J1 2012

kmart6

Just ring them, much easier and quicker!

niamhocxox

dublin34 wrote: »

They are now quoting almost €1000 to fly to NY in June and back in Sept. Have found flights myself online for €550!! this is outrageously overpriced!!!

Anyone else having this problem??????

I had the same problem when I went to book with them. €1,000 for all indirect flights. I booked with SAYIT and my flights were €300 cheaper and with a better airline and all direct flights.

dublin34

niamhocxox wrote: »

I had the same problem when I went to book with them. €1,000 for all indirect flights. I booked with SAYIT and my flights were €300 cheaper and with a better airline and all direct flights.

Thanks Niamh, ill try them tomorrow!!!!

Seandwyer1992

gags89 wrote: »

Go somewhere different - I did the 1yr J1 in LA, Staying in UCLA dorms - LA women (aka whurebags) left right and centre!

Hollywood on the weekends, beach during the day and vegas/skiing/SD/SF all road trippable on the weekends.

where abouts did you stay? could you email me info? been looking for accom around UCLA for a while! 6 of us going

Jane.C

Hey everyone
This has been really helpful and interesting reading all ye're plans and experiences! Friends in NUIG are goin to San Fran this summer for J1 and myself my boyfriend and 2 friends have become dead set on going now and plan on booking everything next week! We were told its not too late at all to organise it all! Thing is everyone we know going will be 21 when there except for 2 of us Would ye recommend getting some kind of fake ID over there or what? I won't have a driver's license by the time we go and really don't wanna be left out of the craic or feel like we were making the rest miss out on anything! Also is San Fran a good place to go?? For jobs and accom? I'm dying to get out of here for the summer as the mere thought of staying here (in Offaly) for 4 months with no job is extremely depressing haha.. Any advice with it all? And we are set with going with USIT I think?

mixthetricks

Hi Jane....Im on the J1 freight train too And I went threw USIT aswell. Im booked up since Feb. Just so you know, I booked my original flights to LA thinking that if I changed my mind and wanted to go ended up on the east coast (Boston, NY...) Id get a nice little price reduction. So I changed my flights to Boston (3,000 miles in the difference) and the price went from €965 to a ridiculously similar price of €944. €21 pesky Euro in the difference. This is my second time using USIT, I used them back in 2005 too and I DEMANDED that I book my own flights and they let me because it was in the small print that one could book their own flights but were always advised again it. Them terms have changed since and you have to book through them. USIT really have ya by the balls and its their way or no way. Only thing that brought me back was a 'Free Visa' text I got from them before Christmas so I saved a good few bob. Anyway....longest post ever. My advice. When you go in to book your application, know where your going...and the dates. Im not sure if you can get one free date change or not. Yea.... stick pen to paper before you go in with your mates and ask all the questions you want (after reading the FAQ's on the website). The flights are 'subject to availability' so you can ask them to check as many dates as you like. Eg "Erm...Flying out the 2nd of June and back the 4th of Sept, how much??? 'Thats €950'.......ok how about flying out on the 29th of May and flying back on the 14th of Sept?" Yadda yadda.....ya get the picture. I wrecked their heads about that anyway but got a good price in the end.....considering. Oh...and join the USIT website...you can post them any question ya like an they'll get back to you within a few hours....and I'm sure there is a 'San Fran 2012' page too. Anyway.....This is the longest mail in the history....Im hungover and just cant stop typing. Bottom line..read the FAQ's....pen and paper...wreck heads.Best a luck

ironclaw

A mate of mine is with USIT and I'm with Go4Less. I would recommend Go4Less in a heartbeat. USIT were unable to give my friend an itemized bill!

They just told her the amount she had to pay (Rather rudely given it was €900 or something) When she pressed the matter, the member of staff took out a piece of paper, and from knowing how much the VISA etc cost, she worked backwards. She had absolutely no record of each charge.

She basically could have written down any figure she wanted which leaves people wide opened to being screwed. Go4Less on the other hand have an itemized bill for every single charge (even the 30c for a Visa card transaction)

@Jane.C - ID is generally passports from what I've heard. Irish Driving license's are not accepted as they are way too easy to fake. You have to have a passport if your on a J1 so there is no excuse at the door. You can get an american ID there I believe. I've never heard of any problems with people drinking though. Where there is a will there is a way I suppose

cup of tea

4 of us heading to Chicago on the 25th May, if any other small group wants to share accom give me a pm

SineadSc

Hey, me and a friend are going to Chicago this summer and we'd love to meet people before we go! Anyone want to get together in Dublin sometime?

Rachel.b

Myself and a friend (both female 21) are hitting LA at the end of May and are looking to share a place with others to cut cost of rent. We don't mind where; Huntington beach, Santa Monica, Westwood etc.

Join this group if your interested
https://www.facebook.com/groups/330123870380465/

Rickson1

Hi i'm thinking of D.C for this Summer after reading what you posted. Any chance you could give me a contact for the frat housing please? Thanks

Linken

Anyone heading to San Fran?

Kiwi71

Anyone heading to Miami? share accomadation?

CaramelCat

Anybody heading to Orlando on a J1 this year? Sharing accomodation would be good to cut the cost!

Det. John Kimble

Kiwi71 wrote: »

Anyone heading to Miami? share accomadation?

me and 3 lads heading to Miami ... havent looked at accomodation yet ..if u find any good accomodation let me know and maybe we can all chip in

SuperSean11

Linken wrote: »

Anyone heading to San Fran?

Yep, can't wait, lookin forward to it?

muchacho

Linken wrote: »

Anyone heading to San Fran?

Yeah, me too. Trying to suppress my excitement till after the exams. Have ye got accommodation and jobs lined up?

Kiwi71

Det. John Kimble wrote: »

me and 3 lads heading to Miami ... havent looked at accomodation yet ..if u find any good accomodation let me know and maybe we can all chip in

http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/apa/2968630021.html


http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/apa/2991413307.html

2 bedroom apartment for that price in miami is pretty good, like thats feck all for 3 or 4 of us a month like il sleep on an air bed doesnt bother me! ha, when ya heading over?

HavingCrack

Kiwi71 wrote: »

http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/apa/2968630021.html


http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/apa/2991413307.html

2 bedroom apartment for that price in miami is pretty good, like thats feck all for 3 or 4 of us a month like il sleep on an air bed doesnt bother me! ha, when ya heading over?

Be very, very cautious where you end up in Miami. Miami Beach is quite nice for the most part but Miami 'proper' (landward side) is very, very rough and dangerous in parts. Public transport is nigh on non existent also so make sure you live within walking distance of work or you'll need a car.

Kiwi71

HavingCrack wrote: »

Be very, very cautious where you end up in Miami. Miami Beach is quite nice for the most part but Miami 'proper' (landward side) is very, very rough and dangerous in parts. Public transport is nigh on non existent also so make sure you live within walking distance of work or you'll need a car.

Thanks man, thats up near north miami thats the most dangerous?

smithirl

Anyone heading to NJ looking to share accomm?

Can anyone currently living/have lived in the NJ area be able to tell me where most Irish/J1ers are living??

Drodan

Got a forwarded e-mail to my college account about J1s, how they're now free and it's not too late to apply blah blah blah, got me thinking for a last minute try for going over but it does feel way too late. What would people think, is it actually possible? Probably wouldn't get an embassy appointment till nearly the second week in June like.

ironclaw

Drodan wrote: »

Got a forwarded e-mail to my college account about J1s, how they're now free and it's not too late to apply blah blah blah, got me thinking for a last minute try for going over but it does feel way too late. What would people think, is it actually possible? Probably wouldn't get an embassy appointment till nearly the second week in June like.

Not too late at all. Only problem I would see is getting a job and if you had to come back for college at the start of September, could be a little short.

Drodan

ironclaw wrote: »

Not too late at all. Only problem I would see is getting a job and if you had to come back for college at the start of September, could be a little short.

College starts usually mid September, so that wouldn't be too bad, but I'd be lucky to get a flight out (assuming the embassy meeting happens soon enough) by the 15/16th of June though right?

ironclaw

Might pay a little more for a flight, but why not, go for it.

KimSweeney

Hi ..im a late booker and only concidering weither to go now .. plan on going with usit and want to decide by the weekend weither n where to go .. interested in going to new jersey but people have told me its really expensive during the summer with all the tourists anyone any advice on where to go or jobs and that..ps im going it alone :rolleyes:

KimSweeney

Hi ..im a late booker and only concidering weither to go now .. plan on going with usit and want to decide by the weekend weither n where to go .. interested in going to new jersey but people have told me its really expensive during the summer with all the tourists anyone any advice on where to go or jobs and that..ps im going it alone :rolleyes:

ConanRTTG

CaramelCat wrote: »

Anybody heading to Orlando on a J1 this year? Sharing accomodation would be good to cut the cost!

Hey there Cat! Yes, I'm heading over with my girlfriend on the 30th. Have ye jobs or accom sorted? No luck yet with either this end!

HavingCrack

KimSweeney wrote: »

Hi ..im a late booker and only concidering weither to go now .. plan on going with usit and want to decide by the weekend weither n where to go .. interested in going to new jersey but people have told me its really expensive during the summer with all the tourists anyone any advice on where to go or jobs and that..ps im going it alone :rolleyes:

I wouldn't advise living in New Jersey on a J1-oppressively hot, any J1 type jobs are exceptionally long hours (11-12 hour shifts, 6 days a week are common)and very badly paid (no requirement by law for employers to give breaks for lunch longer than 15 minutes and they will stick to it). Public transport is nigh on non existent which makes doing anything except going to the beach extremely hard. It's not expensive to live in it all, you'll easily find a place to live for 400 dollars a month no problem. Jobs wise-any resort town on the coast will be crying out for workers, especially since the recent change in visa rules for east Europeans.

mixthetricks

Kim Sweeney from Mullingar Kim Sweeney :O ???