The Ultimate J1 Holiday Guide
The J1 Holiday is a right of passage for Students in Ireland. It has everything that a young twenty something year old needs to have the summer of their life. But getting your head around all the planning and red tape can make it a daunting task. This Post is your Ultimate guide to the J1 holiday.
The J1 Visa allows Irish students to work and travel in The United States for a summer. Not only is it a great way of getting out of living with your parents for three months, but it gives you the chance to completely immerse yourself in another culture. You'll live in a cramped apartment, scraping by with just enough food but somehow its all worth it.
The Requirements for a J1 Visa
The Requirements to go on the J1 Holiday are pretty simple, you must be:
Any nationality studying in Ireland.
Any summer job must be generally compatible with the rules, regulations, and intent of the programme. You have to work at least 32 hours per week and have to be able to balance the responsibilities of the job and you exploring of the USA. In addition to the above, any summer job that could bring notoriety or disrepute to the Exchange Visitor Program is expressly prohibited by the program regulations.
It is also important to note that you need to ensure that all Work & Travel USA jobs are "seasonal" and not taking work from American Citizens. The typical Summer Work Travel job is in seasonal/resort areas in a seasonal business. There are seasonal needs outside resort areas and there may be suitable jobs in these areas. If a job is in an office environment, it should be seasonal and NOT an internship ie. if there is intent for professional development or some sort of career experience, then it likely belongs on the Intern side. In addition, you need to be careful that you are not working in isolated/remote areas. Some jobs are prohibited by the programme, you can find them here.
There are two routes you can take to finding a job in the US. First is the USIT programme that will find a job for you but you will have to pay. You can find their website here. Secondly, there is always the do it yourself route. Its much like finding a job here in Ireland. You need to make sure your CV and cover letter is up to date, then you need to trawl the job sites in the US such as craigslist and indeed in search of summer jobs. you have one advantage though, you're Irish and everybody loves the Irish.
How much will i get paid?
The national minimum wage is currently $7.25 per hour for non-tipped positions. For tipped positions (such as waitstaff), the national minimum wage is $2.13 per hour. Minimum wage requirements may be higher in some states. Paychecks are typically given out every two weeks. Most places that will pay you around the $10 area and its more than enough to get buy if you and your friends pool your money.
The average Tax return in the US is $850 so its more than worth your while applying even though you'll be home. By law everyone working in the US has to file a tax return so its gonna happen anyway. There are companies such as taxback.com who will do it for you but it will cost. You can find them here.
From Cape Cod’s country clubs and Wisconsin water parks, to the bars of downtown Chicago the J1 experience has become a rite of passage for Irish students. Emerging regulations in the USA has meant that the future of the J1 SWT programme may be at risk in the next few years so seize the opportunity to have a Summer of a lifetime.
