WAT Job Descriptions
Work and Travel USA: Job Descriptions
The following descriptions will give you a general idea of the kind of work you might expect for each job, but they are not official or standardized. Before you accept a job, be sure to discuss with the employer the tasks you will be expected to carry out.
• Accountant: Handles financial calculations, including business payable/receivable transactions
• Advertisement sales: Sells advertising space in newspapers to stores, restuarants, etc.
• Amusement park attendant: Works in an amusement park either selling concessions, operating rides, selling tickets, working in a game booth, etc.
• Aquarium attendant: Works in an aquarium, giving tours, selling tickets, etc.
• Arcade attendant: Handles the change and assists with games at a video-game arcade
• Assistant manager: Helps manage a store, business, etc.
• Banquet server: Serves food at events in hotels, restaurants, private catered event, etc.
• Bartender: Makes and sells alcoholic beverages in a bar or restaurant. Must be 21 years old or over.
• Beach attendant: Provides towels, cleans beach and changing rooms, sells food or drinks on beach
• Busser: Clears dishes from tables in restaurants and brings them to kitchen
• Car washer: Washes and vacuums cars
• Carpenter: Does interior woodwork, including design and construction of furniture, cupboards, etc.
• Cashier: Operates a cash register in a store, e.g. takes money from clients and makes change. Or sells tickets in a movie theater, etc.
• Clerical/administrative: Office work including typing, filing, data entry, or reception work.
• Computer work: Data entry; or for those who have majored in computer science--programming
• Construction: Builds houses, buildings, etc.
• Cook: Assists with food preparation in a restaurant
• Cruise director: Assists with scheduling and leading activities for passengers on a boat or ferry
• Customer service: Works directly with customers to provide assistance, answer questions, respond to complaints
• Deckhand: Works on a boat or ferry or on a dock assisting with loading and unloading goods and passengers
• Dishwasher: Washes dishes and possibly assists with food preparation in the kitchen of a restaurant.
• Dockhand: Assists boaters by tying and untying their boats, helping passengers unload, etc.
• Doorman: Opens doors for guests/residents and helps with packages and other items
• Draftsperson: Produces architectural drawings
• Driver: Drives a car or van, transporting goods or people
• Entertainer: Provides entertainment such as singing, dancing, or comedy, usually in a tourist area
• Environmental activist: Promotes awareness of environmental issues; does fundraising for environmental protection activities
• Farm labor: Works on a farm planting, picking fruit, cultivating, etc.
• Fast food server: Sells food in a fast food restaurant.
• Fishing guide: Assists clients with fishing on a boat or on wilderness trips
• Front desk clerk: Works at front desk of a hotel, responsible for the answering of phones and making reservations
• Furniture reupholsterer: Refurbishes furniture
• Game/ride attendant: Runs ferris wheels, carousels, roller coasters, and other rides at amusement parks
• Gardener/yardwork: Plants flowers, maintains lawns and/or gardens
• Gas station attendant: Dispenses fuel at a gas station
• Golf instructor: Teaches people how to golf
• Graphic artist/illustrator: Designs and produces layout or creates drawings/artwork for books and other publications, advertisements, etc.
• Health spa attendant: Assists guests at a health/recreation facility
• Host/hostess: Greets guests upon arrival at a restaurant and finds them seating, gives them menus, assists waitresses, etc.
• Housekeeper: Cleans rooms in a hotel or motel.
• Janitor: Cleans buildings
• Landscaper: Designs gardens, plants trees and shrubs, etc.
• Laundry: Washes, folds and delivers clothes or linens.
• Lifeguard: Responsible for the well-being of all swimmers in a designated swimming area such as a pool, lake, or beach. In most cases, lifeguard must have certification to be hired
• Light labor: Could involve lifting/moving boxes, loading/unloading trucks, or any other general, physical labor
• Maintenance/groundskeeper: various duties related to maintaining yards, landscapes, gardens, etc.; various mechanical repair and maintenance, both indoors and outdoors
• Marketing assistant: Assists with marketing or advertising in a marketing or public relations company
• Moped instructor: Teaches people how to drive a motorized bicycle
• Mover: Moves boxes and furniture from one location to another; loads/unloads moving van
• Packer: Fills and seals boxes
• Painter: Paints houses or buildings, usually outside
• Park services: Works in one of the national parks as a guide for tourists or in park maintenance
• Parking attendant: Either oversees parking lot or parks cars at a restaurant or hotel
• Pedicab driver: Someone who pedals a bicycle that has an attached cab for passengers. In many cases, pedicab drivers are not paid a salary; they work on a commission basis (income depends on the number of passengers you give rides to). This job can be physically demanding.
• Porter: Carries guests' baggage in hotels.
• Recreation instructor: Includes boat instructor, sailing instructor, golf attendant, cruise director, wilderness instructor, dance instructor, language instructor, fishing guide, windsurfing instructor, health spa attendant, etc.
• Recruiter: Assists with promotion of a business or product to potential clients or employees
• Repairperson: Fixes things using plumbing, carpentry, and mechanical skills, etc.; handyman
• Retail sales: Sells clothing, accessories or gifts in a store.
• N.B. Be aware that some of these positions pay on commission, which means your salary is based partly or entirely on the amount of goods you sell. Be very careful of these jobs, because you are not guaranteed income. If you are extremely outgoing, have sales experience, and are willing to work long hours, then you may be interested in this type of work.
• Sailing instructor: Teaches people how to operate a sailboat
• Sales/stock: Includes cashier, retail sale, admissions, shopkeeper, advertisement sales, promoter (see note under "retail sales" above)
• Security guard: Responsible for ensuring security/safety at a certain location
• Shopkeeper: Assists customers, sells goods, maintains shop
• Ski instructor: Teaches clients water and/or snow (downhill or cross-country) skiing
• Technician: Assists in operating mechanical equipment
• Ticket sales: Assists customers by selling tickets to events, shows, etc.
• Tour guide: Provides information on a resort area, city, park, museum, etc. to a group of people
• Toy repairer: fixes broken toys
• Utility person: Performs general maintenance and repairs; see "repairperson" above
• Waiter/waitress: Works in a restaurant taking customer orders, serving food, clearing tables
• Warehouse assistant: Loads/unloads trucks; moves boxes in warehouse, takes inventory of stock, etc.
• Wilderness instructor: Teaches clients camping, backpacking, rafting, hiking, fishing skills, etc.
• Windsurfing instructor: Teaches clients how to windsurf
• Wrangler: Works with cattle or other livestock on a ranch
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