J1 help

reynoaoif

I'm on a J1 at the minute, been here a couple of weeks and I hate it. I'm not working and honestly have no desire to work anymore. I'm miserable and just want to go home, I really do not like it here. I'm just wondering if many people have past experiences of going home early from a J1? Do you regret it later or know that is was the right choice? I just want to know if I'll regret it when I go home, even though I'm miserable now.. It's meant to be amazing and summer of lifetime and all that, but is it really always amazing for everyone?

iusedtoknow

Go home! You aren't being kept prisoner. If you aren't earning and aren't happy there isn't really a lot of good being there, except to waste money.

silja

It's definitely not always amazing for everyone.
But maybe before going home, look at what makes you miserable... for example, is it lack of money/ a job? That may come soon, esp if you are not choosy. Is it maybe unrealistic expectations from movies and friends who only told you the good stuff? Or maybe the location you have chosen>

reynoaoif

It's not the lack of money or job.. It's just being here that makes me miserable! I'm still afraid that I'll regret it in weeks/months/years later if I do go home though... But that's the only thing that's keeping me here right now and I don't know if that I might regret it is a good enough reason to stay..

Bayberry

reynoaoif wrote: »

It's not the lack of money or job.. It's just being here that makes me miserable! I'm still afraid that I'll regret it in weeks/months/years later if I do go home though... But that's the only thing that's keeping me here right now and I don't know if that I might regret it is a good enough reason to stay..

A J1 isn't memorable - it's what you do and experience while on your J1 that's memorable. If you're not doing anything that you couldn't be doing at home, it's not going to be memorable.

My J1 was a bit blah, because I stayed with family, and ended up working in a suburban McDonalds. It was a bit different, but not that big a deal - I might as well have stayed in Ireland, to be honest. I made some friends that I kept in touch with and they came to visit when they came to Ireland, and I decided that I really don't like New York City, but overall, I felt that I didn't really get that much out of the J1. Two years later, I did the camp counsellor thing, which was a completely different experience, and that's something I'm glad that I didn't miss. I learned some things about myself that summer that have stayed with me ever since.

For many people, the actual work experience part of the trip just provides the opportunity to make some new friends, and some time to prepare for a road trip for a couple of weeks after work finishes. If you're feeling lonely or isolated, and aren't looking forward to rewarding yourself in some way before you go home, you probably should just cut your loses.

lil_lisa

Having been on several J1s with no job, no money and poor living situations, it's not easy. Not being comfortable is usually a mix of nothing to do (work wise), no income which then leads to nothing to do because your limited to what you can afford.

The "amazing/summer of a lifetime" feeling usually comes when you reflect back on the summer while sitting in class several months later. Even with no job, maybe try keep your mind active. Take a day on public transport and check out new places, or head to the park and do some free activities. Maybe try to find some Irish clubs and meet some people in the same situation. You never know, you may find someone who's also thinking to leave.

Also, consider what you would do if you went home for the rest of the summer?

BTW, where are you located on your J1? A few boardsies might be in your area and be able to provide some advice on things to do.

Wompa1

Do many J1'ers not work when they get over?

Where are you living, OP? What is it you'd be doing back home that you can't do where you are? What is it you can do there that you can't do back home....whatever that is. Do it.