A New Zealander’s Guide to Working in the USA

As of writing this guide to working in the USA, I’m five months into my work & travel holiday in the United States of America. This opportunity has exceeded every single expectation I had for coming over here. I’ve made friends that I’ll never forget, had the privilege of skiing some of the best snow in the USA (if not, the world), and made incredible memories.

Working overseas is one of those things that I will ALWAYS push people to do. Whether young or old, there is so much to learn, and it doesn’t even have to be consciously. Just experiencing a different culture, in a different part of the world is enough.

Why get a regular old retail job in the hometown you grew up in, when you could do the same on the other side of the world, basically being paid to explore and make friends?

All that said, it can be pretty scary. Coming to the states from New Zealand to work is more complicated than other countries, which makes it intimidating. Some of the biggest things I’ve needed to learn are the definitions of the visas and how to get them, finding the job in the first place and getting paid, as outlined below!

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Travelling to the USA from New Zealand to Explore

ESTA

An ESTA is a visa-waiver that means you can travel freely within the states for up to 90 days. You are not allowed to work, and have to leave as soon as the 90 days is up. For the ESTA, this is tied electronically to your passport and can be easily access and paid via this link. It costs $21USD, and is valid for up to five years.

Other countries that are eligible for the ESTA are:

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Republic of Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan & United Kingdom.

Travelling to the USA from New Zealand to Work

Applying via International Working Holidays (IWH)

International Working Holidays was my first port of call for working in the USA. If you’re hoping to do a working holiday in the USA from New Zealand, you will most likely be on the J-1 visa. This is a visa that is directly correlated with being in or within 12 months of studies. When I came to the USA, I’d been out of college for 7 months. This had given me the opportunity to save up funds for the trip.

Applying for the J-1 visa is a lengthy process and can be very complicated if you don’t know what you’re doing. International Working Holidays is the program that I travelled to the USA from NZ on. They helped me with every step of the process, from applying, application and documentation to my appointment. It would have been so overwhelming if I hadn’t decided to go with them. They also provide constant support throughout arriving in the country and getting settled.

Work Exchange: Worldpackers

Worldpackers is a program that is neither of the above. Instead of working, you volunteer your time in exchange for accommodation (and sometimes food). This means that you do not need a working visa as you are not being monetarily compensated. It can save you a heck of money on accommodation fees, and will often give you a local’s insight into the area that you may have otherwise missed!

These can take you all around the world, and include places such as ranches, homestays, hostels, surf retreats, yoga retreats, education centres and so much more.

Making Payments & Getting Paid

WISE

Wise has saved my butt on so many occasions. This card costs only $14NZD, and could be the best I’ve ever spent. It’s so good that I don’t even use my NZ banking while travelling at all anymore.

While travelling, you can convert NZD to USD without worrying about logistics, high transaction fees or long wait times.

The coolest thing I’ve found with Wise, is that I was able to open a ‘local’ USD bank account. This has specific details that I am able to be directly deposited through. This saved me a TON of time, as it meant I didn’t need to open a US bank account. It also means less money spent, and in less accounts! You can do this in most of their currencies.

Get Your Wise Card here!

You can also open a digital card, which means you can add it to your phone’s digital wallet if you don’t want the physical card. Will recommend Wise until the day I die, they’ve saved me so much – and the conversion rate of 60c to every NZ dollar kicks butt enough as is.

Finding a Job in the USA

Coolworks

I heard about Coolworks through a coworker at Brundage Mountain – and oh my goodness, I wish we had something like it in NZ. I found my summer ranch job with Coolworks.

It’s the biggest collection of all kinds of jobs, from raft guiding, ski resorts, photography, videography, marketing, hiking, national parks and so much more.

Coolworks a super easy platform to navigate, and shows you other details such as pay, hours per week and whether housing is available.

Facebook Groups – Basecamp Outdoors

Basecamp Outdoors is a Facebook group and email list that advertises job opportunities based in the outdoors. It’s also a platform for creatives to reach out to companies. It’s a great spot to connect and network with a wide range of different people in various industries.

Approach companies directly

This is how I got my job at Brundage. A lot of companies are familiar with the J-1 visa program, and a lot of people come up from South America to do the four month version of the J-1 program.

Research the companies that operate in the field you’re interested in and send them emails. The answer is always no until you ask. And you never know.

I’ve just had the best season of my life in both an area and job I initially wasn’t sure about as it wasn’t ‘career focused’ enough. Not that I know what that career is. Looking back now, I wouldn’t give this time up for anything.

Have job lined up with IWH

Another option is to apply to IWH’s partners. They have multiple roles in multiple states and cities that cater to everyone. From hospitality to activity managers and ski resort operators. There’s a very good chance of getting in with one of these places, as they are prioritised through the IWH application process. I had a friend in NZ who met with the director of one of the partner resorts through an interview with IWH and was hired immediately.

This obviously cuts out the hard work of finding an employer and gives you solid details such as start dates, pay, hours and responsibilities right off the bat.

Finishing up, all I can say is get out there and do it. Working in the USA is so worth it. There are so many opportunities and people wanting to help you that it’s almost impossible to fail. Who can define failure anyway?! You can read a bit more about getting the most out of travelling the world here!

See you out there!

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