Greetings! Great info!

Danny: Welcome!The purpose of the "PMV" is to evaluate the possibility of moving here. I would recommend that you put a bit of time between it and your move in order to think about it. Kinda like a time out. 😉

welcome to the forum. read a whole lot and ask a whole lot of questions

My head is spinning! LOL
Thanks for the input. When planning my PMV, how much time should I budget? Was originally thinking two weeks, but a friend of mine here said maybe a month?

Obviously more time is better, but that also creates duplicate expenses here and there. Any thoughts, of course there are, that's why I asked.

Danny

A month will give you a much better feel for what you will like and dislike about island living. If you can afford it, do it. You will still be in honeymoon mode, since you won't be working yet, but you'll have a better sense of a lot of things than a two-week trip can offer.

What kind of work do you do, or would you like to do here? To get a real picture of living here, try spending one week with 40 hours in as close to the kind of environment you'd be working as possible. E.g. If you plan to wait tables, stand up all day in a restaurant for 8 hours (you'll probably have to visit a few). If you plan to work in an office, sit inside in front of your computer for a full day. Do this for five days in a row. Then see how much energy you have left over to go to the beach, grocery shop, etc.

Thanks. I realize this won't be a vacation. It's what I should have done in 1989 after college, but debt and life got in the way.

Ideally looking for something related to sailing; charter crew, dock hand, snorkeling guide, lessons, pool/cabana boy, etc. I grew up on boats; sailing, racing, cruising, etc. Have been doing the "adulting" thing for 35 years, time for my life to begin.

But I'm open to other opportunities in the hospitality industry. Worst case scenario, I have plenty of experience in sales and marketing, graphics, design, accounting, HR, most business practices, Etc.

Going to keep an open mind and a positive attitude.
Danny

I would recommend using a lot of your PMV time (a month would be good) to get a job. You should have good luck finding something on a boat. Even though it is a small island, it can take 30 minutes to go 5 miles sometimes! It would be good to find a place to live close to where you are going to work. If you find an employer, they may have really good suggestions about which areas to live in. Some areas are not particularly safe, some are nowhere close to dollar rides or public transportation, some include utilities (which are really expensive) most do not.
St Thomas is a beautiful island with great people, but living here can be pretty frustrating, mostly due to government issues. Be prepared to wait for lots of things you take for granted in the states. Electricity can go out frequently, wifi can be unreliable. If you see something you need in a store, buy it right then because it might not be there when you go back the next day. If you really need it, buy two!
Come with an open heart, a respect to the folks that live here and the ability to roll with the unexpected and you will love it as much as I do!

I may be an outlier here, but IMHO you don't need that much time for a PMV if: you have a return ticket, if you are low maintenance, if you are a single person. You can always leave if it doesn't work out. LOL. Don't burn your bridges back home.

BTW, if you have bookkeeping skills and are honest and work hard, you should be able to make good money. Lots of small businesses need help.

BTW, if you have bookkeeping skills and are honest and work hard, you should be able to make good money. Lots of small businesses need help.

Originally from Ohio, still have the midwest work ethic, mostly from being in a family business for the first 20 years, after delivering papers. Lol

Florida for 4 years hasn't ruined me, although it's tried! Lol
Danny

Ah, a sailor -- come down, make friends with others, and get out on the water all you can.

Sad to say but true, your age and gender will work against you for getting hired as boat crew (young & female is preferred, although of course everyone will say they don't discriminate, but it's all about getting tips).

What about captain's school? If you have enough documented sea time, you might get work more easily with a captain's license.

Since you're experienced, if you don't mind being out on charter a lot, look into term charter work.

EE is right, if you have a way outta here and no strings attached, you've got nothing to lose.

oh yes, and lots of demand for bookkeeping. If you can learn VI tax code and figure out how to work with the IRB, you will never lack for business.

Do you have any experience with boats?
Any documented sea time as fdr mentioned?
There are Captain's School but pricey and you'll need documentation.

That being said, there are many charter boat operations that require help maintaining and getting yachts ready for term charters, lots of individual charter power boat operations that need captains, day sail operations, most resorts have day sail operations and require help with their on-site kayak, snorkel, small sailboat instructions and rentals.
There marinas that require help, most of which are located on the east end of island but there's one in Frenchtown and another in Crown Bay.
There's also the St. Thomas Yacht Club you can check out.

June is the beginning of our slow summer season so it may be more difficult to find jobs then but if you've got good work ethics, I'm sure you will do fine.

Just bring enough money to rent an apartment, get a car, all those incidentals that sometimes get overlooked (groceries, utilities, cleaning supplies, sheets, towels, pots pans, dishware, silverware, etc)
and sustain yourself until you can find employment.
Good luck.

Thanks.
With regard to sea time, most of it was during my teens through my 30s, would be difficult to document all of the races, cruises, day sailing, deliveries, etc. I have looked into sea school, but I would be better suited to start earning sea time again and documenting it to achieve my license. In the meantime I'm a great hand overall and very comfortable in and around the water. Instruction, day sail, term charters, all sound great opportunities for me.

I know summer is the slow season but I feel that would be my best opportunity to show my worth and get established before season starts.

Heck, doing books for a charter co, etc could work out.
Danny

(tu)

To make yourself more marketable as boat crew, look into the process for getting your TWIC card and other credentials needed to do BVI runs. Our local captains' schools offer these classes regularly, and you'll get to know other boaters when you go - good way to make connections.

They also have Coast Guard auxiliary courses.

Here's a couple links that might be helpful.

http://cruisingthevirginislands.com/c/emergency-information

http://captainschoolusvi.com

(tu) thanks!

Here's a link for marinas in STT.
There's also a small boat slip in Frenchtown that's not mentioned next to Hook, Line and Sinker that services liveaboards and a charter yacht company.

https://www.bing.com/search?pc=ASWI&form=AMZNS2&q=marinas+in+st.+thomas

You can also check VI Ecotours as they frequently have people coming and going, to tide you over, if they're hiring.

http://viecotours.com

remember, not all people who live here have done PMV's

Thanks for all the input!! Having to put off pmv and possible move for a bit more.

Need a bigger war chest.

I'll keep checking in as time marches on!