Bartending, can I survive off of it?

I don't know about STX but here on STT I know some bartenders who do well. Of course, it depends on where you're working.

Most bartenders I know here on STX during season - right now - bring in about $300/night. If you can't live on that or less - you don't belong here.

Hey Linda and Trade,

Thanks for the help, if you guys have nay suggestions or know any bars in search of a bartender or maybe even a waitress please let me know.

Are you presently on STX? If not, it will be very hard to find such a job until you are actually here. No one will hire you or hold a position for you. Too often they talk to people who say they are coming and never show up. When will you be arriving?

Vay: LindaJ has "nutshelled" what has been said so often on this forum in that you have to be here to apply for a position. You should also (if you haven't done so already) research this forum to really familarize yourself with the pros and cons of moving here. There's a wealth of information right at your fingertips.

Your question about bartender income is really too complicated to answer with a simple response. Some bartenders make enough to live on by working double shifts and very long hours, some work P/T to supplement their income from other sources. I would say that "Linda from Michigan's" estimate of $300/night is rather high even in season. $300 seems more in line with working doubles and sometimes triples but maybe I'm wrong and will definitely stand corrected.

Also remember that whatever your dream is about moving to the Caribbean and living in "paradise" your work ethic and honesty is of prime importance. You will also work harder and longer hours here than in most parts of the mainland just to get by with no frills.

As has been said so many times, newcomers come and go for a variety of reasons, so please do research this invaluable forum very extensively in order to gain a realistic approach to employment, housing and cost of iiving, etc.

Cheers and good luck!

how about being a waitress?

I have a job on St John but this is my first experience.

alexis: are you already on STJ or have you been offered a job on STJ which you've accepted? Refer to my last post and please do research this forum! Do I sound like a broken record? Cheers and good luck!

no I am not there yet leaving 5/14

yes I accepted the job

and I have researched this forum but have yet to see anything about what a waitress makes on St John

I have read lots of great advise and it has helped me as far as what to pack what to ship what to expect as far as cost but so far I have not found any salaries.

I was told I could make 300 on a good night and the place I am working for has given me a place to which cost 1000 per month

Alexis,

Good luck to you. I would suggest you have a nest egg in case things don't work out as planned.

You don't say what type of restaurant you will be working in, but for budgeting's sake, why don't you figure on $150 on a good night? You are arriving at the beginning of the slow season and business usually slows down in summer.

You also don't say how old you are and if you already have friends on-island. Just please be careful and research carefully before you leap into the unknown.

Ouch, Alexis! Your rental is going to cost you $1K a month (that's a BIG ouch unless everything is included as in water, electric, cable, etc.) and your future employers are telling you that you can make $300 on a good night? To me that's a bit of a stretch and what about a "not good" night? You might want to further investigate.

Do be very careful or, as Linda J recommends, come here with sufficient funds to carry you through on first, last and security rental and then plus plus and more plus. This could be a great adventure and learning experience for you...or not. Cheers!

Thanks STT resident,

I have been observing this forum for months now and have spent a good deal of time in STX prior to my decision to move. I have also read the "What to Expect " section. I know that no place I move will be perfect, but I must admit that the easy going atmosphere in the islands is a lot more ideal than the fast pace rush everyone in Cali seems to be in. I know most people have these high hopes, I don't. I know it will be rough and thats why I have tried to save a good amount of money before my make the move. I just want a change of pace.

I am a simple girl who has spent her whole life in a very superficial city in Cali. Life here is about the new Benz or Range or the new Gucci or Coach purse. For some this might work, but its not me. I just love sun and a good environment and don't need all the material things to make me happy.

But I'm not dead set on bartending, as I know that when I arrive it will be the low season (I will get there in July). I just want to find a job that can pay my expenses which shouldn't be over $1000 a month and allow me to save a extra few hundred to do a little traveling. I'm young with no debt and just want to live for a while.

Thanks again and all advice is welcomed!

"I am a simple girl who has spent her whole life in a very superficial city in Cali. Life here is about the new Benz or Range or the new Gucci or Coach purse. For some this might work, but its not me. I just love sun and a good environment and don't need all the material things to make me happy. "

I know it's a quaint thing to say that about Cali as you call it.

But I say it's total B**L S**T.

Why are you so vulgar. Have u lived in California?

Yeah, for like 50 years. Should make me some kind of an expert!!!

I live in LA and love the city but hate the step on everyone to get ahead atmosphere. It is very diverse, fun and beautiful most of the time. Great weather and great location. I love spending time at the ocean and the many things to do in LA. But the traffic makes it ridiculous to get around and rent is outrageous. It is pretty expensive to live up to the status quo in LA. There are great people but there are also people are money driven and that is what their life revolves around. LA is a great city if you want to be a millionaire and live a life of luxury but for everyone who just want to enjoy life and its experiences you are taxed heavily just to live there. I'm not sure which area you are from, but areas I have lived in have been very fragmented and there is no sense of community.

I just think its time for a smaller city and a easier going atmosphere. I'm not saying LA is the devil I'm just saying that it is a city designed for the rich.

Good luck in adventures. Your cliches comments do not hold for those of us who live in the San Fernando Valley. I'm guessing you're early 20's. I'd love to be able to talk to your parents.

1. Rent is high and traffic is terrible. Vay meet rent on St John

2. Not sure about what status quo you're talking about. Seems to be a whole lot of them here. I guess if you're driven to drive a Hummer or MBZ, you might have a bit of a problem living here. The majority of people who live here don't have those asperations.

3. I'm not a millionaire, live in Van Nuys have a great wife, have a nice home, two cars, sons a cop. Go for weekend drives to Santa Barbara wine country. Eat at great restaurants. Have a nice business.

4. I live in an mixed area, Armenians, Latinos. Across the street young Japanese couple, diagonally have a nice couple from Ethopia, corner is a nice family from Korea. We watch out for each other. Have a neighborhood watch group.

5. We pay the same taxes everyone else does in the small towns in California. We have one of the lowest property tax rates in the country.

I basically just don't think you know what you're talking about or watch too much TV

Man u are brutal. I grew up in Granada Hills and so I know very well where Van Nuys is. If I was raising a family, the valley wouldn't be bad, but I'm not and so I want to be where there are things to do. I'm sure you are going to rave about the valley but the truth is that its not what I want at this point in my life. what make work for you may not work for me.

You make it seem like I'm some ditsy girl who doesn't know STX. I have spent a great deal of time there and am fully aware of the rental prices. I currently pay $1500 for a small 1 bedroom in mid-LA which is only 7 miles from he ocean and 6 miles form work but yet it takes me an hour to get to work. I know its not cheap to live in STX, but I'm not envisioning living lavish either. I know it will have it drawbacks, but I also know that I want to experience something new.

I'm not sure if you have actually lived in LA? The valley is a whole different ball game than LA. I'm not b****ing about LA just saying that I want a change. I'm not some idiot who saw a movie and thought 'oh I should move to the Caribbean.' I did my research and know the island. I am just not as familiar as a local may be and thats why I post on this forum.

I'm not sure why u are so hostile, if you want to debate or even argue about the pro's and con's, thats cool, but there's no need to attack me merely because I express why LA doesn't suit me. And for you information, my parents made the long commutes to work because they had to support their children. They would never wish it upon me if I didn't have to. I have no children, no debt no obligations and so thats why I will take the leap to STX.

PS if you have lived in Cali for 50 years, how long have you lived in the VI?

PS when I said "they tax u to live in LA" I didn't literally mean income or property tax, I meant that you pay the costs to live in a great location and I think the cost of LA is too high and inflated. Its pointless to live 7 miles away form the ocean if it takes 30-60 mins to get there. But who wants to pay $2500-3000 for a small one bedroom

Actually grew up in West Los Angeles. Have fun on your life's journey.

It's not hostility on my part, it's just that I like to correct what others might misinterpret as what you describe as the real Los Angeles.

Ciao

as a longterm bartender/server, i've always wondered why workers and employers exaggerate thier nightly take. unless you are going to work at a very high end resort, $300 is a rarity; the norm is one is VERY happy with $100 and OFTEN takes home half that. i have made as little as $10/night off season. i've kept careful track of my income and for service the season lasts six weeks from mid january, then a small but profitable boost in june from the honeymooners. tips from locals can be nonexistant. some workplaces also demand a big tipout to bartenders and busboys. take into consideration that you will receive NO meaningful paycheck; (even if you are on the books, it somehow is confiscated before you receive anything). i have survived in the virgins for close to a decade working in restaurants and bars but it has never been easy..and i pay no rent. all that said, alexis, i think you will really enjoy living on st. john. you might end up spending your savings, but you will make many friends and the non-materialistic lifestyle you seek is certainly available to you. the key to a good service industry job in the virgins, (and elsewhere for that matter), is finding a workplace where you are well treated and your boss is not a nutcase. i can tell you from personal experience that many of the restaurant owners in the virgins are horrible; (they have stolen tips and income from thier employees and given untrue bad references to those who were fed up and quit). it is a very small world down there and i myself have bitten my tongue many the time to above mentionned injustices simply because word of mouth is everything in that business and if a boss badmouths you, it will be impossible to find another job. stt resident is correct in saying that your reputation for honesty and reliability is imperitive; be sure to do your best. $1,000/month rent is going to be a tough row to hoe; try not to sign a lease or see if you are allowed to find a roommate.

thanks so much for the advise

I will do as you suggest and put some money away before I come

I am coming with the guy I work for now, he is a head chief at a restaurant in Mass and he will be working as the head chief at the place I will be at on St John. But like me, he is new to this as well.

I have been seeing on this forum that I may be able to find a place cheaper once I get there and get established.

Again thanks for the advise.

Thanks for the post. I was wondering if $300/night was a common experience.

After you get down there, let us know where you are. We'll be down end of June for a couple of weeks. I'd rather leave you a tip than STT Resident at her place. But I probably would anyways.

good luck girls, don't fret too much and i'm sorry i sort of amalgamated the two of you into one person. vay, forget about the $300/night idea; i've done it only a handful of times on special event/holiday nights, valentines day, st paddys and lucky shots from combined great tippers and i've worked at the fanciest places; which by the way, are not actually the best moneymakers..some of the more casual places can be better money, (and alot more fun). i've found that transportation is the most expensive part of holding a job; some places are off the grid and demand a taxi if you don't own a car; so keep that in mind also. alexis, tell your boss to be prepared for maybe the dirtiest kitchen he has ever laid eyes on, some places are unbelievable...