Job Opportunities
Resort Work
Resorts provide many summer jobs and some winter jobs, and depend heavily upon students seeking seasonal work. The most common jobs in resorts are waiter or waitress, dishwasher, chambermaid or other hotel work. Though your duties may not be very exciting, you are being paid to work in what is often a beautiful and peaceful work environment where you can befriend many Americans.
Hotel Work
Hotel work is similar to resort work, and the jobs are often low-level. Most are for chambermaids, but there are also positions as bellboys and valets, at the front desk, in the hotel laundry, in restaurant facilities, hotel maintenance, etc. The salaries for most of the jobs are lower as you are expected to improve your wages by earning tips.
Restaurant Work
Restaurant work is easy to find. It might be tiring to do, but you come into contact with different types of people, and can make good money through tips. Expensive restaurants have greater competition for jobs, which usually offer better salaries and larger tips. In coffee shops and diners, counterpersons or waitstaff are needed. Large restaurants need bussers to clear the tables, and kitchen and dishwashing staff. Most restaurant jobs are found by walking in and speaking to the restaurant manager.
Department Stores
The American department store offers a variety of employment opportunities. The most common job is sales assistant, helping customers or working the cash registers. Large department stores are open six or seven days a week, and many are open in the evenings. This will enable you to arrange a fairly flexible working schedule. Many stores hire extra workers during the busy Christmas shopping season, which begins around Thanksgiving (late November). Supermarkets have high staff demands for workers. Most openings are for cashiers, baggers, stock clerk, and sales assistant. The best way to find these jobs is to walk in with your Resumé and ask to see the manager.
Theme Parks
America has many theme parks, such as Disney World, Six Flags, and Busch Gardens, which all hire a lot of students each summer. The work opportunities vary from operating the amusement park rides to selling popcorn and candy, to working in various souvenir shops.
National Parks
Jobs in the National Parks may interest you, not so much for the jobs themselves, but for the opportunity to live in some of the most beautiful and remote areas of the U.S. Most of the jobs will be in the small towns around the perimeters of the parks or in lodging centers within the parks. Some of the most interesting are Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Great Smoky Mountains. Get more information at: www.us-national-parks.net.
Prohibited Jobs
As a participant in Work & Travel USA you can not do the following jobs:
- au pair/nanny/baby sitting/domestic labour
- camp counselor/teacher/coach
- medical/veterinary/pharmaceutical services or any job that requires direct patient contact or dispensing of medication
- adult entertainment industry jobs
- crew member on ships or aeroplanes
- sales jobs involving purchasing sales merchandise to re-sell (eg.door-to-door sales)
- employment through staffing agencies.
How Much Will I Earn?
The minimum wage for most jobs in America is US $ 5.15 per hour. The exception to this is jobs where tipping is common, for which the minimum wage is US $ 2.13 per hour. Work & Travel USA participants average US $ 6-9 per hour, and monthly earnings range from US $ 850 – 1,500 per month, depending on hours and overtime.
