With the summer tourism season reaching the dog days of August and autumn fast on its heels, many local workers will be swapping their uniforms for textbooks in the coming weeks. For university students from foreign countries, the season will continue into October, a welcome extra few weeks of earnings and a relief to business owners who typically lose staff before Labor Day. 

One such worker is 24-year-old Alina Florina Briscan, a Romanian national here on a J-1 guest worker visa through the Portland-based Council on International Education Exchange. Briscan has spent the summer working at the Rocktide Motor Inn on Atlantic Avenue in Boothbay Harbor as a hostess. 

“I learned of Boothbay through a friend who worked here last summer,” said Briscan. “He told me what to expect with the jobs and people who live here. I spent a lot of time on Google researching the area, looking at photos, and trying to see what it would be like.”

Briscan is currently enrolled in dental school in Romania and wanted a chance to work in the United States. While experiencing America was important to her, the real reason is economic. She can make 10 times more a month here than in Romania where the average monthly wage for a similar job is $300 a month. 

International student-workers will typically pay an organization such as CIEE a fee to enroll in the work exchange program. The workers are given a choice of a geographic location and paired with a business looking for help. The business acts as both steward and chaperone for the worker.

“We do the vetting and paperwork on the workers’ end to get them safely to America,” said Charlie Mclatchie of Camp America, a Connecticut-based international student exchange organization. “It’s really the pre-screening of an applicant who has a desire to work in the United States.”

The J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program was created by Congress more than 50 years ago to encourage diplomacy and to “strengthen the ties which unite us with other nations” through cultural exchange.

The program has 14 categories of visitors, including professors and research scholars, college and university students, camp counselors and au pairs. Nearly 300,000 workers enter the United States each year on J-1 visas in one of the various categories. The visa allows for two additional weeks of travel at the end of the season, a bonus for workers who want to see more of the country.

“I plan on going to Miami or Niagara Falls,” said Briscan. “I would also like to see more of the Maine coast.”

In the Boothbay region, the most common occupation for workers is in hotels or restaurants. An average work week for Briscan is six days and she spends her free time exploring the area.

“It’s easy to save money here because there is so much to explore outdoors,” she said. “I’m able to save money and enjoy the summer.”

Briscan arrived in June and found housing through assistance by the Rocktide. Her housing is located close to the Rocktide where she shares a room with other international employees. The experience has been rewarding and creating new connections has been rewarding.

“It’s small but you don’t need luxury,” said Briscan. “It has everything you need and besides everyone works all the time. The experience has been amazing.”

With roughly six weeks to go, Briscan has made new friends and been witness to what America holds should she choose to come back.

“Boothbay Harbor is small but offers a lot. I want to come back next year,” said Briscan. “It’s so calm and has the nicest people. It makes me appreciate what America means.”