Working In America

Everyone needs a visa if they want to work in America. The safest and most affordable way to get great experience and an opportunity to work on some of the top courses in America is to go through a reputable, well established exchange program such as The Ohio State University Turf program, otherwise known as The Ohio Program. www.top.osu.edu

They bring young, single 19-28 year old men and women from around the world to the States every year on J-1 Trainee visas. You need to have been working in the profession for at least one year or have one year of education in the fields or more ie. S/NVQ level 2 or level 3. Posess a clean drivers licence and have a clear criminal record.

Housing: The word “single” is used above because The Ohio Program only work with courses that arrange housing and most of the housing is arranged whereby you live with other trainees. Therefore, the program is not suitable to married couples.
Housing costs are often subsidized by the golf courses and in some cases they charge only a minimal cost, but each golf course is different, and you will be told upfront costs.

Wages: Due to the weak dollar, the wages currently paid which range from $7.00 per hour to $12.00 per hour with time and a half for over time, seem very little. Just remember the cost of living is much less in the States and their taxes are minimal compared to the British Isles and the rest of Europe. You should not go to the States for the wages, the responsibility and experience you will get, far outweight the difference in wages.

Length of Programme: The best time to apply is November to February, and the best time to go out is in April. Their cool season starts in April and finishes in late October. If you go through a program such as The Ohio Program, they can then find you a course down south ie. Georgia, Florida, South Carolina for the Winter months, on Warm Season grasses. This experience has turned out to be very valuable to British Isles residents as many go on to work in Australia, Spain, or Dubai later.

Mike O'Keeffe
Program Manager
Global Turf/Golf Training Programs
The Ohio State University