J1 2011

sideofbacon

Hi all,I know it's abit early but starting to plan on going on a J1 next summer.Dont have anywhere in mind yet,just so long as its sunny and I can hopefully get work.Im basically open to suggestions and was hoping some of you guys might be able to share your experiences on where to go,places to stay,work etc.Also if anyone is actually going on one next year where have you in mind?

Diarmsquid

sideofbacon wrote: »

Hi all,I know it's abit early but starting to plan on going on a J1 next summer.Dont have anywhere in mind yet,just so long as its sunny and I can hopefully get work.Im basically open to suggestions and was hoping some of you guys might be able to share your experiences on where to go,places to stay,work etc.Also if anyone is actually going on one next year where have you in mind?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/us/24bcmarijuana.html?_r=1&src=twt&twt=nytimes

Just sayin...

Daysha

Hiya, normally I'd move this to the Independent & Youth & Student Travel forum, but since the J1 stands are starting to reappear around campus I guess there's no harm in getting some DCU advice on it as well. Do check out that forum all the same though.

Me and a few went to San Francisco last summer and it was absolutely unreal. Best craic ever. I will say though don't just assume you should deal with USIT for it. Some people find go4less cheaper and a couple of us had issues changing USIT flights (paying extra to get a different flight but still never switching you over, that kinda thing).

Don't just assume like we did that you'll find a job in no time when you go over. The States aren't immune to the recession either. It took me over 3 weeks to find a job, some never found a job and had to go home early. We thought SF would be easier than other places because of the amount of summer workers they need around Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf, but anyone who got jobs there flew over in mid-May. From what I've heard the other J1 hotspots like Boston and San Diego had the same problems too.

San Fran isn't the place for a sun holiday tbh. It didn't rain once while we were there but temperature wise you're looking at mid-late 20's in June-July and basically Irish temperatures from then onwards. We were in Berkeley which was a bit hotter than SF, but not by much.

Can't speak highly enough of the city though. I went to NY for a few days on the way home and that really made me realise just how chilled out SF is in comparison. Probably a bit more pricey then we expected but nothing too outrageous.

But if you can line up a job before you go and you don't expect mad 30+ heat every day, I'd totally recommend it.

sideofbacon

Thanks Daysha:),some good advice.What exactly did you end up working as if you don't mind me asking?I have an offer of bar work in New York and Washington but I don't know if I wanna spend me summer on the opposite side of the bar:(.I've heard few things about Berkeley alrite and it seems to be a great spot.I've looked into maybe going Chicago but I just don't seem to know enough about it at the moment,this whole process is harder than filling out that CAO form all those years ago

thefa

Echo a lot of what daysha said. Arrived at the start of june in San Diego and it took almost 6 weeks to find a job. Some people got lucky alright and got sorted with jobs fairly early but theres not guarantee. Others had to take jobs outside of town at fairs while a good number couldn't find jobs at all and ran outta/lived off saving or the parents. The weather was actually a lil disappointing in the Pacific Beach/Mission Beach area. There was the usual 'June gloom' but July was poor enough too. August was savage though. Would recommend living in that area though as your right near the beach but theres not that many jobs around there and they're very strict on 21s for the bars and clubs in comparison to what i've heard about San Fran, NY and Chicago. People go on the Mexico trips on the Wednesdays and Sundays for nights out but that can get expensive. Others lived in Claremont/Linda Vista. Lovely city though. Fairly spread out. Good location to base yourself for trips to see LA, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon and other spots too. Transport's only decent compared to say San Fran where I spent another non-J1 summer in.

Daysha

sideofbacon wrote: »

Thanks Daysha:),some good advice.What exactly did you end up working as if you don't mind me asking?I have an offer of bar work in New York and Washington but I don't know if I wanna spend me summer on the opposite side of the bar:(.I've heard few things about Berkeley alrite and it seems to be a great spot.I've looked into maybe going Chicago but I just don't seem to know enough about it at the moment,this whole process is harder than filling out that CAO form all those years ago

Worked in a restaurant either doing the usual running and serving or a bit of bar work. If you can get a proper bar job though, take it! Because of the whole tipping culture over there you can get some nice money. I was earning just under $10 an hour, but minus tax it was more like $8 which is only around €6.50/7 so not that great, but in terms of tipping I was averaging about $30 a day. My best day was $72, so combined with your wages an 8 hour day behind a bar you could easily crack $100 a day. All that tax can be claimed back when you come home as well.

Berkeley is absolutely savage. If you find the right frat house to stay in rent is dirt cheap, and because it's basically a college city there's always tons of good cheap places to get food and stuff. It gets absolutely invaded by Irish people in the summer though, and that's one of the reasons I'd recommend getting a job in SF rather than Berkeley. It's 20-25 minutes away on the train and a return ticket is around $12.

carlowboy

Cape Cod is class, specifically Hyannis. Great weather and pretty easy to find a job.

sideofbacon

Just as a matter of interest has anyone on here been to Wildwood?It appears like a really cool place with plenty of work and accomodation,especially in moreyspier!!Any feedback folks from previous experiences?:)