J1 2013 San Diego

We stopped off in San Diego for a few days last summer while travelling the west coast and absolutely loved it, was one of our favourite spots in Cali. The locals are all dead sound, the nightlife is good, there are some quality beaches, the weather is perfect, and it didn't seem that expensive in comparison to a lot of there other places we went to on the East and West coast. Some of the drawbacks I found are that there are a shedload of Paddy's around the place which I personally hated, and from what everyone tells me it is pretty hard to find jobs and accommodation (mainly due to the amount of J1ers floating about). I'm thinking of hitting there next summer too if I can somehow conjure up the funds, the only thing I'd be worried about is finding a job.

I'd definitely recommend getting a car/motorbike and doing a bit of travelling if you can afford it too. We rented out a 7-seater for 3 weeks and traveled from the bottom to the top of California along Pacific Highway, stopping off in all the main spots along the way before finishing up in Vegas. From my experience, its so much better than just staying in the one place for 3 months as I did before in NY. You get a real feel for each of the cities along the way and for the West Coast in general while meeting some absolute heroes in the process. If you do get a car, I'd also definitely recommend checking out a place called Lake Tahoe in mid-east California, we camped there for 5 days and it was absolutely amazing, easily the highlight of our trip...Camping over 6,000 feet above sea-level in the mountains by a huge freshwater lake and savage beach which had loads of water sports etc, surrounded by forests with bears, coyotes and a load of other seedy animals. Its also only a 20 minute drive from the Nevada border where there are a load of bars, clubs, and massive casinos which doesn't hurt (unless of course you have severe gambling problems like myself in which case it will absolutely ruin your life). Yosemite National Park is also another slick spot to camp, give em a Google if you've any interest.

Forgive the huge reply, I'm feeling helpful today.

Did a j1 there summer 2010. It's a great location both in itself and as a base for onward travel.
It is one of the harder places to get jobs but you probably know that already. We found it hard to get accommodation as most renters want to do a credit check (obviously an Irish person wouldn't have an American credit history) or need an america-based guarantor. They wouldn't accept Irish bank statements, Irish rental histories or parents as guarantors because they live in Ireland. (Although this will probably happen wherever you go).

Jobs are possible to get but you have to think outside the box sometimes and actually work hard to get one, especially if you're under 21. Main employers are Seaworld, USS Midway, various pools and clubs looking for lifeguards, shops by the beaches,etc.
I ended up working in the Old Town State Historic Park, only Irish person there. Simply because no-one else thought to try it.

The most attractive places to stay for Irish would probably be the beaches, Pacific and Ocean. However, accomodation there is very expensive and rentals are geared towards wealthy americans doing vacation rentals. Places a bit further inland like Clairemont or even downtown San Diego are more affordable, although apparently there are reasonable places to be had in Ocean beach too.

It's a nice city, the people are friendly and it felt safe. Bear in mind though that you will be absolutely surrounded by Irish people, which can be a bit strange at times.

Cities to visit from SD:
LA
I was one of those unfortunates who visited without a car and it did make things a little tricky. We stayed downtown our first trip and that was seriously sketchy. Stayed in Hollywood second time around which was better but there's still a lot of seedy stuff going on in any budget accom in that area. LA is one of these places where you're walking down a street and literally every building is derelict and you are the only person on the street who isn't off their head. Then you turn a corner and you're surrounded by fancy restaurants and shops. It was a little depressing at times. Did all the typical tourist stuff: walk of fame, Warner Bro's Tour (that was great), Mann's Theatre. We stalked a movie premiere and met Leonardo DiCaprio. A bit of forward planning can help, Jimmy Kimmel tickets are free but sign up in advance for them online. If you go here, call 1800-COMMUTE and they can tell you how to get from where you are to any destination on public transport. Really handy.

San Fran
Probably my favourite US city. Really nice vibe to the place. Artsy, liberal, lots of college students. Lots to see: Alcatraz, Golden Gate, Pier 39, etc. (Book Alcatraz in advance). Don't stay in the Tenderloin district. We were on the fringes and it was okay, but we weren't exactly hanging outside with the meth-heads at 3am and there was a German tourist shot dead for his wallet a block away from us a week before we arrived. The bus is dirt cheap and I found all the drivers to be ridiculously nice. It's a gorgeous, gorgeous city. I would live there in a heartbeat.

Tijuana
It would be hypocritical of me to tell you not to go because I did but I would just seriously urge you to be careful. The dangers are not exaggerated and, honestly, I wish we hadn't gone. Those who tell you it's safe and that it's a conspiracy to "keep the money in San Diego" are taking the piss.

General tips for saving money:
Consider staying in hostels, couchsurfing or airbnb (normal people renting a room in their house) when travelling. If you're moving between cities without your own transport, consider the Greyhound bus rather than the train. It gets a bad rap but I travelled with them extensively and never felt unsafe. Booking in advance is really cheap. Dollar stores have everything you need for your accomodation. Join a library for wifi/printer/the occasional book. Sign up for loyalty cards in the supermarket because using them knocks a chunk off your total right there and then rather than the Irish model where they send you out vouchers.

Feel free to PM me with any questions.

La Jolla's nice, dripping in money. Lots of university accomodation though. Most people who got jobs there were lifeguards.

hi guys, myself and 2 other lads are looking to share accom, and planning on heading over there in early june.. apparently with the prices of rent over there, its the only option unleess your minted. anyways, we're not total pissheads but we do enjoy abitta drinking and abtta craic! I know its early days yet but if any of yas fancy sharing accom, pm me, looking to try get as many contacts as possibe (which everyone really woud be doing)

Is the job situation really that bad ?!! :O :O OPPPS

The above advice is pretty great. Definitely keep a few CVs on you (pared down to american-style resumé) but you will more than likely be asked to fill out application forms instead. Be prepared to "sell yourself". I remember when I was handing in a CV the employer simply said "tell me about yourself". She wasn't hiring but liked what I said (I wrangled into a semi-interview) and she led me to her friend's business where they were taking on people.

Earlier the better definitely holds true and I would second trying places other people aren't, like downtown/ Old Town. Lots of hotels down there that need extra summer staff.

Im feeling helpful today too so here comes another huge reply!

I did two summers in California. The first on a J1 in Huntington Beach, the second in San Diego on a holiday visa.

I did my first one in Huntington in 2010, absolutely loved it, couldnt speak more highly of the place. People say its a difficult place to get work, well so is California in general maybe with the exception of San Fran. But there are jobs there, you just really have to put in an effort in getting into every place and getting out there early is essential. I had two jobs the first year I went. When i went to San Diego the second year I didnt work, I had money saved up and stayed for 8 weeks. But many people I lived with struggled to get jobs. I think if you really want one, you will get one.

San Diego is in a great location for getting around and traveling. We traveled the whole coast from San Diego all the way up to San Fran and went to Lake Tahoe too. Like the poster said above, it is something you have to do if you go to Cali, car rentals are relatively cheap, we got a 7 seater jeep and traveled the whole coast, worked out maybe 70 each for 6 days. Me and one of the guys rented a mustang as well on our own, was pretty cheap considering the car it was! Although it got impounded for parking on a yellow line ( be careful they do you so bad for this) no tickets, your car is gone and you to go get it from the impound! 250 dollars to get it out! was a funny experience, we were still hammered the next morning and couldnt figure out where our car was gone!

Il touch briefly on Mexico, I went both years, with Hollywood Ray, hes this dude from San Diego, who organises two nights a week in Mexico, one in Tijuana and one in Rosarito Beach! Yeah Mexico is not to be under-estimated, its probably the most dangerous country in the world and Tijuana is very dangerous itself. But to be fair, when you go down with Hollywood Ray, you get taxis already organised by him to bring you straight to the club and going Rosarito the bus goes all the way to the club as its further away. Its a good time, drink is so cheap it gets really messy. To be honest its the only time I would be crossing the border, I wouldnt be going down for a 'look around' during the day or anything. Its like another world when you look across at it. But yeah, its an experience!

Huntington, Newport and Laguna are three lovely towns side by side. all worth a look around, Newport is home to plenty of celebs and has some cool beaches and ''the wedge'' if your into surfing you'll have heard about this. good nightlife too. Laguna is nice to see, but a pretty sleepy town, again nightlife isnt bad! Huntington's beach is unbelievable, and known to attract the the finest of southern californias women! I did one whole summer here and spent a large part of my second summer up here staying with american friends. It is so nice.

LA, is not really what you think it will be, south central and all that is pretty scary and I would not be getting up to much here, we had to change rail lines in Compton, was pretty sketchy! has some nice beach towns though worth checking out, Redondo, Manhatten, Venice and Hermosa Beach! all really nice and possibly a good alternative for a J1 I think as there wouldnt be many Irish here and accom and jobs would be more easily got than the likes of Huntington and San Diego. Theres plenty to do and see in LA, Universal Studios def worth a visit, kodak theatre, Rodeo Drive, Santa Monica and the pier, Beverley Hills (its mad you will see paparazzi running down the street chasing some celeb). we got the open top bus tour was well well worth it. it including tour of the celebrity homes which is very cool, playboy mansion, tiger woods, MJ, Kardashians, Simon Cowell etc.

Travelled all up the coast to Santa Barbara and worked up on Pebblebeach Golf Course for the US Open the year Graeme McDowell won it! was an unforgettable experience! San Fran is very cool as well, we stayed in a Frat house up there with some random Irish people that were renting it for the summer in Berkley.

We did Lake Tahoe the second summer. Could not recommend this more, it was the highlight of my summer, again, like the above poster mentioned. It is the other side of cali you will never see in San Diego, mountains, fresh water lake, cabins in the woods. we rented a big speedboat for half the day and drove it round the lake, with a huge ice box of drink, stopping to do some cliff jumping and dounghnut rings. worked out at 50 dollars each for the day, there was 12 of us on it. It is a must if your road tripping. would love to have spent the whole summer up there. We rented blow up tubes and floating down a river another day, from way up in a mountain all the way to the lake. took about 6 hours! so much fun!

Vegas, about 5 hours from San Diego, is indescribable really, you just have to go and experience it for yourself. first year we went we stayed in Hooters beside MGM, was very cheap, like 7 of us in a room, maybe 10 dollars each a night! the day time pool parties are outrageous! expensive but have to be done, youtube them! the little theme park on top of stratosphere is worth a go! all the clubs are like nothing you will ever have been in before! so good! the second year I went to EDC (Electric Daisy Carnival), an electronic music festival in the las vegas speedway, had every big dj playing, was a brilliant weekend, again, youtube it! if your into your dance music or tomorrowland kinda thing, def think about it!

Back to San Diego,
I enjoyed the summer definitely, but the one thing is like another poster said is the amount of Irish there, there is A LOT! and we are not liked there unfortunately. Rent is hard got, best advice I can give is get out there as early as you can! you will have to be prepared to live with a lot of people but its all part of the j1 experience. we got a nice house in pacific beach, we were very lucky to be honest, it was very big, the landlady, wanted a deposit up front, which was 1500, 100 off each person, we knew we were never gona see that again! and then the rent was 1700 a month or something. I have to say over all it was the best place I visited out of all of cali but it is very good.. everyone will have different experiences, but I really loved Huntington and Newport and Isla Vista in Santa Barbara is a great spot but again has a terrible rep for Irish!

All in all, despite what people say, jobs can be got, you will just have to work hard to get one, but if you want one bad enough you will get one. Accom you will have to be prepared to view loads of places but you will get going eventually. try bring as much money with you as possible, as in sacrifice those few weeks before you leave Ireland not going out and keeping your money, It will be more valuable over there if you are struggling to get work a few weeks in. Rent a car and drive, drive and drive some more! It is a fantastic state! So much to see and do!

Let me know if you have any more questions, or if there was something I did not touch on!

Hi, was just wondering if anyone had any advice about setting up bank accounts etc. Don't really want to be landing out there with all cash.
Do you need an American address to set one up?

dilapidating wrote: »

Hi, was just wondering if anyone had any advice about setting up bank accounts etc. Don't really want to be landing out there with all cash.
Do you need an American address to set one up?

Just FYI, American banks charge you to do anything. If you want to cash a cheque (The most common way to be paid in America) and its from a bank thats not yours, they'll charge you.

My advice is to wait until your in a job and then open a bank account with the bank your company uses. That way its free to lodge the cheque. The charge for a cheque can be upwards of $5. Doesn't sound like a lot but if you paid by the week and you cash one every week for the summer, its $60 or so your down.

Also, if you have any intention of working in the States or living there, credit rating is everything. So when you leave either a) Close the account or b) Ensure it never ever gets overdrawn. One missed overdraft and your credit history for the next 7 years (Or so) is rubbish. Sounds daft but I can testify its the case over there. Also they charge to maintain the account, a friend came back after 3 years and it was in the red to the tune of about $300. You have to pay it or, I'm not joking, it could become a federal offence.

Rorymc5 wrote: »

Hey guys! Was just wondering whats the story with driving out in america? I have a full Irish License for about two years and was wondering how ye got around it while ye were out there. Did ye buy or rent cars, how much did they cost etc etc? Please and thanks

I drove extensively so ask away. Are you familiar with an automatic? You'll find it hard (aka impossible) to get a Manual car. Driving is fairly easy, other side of the road however and drivers can be aggressive. Not for the faint hearted.

Police take driving seriously, zero tolerance (obviously) to DUI and speeding is regularly kept in check. Hertz (And most others) will rent to you and you can put an additional driver on the policy for a small fee.

I didn't look at buying a car but I know people that bought one in Canada and drove it back to the States, they were on a J1 in Chicago. There are companies that do long term leases to students so they might be worth looking at.

Either way, insure yourself to the absolute max. Its not like here where the liability stops with the insurance company. People can and do sue you for damages. Insurance is cheap because it basically covers nothing and the excess is massive. So watch the small print. Also, watch where you park. Car robbery and car break in's are fairly rampant (As with all cities) On the plus side, petrol is marginally cheaper than here.

Personally I wouldn't bother in San Diego, the public transport is good enough. Rent a car and take out every optional extra when you do need one.

Rorymc5 wrote: »

Cheers for the quick reply! I was mainly wondering will my full Irish driving license be any use to me while in San Diego? Just if I wanted to go on a road trip or something?

Yeah its fully accepted in the US. Just get yourself familiar with US Road Traffic Laws. There are differences like 'the free right' turn and you must actually come to a full stop at Stop signs. Try get yourself an International Drivers Permit. Not required by law but its dead handy when renting or if stopped by Police, kinda says "I'm not stupid" and makes their job easier.

Link: http://www.aaireland.ie/AA/Motoring-advice/Driving-in-Europe/International-driving-permit.aspx