jg87

A friend and I are coming to america, fully sponsored on a J1 visa programme. We will be entitled to work in america from the end of July until the 10th of October.
I have sent out numerous emails, particularly to British pubs in the santa monica area but have as of yet had no luck.

Does anyone have any ideas of how we can find work and an accommodation, or if anyone out there may have such a thing on offer! We are particularly interested in staying in the west LA area (westwood, culver city, santa monica etc...)

Many Thanks.

britoverseas

Is it with BUNAC?

I went over on their program about 10 years ago, you didn't need to have a job then, you could find one when you arrived - I guess it's different post 911.

If I were you I would extend my search and try hotels/country clubs etc? You may find that sort of job would get you extra tips etc with the accent

Good luck

Let me know if you have any questions.

meauxna

Starter thread here, more San Diego but search on J-1, BUNAC & Santa Monica for more ideas.
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=545582

naomi

When I came over on that scheme (back in 93, eeks!), I just walked into places. Of course the economy isn't so hot these days. Doesn't BUNAC have a directory of jobs/employers? I remember that was the case back then. I was also lucky enough to have friends living here, so stayed on sofas for a couple of weeks until I found a month-to-month rental place. Good luck!
Naomi.

caleyjag

OK, good. The BUNAC J1 program is a pretty good way to get out here. I don't think they have an operation on the west coast. They used to have an office in New York, where they could help you find work, but that may have changed.

I would say you can forget about bar work.

Bar work in the US is a highly skilled profession that pays relatively well. it is a COMPLETELY different beast to bar work in the UK (I've done both, and it wasn't easy).

You have basically no chance of getting work in a bar in Santa Monica, especially with the English pub since it is quite popular and they make good money.

If you are aiming for Santa Monica or Hollywood you should be looking at grunt work in a cafe or more likely a kitchen. Out front in a restaurant, the best you can probably hope for is bus work (clearing tables).

The one exception is if you happen to be a very attractive young female. In my experience this will open up opportunities that are closed to most other people (waitress, hostess, etc). However of course in Hollywood and Santa Monica there are no shortage of cute women so I don't know if my observation applies there.

I had a UK friend a few years back who made good money in the summers in San Diego doing rickshaws (the ones that you cycle).

surly

There always seems to be a lot of cute Polish girls working summer jobs in the Lake Tahoe area.
I noticed there were some foreign kids working on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk last summer. So maybe there are opportunities at some amusement Parks.

limeynus

You could try this place:

http://www.theoldeship.com/

They have 2 locations ... this is down in Orange County, not LA

This place is in Studio City:

http://www.thefoxandhounds.com/

But as a previous poster stated it's probably unlikely you'll get bar work.

You could try Universal Studios Hollywood, Disneyland down in Anaheim, Magic Mountain in the SF Valley, Sea World and the SD Zoo.

Good luck!

caleyjag

Theme parks are a good idea. If memory serves right theme parks are actually one of the main employers for BUNAC summer placements.

Could do worse than 6 Flags Magic Mountain - that place is pretty cool.

Not sure how well it is served by public transport, of course.


I wouldn't know where to start looking for work in Tahoe! Too much of a chance they'd end up in Reno. We want them to enjoy their summer in America!

Mummy in the foothills

There were some Brits working in a Pub we went to for dinner one night. Snobby bunch they were too. But Lake Tahoe is worth a try.
We also met a few working in retail stores in San Francisco one summer, they were very nice and friendly, and were all sticking together for accommodations, it took them ages to find anywhere.

Try Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo too, just a ferry ride across to San Francisco.

jg87

Thanks everyone for your advice and I will pay my own experiences forward when I return from america. I am going with BUNAC yes and obviously given the 'current economic situation' *ehem* it apparently is going to be quite hard, but thats not gonna stop us!

I looked into Lake Tahoe and that place looks amazing. It may be well worth considering, or at leasy bearing in mind if when we are out the LA doesnt go according to plan. Public transport will indeed be an issue, but we are hoping to localise everything as much as possible - a job we could walk or cycle to etc...

I also looked into theme parks and this seems a god option considering they do offer seasonal work. Santa Monica pier looks interesting and we are probably going to apply there.

Obviously living on a budget is an issue... does anyone know about apartments and jobs in culver city or westwood?

Many Thanks.