J1

David19

Im going on the J1 with a few friends this summer. Im just wondering where people would recommend I go? I was thinking about new york or san francisco but maybe it would be better to stay out of the cities? Any other advice?

Thanks.

penexpers

Well I've never been but I know someone who went to NYC last year and the only job she could find was a waitress earning $2 + tips, but sometimes her tips were nothing.

David19

Hmm thats not much lol. Its illegal. She should have said something unless she was there illegally. I've heard a $100 a night is typical in a restaurant/bar.

Gandhi

The people who seem to have the best laugh and make the most money are the ones who go to the holiday resorts in the Northeast. I know you probably don't want to just do what everybody else does, but the big cities and the resorts are really the only places in the US where you can get around without a car.

Ocean City, Maryland (not Ocean City, New Jersey - which is a dry town) is about the best from what I've seen. You can always tour around at the end and check out Boston, Philly, New York, Washington etc.

Do not do what I did and go working in a Chicken Processing Plant in rural Alabama for a J1 summer.
Worst. Idea. Ever.

drrnwbb

Gandhi wrote:

Do not do what I did and go working in a Chicken Processing Plant in rural Alabama for a J1 summer.
Worst. Idea. Ever.

crieky, that does sound pretty bad

i went with 3 other friends on a j1 to nyc in '99, we all got intern jobs in architects offices, money was pretty good too. lived in queens in an apartment we got through a contact there (he let four of us stay with him for a few nights on his floor while he looked for an apartment). we were pretty lucky. i would recommend nyc, it was great fun, pretty safe, lots going on all the time. but make sure whereever you go to see if you have some relations, or friends of relations or friends of friends who know the area and have contacts. makes everythign so much easier.

dw

Third_Echelon

Yeah NYC is great. I did the J1 there in 2001. It was the best summer ever...

Its a lot easier to get a job if you are a bloke. Im not being sexist, but in all reality the main thing thats available for girls for a few months is waitressing in NYC. The majority of Irish girls I knew there were doing that. And $2 per hour is the going rate for waitressing no matter if you are legal or illegal... its the tips where you make the money... and if you do go there... remember to tip the waitress...

For blokes there are a lot of alternatives. There is always plenty of work in apartment buildings. I was a porter and doorman on Park Ave. for the summer. It was good craic, nice people and the money was class. I was turning over about $800 per week. Thats a lot of money in ireland, but in NYC its not great. It gets you by though...

Anyway, do a bit of research before you head over. The building management companies are the best ones to try. The own/manage a lot of apartment buildings and would be the best ones to target rather than individual buildings...

Gumley-Haft-Kleiner were the crowd i worked with:
http://www.ghkrealty.com/
on the contact page there is phone numbers etc. Its better to give them a call rather than email. I cant remember the contact person we had. If i do ill pm it.

There are jobs going in the building/labouring trade as well. You usually get them through contacts though rather than cold calling...

NY is a city were you need to know people and have contacts. If you have one contact thats all you need. Because they have contacts and the mountain of contacts keeps getting bigger...

The best place to live is in queens. Its affordable and its a nice area. We were in Sunnyside, Queens, which was a lovely area. 10 mins from Manhattan on the subway. There are lots of good places on the 7 train line.. Sunnyside, woodside are all popular with the irish...

A word of warning.. dont go to irish bars too much.. they aint irish.. sample new york nightlife... its a lot better... and oh yeah go and see the mets play in shea...

Alternatively there is Long Island, New York. Plenty of beach type work. The hamptons and montauk are popular with the irish J1ers. Theres plenty of work out there in hotels, beach bars, boat rental places etc. And its a great place for socialising as well.. beaches, bars, clubs.. and the women.. oh my god

Anyway, my vote goes for NY... the city that never sleeps...

It was so good, im seriously making plans next year to go and work there.. Might be able to get a transfer with work.... its great.. go to NY...

namaimo

Just did the whole J1 thing in Hawaii last year -we went to maui which is the best island to go to for jobs,accom,things to do etc. I couldnt recommend it more.
Theres no problem with jobs and the money is good about $8 an hour plus tips of over $100 a night! well were talking rich american tourists here arnt we!
But of course its not all about the job,theres amazing scenery, sunsets, snorkeeling, scuba diving etc. its just unreal...
Only downside is its quite expensive to get there about E1700-but so worth it!

David19

Ok thanks for the replies so far. They've been helpful. Thanks for typing all that Third_Echelon. Whats the alcohol situation like? I'll only be 20 when Im there. Is it hard to get served? Will I have to get a fake id?

namaimo

a fake id is a must if you want to get served in an off license or bar or befriend an irish bar worker and drink in that pub.

drrnwbb

David19 wrote:

Ok thanks for the replies so far. They've been helpful. Thanks for typing all that Third_Echelon. Whats the alcohol situation like? I'll only be 20 when Im there. Is it hard to get served? Will I have to get a fake id?

its easier to get served in new york if you're under 21 than it is in san fran for example. i was 22 when i was in nyc, the people i was with were all under 21 and we had almost no problems.

dw

Third_Echelon

David19 wrote:

Ok thanks for the replies so far. They've been helpful. Thanks for typing all that Third_Echelon. Whats the alcohol situation like? I'll only be 20 when Im there. Is it hard to get served? Will I have to get a fake id?

no probs... i like typing..

getting into bars and getting drink etc is a lot easier than anywhere else in the states... i never had any issues. I think i was only asked once for id the whole summer..

what we did was photocopy our passports a few times.. change the dates etc and photocopy the doctored photocopy...

I just said that i was on business and didnt carry my passport in case i lose it, so i photocopied it.. it seemed to work ok... If you can get something a bit more 'legit' id say go for that though....

Jivin Turkey

First and foremost, get yourself a fake ID. There are always guys around all the colleges doing up bogey driving liscences. Should be the first thing in your bag. It will bring great piece of mind that you will get in pretty much anywhere.

Second, Ive been over on J1s (twice), I also visited my brother when I was in first year in college, and then visited mats of mine after my finals. Ive experienced J1 life in Boston, New York, Chicago (twice) and San Fran, and I have to say Chicago is the business. When we were there we got jobs no prob but Ive heard that it has gotten a bit harder. But it doesnt really matter because going out is dirt cheap. Some people make loads, some people dont, but they are the one who in general dont work at all (mates of mine got by only working 12 days all Summer)! But the main thing is, no matter how much money you make (or not) everyone gets by.

Every night of the week there are bars that do $1 beers, or half price cocktails, or happy hours with free booze, they are all open until 4am too . And they are always jammed with fellow J1ers who are out for a laugh. If you like drinking, partying and general mayhem I cant recommend this place high enough. Its a quality city too, because its huge so you get the whole American experience, but its not of the magnitude of NYC where it is so big you would find it difficult to get around it. Accomodation is plentiful because there are a few colleges in the city, hence there is plenty of vacant student accomodation in the Summer months.

NYC was cool, but we all got a bit sick of it by the end. We worked as caddys in the rich northern suburbs of Westchester, and made shocking amounts of money. On the weekends then we would be shifting $250+ in Manhattan bars/clubs ordering the most expensive cocktails and the likes. It was great and all, but it just didnt have the same appeal as Chicago. The people arent as friendly and judging by fellow J1ers we met it is hard enough to get affordable accomodatiom. We were lucky and had a place going over.

SF is a lovely place, and people that go there rave about it, but I wasnt overly impressed. From my experience it is the favoured destination of posh rugger toffs, which was also a black mark against it IMO. Bars close at 2am.

Boston is again nice, but they are very strict on the 21 thing. Bars close early too. Mass as a state is known as the really strict catholic state. I dont think offys even open on Sundays! This can be disastrous as the days all mould into one over there and before you know it you are left with no beer on a Sunday and no where to buy some!

In summary, if you like drinking everynight, going out, getting wrecked, meeting birds, go to Chicago. You wont be disappointed.

chump

I'm fairly sure I'm gona head over this (next) summer... after my finals,,, thing is what's the deal with getting the J1 nowadays when you're applying in your final year?

penexpers

You can't get a J1 in your final year. You can only get a H2B visa which costs alot more than a J1 and requires you to find a job before you go and the only jobs going under the scheme are in places like 6 Flags where the wages are $6 an hour.

Jivin Turkey

penexpers wrote:

You can't get a J1 in your final year. You can only get a H2B visa which costs alot more than a J1 and requires you to find a job before you go and the only jobs going under the scheme are in places like 6 Flags where the wages are $6 an hour.

That was the case last year, but Im not 100% if it is still the case. A few of my friends are in final year and Im pretty sure they can get them, at least they think so! Could be wrong though.

I think if you were planning to come back and do a Masters you are not classed as final year either.

penexpers

According to usit it's the same as last year. If you're coming back to do a masters, you need to submit a signed letter from the college stating that you've been accepted on a masters course.

Jivin Turkey

Well if it is the case Ill let my mates know, they seem to be under the impression that they will get one no bother.

Anyway, Chicago all the way!

Third_Echelon

From the SAYIT website:
http://www.sayit.ie/jone.php?id=3

You must meet the following requirements:

Be a minimum of 18 on date of travel and a maximum of 28

Be currently enrolled at a College, University, PLC or any other third level institution.

Course of attendance must be by day and a minimum of 2 years duration, full time. You must be returning to college for the academic year 2005/06. Your course of study should ultimately lead to degree level.

Possess a valid passport at the time of application. It must also be valid for at least 6 months after your return from the US.

Unlimited number of second / third time applicants are permitted to travel.

Final Year students are not eligible to travel. (See Trainee Programme or Work Australia for summer alternatives)

The J1 2005 Programme is open to students of any nationality studying in Ireland or Irish nationals on Erasmus or Socrates abroad.

Second & third time applicants not in their final year are eligible to participate on the programme.

Please Note: 1 Year post-grad courses are not eligible