jobs

mkoz: I am having trouble following all your posts. Could you please explain what kind of seasonal work you are looking for to start some income flow BEFORE you fully relocate? And what kind of non-seasonal work you would want after? And you want to move to St Croix, is that correct? Have you ever been to the VI? You made a comment about how it must be different from the Atlantic beaches...is that your point of comparison?

If you stick with one post, people might get a better sense of what you are looking for. Just a little (trying to be helpful) advice. 🙂

My friend has been job-searching for this sort of work recently. She says that all the businesses are saying they'll be hiring in three weeks.

Sorry i seem to be all over the place. To make it clear, i am moving to stx, never been there but i am after a different culture and i am very open minded. I worked as a correctional officer for the last ten years so thats my profession. I will take any job i can get to keep afloat.

Again, mkoz , it cannot be stressed enough....a pre-move visit really should be on your agenda. A few people that come down without one will stay....some will come down and love it, then go home with every intention of coming back - but they don't. And some will come just to check it out and never go home. The majority, though, are people who have actually given it a whirl for a 2-4 week period and are relatively sure they can adjust. It's all well and good to think you want another culture, but the reality may be more than you think you are prepared for. Better to spend a little money up front and be sure of what you are moving to than to jump in blindly. That would also apply if you are considering Bangor, Maine, as your next homestead.

As far as working at Golden Grove on STX? Read the online paper. I honestly don't think that's what you want to do at this exact moment in time.

Okie, dokie..Now I get it. 🙂

I have to agree with Becky on this one. You really need to come see the lay of the land and read the online newspapers- virginislandsdailynews.com and onepaper.com. I am fairly certain that corrections officers here get paid less than they do in the states.

You would surely find a different culture here!

It seems i am being discouraged on nearly every post.

mkoz: All we are saying is to investigate carefully. Is that discouraging?

Hi Mkoz,

I don't think anyone wants to discourage you. Just prepare you. Right now things are very slow on St. Croix. I believe it should pick up in a few weeks. You might want to check the classified section of the message board to see if anyone has a room to rent or if you prefer camping, try Mount Victory camp. Maybe get a round trip ticket when you come just in case this isn't the place for you. You can always change your ticket if you love it here.

I don't know how surf fishing is here though my husband and his brothers always go on a big fishing trip to Nags Head in North Carolina every year we haven't tried it here. The beach I would try it on would be ha penny beach. It seem to have less rocks to get caught up on. I have heard that you shouldn't go to that beach alone as it is isolated. I have been there several times with family and have had no problems. The beaches here are great for snorkeling and scuba diving is also good.

Wireless Internet. We have wireless at our house on the east end with pretty good service. There are some places like Seaborne airlines where you can pick up wireless service.

Tattoos. I don't have any so don't know where to get one.

Crime. I haven't been a victim of any crime here but know people who have. I think it is like any where else just stay out of questionable areas and activities. That is not to say that you cannot or won't be a victim of crime here or anywhere else. From what I understand the real problem is that people who commit crime here are rarely prosecuted.

In any case you are a grown man and if you want to move here then go for it. If you have a good work ethic you should have no problem finding a job.

Have a good day.

well some positive vibes, thank you

"It seems i am being discouraged on nearly every post."

I think a lot of the emphasis on pre-move visits is because some people are moving a lot of material possessions down here, and then others even their families, without thinking it through first. You are still young and single, and open to a minimalist way of living (as your posts reveal).

Many people come down here with the mindset that they are going to stay here a long time, but it doesn't work out. Some of them just can't keep it together with all the temptation of drinking and drugs, and others can't handle the slower pace of life and lack of amenities. The truth is, you just can't have any idea what your response will be until you try it.

If you are at a place in life where it won't hurt you if you come down here, set up camp for a few months, and then decide its not for you, then go for it. But I will say that while the message board can help prepare you on the practical aspects, it can't convey the vibe -- the intricacies of life here. Definitely set aside a few bills to get yourself back home if you run into trouble or decide you want off island and quick (some people do).

If you've got a bit saved up to find yourself an apartment and tide you over until you get a job (count on a month, although it probably won't take that long), then all the better. I don't think that camping is a viable option for living and working here (coming from someone that has her very own bushcamp elsewhere), but that'll be up to you to discover.

I also think that sometimes the posts can take a discouraging tone, but keep in mind that many of the local posters on this board put a lot of time and effort into helping people wanting to move here that then go on to make bad choices, so I imagine that may influence it as well. Anytime you hear a tone of discouragement, just imagine its a more cautionary tone. A cautionary tone is very appropriate given what you have ahead of you.

That said, I like it here and maybe you will too!

Take care,

Let

p.s. I didn't do a pre-move visit and I came out alright. But I was also young, single, and open to minimalism.

Lethal,
Excellent Post!