J1 2010 now open with go4less.

DeadMoney

Hey just got an email from go4less saying that the 2010 J1 programme is now open. I rang them up today and I will have to pay €30 deposit (deducted from flights) to book it, then €215 before the 1st January at first appointment i.e when I first call in to one of their offices whith all my forms filled and passport etc. Then I have to book my flights through them but I am stillwaiting on them to get back to me with some quotes as it is still very early and the programme has just opened.
Anyway the actual J1 itslef is free apparently and the €215 is for sevis and embassy interview + €100 of this is deducted for deposit on flights. The flights must be completely paid off by like March I think. Optional exam failure insurance is also €50. I went with sayit a few years ago and was allowed book my own flights on my own. Got a great deal that year with a small airline so ended up paying way less than my friends who were naive enough to go with usit. Anyway have heard good things about go4less so I am assuming the above rates are the best that I will get and will be more less the same as sayit?
Might go ahead and book this over the next few days to avail of the cheapest flights I can get.

LiamD

I'm waiting to book my J1 aswell and I want to book with Sayit so I can book my flights myself - they are cheap at the moment but they are going up every week. I don't like the way Usit and Go4Less don't tell you the price of flights upfront, which is poor form for travel companies. It's not hard to get flight prices for next summer from any of the major airlines. If you search old threads people have suggested Usit rip people off for flights.

For that reason I'll be going with Sayit, I just hope they open soon before my flights go up in price again.

DeadMoney

LiamD wrote: »

I'm waiting to book my J1 aswell and I want to book with Sayit so I can book my flights myself - they are cheap at the moment but they are going up every week. I don't like the way Usit and Go4Less don't tell you the price of flights upfront, which is poor form for travel companies. It's not hard to get flight prices for next summer from any of the major airlines. If you search old threads people have suggested Usit rip people off for flights.

For that reason I'll be going with Sayit, I just hope they open soon before my flights go up in price again.

Yeah I am not too happy with go4less only allowing you book the flights through them. I am waiting on them to get back to me with a quote but if it is any way higher than what is online I will hold out for sayit. I went with sayit the first time I went to the states on a J1 a few years ago and they were excellent. I literally walked in off the street in like May and got it all sorted there and then and had the embassy interview like 2 weeks later. I was allowed take out my own insurance and book my own flights, they just sorted the DS-2019 for me and the sevis. Was looking at flights to new york there on delta and aer lingus last night and they are around €430. Thought I might get cheaper since I am booking so early but I think any flights around early June are always gonna be more pricey. Anyone find any cheap deals online?

nuts86

Hey guys,
If you do book with sayit so, do you have to pay for the j1 that you are getting for free from usit or goforless?

I was in with usit yesterday and the woman told me it would be around €1000 for everything including 2 free stop overs however the stop overs are restricted dependent on where you go first.

I was then pricing multi trip on ebookers.ie and i was getting a trip from shannon>>>> new york>>>>cancun>>>>>vegas>>>>>shannon for less than €900 i know my embassy interview will have to be paid seperate but i would almost prefer to pay the extra and have the choice of where and when i fly....
Regards
Nuts

DeadMoney

nuts86 wrote: »

Hey guys,
If you do book with sayit so, do you have to pay for the j1 that you are getting for free from usit or goforless?

I was in with usit yesterday and the woman told me it would be around €1000 for everything including 2 free stop overs however the stop overs are restricted dependent on where you go first.

I was then pricing multi trip on ebookers.ie and i was getting a trip from shannon>>>> new york>>>>cancun>>>>>vegas>>>>>shannon for less than €900 i know my embassy interview will have to be paid seperate but i would almost prefer to pay the extra and have the choice of where and when i fly....
Regards
Nuts

Hey, listen to me mate I have gone on two J1's before and have been in college a few years (on and off . DO NOT go near usit for your J1, you are 100% guaranteed to be ripped off! They are notorious for this and every year students who don't know any better go to them for their J1's. The thing is for many students when they think of J1 they just think of usit as they are the biggest company and they advertise way more than their competitors. Many student don't even know about go4less or sayit. But anyway if you are wise enough to go on this forum for research then you are wise enough to stay away from USIT. €1000 is an absolute joke to be paying at this early stage. I mean flights alone should not cost anything over €450 if you are booking soon and the Embassy and sevis is only €115. Insurance may be around €100 I'm not too sure but this still brings the total way below €1000. The first year I went I took out insurance online the night before I left for €40.
All 3 companies will be offering the J1 free I expect but other prices will vary. Anyway just book it through go4less or sayit and you are guaranteed to save money.

nuts86

thanks for the advice dead money, Ive heard from a few people alright that usit rip you off, just people im supposed to be going with are like you said naieve enough to believe usit are the best because they advertise so much. I rang sayit yesterday but there j1 isnt open yet, i think il just organise myself instead of trying to orhanise the rest of them as well!!!
Thanks again
Nuts

DeadMoney

nuts86 wrote: »

thanks for the advice dead money, Ive heard from a few people alright that usit rip you off, just people im supposed to be going with are like you said naieve enough to believe usit are the best because they advertise so much. I rang sayit yesterday but there j1 isnt open yet, i think il just organise myself instead of trying to orhanise the rest of them as well!!!
Thanks again
Nuts

Yeah the first year I went all my friends booked together through USIT and went over on the same flight. They ended up having to stop in Hethrow for a 3 hour nightmare where they had to go through customs again and everything. I think groups of friends who go on their first J1 have this mentality of "lets all go together" so they end up going on the same flight and even sitting beside each other. They are happy once they are all together so they end up boking through usit and taking their J1 flights. The thing is it doesnt matter how you get there once you get there and if this means catching your own flight and meeting your friends over there then so be it. Lol, the first year I went I flew from Knock airport in a low budget Scotish airline that has now gone out of business. Got some slagging for it but my flights cost €400 3 weeks before I went and I flew direct. By booking my own flights each time I did the J1 I was able to avoid stop overs and get the flights cheaper than my friends paid. USIT usually fly all their J1ers through BA so you usually stop off in Hethrow to switch. Who the hell wants to have to stop in the maze that is Hethrow after being in the air 30mins and then wait a few hours before they have to sit on a plane for another 8 or so hours! It really annoys me how usit do so well out of the j1 every year but what are ya gonna do. Lol sorry for the rant, GL with the J1, roll on summer time!

Valmont

I have been on two J1s with go4less and I found them very helpful. They really made the whole process quite easy for me and it was nice being able to just walk in and chat with the lovely girls (:P) on the j1 desk about the forms or flights.

Maybe the other companies are better, I don't know, but from what I've heard, go4less seems to have the best customer service.

murm57

DeadMoney wrote: »

Yeah the first year I went all my friends booked together through USIT and went over on the same flight. They ended up having to stop in Hethrow for a 3 hour nightmare where they had to go through customs again and everything. I think groups of friends who go on their first J1 have this mentality of "lets all go together" so they end up going on the same flight and even sitting beside each other. They are happy once they are all together so they end up boking through usit and taking their J1 flights. The thing is it doesnt matter how you get there once you get there and if this means catching your own flight and meeting your friends over there then so be it. Lol, the first year I went I flew from Knock airport in a low budget Scotish airline that has now gone out of business. Got some slagging for it but my flights cost €400 3 weeks before I went and I flew direct. By booking my own flights each time I did the J1 I was able to avoid stop overs and get the flights cheaper than my friends paid. USIT usually fly all their J1ers through BA so you usually stop off in Hethrow to switch. Who the hell wants to have to stop in the maze that is Hethrow after being in the air 30mins and then wait a few hours before they have to sit on a plane for another 8 or so hours! It really annoys me how usit do so well out of the j1 every year but what are ya gonna do. Lol sorry for the rant, GL with the J1, roll on summer time!

since when does it take 30mins 2fly 2london deadmoney :rolleyes: !i wasnt ripped off at all with usit-theyv been doing j1's 4donkeys yrs-i think they know what theyr talkn about!next summer will b my 3rd yr 2go with them on the j1!theyr deal is gr8 this yr anyway,i dont hav 2pay anything until i come home !i wanted the 2 free stops so usit booked me on united airlines,its through heathrow,but i dont care,coz last year i made sure 2get a good few hours there so i could go in2 london 4the day,ill prob do the same again.heathrows not that mad anyway-leave enough time between ur flights and ur sorted . anyway i hope every1 has a gr8 time if they head out - i'll b in cape cod,if any1's headn that way :cool:

Robbie444

murm57 wrote: »

since when does it take 30mins 2fly 2london deadmoney :rolleyes: !i wasnt ripped off at all with usit-theyv been doing j1's 4donkeys yrs-i think they know what theyr talkn about!

How can you know if you were not ripped off if you never went with any other company??? Enjoy Cape Cod. Interesting choice for a J1 I must say. Was there b4 and its an amazingly scenic place but very quite and mostly more of a retirement community and holiday homes for young american families in the summer. I'll be living in the east village in new york if you get bored fishing all summer. :P

DeadMoney

lol I think you work for USIT. Cape Cod for a whole summer???? Good luck with that!

murm57

Robbie444 wrote: »

How can you know if you were not ripped off if you never went with any other company??? Enjoy Cape Cod. Interesting choice for a J1 I must say. Was there b4 and its an amazingly scenic place but very quite and mostly more of a retirement community and holiday homes for young american families in the summer. I'll be living in the east village in new york if you get bored fishing all summer. :P

lol Robbie444 - its called research yep cape code,ive family there.cant wait-i defo wont be fishing !!

KieranMG

any1 goin to L.A!? its my first time!lol

cathaloc2

i planned to go to chicago during the summer but ended up going to colorado.
I also planned going with usit but ended up goin with sayit nd here is the reasons.

First i gave the deposit of 39e to usit.I checked how much BA flights were to chicago during the christmas holidays and they were 400 return and had the option of being able to change them while in america.
I went into usit with the lads and they quoted me for the exact same flight (BA)and dates everything the same NO LIE and they were 650e i questiond her and she said they were the best deal and then i told her i had checked today and she said the flights i checked wouldnt of been able to be changed......
(so they claim that they get special student rates if thats the case there making more that 250e on the flights then)

Usit advertise so much about other companies having hidden charges Usit do and from my experience with sayit they defiantly dont.
When i received my overall bill for usit they were adding a extra 25-50e on my bill it didnt say what it was 4 etc but it was actually for the P&P of all the documents to embassy,return of passport etc..funny thing is the cost of the p&p they also made money off..it doesnt cost that much for insured posted to dublin when usit is also in dublin FACT..

Sayit did all the p&p free.

at this stage i rang usit up told them sayit were cheaper nd to cancel everything cuz i was going wit them and they said they would match their price yet i never got an email back...

INSURANCE with any j1 it will cost you..Funny thing is u can go online and get it off a website for cheaper...Sayit say you have to buy theirs,straight out and honest.
BUT Usit came up with another great money scheme saying your allowed your own but we have to check it covers all the criteria?and the criteria is only there own rules not the US Embassy rules.
anyway they charge something like 80-100e to check ur insurance and if u bought urs online and which is cheaper than theirs u got to consider is it overall cheaper(it be better just to pay extra 50euro for usit insurance).if you buy insurance for 90e + 80e for checking then they say it doesnt cover everything..THis means you got to buy theirs then which then ur looking at insurance being 300e.where as ud be better just geting theirs from the start (BUT THIS IS WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO DO) for the lil extra (blackmail really)....

Last two things is..when goin to embassy u have to have the bank draft of 103e etc sayit go to the bank get the draft nd send everything out and your ready to go soo simple...
where as usit send details out and make you go bank etc and make you do the work...trust me geting this sent by sayit is sooo handy nd easier as there is alot of paper work for the J1 and last thing you want to do is que in a bank and to make sure u got the exact amount of money etc..

Usit try to advertise the online job database being all great and everything where as it isnt really ud find more urself looking online and half the stuff they just take off the internet anyway...
Usit claim they have the best interview dates but sayit could easily fit me in perfect..also usit make u go get stamps in college to show ur a student where sayit u dont get a stamp you just fill your course online no more said...

Overall i found usit not to be helpful and cheap student place like they claim to be they make you do alot of the work yourself.there the big name and this is why people with lots of money and no sense go with them.
Sayit i ended up going with i went on the commando trip bought the best insurance for 4months,embassy interview,selvis all for 280-300 then i bought my own flights and it saved so much money + they do the work for you...

After all that i got to drunk the first week in colorado lost my passport and couldnt get my social security number(visa printed in the passport)
but the first 2 people i asked for work didnt even ask for my j1 they prefered under the table job as they didnt want to fill out the paper work.i was legal to work but just couldnt get ssn as i had no passport...should have saved my money and not gotten a visa after all...

sorry 4 being so long just letting you know the real truth

abelard

cathaloc2 wrote: »

i planned to go to chicago during the summer but ended up going to colorado.

out of interest, what kind of job did you end up working in Colorado.


uhhh, and just to add something constructive and on-topic to the thread (and to further procrastinate from my exam in 2.5 hours)...

J1'ed with go4less to Boston last year. I went into the office for the first time on May 16th (give or take a day or two). I still got the "limited time" free j1.

I found go4less perfectly reasonable and pleasant to deal with. The total cost for everything worked out at around €680 (iirc), even though my flights were only booked a couple of weeks in advance (I think the flights themselves came in at around €450). Given that I booked so late, the embassy was nearly deserted when I went in to my interview so I only had to wait about 15 minutes.

I flew with Continental and I did have to transfer through Newark but it wasn't so bad. Only thing was that given that I booked so late, the earliest date I could get out there was June 11th. While I would advise people not to be in any mad rush to book them now, I wouldn't quite leave it as late as I did (I decided very much last minute). Especially if you're going to somewhere that will be teeming with Irish (SanFran, San Diego, NYC and to a lesser extent Boston, LA, etc) and need to get work early.

I stayed out in Boston for 12 weeks, no work for 5, but then got work for the last 7 weeks. In terms of night life, Boston is a bar city, not a club city. If you like the idea of sports and sports bars, you'll love Boston. Clubs are sparce though so if you want to party until dawn, you'll have to make do with house parties. The inhabitants of Boston are wonderful people.

A friend who went out earlier than I did had to come home early, and did get charged about €300 to change her flights, which seemed a bit of a rip-off, but I guess all the companies are the same in that regard? If you're worried about failing exams I'd recommend going for the exam failure insurance to cover it, for piece of mind if nothing else. Otherwise, try keep in or around that €300 in reserve in case you have to come home early due to family emergency or something like that.

Try not to be daunted by the whole experience. Things like the embassy interview, and getting your Social Security when you arrive are all very straightforward. Finding a job is just a matter of persistence. And don't think too much about where you go exactly or who you'll be with, you'll likely have a great time wherever you go. It's a fantastic way to spend a summer and one you won't forget.

cathaloc2

I ended up working with college pro painters the boss was my age and got on grand.
The other job i was working on a medical farm for this old man who drove us out to the farm everyday 80 bucks a day in the sun looking at the rocky mountains and free all u can eat lunch was good.

I went to a college town no1 would believe we were irish. we were talked about through the whole town and rumors have it a lecturer in colorado university had a lecture on drinking abuse and we were the topic...funny times

Highly recommend going to a place where irish dont exist.and if you go to a college town you'll be well known and loved and will get in no trouble as the preppy college kids are afraid of the irish as they think were drinkn fightin machines...

change of flights with ba is only 100euro which is grand.
Il be looking into my next college town this year.
College towns arnt as busy in the summer but there is summer classes and pre season football training so people are around

mono88

Where's everyone going for the summer?.. What are the best places going to be?..

robe4ie

Me and about seven of my friends are heading to Montauk for the Summer. Both of my brothers have been there in past summers and they loved it. Is anybody else heading to Montauk?

halo22

Yea going to montauk in the summer with 5 others... Where bouts are yee staying???

colmadelaney89

im thinking of going to san fran in d summer with go4less... at the mo british airways seem to be cheaper than aer lingus for flights!:rolleyes:

robe4ie

Hopefully we are staying in Ann Breyers, but not too sure yet. What about you?

halo22

Hopin Ann Breyers too... Emailed them the other day but no reply yet.... Motels seem pretty expensive..

KieranMG

Hi me and a friend are lookin to share accom wif other ppl in montauk..anyone interest.. 2 21yr old donegal fellas..we'r lovely!