J1 Santa Monica Tips (Topic Of Choice #MN329)

Why Go To Santa Monica On Your J1?

The best part about doing a J1 in Santa Monica in Los Angeles is that you will be submerged into a relaxed and fun American culture. Thousands of students from Ireland travel to the U.S. and California in particular every summer on a J1 Visa. Due to the lack of Irish students who choose Santa Monica as their J1 destination it is an ideal place to find jobs and accommodation fairly easily. It’s on the beach and there is amazing nightlife and buzz in Santa Monica. By living in Santa Monica you have the best of both worlds.. a chilled beach scene in Santa Monica combined with a glamorous Hollywood scene nearby.

(Santa Monica Pier)

Three other very popular places to J1 in Cali are Berkley in San Francisco, Isla Vista in Santa Barbara and Pacific beach in San Diego. If you go on a J1 to one of the most popular spots its likely to be tougher to get a job and find accommodation. But I’m sure great experiences are to be had in all of these places. Don’t rule them out I’m just making a comparison between some popular J1 destinations and the Santa Monica area in terms of finding work and a place to live.

How Much Will A J1 Cost:

• Return Flights, insurance and J1 Visa going through company like USIT will cost approx. 1200euro.
• From my experience and talking to other J1’ers in LA average rent ranges between 300$-500$ per month per person and that’s sharing with others.. This will be your main cost for the J1 while living there. If you don’t have it oganized before you go I would recommend budgeting $1500 for rent. Rent really varies depending on many how many people you share with and the location of the housing.
• Apart from rent your other main costs will be food. Try get accommodation with a decent kitchen so you can cook instead of eating fast food 24/7!
• Transport see below How to get Around. Transport system in LA is very good and relatively cheap.
• Don’t fall into the trap of Holiday mode at beginning of J1 especially if you haven’t lived away from home ever before. Its so easy to forget you need to plan and budget for long term. Its easier said than done!

Where to Live:

• Westowood is a student town with UCLA’s beautiful campus on its doorstep. This is where myself and my friends lived, its so easy to get accommodation there because many UCLA students move home for summer and there is a lot of vacant accommodation for rent during summer. Fraternity houses on Gayley Avenue and apartments are plentiful. The bus to Santa Monica takes 15/20 mins and costs 1$. The bus is also 24 hours! Also there is Hollywood and Beverly Hills nearby which has lots to offer in terms of entertainment.
• There is accommodation in Santa Monica too but is usually more expensive than Westwood. Airbnb is good for finding accommodation.

UCLA Campus is definitely worth seeing, the campus boasts a running track, tennis courts and football pitches. Real Madrid soccer team trained here during summer 2014.

How to get a Job:

It’s a good idea to email popular golf clubs and restaurants about potential temporary work in the summer before you leave for your j1. This way you can create a rapport and suss out job opportunities or even arrange an interview before you fly out. The next step is to have a CV or as the Americans call it Resume prepped and ready to be printed when you arrive in the states. The resume should be no longer than one page and keep it brief. Outline any relevant experience you have and your college results. Myself and my group of friends handed out our CV’s to all the shops and restaurants on 3^rd street Promenade Santa Monica and the pier and everyone got a job on the first day or two of looking. Why? Because there were few other J1 students in the area looking for jobs at the beginning of June and the Santa Monica tourist season brings 90,000 tourists to the 3^rd Street Promenade on a daily basis during the summer. So all the stores and restaurants require extra staff for the busy summer period. When introducing yourself to a store manager this is your golden opportunity… Be enthusiastic and friendly and chances are they will give you an interview. Luck & charm of the Irish applies !!

How to get around Los Angeles (Cheaply and for free):  

• In the states Uber and Lyft are amazing apps. They are half the price than a yellow cab or hailing a cab! Also when you get a an American sim card over there and register with Uber or Lyft (Or both) as a new user you get your first ride free. If you recommend a friend you get a free ride and so do they. If your smart and give your promo code to all your friends who have just gotten new acconts that’s a lot of free taxi’s!! We saved literally hundreds on taxi fares thanks to this deal during the summer. You can give your promo code to new people you meet over the summer too. When they use your promo code you get a free ride in return!! Hooray for free rides!!
• Bus is 1$ also the rapid bus is 1$ with your student card , Irish student card is accepted. Rapid bus Is normally 2$ without student card.

J1 LA / Santa Monica Must Do’s: 

• Walk down Santa Monica Pier… & 3^rd Street Promenade Santa Monica..
• Visit Venice Beach, it’s a short walk/cycle from Santa Monica and well worth a visit. Muscle beach and a famous skate park are located in Venice.
• The food trucks on Abbot Kinney Street. The first Friday of every month the street is lined with amazing gourmet food trucks.
• BPN party bus. The bruin party network party bus will take you on a return party bus to a huge Hollwood club with free drinks,entry,table and line skip included for 25$
• Vist San Diego – its only 2.5 hours by greyhound bus from LA. Well worth seeing!!
• Visit Las Vegas, 5/6 hour drive from LA. (What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas)
• Visit Malibu beaches. 20/30 mins drive from Santa Monica up the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway)
• Hollywood boulevard is worth seeing.. Hollywood stars.. etc
• Hollywood Sign  
• Griffith Observatory
• Eat a double double in In’N’Out (Only on the West coast!)
• Rent a car and go on a road trip. (24 hours for a car from Enteprise is approx. 60$, 15$ each between 4 people..)
• Go to a football game in the Rose Bowl Stadium– Manchester United played LA Galaxy here summer 2014.
• Go to six Flags theme park!
• Visit The Grove Shopping Center and eat at The Cheesecake factory
• Check out the cribs on Rodeo Drive

How to get Visa:

• My friends and I went with USIT, they seem to be the best and all the companies are in the same price range. Earlier you book cheaper total cost will be. All can be done online too, I never once had to go into the office to do anything which was great!
• USIT also offer a free stop over flight. Many J1 students avail of this and do a stopover in New York on the journey home for a couple of nights.

Should you do it?

I had my doubts about doing a J1 but It turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life. I met so many new people and visited so many new places it was amazing. If your even thinking about doing one I highly recommend it !!!

The City Of Angels is a great place to do a J1!