J1 California

dyners

Hi, about 12 of us lads are thinking of going to California for the summer. We're looking into places like Santa Monica & Santa Barbara, and Westwood has been mentioned as well because of the college!
Just wondering if ye have any tips regarding good places to look for jobs in these areas or if you have worked a summer there?
Also tips for accommodation hunting would be great, seeing as we're such a large group would it make more sense to try and get accommodation booked before we go over, because I've heard the hostels try and bleed the money out of you when you arrive there, and if you don't find accommodation quickly your finances can be crippled!?!

Thanks

lilium inter Spinas

I can't speak much for Santa Barbara, but Santa Monica is probably not the greatest 'price friendly' place to stay if you're looking to save a few dollars. Westwood is also not up in the price affordability margin unless you're a student living on student housing the university provides. The areas around attractions or schools/facilities is considered prime real estate since everyone wants a piece of it due to easy access, so sometimes even small apartments can be ridiculously expensive due to location. I'd suggest maybe looking into surrounding neighborhoods and commuting. Maybe Culver City or West Los Angeles for accomodations. While they probably won't be as swanky as the aforementioned cities, they're a bit less expensive.

Cali is hurting in the financial/labor department at the moment and while our unemployment rate has gone down some in the last months, we're always crying over jobs. It really depends on the trade you're looking for/specialize in. Some markets will welcome you with open arms, while others won't give you the time of day because there have been significant layoffs in the past few months (teaching, architecture, certain franchises/department stores- to name a couple). I hope that doesn't damper your enthusiasm to visit though! I think you'll be fine if you have a game plan well ahead of time and a realistic view of what to expect. Something always bounds to open up to those who really want it! Good luck!