J1 Visa 2015 |
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How To Find Housing:
Finding housing can often be as challenging as finding a job.Some
employers will provide housing at, or near your place of employment
but not all employers do. For those of you who are lucky enough
to secure a job with an employer who provides housing, you will
generally find that this will be a nominal cost.
The employer will deduct a certain amount of money from your wages to cover the cost of housing. Make sure you are aware of these costs up front when you agree to accept the job. Also, if the housing provided by your employer is not within walking distance of your job, find out what type of transportation is available (employee van, public transport, etc.). Don't assume you will be able to rely on staff that have their own transportation. You may find yourself unable to get to work on occasion and this may cause frustration thereby diminishing your experience. Employment LinksIf you secure a job with an employer who does not provide accommodation, ask him/her for suggestions on where to find or look for housing. You can also use the Internet to begin your search. Find out what some of the housing options will be in the area where you will be located. The number of options available on the Internet will vary depending on what area of the US you intend to work. If you have secured a job in a large city you will find a greater number of options available, from online newspaper classifieds to roommate search agencies. If you are in a smaller town you may have considerably fewer options. Researching transport will also be easier if your job is located in a large city, as many cities in the US have extensive public transport networks to carry its commuters from home to work. Smaller towns will have fewer options. A good place to start researching the area in which you will be working is the search engine YAHOO. By typing in the name of the city or town, you can access local transportation, business, weather, real estate, employment (for those without a job), entertainment information, etc. Again, the amount of information available will vary depending on the size of the city/town researched. To find out what online newspapers are available in the area try searching: YAHOO's US Newspaper Listings Great classified sections are: Some search engines to help
you research housing are: Some suggested examples of search
criteria to help you begin your search are:
A word of warning: To accept housing without seeing it could be risky. When you find housing that is cheap there may be a good reason. It may be in a troubled area or the housing may not have the facilities it advertises. It is always best to preview housing. If you can't do this, make sure you ask many questions. Resources To save money try and contact other internationals who will be working in the same area. Your Country Director will be able to tell you if other people from your country are placed in the same area and will give their contact information to you. You can also meet other internationals at your US orientation site. Remember, start looking for housing NOW!Web Sites Discussion Forums/Message Boards
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