Work USA
Destinations
From the palm-fringed beaches of Catalina Island to the sun-bleached boardwalks of Cape Cod, our summer jobs are located in America’s most popular holiday hotspots.
Best place to work in the United States
All our summer job employers need staff for a reason – they're located in iconic places across the States popular with holidaymakers. So it goes without saying that wherever you end up working, you’ll be living in some of the most beautiful parts of the USA. Think wilderness national parks, white-sand beach resorts and lakeside retreats. Our advice? Apply for the jobs you fancy in places you’d never think of visiting – and save your wanderlist items for your end of summer trip.
A spotlight on our job hotspots
Massachusetts Cape Cod
Home to whitewashed weatherboard houses, sandy beaches dotted with sail boats, and steaming cups of seafood chowder – Cape Cod is one of the most popular summer spots on the East Coast. When you’re not mixing it up with the ‘sailing set’ working in a seafood restaurant or country club, spend your free time with new workmates playing volleyball on the beach, eating lobster rolls at seafood shacks, and heading out on whale watching and sailing trips.
California Catalina Island
In Arthurian legend, Avalon is a paradise island. In California, it’s the main town on Catalina Island. 22 miles south of LA and an easy ferry from Newport Beach – just like it’s King Arthur namesake – Catalina is a legendary summer paradise for holidaymakers. Home to green wooded hills, swaying palms and golden beaches; spend your days off living the California dream – scuba diving in crystal-clear waters, going on nature hikes and hanging out in cute harbour towns.
New York State Long Island
If you’re in a New York State of Mind but don’t want the high rent and summer heat of NYC, apply to work in one of Long Island’s many country clubs. Known as Manhattan's beachfront backyard (and just like the iced tea cocktail that shares its name), Long Island is an intoxicating mix of surf beaches, historic towns and 50+ wineries. It’s also home to the summer playground that is The Hamptons. When you’re not living the barefoot or boat shoe life, NYC is only two hours away.
New Jersey Cape May
New Jersey is famous for more than just housewives. Come the summertime, Americans flock to the ‘Shore’ to enjoy the 100+ miles of white sand beaches, boardwalks and fun-loving beach towns. At the bottom of the Shore sits Cape May, heralded as the oldest seaside resort in America. Famous for its colourful Victorian architecture, boutique restaurants and 2.5 miles of beachfront, if that wasn’t enough to float your boat – NYC is a three-hour drive away.
Where you'll work Ordinary jobs in extraordinary locations, our employers are based all over the States.
Jobs in California
California dreamin’? Few states epitomise the all-American summer like sunny California. From the rugged wilds of Yosemite National Park to the golden sands of Catalina Island, recreate that iconic girl/boy next door summer in Cali next year.
Meet the employers
Scoops
Location: Avalon, Catalina Island
Start date: 1st June
End date: up to 30th September
Salary, tips and bonus: USD $15 an hour, plus tips.
Hours/shifts: Around 35 hours a week.
Accommodation: Shared house a five-minute walk away costing $125 a week.
Positions available: Server, barista.
About: Scoops is an ice-cream parlour and coffee shop on Catalina Island that employs around 15 international students each year to help out over the summer. We believe in using the best, local, freshest and ripest original fruits, berries and ingredients possible. We make everything from scratch using the finest ingredients locally or from around the world. We combine these ingredients by hand daily in small batches to produce the best ice cream and gelato possible.
Jobs in North Carolina
From the wooded peaks of the Great Smoky Mountains to almost 300 miles of surf-filled shores, North Carolina is a state for outdoor lovers. If you think you could fall in love with a summer working on the beach, sign up now. Shoes optional.
Meet the employers
Beach services Ltd
Location: Myrtle Beach
Start date: June 15th
End date: September 5th
Salary, tips and bonus: USD $12 an hour plus tips, plus an end of season bonus of $500 depending on performance and if staying until agreed end date.
Hours/shifts: 40-50 hours per week.
Accommodation: $90 a week.
Positions available: Multiple lifeguard positions.
About: Working as a lifeguard on either Surfside or Garden City Beach, we hire young and athletic international students who enjoy working with people and want to succeed. Established almost 50 years ago, we take pride in our sound reputation not only in water safety, but also in our impeccable service to patrons on the beach. Working here is a great opportunity to spend an entire summer getting paid to work on the beach, as well as to open yourself up to new cultures. Many of our lifeguards are university students who come from all over the world, so it’s a great way to make international connections and form lifelong friendships.
Jobs in Maine
Known in the USA as ‘vacationland’, where better to land a summer job than in America’s northernmost state. Home to historic piers, candy-striped lighthouses and lobster rolls, Maine is every bit the East Coast summer getaway of the movies.
Meet the employers
Crab Apple Whitewater
Location: West Forks
Start date: June 6th-June 20th
End date: September 13th
Salary, tips and bonus: USD $12.75 an hour, or $6 an hour for bartenders and waiting staff plus tips to meet the state minimum wage of $12.75 an hour.
Hours/shifts: Dependent on the role.
Accommodation: $75 per week.
Positions available: Server, Bartender, Cooks, Front Desk, Housekeeping.
About: Crab Apple Whitewater is a family-owned and operated whitewater rafting outfitter since 1983. Onsite owners, family members and our staff help our guests to have a memorable and enjoyable experience. Whether it’s dining in our restaurant, staying with us in any of different accommodations, relaxing near our pool or participating in any of our mild to wild whitewater adventures, each of us helps to make our guests’ experience unique.
Migis Lodge
Jobs in Massachusetts
From the sand dunes of Cape Cod to the island retreats of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts is a playground for yacht-mad Americans. Be happy as a clam with a summer of sandy toes, beach barbecues and bowls of clam chowder.
Meet the employers
Moby Dick’s
Location: Wellfleet, Cape Cod
Start date: Late May-early June
End Date: 5th September
Salary, tips and bonus: USD $14.00 an hour plus tips.
Hours/shifts: Full time staff work 6 days a week, around 38-40 hours.
Accommodation: Shared house or cottage costing $145 per week. There is a $30 per week refund on departure if the accommodation is left clean, making the actual rent $115 per week.
Positions available: Food Servers, Kitchen Staff.
About: Moby Dick's is a 175-seat seasonal seafood restaurant located in Wellfleet, Cape Cod. We are a traditional New England 'clam shack' - customers come in and order at the counter and are seated and served. We don’t have a liquor license but are BYOB. We’ve built our business through a commitment to quality - buying only the absolute best Cape Cod and New England seafood. We work extremely hard to make our restaurant a fantastic place for our staff to work. For our guests and our staff, it's all about the experience.
Bartletts Ocean View Farm
West Chop Club
Jobs in New York State
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of Hell’s Kitchen. (Or any borough of New York City for that matter). When the mercury rises in NYC, New Yorkers head for their summer houses, country clubs and the white sand beaches of New York State.
Meet the employers
Fishers Island Club
Location: Fishers Island
Start date: June 10th
End date: September 11th
Salary, tips and bonus: USD $15.00 an hour/overtime wage $22.50 an hour. We are a non-tipping Club, but offer a discretionary bonus based on work performance and ability to complete entire scheduled program.
Hours/shifts: 40-50 hours a week, with one day off a week.
Accommodation: Included in a shared bedroom with one other employee.
Positions available: Server, Snack Bar Attendant, Lifeguard, Bartender.
About: Established in 1926, we are a platinum level family-oriented private club in Long Island with a world-class gold course. There are also five tennis courts and a very active Beach Club. 500 members enjoy an active club schedule during the high season - mid-June to mid-September. Fishers Island is located at the eastern entrance to Long Island Sound and three miles off the coast of Connecticut. We are a close-knit community with a mix of year-round and summer residents.
Piping Rock Club
Ausable Golf Club
Jobs in New Jersey
If you want both the beach life and proximity to NYC, then New Jersey is a shore thing for a summer job. As well as the beaches and seaside towns of the Jersey Shore, the Garden State is also home to the not-so-peaceful-but-lots-of-fun Atlantic City.
Meet the employers
Congress Hall
Location: Cape May, New Jersey
Start date: June 1st-June 15th
End date: September 13th
Salary, tips and bonus: Hourly rates depends on the position, but usually USD $7 per hour plus tips. You could earn up to $14 an hour.
Hours/shifts: Job dependent, but on average you’ll work a minimum of 30 hours a week.
Accommodation: Dorm-style accommodation costing $140 a week.
Positions available: Front Desk Agent, Concierge, Spa Concierge, Beach and Pool Staff, Seasonal HR Assistant.
About: Congress Hall is a premier family resort in Cape May, located across the street from the beach. We offer hotels, restaurants, bars/lounge, café, concierge and spa services to our guests. Our commitment to superior service and impeccable standards is promoted by our skilled staff. Cape May has small town charm but with the big cities like New York City, Philadelphia and Washington DC only a bus or car ride away. We are a beach town, with plenty of swimming, tanning and surfing to be had.
Work + travel goals
God bless American and the 30-day grace period! As part of your J-1 visa, you’re given 30 days at the end of your work contract to travel around the States and experience everything America has to offer. Either talk to our team about where to go, or leave it up to the travel gods and plan an end of summer adventure with the friends you meet on the job.
