J1 to San Francisco (on my lonesome!)

Tusky

Heyo..I know, I know. Another boring J1 thread. I would be muchly thankful if yea could help me out in answering a few questions though.

I've pretty much decided on San Francisco as my J1 destination. Im still trying to wrangle a few friends into it but its looking likely that I will end up going on my own. Has anyone got any experience in this ? Would you recommend it or have any advice in regards to going on your own ? (I'm 23)

Because I'll likely be going on my own, staying in a frat house in Berkeley is probably the best option. How do I book a room in one of these places ?

Should I wait till I get over or try to secure work here ?

I havent booked anything yet. Whats the latest I should leave it before booking the J1/flights ?

Lastly, should I go with useit or the other crowd ?

All help muchly appreciated!

Valmont

Go for it, you will not even notice you went by yourself once you get there. There's no point in missing the summer of a life time for the sake of a few lazy friends who aren't arsed filling out the paperwork. I used go4less last year and despite their problems the staff were really friendly and helpful and that made all the difference for me.

james1983

Tusky wrote: »

Heyo..I know, I know. Another boring J1 thread. I would be muchly thankful if yea could help me out in answering a few questions though.

I've pretty much decided on San Francisco as my J1 destination. Im still trying to wrangle a few friends into it but its looking likely that I will end up going on my own. Has anyone got any experience in this ? Would you recommend it or have any advice in regards to going on your own ? (I'm 23)

Because I'll likely be going on my own, staying in a frat house in Berkeley is probably the best option. How do I book a room in one of these places ?

Should I wait till I get over or try to secure work here ?

I havent booked anything yet. Whats the latest I should leave it before booking the J1/flights ?

Lastly, should I go with useit or the other crowd ?

All help muchly appreciated!

Firstly San Fran is a top spot to go on your J1 - however Berkley is not San Fran and quite a distance from it relatively speaking! About 30 mins on a train which is a fair bit in terms of getting home after a night out.

If you secure work before you get out there then definitley do that - im not sure how you can do that, but if you can go for it. Regarding work over head straight to Fishermans Wharf for some summer work and the furniture removal companies tend to take on lads for the summer(don't know if you are a bloke or not!).

Lots of people who go on the J1 would stay in an area called The Haight. It is seen as the coolest, cheapest part of the city to live in. It was the birthplace of hippies, acid and all that malarky. Most J1ers try get a gaff there.

Do some reserach regarding who you go with - get quotes/prices of all different agencies and then decide.

Finally get ou their as early as possible - can be quite a rush getting summer work. Don't mess about when you get out there - start looking for a job immediatley and once you have job then you chill out, relax safe in the knowledge you have a few bob coming in. My main message woulod be since you are doing this alone BE SUPER ORGANISED.

PCPhoto

hmmm..... I did a J-1 a couple of years back organised through USIT - they had a group meeting etc to introduce everyone to life in the USA and organise for everyone to apply for social security numbers (very important to do this as soon as you arrive)

Anyway - my point is that you'll meet fellow J-1ers and will have new friends in the USA and if everything goes well...... cheap rent (even if there are 6 of you living in a 2bed apartment).

Enjoy the experience and make sure you have access to a decent amount of money (rent/deposit/food/DRINK etc)

Tusky

james1983 wrote: »

Firstly San Fran is a top spot to go on your J1 - however Berkley is not San Fran and quite a distance from it relatively speaking! About 30 mins on a train which is a fair bit in terms of getting home after a night out.

Lots of people who go on the J1 would stay in an area called The Haight. It is seen as the coolest, cheapest part of the city to live in. It was the birthplace of hippies, acid and all that malarky. Most J1ers try get a gaff there.

My reason for going to Berkerly is because I could stay in a frat house and might find it easier to meet other Irish/American students. This may be harder in city, no?

PCPhoto wrote: »

hmmm..... I did a J-1 a couple of years back organised through USIT - they had a group meeting etc to introduce everyone to life in the USA and organise for everyone to apply for social security numbers (very important to do this as soon as you arrive)

Anyway - my point is that you'll meet fellow J-1ers and will have new friends in the USA and if everything goes well...... cheap rent (even if there are 6 of you living in a 2bed apartment).

Enjoy the experience and make sure you have access to a decent amount of money (rent/deposit/food/DRINK etc)

How much money would I need in the bank account not including flights, fees etc to feel safe ? I intent to work asap but want enough money in case thats not possible.

sadhbhc15

You've picked a brill city! San Fran is beautiful, relaxed and yet buzzing with things to do, especially around Fisherman's Wharf.
Regarding accommodation, how much will it cost you to stay in a frat house? When I was there I stayed in a hostel called The Green Tortoise, nothing fancy but does the job - cheap, very helpful and friendly staff, free breakfast, free internet access and most importantly you'll meet plenty of other travelers. They also organise loads of roadtrips, which are mad craic! Can't remember their URL but if you google it you'll find the info very easily

Best of luck!

Tusky

sadhbhc15 wrote: »

You've picked a brill city! San Fran is beautiful, relaxed and yet buzzing with things to do, especially around Fisherman's Wharf.
Regarding accommodation, how much will it cost you to stay in a frat house? When I was there I stayed in a hostel called The Green Tortoise, nothing fancy but does the job - cheap, very helpful and friendly staff, free breakfast, free internet access and most importantly you'll meet plenty of other travelers. They also organise loads of roadtrips, which are mad craic! Can't remember their URL but if you google it you'll find the info very easily

Best of luck!

Did you stay in the hostel for the entire time you were there?! I would be staying in a hostel for the first week or two until I find a house share/frat house. I will deffo check that one out, cheers.

sadhbhc15

I only spent a month in San Fran and plan was to stay in that hostel for the first week only but loved the atmosphere there so much that I stayed on. It's pretty central, run by young well-traveled staff, and there's no curfew. As I said, rooms are pretty basic but it's cheap and they've a large multi-purpose room where you can hang out in the evenings and meet loads of people!

Enjoy!

james1983

Tusky wrote: »

My reason for going to Berkerly is because I could stay in a frat house and might find it easier to meet other Irish/American students. This may be harder in city, no?



How much money would I need in the bank account not including flights, fees etc to feel safe ? I intent to work asap but want enough money in case thats not possible.

I understand why you think it would be a good idea to go to a frat house in Berkley, but you would be much better off trying to find a place to live in the actual city. You will feel isolated out in Berkley and i can't see why you couldn't find a room in San Fran. You will probaly getting chatting to fellow students at the orientation day which is organised for students and put yourself out there and try make contacts(try find out what hostels these people are going to initally and book into the same one in order to build friendships).

I'd recommend bring 2,000 E at least. Accomadation will be maybe 400 dollars plus another 400 for deposit. Just start saving now - would you spend money for where you are now (i presume your in Cork,Galway,Dublin and have gone out there 1000 times) or keep your bobs for San Fran/trips in California.

As i say since you are going on your own get reseraching now and really be well organised before you get out there and dont bother your arse going out in Dublin, Cork, etc and keep your money for San Fran.

Tusky

james1983 wrote: »

I understand why you think it would be a good idea to go to a frat house in Berkley, but you would be much better off trying to find a place to live in the actual city. You will feel isolated out in Berkley and i can't see why you couldn't find a room in San Fran. You will probaly getting chatting to fellow students at the orientation day which is organised for students and put yourself out there and try make contacts(try find out what hostels these people are going to initally and book into the same one in order to build friendships).

I'd recommend bring 2,000 E at least. Accomadation will be maybe 400 dollars plus another 400 for deposit. Just start saving now - would you spend money for where you are now (i presume your in Cork,Galway,Dublin and have gone out there 1000 times) or keep your bobs for San Fran/trips in California.

As i say since you are going on your own get reseraching now and really be well organised before you get out there and dont bother your arse going out in Dublin, Cork, etc and keep your money for San Fran.

Has the orientation day already happened ? Thats some good advice, cheers. I'll look for some places in San Francisco city so.

li@mo

can i come too?:D

Tusky

li@mo wrote: »

can i come too?:D

The more the merrier!

james1983

Tusky wrote: »

Has the orientation day already happened ? Thats some good advice, cheers. I'll look for some places in San Francisco city so.

The oreintation day will happen the first/second day you arrive over there. When you book with USIT, SAYIT, etc. they usually arrange for all the J1er's to stay in the same hostel for one night and the next day you all attend an oreintation day. Tis a bit of a stupid day really - they just give you a few tips on jobs, safety, social security number, etc. However for a person travelling alone tis vital - you will be in a room with 20/30 other J1ers and there is is your time to try make buddies/contacts with people. You might even meet a group of 2 who might need another to find a place(tends to be easiers cheaper to find a place for 3/4 rather than 2).

Lots of J1ers spend the first two weeks doing nothing but relaxing and drinking - DONT DO THAT! Jobs/apartments will be gone - hit the ground running and then do all your boosing!You'll have an income and work is a good place to meet other people too.

Tusky

james1983 wrote: »

The oreintation day will happen the first/second day you arrive over there. When you book with USIT, SAYIT, etc. they usually arrange for all the J1er's to stay in the same hostel for one night and the next day you all attend an oreintation day. Tis a bit of a stupid day really - they just give you a few tips on jobs, safety, social security number, etc. However for a person travelling alone tis vital - you will be in a room with 20/30 other J1ers and there is is your time to try make buddies/contacts with people. You might even meet a group of 2 who might need another to find a place(tends to be easiers cheaper to find a place for 3/4 rather than 2).

Lots of J1ers spend the first two weeks doing nothing but relaxing and drinking - DONT DO THAT! Jobs/apartments will be gone - hit the ground running and then do all your boosing!You'll have an income and work is a good place to meet other people too.

Ah, brilliant. I thought the orientation day was in Dublin. Thats really handy...wouldnt everyone be arriving on different days though ? So how would that work ?

Sayit say they offer 2 free stop overs so intend to visit Chicago on the way over and New York on the way back also...so should probably fly out by around the 25th of May so that I get to San Francisco in time to get work/accomodation.

brickmaster

Just to give my two cents.

I've stayed in Berkeley a few times and its where i'd stay if i was going again. That said i'd stay well away from the frat houses. Mostly they are in really bad condition and my experience of the americans who lived in them wasn't great. Frat boys tend to be IMO. You can always just gate crash some of their parties if you want. Plus, as i remember it, it is illegal to have alcohol in a frat house so the cop always bust their parties.
Berkeley itself is amazing and telegraph street is very similar to Haight with lower rents. Plus because its the subburbs, you should be able to have a backgarden where you can have bbq etc. The trip into the city isn't too bad, BART has 3 stops in Berkeley and you can be on Market St (downtown city centre) in about 25 min.
I recommend everything said here about going over early to look for jobs. IMO if you aren't out there by the first week in June, jobs will be very scarce. I'd go right after your exams if i were you.
SF and the bay area is an amazing place and you should have a great time.

james1983

Tusky wrote: »

Ah, brilliant. I thought the orientation day was in Dublin. Thats really handy...wouldnt everyone be arriving on different days though ? So how would that work ?

Sayit say they offer 2 free stop overs so intend to visit Chicago on the way over and New York on the way back also...so should probably fly out by around the 25th of May so that I get to San Francisco in time to get work/accomodation.

Everyone does arrive on different days but there will be 50/60 different people going out every day, hence there will be an orientation day every day. You will probably spot other J1ers on your flight over - there was about 10 of us going from UCC and i only knew 3 but got talking to the rest on the way over.

25th is a great time to go out - the earlier the better for job hunting.

Tusky

brickmaster wrote: »

Just to give my two cents.

I've stayed in Berkeley a few times and its where i'd stay if i was going again. That said i'd stay well away from the frat houses. Mostly they are in really bad condition and my experience of the americans who lived in them wasn't great. Frat boys tend to be IMO. You can always just gate crash some of their parties if you want. Plus, as i remember it, it is illegal to have alcohol in a frat house so the cop always bust their parties.
Berkeley itself is amazing and telegraph street is very similar to Haight with lower rents. Plus because its the subburbs, you should be able to have a backgarden where you can have bbq etc. The trip into the city isn't too bad, BART has 3 stops in Berkeley and you can be on Market St (downtown city centre) in about 25 min.
I recommend everything said here about going over early to look for jobs. IMO if you aren't out there by the first week in June, jobs will be very scarce. I'd go right after your exams if i were you.
SF and the bay area is an amazing place and you should have a great time.

Hmm - the bit about Berkley conflicts with what the other guy is saying. I'm not sure now...Cheers for the info.

james1983

Tusky wrote: »

Hmm - the bit about Berkley conflicts with what the other guy is saying. I'm not sure now...Cheers for the info.

That guy is totally correct about Berkley in everything he said - it is just do you want a 30 min train ride to San Fran? Of course you probably have a ten min walk to train station aswell and then you might have to wait another 5/10 mins for train. Berkley is lovely but too far out for my liking.

ancapailldorcha

Does anyone know the best way to preorganise a job? I'm having bad luck with google and craigslist. Thanks!!

Alkers

Was in Berkeley last year myself. Was just swamped full of Irish people and whatever Americans that were still there were pretty lame. All the rooms in our Frat house were shared between 3-6 people so I don't think you'd get a room to yourself that easily. We went over at the end of May and for the first month had gangs of people on our doorstep daily looking for somewhere to stay. San Fran is a pretty cool city and if I was going again I'd definitely try and stay downtown rather than in Berkeley. There isn't even a decent bar never mind nightclub in the area and come July any sort of Frat party that going decently got raided by the cops.
As far as working goes imho it's not worth your while. If you add up the extra costs+effort involved in getting the visa, embassy appointment, travel insurance, flights etc all from USIT/goforless and how little your going to be making an hour once you get over there, for a good number of people this figure will be more than they earn while in the states. Maybe even go for July and August and work for June full time in Ireland. No need for a VISA or anything then.
I spent 3.5k euros last year not including flights but that was me not trying to save money at all (bought $1200 van between 5 of us, trips to Vegas, LA, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Mexico and Huntington Beech, court appearance for drinking in public etc).
Another thing to take into account is some people didn't get their social security numbers for up to four weeks after they got there and you can't get any sort of job without it...

Tusky

Simona1986 wrote: »

Was in Berkeley last year myself. Was just swamped full of Irish people and whatever Americans that were still there were pretty lame. All the rooms in our Frat house were shared between 3-6 people so I don't think you'd get a room to yourself that easily. We went over at the end of May and for the first month had gangs of people on our doorstep daily looking for somewhere to stay. San Fran is a pretty cool city and if I was going again I'd definitely try and stay downtown rather than in Berkeley. There isn't even a decent bar never mind nightclub in the area and come July any sort of Frat party that going decently got raided by the cops.
As far as working goes imho it's not worth your while. If you add up the extra costs+effort involved in getting the visa, embassy appointment, travel insurance, flights etc all from USIT/goforless and how little your going to be making an hour once you get over there, for a good number of people this figure will be more than they earn while in the states. Maybe even go for July and August and work for June full time in Ireland. No need for a VISA or anything then.
I spent 3.5k euros last year not including flights but that was me not trying to save money at all (bought $1200 van between 5 of us, trips to Vegas, LA, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Mexico and Huntington Beech, court appearance for drinking in public etc).
Another thing to take into account is some people didn't get their social security numbers for up to four weeks after they got there and you can't get any sort of job without it...

Hmm - that puts a pretty negative slant on the whole trip..! No point in working ? 4 week wait for a Social security number ? I suppose If I wasnt working Id probably spend a lot more money...as Id need to fill the days. If I could even pay off my rent over there with a job, that would be perfect.

So Ive pretty much decided to avoid Berkley then...fingers crossed I can get a job.

Alkers

Not really saying there's no point in working but from a financial viewpoint you're far better off working here than over there. Friends of mine were busting their asses working 10hour days and getting under $400 a week. Back then that was less than €300 and they only worked for 4 or 5 weeks. If you weigh up the figure you're looking to earn over there against the money you would save by getting cheap flights online and not getting a visa it's not worth your while working. This is irrelevant if you manage to find an interesting or well paid job or some useful work experience or something but I knew over 30 people who went stateside last year and only one made money and even they didn't enjoy their job. Rent should be cheap if you're in a Frat house, no idea about the city though.
Hope this helps...

Tusky

Simona1986 wrote: »

Not really saying there's no point in working but from a financial viewpoint you're far better off working here than over there. Friends of mine were busting their asses working 10hour days and getting under $400 a week. Back then that was less than €300 and they only worked for 4 or 5 weeks. If you weigh up the figure you're looking to earn over there against the money you would save by getting cheap flights online and not getting a visa it's not worth your while working. This is irrelevant if you manage to find an interesting or well paid job or some useful work experience or something but I knew over 30 people who went stateside last year and only one made money and even they didn't enjoy their job. Rent should be cheap if you're in a Frat house, no idea about the city though.
Hope this helps...

Hmm.

Any tips on securing a job before I get over there ?

Alkers

Eh not really apart from craigslist and to make an individual cover letter for each job you apply for. Say you're traveling on your own etc as the Americans are getting wise of the drunken Irish invasion that happens every year.
Most people I was with ended up getting the usual jobs in the city centre as there is little in Berkeley. This meant a 40min each way trip costing $5 iirc for sometimes only a 4 hour shift at 8$ an hour.

james1983

Tusky wrote: »

Hmm - that puts a pretty negative slant on the whole trip..! No point in working ? 4 week wait for a Social security number ? I suppose If I wasnt working Id probably spend a lot more money...as Id need to fill the days. If I could even pay off my rent over there with a job, that would be perfect.

So Ive pretty much decided to avoid Berkley then...fingers crossed I can get a job.

To be fair and as i've pointed out if your organised you will get your social security a lot quicker than 4 weeks and can get it the day of orienation. A lot of J1ers go on the bosse straight away and ignore stuff like that. Get job, accom, social security sorted lively and then let the good times roll. Furniture removal companies are greta to work for with tips. Just hit the gorund running when you get over there and you will be fine.

Alkers

I had my accommodation and everything organised before I got stateside. We all went to the social security office on our 3rd or 4th day and while some peoples number, mine included came in a matter of days, others were waiting 'till almost July. Luck of the draw really

Gauge

I spent a summer in Berkeley and here's what I found:

- Apply for your social security card in the Berkeley office. The San Fran one is jammed and full of crazy homeless people- you'll be waiting several hours at least just to hand in your forms. The Berkeley one was almost empty.

- I spent the summer in a frathouse and it was amazing! Great guys living there, and lots of fun parties and gatherings like barbeques and beer pong tournaments. It was a great way to meet a mix of Irish and American people. We never got raided by the cops, there were a few encounters in other frathouses but they mostly show up to break things up when there's too much noise, not to seek out underage drinkers. A couple of other Irish people ended up in dodgy houses, like hardcore Christian/dry houses or just plain filthy houses, which is the risk you take when you book in advance.

- Nights out in San Francisco are totally doable- if you have a group of people you can get a limo home to Berkeley for $8-10 per person, or there are regular buses running through the night.

ancapailldorcha

Does anyone know the best way to get a job in an office or similar? Something that might look nice on a CV. Cheers. Thanks. I've been using google and craisgslit with no luck.

cooperguy

Maybe instead of googling for jobs google for what bigish companies are in the area and just send them CV's (make sure you call it a resumé though!)

Tusky

james1983 wrote: »

To be fair and as i've pointed out if your organised you will get your social security a lot quicker than 4 weeks and can get it the day of orienation. A lot of J1ers go on the bosse straight away and ignore stuff like that. Get job, accom, social security sorted lively and then let the good times roll. Furniture removal companies are greta to work for with tips. Just hit the gorund running when you get over there and you will be fine.

When I get over there I plan to check into hostel. Have a walk around the city. Apply for social security number (do I need to get accommodation sorted before I do this ?), look for a place to stay and then job hunt..literally within the first couple of days.

Simona1986 wrote: »

I had my accommodation and everything organised before I got stateside. We all went to the social security office on our 3rd or 4th day and while some peoples number, mine included came in a matter of days, others were waiting 'till almost July. Luck of the draw really

How did you organize that before you got stateside ? Did you phone up companies or ? Where did you work/stay ?

Gauge wrote: »

I spent a summer in Berkeley and here's what I found:

- Apply for your social security card in the Berkeley office. The San Fran one is jammed and full of crazy homeless people- you'll be waiting several hours at least just to hand in your forms. The Berkeley one was almost empty.

- I spent the summer in a frathouse and it was amazing! Great guys living there, and lots of fun parties and gatherings like barbeques and beer pong tournaments. It was a great way to meet a mix of Irish and American people. We never got raided by the cops, there were a few encounters in other frathouses but they mostly show up to break things up when there's too much noise, not to seek out underage drinkers. A couple of other Irish people ended up in dodgy houses, like hardcore Christian/dry houses or just plain filthy houses, which is the risk you take when you book in advance.

- Nights out in San Francisco are totally doable- if you have a group of people you can get a limo home to Berkeley for $8-10 per person, or there are regular buses running through the night.

Great advice. Cheers. Any chance you could reccomend a frat house to try for ? I suppose it would be different people each time though so maybe thats not possible.

What exactly is a frat house...is it just a big house full of students ? How many rooms on average ? How much did you pay ? Did you organize it from Ireland or get it over there ?

Thanks!

cooperguy

Tusky wrote: »

When I get over there I plan to check into hostel. Have a walk around the city. Apply for social security number (do I need to get accommodation sorted before I do this ?), look for a place to stay and then job hunt..literally within the first couple of days.

By law your Social Security number wont get processed for 10 days after you arrive and then as said its luck of the draw as to how long you wait for it. I would recommend trying to get a place before you arrive. You will be surprised how hard it can be to get somewhere to stay when u arrive. Min lease in alot of places is a year! Frat house is a good suggestion. And that has the added advantage of being easy to organise before you go.

Alkers

Tusky wrote: »

How did you organize that before you got stateside ? Did you phone up companies or ? Where did you work/stay ?

As I already explained I didn't get a job and I stayed in a Frat House in Berkeley. Organised the accommodation from Ireland over the web, we just emailed as many frat houses we could find and got lucky. You would want to start your search now as a lot of people will be doing this.