J1 costs; planning...

ianofitz · 21-07-2014 8:50pm #1

Hey,

A few of my friends and I were talking about doing a J1 next year. At the moment its only a thought but I just wanna see whats out there in terms of jobs. We're probably going to go to Canada. I'm currently studying Logistics and Supply Chain Management. Do you reckon I should try get a job in that? Or what do you think? Any sites or contacts you know of please do send them on!

Thanks

Oregano_State · 21-07-2014 8:59pm

First thing anyway is that J1 visas are just for the states. There's a different name for the Canadian one.

As regards work, it depends on what you want from your summer.

If you and your friends are looking for the classic booze-up of a summer then I'd say go get a job in a bar or restaurant or something as opposed to an internship in a business.

However if that's not your style and you're OK with working a 9-5 then it could be great way to get some relevant experience while living abroad and enjoying yourself.

I'd be careful though if your mates want a piss-up and you have intentions of holding down a proper job then there's potential for friction when they come home at 4am for the third night in a row and make a racket with you having to get up for work in the morning.

ianofitz · 21-07-2014 9:21pm

Oregano_State wrote: »

First thing anyway is that J1 visas are just for the states. There's a different name for the Canadian one.

As regards work, it depends on what you want from your summer.

If you and your friends are looking for the classic booze-up of a summer then I'd say go get a job in a bar or restaurant or something as opposed to an internship in a business.

However if that's not your style and you're OK with working a 9-5 then it could be great way to get some relevant experience while living abroad and enjoying yourself.

I'd be careful though if your mates want a piss-up and you have intentions of holding down a proper job then there's potential for friction when they come home at 4am for the third night in a row and make a racket with you having to get up for work in the morning.

Cool thanks for that! Yeah true about the 2 different summers. I'll get talking to the guys and see what they say. Thanks!

Civilian_Target · 23-07-2014 10:13pm

If you're thinking about Canada, don't overlook the east side. Montreal's an amazing city - the size of Boston with the nightlife of New York. And if you want something smaller but still cool, St. John NB is also a great spot.

ianofitz · 24-07-2014 9:06am

Civilian_Target wrote: »

If you're thinking about Canada, don't overlook the east side. Montreal's an amazing city - the size of Boston with the nightlife of New York. And if you want something smaller but still cool, St. John NB is also a great spot.

Cool thanks for that! I'll have a proper look at a few different cities. Whats Vancouver like does anyone know?

ianofitz · 24-07-2014 9:06am

Civilian_Target wrote: »

If you're thinking about Canada, don't overlook the east side. Montreal's an amazing city - the size of Boston with the nightlife of New York. And if you want something smaller but still cool, St. John NB is also a great spot.

Cool thanks for that! I'll have a proper look at a few different cities. Whats Vancouver like does anyone know?

Oregano_State · 24-07-2014 11:31am

ianofitz wrote: »

Cool thanks for that! I'll have a proper look at a few different cities. Whats Vancouver like does anyone know?

I haven't been there but have only heard good things. It's pretty expensive, but you'll be working so that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

ianofitz · 25-07-2014 9:24am

Oregano_State wrote: »

I haven't been there but have only heard good things. It's pretty expensive, but you'll be working so that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Yeah I've heard Canada is pretty expensive in general though so I'm prepared! Haha

Anonymou · 28-07-2014 7:41pm

Group of us thinking of doing the J1 next year also,will all be 20/21 next summer. Canada sounds interesting,is it any different as regards getting your visa to go there as opposed to the US?

Also wouldn't mind trying somewhere that is different to the typical spots where Irish J1 students flock to (Boston,San Francisco etc),anyone here been somewhere a bit more obscure in the States?

Leahmc94 · 28-07-2014 11:19pm

Does anyone who has been in California (san diego/san francisco) know what its like work wise? Is there much difficulty in getting jobs? Also how do San Fran and San Diego compare to like Berkeley, Santa Barbara or Santa Monica? Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Oregano_State · 30-07-2014 12:38am

Anonymou wrote: »

Group of us thinking of doing the J1 next year also,will all be 20/21 next summer. Canada sounds interesting,is it any different as regards getting your visa to go there as opposed to the US?

Also wouldn't mind trying somewhere that is different to the typical spots where Irish J1 students flock to (Boston,San Francisco etc),anyone here been somewhere a bit more obscure in the States?

I spent a J1 summer in Ocean City, MD. Had a ball, really great experience, but it was absolutely packed with Irish students.

I visited Washington DC as well, which was good, but it gets awfully hot and humid during the summer around that area, wouldn't fancy spending the whole summer there. I visited Annapolis as well which is a great little spot if you could land a job there, it would be a lot more upmarket, but still quite touristy. Has a lovely marina and a very picturesque town centre. It would be one of the older American cities as well as being the former capital of the US.

I stayed in New York also for a few days which again is amazing, but maybe not what you're looking for.

I've been to Detroit a few times, it's definitely not a typical J1 haunt but it's a very interesting place. I was staying in the suburbs and coming in for day trips, although I'm told it can be quite cheap to rent in even the nicer parts of the city. The area around the city centre is quite nice and modern, although surprisingly small, outside of that you would want to know where you are going as it can be dangerous. Something to think about maybe.

Canada-wise, I've only been to Toronto and again, I thought it was fantastic, I've a few friends that have been living there for nearly 2 years now and they love it. I'd compare it to NY in terms of it having a real 'Big-city' feeling and there's a great buzz about the place at the moment with the economic boom in Canada. It is expensive, but I'm sure there's loads of work. I'm not too sure what the application process is like for a working holiday visa, as I was only there for a week before heading over to Michigan.

Brego · 31-07-2014 5:43pm

Hi guys,

hoping to get over to San Francisco on a J1 in 2015. I'm wondering what are the actual costs of getting over there at the end of the day?

I'm talking flights, USIT fees and the embassy booking.

Thanks

Brego · 31-07-2014 8:05pm

Howye!

About 5 lads here heading to San Francisco in 2015. Anyone know anything about accommodation?

AdamD · 01-08-2014 1:41am

Dignity

highlydebased · 01-08-2014 10:58am

About €800 at most for all of the above.

stephenamccann · 04-08-2014 6:09pm

You want a job that you dont care about so that you can enjoy the J1. Most american and canadian workers are considered lazy so as long as you work hard when youre there, youre given slack.

Chavways · 07-08-2014 6:20am

highlydebased wrote: »

About €800 at most for all of the above.

Are you serious? For me to get flight to San Francisco return, all the USIT crap, the embassy visit, health insurance and all the small little costs that they don't tell you about until you have to pay them, I was coming close 1800 euro. It's a ridiculous money racket.

USIT charged me 1000 euro for flights and when I went to the British Airways website to check, the real flights were just over 600 euro so USIT took a nice chunk of that.

garycreaton · 07-08-2014 6:25am

Well I'm on a j1 at the moment and it's great.
I'm in NYC for the j1.
A j1 is great and great way to make money if you know the right people.
A j1 for NYC all together cost me between €1350-€1500.
Flights are most expensive and make sure you get j1 fee for free when on promotion with usit.
Embassy fee isn't too bad only tip is when your interview is on, get there 30 mins early minimum.

It's well worth it. I'm only here 8 weeks and have made back my money and another 6 weeks to go.

Good luck

Young Blood · 07-08-2014 6:46am

garycreaton wrote: »

Well I'm on a j1 at the moment and it's great.
I'm in NYC for the j1.
A j1 is great and great way to make money if you know the right people.
A j1 for NYC all together cost me between €1350-€1500.
Flights are most expensive and make sure you get j1 fee for free when on promotion with usit.
Embassy fee isn't too bad only tip is when your interview is on, get there 30 mins early minimum.

It's well worth it. I'm only here 8 weeks and have made back my money and another 6 weeks to go.

Good luck

j1 is a money racket. Your best off going without one. You're entitled to stay in the usa for 3 months anyway and most jobs students end up dping are without visas. Keep your money or better still go to SE Asia

Civilian_Target · 18-08-2014 12:09am

If you just apply for a J1 through a regular agency that doesn't try to hide costs, a J1 of 6 months or less typically costs about $700-800.

The amount of money that goes to the US government varies from agency to agency - there's a per applicant costs for sure, but there's also a petition cost, licensing costs, and fines for when certain applicants break the rules. Obviously, the costs apply no-matter what though, so one that tries to hide the costs in flights or other parts of the package are just more painful to work with, because every little extra costs a fortune.

[EDIT]Of course, the the flights are extra, and that depends on where and when you' re going, and how small a seat you're willing to tolerate...

Orangejuicer · 22-08-2014 1:23pm

Myself and a few friends were considering going to Boulder, Colorado on a J1 next year. Has anyone here ever been there or have any suggestions on if it's a good place to go, jobs etc? Any help would be much appreciated!

Shanobadur · 24-08-2014 2:10am

Hi guys,

I'm just wondering what recommendations you'd have for a student looking to do a J1 next Summer. My main questions concern places to go and employment.

First I want to know however, do the USIT offer the free J1 fee each year? I remember I was going to apply last year but due to my passport being out of date I put it off while there was a free booking fee. Does this offer happen every year?

Next I'm wondering about where to go. I was always interested in going to New York because it's such a change from Ireland and I wanted to experience that but I also considered Miami and San Francisco as just automatic destinations I'd love to work in. Yet I'm worried about employment as New York is such a densely populated state would I be likely to find a job? Or would a safer bet be to go to one of the other 2?

Also, would I be at a disadvantage by going on a J1 by myself? I know a couple of lads that were talking about going but whether they actually will or not is a different story! Since joining college I've made friends with loads of people very easily. Is it easy to get in with a group of young people on a J1 or would I be better off recruiting some lads to come with me?

I'm also wondering about accommodation in each of the 3 places that I mentioned above. Is it easy to find and how expensive is it?

Finally, would I be at a disadvantage for not having experience in bartending or other jobs that I would be looking for whilst in America? And finally how difficult is it to get a bartending job in America for somebody on a J1?

Finally ... How much does the J1 cost on average?

Thanks for your time guys!

Chavways · 25-08-2014 6:27am

I went on a J1 to Sacramento, California by myself this year. I'm actually in the airport now waiting to go home so I have time to kill.

Going alone is tough. I'm not going to sugar coat it. If you know nobody where you are going, it is tough to get around and the first few days will feel like hell but it gets much better. I went to Sacramento because I had secured a job selling kayaks and I loved the job but Sacramento definitely isn't renowned as a J1 destination and as a result I met only 1 other Irish person all summer and didn't make many friends at all to be honest but it was a great experience.

If you go to one of the more popular destinations like New York or San Fran, you should find it much easier to meet people. There will be many others in your situation.

My biggest piece of advice would be to secure a job before you get out there. Once you have your destination figured out, hammer off as many CV's as you can to different places you think you'd like to work. Having a job when you arrive gives you a humongous advantage over 90% of people who go out and try and figure out a job when they arrive only to end up spending a lot of money and a lot of their initial few weeks there on a desperate job hunt.

Your employer should be able to point you in the direction of accommodation too. Its always good to have that figured out too and its one less major thing to worry about.

I don't think you're allowed to bar tend over here unless you're 21 or over but I could be wrong on that. I know for myself after flights, embassy fees and all of the crazy money that USIT charge to do very little for you, it came to around 1800 euro for me just to get to America. Granted I went to the west coast so it'll be that bit more. Rent can vary drastically depending on where you go and then how much you earn and spend will be entirely up to you.

I hope this was of some help!

Maggie Aljo · 05-09-2014 3:20am

I'm thinking of going on a J1 as well and I'm thinking of going on my own too, not for any other reason but I want to travel with people other than those I've known forever in Dublin!

San Fran or Boston! Or Texas if I'm feeling crazy haha

corkoian · 14-09-2014 12:35am

I'm looking at going on a J1 this summer too. Ill probably go it alone, everyone is cash strapped. Looking at California for most of it and then going exploring the west coast for the last 3 weeks or so depending on the money situation

sarahgrif93 · 05-10-2014 4:55pm

Thinking of going to Boulder,CO myself it looks great. Would love to hear if anyone had any experiences there

or anywhere in Colorado..

CiFlood · 20-10-2014 11:15am

Myself and my girlfriend went to Berkeley this Summer. If you want to work you don't really have too many options other than going through one of the J1 companies; total costs for is about 1300euro all in before you go. Myself and my girlfriend only went for 8 weeks, and didn't get jobs, so we should've saved ourselves that money. We had about $4000 between us when we got there, so $2000 each, and managed to live fairly comfortably for our time in Berkeley, and could afford to rent a car for a week at the end, travelling down the coast to LA. It is possible to live on a tight budget, but we still managed to fit in Alcatraz, biking the bridge, a giants game in AT&T, and though I'm broke now, I'd do the same again in a heartbeat. If you are going for the full three months, I'd recommend the J1 as you will find a job - we did find jobs but by the time we got them it was almost time to leave so wasn't worth while; if you're going for two months or less save the money on the Visa for spending when you get there, and just go on a holiday visa.

sophiya1992 · 05-11-2014 5:35pm

Hey guys just came across the thread and me and a friend of mine are going on the j1 this summer thinking of NYC or Boston.. anyone interested in headin that way and wanna join us your more than welcome. We are both 22 year old females in college in Waterford!

jaymcg91 · 08-11-2014 2:22am

I'm looking at New York with http://travelbuglimited.ie/. Significantly cheaper, and if you go through campus.ie they knock 10% off. Buying your own flights will save me a serious amount of money!

ColmBr · 13-11-2014 12:59am

jaymcg91 wrote: »

Buying your own flights will save me a serious amount of money!

Is travelbug the only company that let you book you flights yourself do you know?

Swel · 13-11-2014 12:32pm

Me and a friend are also going on a J1 next summer, looking at santa monica / san diego. If anyone has any advice or wants to join, the more the merrier!
Both from waterford, 21/22

J1 costs; planning...

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