Some 8,000 third-level students are just back from the US. In the old days, the focus was on gathering much-needed cash for fees and accommodation. But all has changed, changed utterly as the focus shifts to beaches and shopping. Louise Holdenreports.
San Diego is a long way to go to earn less than the Irish minimum wage, but for thousands of Irish students who headed to America's west coast this summer, money was the last thing on their minds.
"When college fees were abolished in 1995, we wondered if that was the end of the working summer abroad," says Seona Mac Raemoinn of Irish student travel agent Usit. "Far from it. Summer student travel is as popular as ever - but students go with a very different objective in mind."
Some 8,000 students went to the US this year and many had no plans to bring money back. The exchange rate is bad but the living is good. "I hear students coming back asking each other: 'How many states did you visit?' They spend their money there," says Mac Raemoinn.
Two decades ago students made their travel choices based on where the jobs were. Now the beaches are a bigger pull.
"The students now have an easy-come easy-go attitude about money," says Siobhan Reilly, programmes director with Sayit travel. "The best jobs may be in the middle of America, but they want to go to the coast. They're just not interested in cities like Chicago, even though the competition for jobs and accommodation is much lower there."
According to Reilly, she worked three jobs when she went to the US in her student days. She needed to pay off her loans and bring back some money to fund her college year. "Today's Irish students may go over with the intention of making money, but they soon discover that that involves hard work. Our surveys suggest that most students are only working one job. They don't want a work routine that's going to tie them down."
Further evidence of this trend can be found in the kind of travel packages students are buying. According to Sayit, many students now opt to fly with airlines that offer free stopovers on the way to and from their destination. Many are helped by their parents to fund the venture. "In reality, Irish students abroad just don't work as hard as they used to," says Reilly.
Because money is not the focus, students can afford to choose prestige jobs in fashion outlets or theme parks over the drudgery of building sites and hotel rooms. The money's not great - one leading sportswear retailer in Los Angeles was only paying $7.50 (€5.44) per hour this summer. It's a long way to go to earn comparatively little.
Despite the relative lack of jobs and low wages, however, Irish students are flocking to beaches and parties of the west coast in their droves.
"More than any year in the past, we experienced a big surge of interest in San Diego this summer," says Bernadette Cashman of Irish Outreach in San Diego. "By our estimate the number of J-1s was approximately 3,000. Of that total, those who participated in the J-1 Visa Programme, who were issued a social security number were 2,500 according to a representative of the social security office in San Diego. Others who did not participate in applying for the J-1 Visa came in as 90-day Visitor Visa or Visa Waiver holders and could not work."
According to Cashman the new summer influx of Irish students is different to traditional Irish immigrant groups in a number of key ways. Their trip is generally more expensive because they are not considered a safe bet by local landlords. They need to bring plenty of money with them, before they even start to earn. "The disadvantage for the J-1s in getting housing is that they are here temporarily and do not have credit history established. Therefore it is common practice for a landlord in such instances to get a larger security deposit at the time of signing an agreement to rent."
Cashman advises Irish students in San Diego about jobs, but very few are working to bring money home anymore. They come with large amounts to cover their initial outlay and after that they use the money for fun.
"Generally the students work to fund their trips as well as to shop. Some took a few weeks at the end of their work to travel to other places like Las Vegas, Disneyland, Reno, and the Grand Canyon," says Cashman.
