking on the phone.
- Requires ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing and speak in front of large groups; excellent public speaking and presentation skills required.
- Requires ability to hear and receive verbal instructions, answer phones, communicate with people in situations with some background noise.
- Requires ability to establish and maintain effective and appropriate working relationships with staff, vendors, campers, families, church groups, representatives, etc.
- Requires ability to work under pressure and remain flexible as priorities change.
- Requires ability to work under minimal supervision while exercising excellent professional judgment.
- Requires ability to maintain confidentiality.
- Requires recognition that the organization is a faith-based organization operating with a commitment to Christian principles.
- Ability to use up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 25 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force continuously to move objects.
- Work deals mostly with objects, equipment and/or machines where the seeing job is at or within arm’s reach. Depth perception and field of vision (peripheral) are of some importance.
- Ability to stand, walk, stand and sit, sometimes for prolonged periods of time.
- Requires ability to crawl, kneel, climb, bend, turn, twist, stoop, reach, grasp, push, pull and carry or otherwise manipulate objects.
- Requires sufficient good health to properly discharge duties.
EEO
The same way we treat our employees is how we treat all applicants – with respect. Buckner is an equal opportunity employer (EEO is the law). You will be treated fairly throughout our recruiting process and without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status in consideration for a career at Buckner.
See all J-1 Visa Food Service Director Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new J-1 Visa Food Service Director Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding J-1 Visa Sponsorship in Food Service Director
Match your credentials to program eligibility
J-1 Trainee eligibility requires a degree or professional certificate in hospitality, food service management, or a related field, plus at least one year of experience outside the U.S. Gather transcripts, credential evaluations, and letters confirming your work history before approaching host employers.
Target employers with institutional dining operations
Hospitals, university dining services, and large corporate campuses hire Food Service Directors and are more familiar with J-1 host agreements than independent restaurants. These institutions have legal and HR teams that can coordinate the required training plan documentation.
Search J-1-compatible roles on Migrate Mate
Use Migrate Mate to filter Food Service Director postings by employers with a history of international hiring. This narrows your search to organizations already equipped to engage a designated sponsor and host a J-1 exchange visitor.
Negotiate a structured training plan before accepting offers
Your designated sponsor requires a detailed training plan outlining your program objectives, supervision structure, and rotation schedule. Confirm your prospective host employer will complete this document before you sign anything, since the DS-2019 cannot be issued without it.
Verify the two-year home residency requirement applies to you
Some J-1 Trainee and Specialist participants are subject to a two-year home residency requirement before changing to certain U.S. visa categories. Check whether your country of citizenship or your funding source triggers this requirement, as it affects long-term career planning in the U.S.
Confirm the host employer's wage meets DOL prevailing rates
Your designated sponsor will verify that your compensation aligns with U.S. wage standards for Food Service Directors in your region. Cross-reference your offer against Bureau of Labor Statistics data for your metro area so you can flag discrepancies before your training plan is finalized.
Food Service Director J-1 Visa: Frequently Asked Questions
Which J-1 program category covers Food Service Director roles?
Food Service Director positions typically fall under the J-1 Trainee or Specialist category. Trainee applies if you hold a relevant degree and have at least one year of post-degree professional experience. Specialist applies to experienced practitioners with substantial expertise in hospitality or institutional food service management who do not fit the Trainee educational profile. The host employer works with a designated sponsor to determine the correct category before issuing the DS-2019.
Who actually sponsors the J-1 visa for a Food Service Director?
The visa sponsor is a U.S. Department of State-designated organization, not your employer. Organizations like Cultural Vistas or AIPT administer the program by issuing the DS-2019, reviewing the training plan, and monitoring compliance throughout your stay. Your employer is the host, responsible for the day-to-day placement, but the designated sponsor holds the legal responsibility for your exchange visitor status.
How do I find U.S. employers willing to host a J-1 Food Service Director?
Migrate Mate lets you search Food Service Director roles posted by employers with international hiring backgrounds, making it easier to identify hosts already open to coordinating with a designated sponsor. Large institutional employers, contract food service companies, and university dining operations are among the most common host types for this role category.
What documents does my host employer need to provide for my J-1 application?
Your host employer must complete a structured training plan, often called a Training or Internship Placement Plan, that outlines your program goals, daily activities, supervision details, and evaluation schedule. They also need to confirm the compensation offered meets applicable wage standards and sign a host organization agreement with your designated sponsor. Without these documents, the sponsor cannot issue your DS-2019.
Does the two-year home residency requirement affect Food Service Directors on J-1?
It can. The two-year home residency requirement applies when your J-1 funding comes from a U.S. or home-country government program, or when your home country has designated your field as a skill that nationals should return to develop. Food service management is not universally on those lists, but you should verify your specific situation with your designated sponsor before accepting a placement, especially if you plan to pursue a different U.S. visa afterward.