The Ocean House, Westerly, Rhode Island, Karavan travel

Experience with agency Karavan Travel was neutral.
Agency people know their business, are responsible, and can help you whenever they want, because they have been in the business for years and have good contacts. But they are just as lazy to stand up for the student in some situations. They respond quickly to emails and are up to date 24/7. Yes I can do better, yes

Experience with location Westerly, RI was negative.
The location is terrible for work and travel students who want to make money for travel. The city is small and there is not much to see, but its location is not very bad, as it is located between NYC and Boston, the two most popular cities. Never go there unless you have a food and beverage business, serving or delivery room or something at The Ocean House. The city is scattered with everything you need a car for and it is impossible to go from work to another job if you are placed in a place where all J1 students are housed. If you accept and come to this city, you will struggle with one job and other jobs will mostly be sometimes with people who work in the black with workers and come for you outside the house and bring you back, but this is limited and not every day of work. If you do a serving job in a good restaurant, you will have good pay checks and you will not need another job. If you are 21 there are places to go, there are beach bars but they are mostly boring. All in all, be careful and don't go to this place as much as the agencies tell you all the nicest things about it, because when they come, they just realize it.

Experience with employer Ocean House was negative.
My position was Spa Attendant, it's the worst possible position there is at a hotel and don't ever accept it. My hourly rate was $ 10.5 an hour. For 40 business hours, my pay check was when taxes and rent ($ 100) were deducted about $ 270 which is tragic, never over. Overtime they never gave me and you won't have it for sure. There are 3 shifts, 7-3, that shift in the main Americans gets and it can hit you 1-2 times a week which is very bad for another job. Shift 10-6, between shifts, a lost day neither here nor there. And the 12-8 shift you will be most comfortable with if you accept that job and go there. With this shift, you have absolutely no chance of doing a 2nd job. Business as a job is not difficult, it is simple and it is not difficult. The manager is not bad, but she is not good either, she has been in the business for years, she can be very inconvenient.

This review represents personal opinion of Nole who was participating Work & Travel program in year of 2018 with agency Karavan Travel, working at Ocean House in Westerly, RI.

Oct 16, 2019