Job Market/reggae scene /questions/help,help!!

I'm from St. Croix, so I can answer your questions regarding that. No, there isn't a military base on the islands, the military runs out of some hangars at the two airports, but it is nothing close to a base. There is also a National Guard Armory on St. Croix, not sure if they have one on St. Thomas. Rastas are overall accepted here, but you would find some people who make unfair assumptions about them, but it doesn't seem as bad as in other places. People are open about Rastas, and I have known many with well-paying jobs and who are very successful, but I can't say that he won't face any discrimination in the job market. The Caribbean, in general, has a problem with its perception of Rastas, even though Rastas are better off here than in say, Europe or America.

he job market is pretty bad, unemployment is pretty high (not sure of the percentage, can someone help me out?), but I have had relatives move to St. Croix and though they went through rough times in the beginning, they eventually found a good-paying job. I would definitely try to secure a job BEFORE coming to St. Croix, so you don't end up broke and stranded. Can anyone else provide any other prespectives on the unemployment and Rasta issues? I would definitely want you to hear opinions from many different people.

About the music scene, it is vibrant. We have local reggae bands and other groups and famous artists who come here to perform. Calypso and soca are also very big as well. Most of the clubs play a lot of reggae too.

About flying from Hawaii, just check different fares to either San Juan, St. Thomas, or St. Croix. If you find a much cheaper fare into San Juan, you can take a commuter airline or the seaplane to either St. Thomas or St. Croix.

Hope this helps.
Dominic

Hello,

There is a National Guard Armory on St. Thomas as well and a base in Puerto Rico. With your experience I expect you would find work at a resort. Your husband's job experience you did not mention?? As for obstacles of racism for being African and Rasta... well let me diverge a bit - I have a friend who is White & American who lived in Hawaii (don't recall which island) and I was told by him that in the 6 months he lived there he encountered a lot of racism toward him... so this leads me to believe that the racism issue is large against different people & outsiders maybe. In any case I don't feel your husband would encounter anything near what appears to be a big problem in Hawaii. He might encounter some difficultly because of the preceptions cast on Rastas from the general population and not necessarily in job sectors... I have known post office workers, attorneys, doctors, teachers, engineers that wore locks... I had a professor at the university on St. Thomas with locks... but yes your husband might encounter some issues; in fact you both might because of being new residents :-). Now when you say Rasta - is he a practicing Rastafarian OR is he just wearing locks/dreads?? Music scene is good - is he looking for a band or just a music outlet - bar ect.

--Islander

Thanks everybody for all of the info. It is greatly appreciated, and I am so thankful that there is a message board like this one. My husband is part of the rastafarian faith. How predominant is that the in the the Islands? There is a small congregation here, part of the Ethopian World Federation, though most of the dreads here are white.
As far as music goes, he is looking for a band. He is active in mrimba, and has played in several bands in Zanzibar, Africa (where he is from) and mainland Tanzania. We also love reggae music, which is why the carribean appeals to us.Not much of a reggae scene here in Hawaii.How is the oil refineary for employment. I heard the employ a large population of the island.
One last thing, can someone tell me what the average wage is so I can do some calculations regarding rent/cost of living etc. I checked the info posted, but would like to hear first hand accounts vs. factual info.

Hello Sara,

I don't know the percentages on the Rastafarian faith however it does exist here within what I would consider a close/small community - here being St. Thomas. Not sure about St. Croix in terms of Rastafarianism.

There are a number of bands on each of the islands that you guys can look for and get in touch with once on island.

The Oil Refinery you can visit online at
http://www.hess.com/hovensa/default.htm What type of employment at the refinery are you interested in??

The average wages depend on the job that is why I had mentioned the factual statistics of rates as they are collected by the Labor Dept. and reflect the averages of what is paid and should give you a better idea of what to expect in terms of wages rather then having one or two people tell you they make $10 an hour answering telephones or serving drinks. In any case what job are you wanting first hand salaries for??

Good Luck!!

--Islander