Initially, my friends and I planned to head to a small resort town called Beach Haven. Although we were supposed to work there, Beach Haven has one big problem: there is no rental housing for students. So, following the advice of some new pen pals, we headed to Atlantic City – a famous coastal resort and entertainment hub.
We bought our tickets to AC at the Port Authority Bus Terminal from the bus company Greyhound. The fare cost $25 each, and upon arrival, you can get a voucher for the casino (again, if you are 21 or older). Greyhound buses are very comfortable, and the trip itself took about 2 hours.
Atlantic City
Housing
In Atlantic City, we urgently needed to find a place to stay. Thanks to my new acquaintance, Marcel, who helped us find a house a five-minute walk from the ocean even before we arrived, we were able to settle in very quickly.
At first, the neighborhood didn't seem very calm to me, but honestly, after just a day, I started looking at it with completely different eyes. The biggest bonus for me is the ocean. And although we only managed to go for a swim after a couple of days, it still made up for all the days of waiting in the 30-degree heat.
We are renting a room in a three-story house, on the ground floor of which is Tony Boloney's pizzeria, from which the smell of fresh dough is always wafting. Living in the house with us are two more girls from Romania and a guy from Slovakia who seems to work around the clock. The only problem is the line for the bathroom that forms in the mornings and evenings.
Instagram: 1. Pier. 3. Avenue across from our house. 4. Magical view after high tide.
Work
J-1 Visa students understand that the key moment of this trip is finding a job that allows you to earn decent money and still have time to rest. Since we didn't go to Beach Haven, we had to call our sponsor and explain our situation. They gave us something like an extension to look for work. And this is where the most interesting part begins. Finding a new job in early July turned out to be not just difficult, but almost impossible. We walked around large hotels and casinos, cafes and restaurants, shops, museums, and even gas stations.
Most often, we heard the same phrase: "I'm not sure if we're hiring now, but you can apply online." Seriously, I hated all those applications, where the main point is almost always work experience with an American employer. Sometimes they made it clear right away that our application would be thrown in the trash after we filled it out and closed the door behind us.
In addition, in order to be able to work legally in the country, J-1 Visa students, just like US citizens, must obtain a Social Security Number. Because we delayed getting it a bit (and it could only be obtained at an office out of town), we were turned down mid-sentence when trying to get a job.
- end of the sad part -
Note:
Tip #1
Always talk to the manager. (The manager is the exact person who can hire you, so you should only ask about open positions from them).
Tip #2
Fill out applications, but don't rely only on this method.
(The only application we got a response from actually helped us find a second job in the end. But we filled out a hundred such forms).
Tip #3
Make connections!
(Meet people, socialize, and don't be shy to ask for help. I have never met so many friendly people before who sincerely try to help and care about you. No 'Thank you' in the world is enough to express my gratitude to such guys).
To be continued...
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