That’s Russian for thank you very much. And Anna Beloded, a 19-year-old college student from Belarus, is genuinely glad to be waiting tables here. But really, the thanks should be going the other way: from millions of vacationing Americans to 40,000-plus foreign student workers, mostly Europeans, without whom the summer of ‘99 would be going a lot less smoothly. Coming from places like Ireland, England, France, Spain and, increasingly, Eastern Europe, there are nearly twice as many of them as a year or two ago–and they are especially evident on the Atlantic coast. You’ll find them scooping ice cream in Martha’s Vineyard, running roller coasters at the Jersey shore and mastering the nuances of American recreation in Corolla, N.C. “Veefle ball?” asked a puzzled young clerk at a beach store in early August. “No, no,” explained his customer. “Wiffle ball.”
Sure, there’s a learning curve. But for seasonal employers these kids are a godsend–and one more byproduct of our new prosperity. “The economy is so good, a lot of American kids just don’t want these jobs anymore,” says Michael Burns at the Council on International Educational Exchange, an agency that helps foreign students come to the United States. With teen unemployment at a 30-year low, American kids can afford to be choosy. Some take $200-on-a-good-night waitressing gigs. Those backed by parents with bulging stock portfolios may prefer unpaid but career-boosting internships.
Prosperity also means people are vacationing more, resorts are thriving–and jobs like ride operator, beach attendant and even lifeguard are tough to fill. That’s why there are 700 foreign kids spinning the Ferris wheels and frying the funnel cakes at Cedar Point, nearly a fourth of the summer work force. The numbers are even more striking in Wildwood, N.J. “I don’t know how we’d make it without the foreign kids,” says Denise Beckson, an operations manager for Morey’s Piers, where 90 percent of the summer workers are foreigners. And unlike Americans, many can work through September before heading back to school.
How do kids find their way to Wildwood from Warsaw or Galway? The summer work-travel section of the J-1 visa allows foreign college students to spend their summer working in the States. Winter resorts are getting into the act, too. Ski spots from California to Colorado are luring kids from Australia and South Africa to work on their summer breaks, which fall during our winter. “Happy Christmas, mate,” they’ll say, shuttling you onto a chairlift.
