Take the plunge: summer
camps are large employers |
Every year, around 8,000 UK students head to the airports to spend the summer abroad, earning money for two months then sightseeing for one.
The best-known organiser of these working holidays is the British Universities North American Club (BUNAC). This is a non-profit making body, which arranges work placements for students in regions such as North America, mainland Europe, Australia and even west Africa. BUNAC obtains J-1 visas for students, which allows them to be legally employed in their chosen country. Registration on the scheme (£641 for Work America 2002) includes insurance, the price of the return flight and the first night’s accommodation.
Julia Hewett, 20, a student at Nottingham University, said: “I applied for my job before I left. I got one fairly easily in a theme park in South Carolina. There were loads of jobs involving the tourist industry in some way.” Julia wanted to travel as much as she could, which meant working overtime: “I worked weekends as well as weekdays. In total, I worked 74 hours per week. It really was hard work and the temperature was 90F every day; it took a while to get used to. I was paid $6.75 per hour (£4.50), which is a little more than the US minimum wage ($5.15). To be honest, I didn’t have to work that many hours, but the more I earned, the more money I had to travel with at the end.”
As there are hundreds of people each week travelling out, students are usually flown out as a group to their destination. The first night’s accommodation is in a youth hostel, an ideal opportunity to make new friends. Julia, who travelled alone, added: “Within 24 hours I had met people who were working in the same theme park as me, and I ended up living with them over the summer!”
Not everybody gets a job before they leave the UK; around 25 per cent of students take the risk of travelling to their destination without a job. “In Canada, companies prefer to see who they are employing, rather than purely going on an application form,” said Catherine Jones, a BUNAC campus support assistant, who travels round the UK giving seminars to backpack wannabes. Catherine pointed out that there are plenty of temporary jobs available, particularly in the summer season: “On average, 7-10 days is the longest time students go without a job. If it is any longer they can contact our offices for advice.’”
Catherine’s confidence is not shared by all BUNAC students. Matthew Harris, a Lincoln University student, travelled to Canada with a group and found it difficult to get employed straight away. Matthew said he did not have much luck in finding a job at first: “It took me about a month to get a job; I had to watch the money for a while. I didn’t contact BUNAC when I couldn’t find a job because their offices were too far away.”
Eventually Matthew’s luck changed: “I got a job as a pedicab driver! I was driving people round Vicoria for $1 a minute (about 45 pence). I met lots of interesting people and made some tips as well. It’s an interesting job to put on my C.V. anyway!” From there on, he added: “it was plain sailing. There was no need to ask BUNAC for help.”
Catherine points out: “BUNAC is always there to help. If things get serious we can loan money or, in the extreme case, lend money for an early flight home.”
Not that it should come to that. BUNAC’s former students, at least, had no doubts about their decision. Julia said: “I can honestly say I had the best time of my life out there. It gave me loads of confidence and made me more independent.”
So if you’re up for a challenge and have nothing else planned for the summer, maybe a working holiday is an option to consider.
Ben Fryer is a journalism student at the University of Lincoln |
