j1 summer

jj99

hey. any tips on where to go, im under 21. anybody ever been to canada?
thanks folks

ballooba

Chicago is the best J1 city.

Royale with Cheese

If you're under 21 you won't have too many problems with a fake drivers licence in Berkeley/San Francisco. I think last year the Canadian visa's were limited to 1000 and were given out on a first come first serve basis. So basically you had to go into town and queue up at about 4am.

RuggieBear

I'd avoid Boston if under 21. very strict on checking id's everywhere

The Failed God

Im thinkin of J1 next summer also, the whole underage thing has put off most of my friends but theres a group of 2 or 3 diehards gonna head off regardless(all 19). From what iv heard,the id thing is pretty strict but if you have a good lookin fake and dont look like a child you'll get into some pub (clubs and offies are a bit tougher) and as you prob well know from the days of underage drinking here, where theres a will theres a way. On top of that iv heard the majority of boozing and parties over there is done in houses and dorms.Not nearly as high pub per population ratio as you'd find in any irish town.But east coast (New york,boston,new jersey etc) is a bit more strict.
We've decided to go west coast and at the moment we're lookin at San Diego, south california,its just north of the mexican border,so if there is a drink problem could be handy. The party town of Tijuana (home of tiquila) is a 20min bus ride from San D centre and costs only $5..But booze isnt the only thing drawin us to San d. We intend doin a bit of travelling aswell, like up the coastal california highway which starts there and aswell takin route 66 to las vegas and on to grand canyon which are both bout 4hrs away, and as i said before its pretty much on the mexican border..

Royale with Cheese

My sister did J1 in San Diego in 2004. They got to know the owner of a liquor store right around the corner from them so they were able to buy alcohol easily enough... she said they mostly drank on the beach at night. They were never let into any clubs or pubs in San Diego. Very strict and will not accept dodgy Irish ID's.

wheres me jumpa

i was in boston two years ago with a bunch who were mostly under 21 and we had a great time. me and two otehrs were over 21 so we would buy beers and drink in our apartments. then head to some nightclubs.

some nightclubs in boston allow under 21's but you get a special wristband! honestly pick a place you actually want to go, dont let drink dictate.

Bah

Definetly don't let drink dictate where you end up going to - no matter where you go, you're going to be able to drink if you're under 21. People generally just drinkk in house parties/dorms and don't bother with pubs, but, in New York and most major cities it's not so hard to get into places.

Last summer (when I was 18) I was let into and served in loads of pubs and clubs in Manhattan - mostly I wasn't even asked for ID and the places that did ask me, they just accepted my extremely dodgy fake drivers licence.

New York is cool - but definetly not someplace you should go to unless you're
a) a female who can get a job waitressing, or
b) extremely determined to stay for the summer and you're willing to accept any ****ty job you can get (bussing, construction, etc) and live in a hole with 10 other people.

San Francisco is probably one of the coolest cities I've ever been to - but like in San Diego, Irish J1ers have a really bad reputation for trashing their accommodation. I'd definetly consider going to San Francisco - even if it isn't as warm as San Diego.

There are loads of places along the California coast, Washington state is cool, Las Vegas is cool but I don't know if I could stick 3 months there (unbelievable amounts of money floating around there - great for tips), Colarado and Maine are good for lodge-type places, New Yorks just cool in general, but expensive. New Jersey's pretty close to New York, cheaper and has more touristy towns, Washington DC is a bit boring after the first week or so, probably best to avoid unless you're looking for some kind of office job, Virginia's cool, but stay towards DC, the further south you go the less there is to do and the more rural it gets. Cool place though.

netwhizkid

J1 = Complete rip, you will earn nothing, it will cost all the mulla you have earned (if any) during the previos two summers. Accomodation will be shacks. Irish people, (Long term irish are generally ok) other J1'ers are complete W***ers, they are damaging Irelands ability to get Green Cards for her Citizens. I was over there this summer to NYC on Holiday for two weeks. The irish over there act like pure animals, the irish from Ulster were exceptionally bad. Fights between Nationalist Catholics and their Ulster Protastant counterparts. Complete disgrace. And look what they did out in California. Wages range from $1 to $2 an hour and you basically survive off tips (if any) It is no place to go as a J1'r. it was a cheapo marketing ploy by the USA ambassador to get cheap labour for the summer. Plus american people will do your head in unless you actually like listening to complete and utter BullS*it, and they think they are intelligent then Go if you want your eyes opened to cut throat capitalism though, which will be the reality here very soon if the current government are re-elected again.

RuggieBear

netwhizkid wrote:

J1 = Complete rip, you will earn nothing, it will cost all the mulla you have earned (if any) during the previos two summers. Accomodation will be shacks. Irish people, (Long term irish are generally ok) other J1'ers are complete W***ers, they are damaging Irelands ability to get Green Cards for her Citizens. I was over there this summer to NYC on Holiday for two weeks. The irish over there act like pure animals, the irish from Ulster were exceptionally bad. Fights between Nationalist Catholics and their Ulster Protastant counterparts. Complete disgrace. And look what they did out in California. Wages range from $1 to $2 an hour and you basically survive off tips (if any) It is no place to go as a J1'r. it was a cheapo marketing ploy by the USA ambassador to get cheap labour for the summer. Plus american people will do your head in unless you actually like listening to complete and utter BullS*it, and they think they are intelligent then Go if you want your eyes opened to cut throat capitalism though, which will be the reality here very soon if the current government are re-elected again.

Have you actually gone on a j1 or are you just spouting crap?

netwhizkid

I have never been on the J1 visa but i have experienced it as i lived like a j1 for two weeks this year. I saw how Irish people were treated by unscrupulous hire & fire type agencies and how they got on then drinking and fighting.

RuggieBear

2 weeks

lol

i earned over 5k in my 3 months in Boston and was treated fine. I learned a huge amount about the states and the other countries my workmates came from.

but hell you spent 2 weeks on the piss in NY...you obviously know much more about the J1 experience :rolleyes:

netwhizkid

RuggieBear wrote:

but hell you spent 2 weeks on the piss in NY...you obviously know much more about the J1 experience

I don't drink and as a result i say alot of the carry on as other might not be able to remember. Anyway it is ok if you are up for that lifestyle, your liver won't be too pleased though.

Bah

netwhizkid wrote:

I don't drink and as a result i say alot of the carry on as other might not be able to remember. Anyway it is ok if you are up for that lifestyle, your liver won't be too pleased though.

You spent two weeks in New York, surrounded by other Irish people living in a kip. That's not a J1.

New York isn't the place to go for a J1 - accommodation is a rip off, wages aren't great ($1-2 is total bull**** though, more like $3.50 PLUS tips - which can be huge depending on what you do/how hard you work) and you generally end up living with loads of other irish people (why go abroad for the summer if you're just going to surround yourself with people from home all the time?).

It is no place to go as a J1'r. it was a cheapo marketing ploy by the USA ambassador to get cheap labour for the summer.

Eh, yeah. I'm sure they're *that* desperate for Irish students to go over... Haven't you seen the amount of immigrants over there who will work for a lot less than an Irish J1er would and give much less hassle and stay for a lot longer?

Plus american people will do your head in unless you actually like listening to complete and utter BullS*it, and they think they are intelligent then

Your phrase seems to sum up your post - "complete and utter BullS*it".

Our man in Havana

Don't bother with fake ids, you will end up in the slammer and get deported. :eek: I was in security at an Irish run casino and every jackass that had a irish ID was refered to me. 95% of them were crude fakes and we bounced them out the door. If they had a fake US id they were held until the local police showed up and carted them off to jail. You have been warned. :eek:

Bah

Fakes definetly aren't worth the hassle they can cause... unless it's an *extremely* convincing fake then just stick to house parties.

Our man in Havana

Bah wrote:

Fakes definetly aren't worth the hassle they can cause... unless it's an *extremely* convincing fake then just stick to house parties.

Good advice there.

Jivin Turkey

You will have no problem with fakes in NY or Chicago, its a total farce.

What a post Netwhizkid. Two weeks? What you know about a J1 holiday wouldnt fill a matchbox.

wheres me jumpa

netwhizkid you seem to grace a lot of forums with your presence which is a good thing but its also proven to be your downfall here, your in way out of your depth.

for you to take the position that you dont like the whole j1 thing is fine. but for you to take the position that it is some evil that shouldnt be attempted by anyone is immature.

you should perhaps listen to people that have been on a j1, and listen to what they have to say before making an uneducated remark.

netwhizkid

Bah wrote:

You spent two weeks in New York, surrounded by other Irish people living in a kip. That's not a J1.

New York isn't the place to go for a J1 - accommodation is a rip off, wages aren't great ($1-2 is total bull**** though, more like $3.50 PLUS tips - which can be huge depending on what you do/how hard you work) and you generally end up living with loads of other irish people (why go abroad for the summer if you're just going to surround yourself with people from home all the time?).

I didn't stay in a kip, i had brilliant accomadation but Irish people in general live messy and drink the heck out of it over there and they are giving us a bad name, i conversed with several americans and the jist was "we can't wait until those drunken Irish rowdys go home"

bah wrote:

Eh, yeah. I'm sure they're *that* desperate for Irish students to go over... Haven't you seen the amount of immigrants over there who will work for a lot less than an Irish J1er would and give much less hassle and stay for a lot longer?

Well the fact that Irish students are good for the us economy, they leave much more in the Us economy than take home. They speak English which is what the americans want, like do you want a coffee with that, en espanol isn't exactly what they want.

Jivin Turkey wrote:

What a post Netwhizkid. Two weeks? What you know about a J1 holiday wouldnt fill a matchbox.

Well that was my impression and the Sunday World and other newspapers have similar views. Anyway that was what i say, i guess it is what you make of it, many sensible people had great summers there all the same. The one good thing i say was the 21 rule I did go out although i don't drink, and it was not as easy to get in there as it is here where if you are a 14yr old girl with a 5cms mini skirt you will get as much Vodka and other spirits to drink (provided you can pay the rip-off prices) and you can keep drinking until you join George Best in hospital for a liver transplant. That is one great US thing i will admit they got it right for once :rolleyes:

Jivin Turkey

netwhizkid wrote:

I didn't stay in a kip, i had brilliant accomadation but Irish people in general live messy

Any more sweeping generalisations to come?

When I was in NY there were between seven and ten of us living in a seven bedroom house for the Summer. We had five toilets, two kitchens, two TVs with cable, two massive stereo systems, a bad ass barbeque, and a playstation two. We were earning between $100 and $200 a day caddying. We got to play golf on the course that the US Open will be held on next year.

Unfortunately I don't come from as plush a background as you obviously do so I didn't really consider that living "messy".

netwhizkid wrote:

i conversed with several americans and the jist was "we can't wait until those drunken Irish rowdys go home"

SEVERAL Americans? So just a few hundred million more to go to complete your survey. You also forgot to put Q.E.D. after your post.

Most American's I came in contact with thought we were bloody hilarious.

netwhizkid wrote:

Well the fact that Irish students are good for the us economy, they leave much more in the Us economy than take home. They speak English which is what the americans want, like do you want a coffee with that, en espanol isn't exactly what they want.

You didn't answer his question though. While obviously the Irish input something into their economy they are by no means "desperate" for us to go over.

All of the Hispanic immigrants I met over there worked like dogs and got paid a lot less than your average Irish person would get.

netwhizkid wrote:

Well that was my impression and the Sunday World and other newspapers have similar views.

Haha, well if the Sunday World said it...........................

If I were to describe you as a moron I would be doing morons an injustice.

netwhizkid wrote:

Anyway that was what i say, i guess it is what you make of it, many sensible people had great summers there all the same. The one good thing i say was the 21 rule I did go out although i don't drink, and it was not as easy to get in there as it is here where if you are a 14yr old girl with a 5cms mini skirt you will get as much Vodka and other spirits to drink (provided you can pay the rip-off prices) and you can keep drinking until you join George Best in hospital for a liver transplant. That is one great US thing i will admit they got it right for once :rolleyes:

You have no experience of what a J1 Summer is like so it doesn't matter what you saw. Going on holiday for two weeks and seeing a few lads getting rat-arsed every night counts for ****.

Come back and tell us what your experience was like when you finish school and actually go on a J1. Despite its image of partying/drinking every night, its a maturing experience for anyone. One of the best Summers you will ever have.

wheres me jumpa

^^ get it all off you chest there jivin!

Gone West

WetPissKid wrote:

Sunday world

Quality newspaper, that...

WetPissKid wrote:

***Total bull**** here***

...

Gandhi

netwhizkid wrote:

J1 = Complete rip, you will earn nothing, it will cost all the mulla you have earned (if any) during the previos two summers. Accomodation will be shacks. Irish people, (Long term irish are generally ok) other J1'ers are complete W***ers, they are damaging Irelands ability to get Green Cards for her Citizens. I was over there this summer to NYC on Holiday for two weeks. The irish over there act like pure animals, the irish from Ulster were exceptionally bad. Fights between Nationalist Catholics and their Ulster Protastant counterparts. Complete disgrace. And look what they did out in California. Wages range from $1 to $2 an hour and you basically survive off tips (if any) It is no place to go as a J1'r. it was a cheapo marketing ploy by the USA ambassador to get cheap labour for the summer. Plus american people will do your head in unless you actually like listening to complete and utter BullS*it, and they think they are intelligent then Go if you want your eyes opened to cut throat capitalism though, which will be the reality here very soon if the current government are re-elected again.

You left out the part where everybody rapes puppy dogs, kittens are ground up to make cheeseburgers, and blind orphans are routinely skinned alive...

neacy69

netwhizkid wrote:

I have never been on the J1 visa but i have experienced it as i lived like a j1 for two weeks this year. I saw how Irish people were treated by unscrupulous hire & fire type agencies and how they got on then drinking and fighting.

why would give adivce to someone about something you know nothing about?