Living in the U.S.V.I Pro's & Con's

Also, does anyone know the average salary of doctors and does any of the islands offer residency?

Hi David,
Sorry to just jump in w/out answering your questions, but I had a question to add on this topic. Does anyone know about the hospital on STT? I heard that the government dropped a program to fund nurses pay and many nurses left the island. Who owns the hospital? Also, are there any pediatricians on the islands? Again, sorry David, please answer his questions first. The only thing I do know is that our medical insurance will be thru Cigna and we are moving to STT.
Teresa

David - short answer - it's a magical place that you love and learn to live in. It is not for everyone. All of us have come for different reasons and found or not found answers for our lives.

If you can be more direct in your questions about the place, and/or look around on the moving board - you'll learn a lot that may help.

Teresa - why not post your question as a new topic?

I'll give ya a half-dozen each from my experience on STX.

Pros:
1. Never cold. Ever.
2. That "casual, laid-back atmosphere" everyone talks about is real; however, depending on your personality, this can also be a con. Things operate veeerrrrryyy slooooooowly, and that takes some getting used to. While "casual, laid back" means you don't have to wear hose to work, it also means it takes two days to register your car and 20 minutes to get through the "fast" food line at Subway. (You people who've tried to eat at the one next to Paradise Gym know *exactly* what I'm talking about.)
3. You can drink in your car and rum is cheaper than water.
4. In my line of work (law), salaries outpaced the increase in cost of living.
5. More official vacation days than any other state or territory in the U.S.
6. One word: seaplanes.

Cons:
1. High crime rate. Both my house and my car have been broken into. I had several friends who were robbed and know another woman that was beaten (in her own home) to within an inch of her life. The unemployment rate is very high on STX and many people live in conditions that Sally Struthers would deem worthy of an infomercial.
2. If you're a single professional in your 30s (as I am), it is very hard to meet other single professionals in their 30s (since there ain't many of us), and few social opportunities. Most of my friends are married couples or post-college and only there for a season.
3. Hurricanes.
4. Rampant and unabashed government corruption.
5. Long travel times to anywhere outside the Caribbean.
6. NO CZECH BEER! (Sorry, that one's personal. Seriously, though, food choices, especially fresh produce, can be quite limited and expensive. There are, however, some very high quality restaurants which are, of course, also expensive.)

Hi Virgin Bound,

I am a single professional female in my thirties as well. I will be moving to STT from NYC in October. I am a little bit concerned about how I will meet others in my demographic. Where have you found is a good place to meet people? How long did it take you to to meet people in which you have something in common with?

I haven't. That's precisely why it's a "con". STT is a bit more cosmopolitan and has a wider variety of people than STX, and you may fare better there. Most of my friends I've met through work. The bar scene on STX (such as it is) caters mostly to tourists and to younger people just out of college. Don't misunderstand, I've met some really cool folks down here, people with whom I've forged lasting friendships, but most (hell, ALL) of them are couples. There's nothing wrong with that, but it rules out the possibility of meeting a potential partner, or even a close friend to do spontaneous things with. My best friend down here (another single professional in his 30s) was great for that; unfortunately, he was similarly frustrated with the social scene and moved back stateside last fall.

What are you going to be doing on STT?

Virgin Bound: a frequent poster, Onik'a gave me some nice insights into legal employment. If I may, I would like to ask you a question. I am currently 29, engaged and have been working as an associate in a large new york city law firm specializing in transactional work, more specifically whole loan mortgage sales and securitizations. My fiance and I are serious about moving down to STT and buying a house once we sell our house in Long Island. My long drawn out question for you is what is your take on how hard it would be for someone in my shoes to land an associate job at one of the STT firms?

I was also wondering if you would be comfortable giving me your opinion on what sort of salary to expect. I am not under any delusions that it would compare to NY and I am not moving to become rich, just happy and hope to meet some laid back folks. I just want to be able to gauge what kind of mortgage I'd be able to float.

Well I've rambled enough. I hope you are well and thanks.

I'm an attorney on STX, so I can't speak for the climate on STT (STT has more higher profile international- and national-caliber firms than STX). That said, my sense is that there is generally a high rate of turnover in VI law firms because, well, living in paradox isn't quite what most people think it is. As a result, most firms are always "looking" if not actually "looking to hire." I work in defense-side litigation and there is always a TON of work and, in the two years I've been affliated with that firm, they have never NOT been looking to add attorneys. The VI is notorious for it's plaintiff-friendly juries and, consequently, the most minor injury spawns multi-million dollar litigation. If you have the stomach for plaintiff-side PI work, you can make a small fortune here.

I'm less familiar with what the market demand is for the type of transactional work that you've done. I'd guess that starting salaries for someone with 3-5 years experience (a range I'm guessing you fall into based on your age) is in the 60-100K range. Most larger firms will also comp your moving expenses, although many place a two-year restriction on it because of the above-mentioned high turnover rate.

Short answer: I don't think you'd have any trouble finding work, although I can't speak to whether it would be in your field of choice. Your salary will be substantially less than Manhattan, but certainly livable (y'know, unless you're shopping for property on STJ).

BTW, you can't waive in down here; however, you can register for the bar exam as little as 30 days in advance. In addition, there's only one bar review manual for the local essay exam, available here: http://www.vibarreview.com.

Good luck!

Dear Virginbound:

Thank you so much for the quick repsonse, your insights are very helpful. I guess one thing I like about being an attorney is that I don't feel like I have to continue working in the field that I am in and would be willing to start anew in another field given the chance. I signed up for the July bar exam.

I believe that I while I cannot waive in, my MBE scores are still ripe and can be used in lieu of sitting for the Multiple choice portion. I did request the review materials for the essay and I appreciate the though there.

Finally, I wish you the best and who know smaybe we'll have a drink sometime after I make this crazy dream work for me. Thanks again.

Smitty

No problem. Let me know how things go and, if you ever decide to look for work on STX, I might be able to help you out. I also know a handful of people who work as attorneys on STT if you wanted insight into a particular firm under consideration.

Good luck on the July bar. Tip for you: the bar exam room is either FREEZING (if they close the windows to keep out traffic noise) or loud (if they keep them open to avoid icicle formation). You'll want to bring socks, something long-sleeved, and ear plugs to cover both possibilities. They also cater breakfast and lunch on both exam days AND you're allowed to review materials during the lunch break. The Territorial court house is right on Charlotte Amalie harbor and, when I took the bar, one guy kept asking that they close the blinds so he wasn't distracted by the sailboats and seaplanes going past.

Although it sounds like you're already registered for July, you should know that because of the high turnover rate, many firms are willing to hire you without having yet passed the VI bar as long as you're admitted in another jurisdication.

Best of luck to you!

David: There is not a residency program here presently. Several years ago there were some medical students from St Maarten doing rotations, but that is no longer. I don't know what the salary is for the government doctors, but you might look at the hospital web sites and see if there is anything there: www.rlshospital.org for Schneider Hospital on St Thomas.
Dr. Ruth Watson is the Chief of Medicine (St Thomas)- the main hospital number is 340-776-8311.

Islander: Can you help with the Juan Luis information???

Hi Virginbound,

I am heading down to improve my quality of life. I currently work in the fashion industry in NY specifically in product development for a major jewelry wholesaler. I plan to work in the jewelry industry in STT.

I intend to do some island hopping and at some point get down to South America. I am really just interested in my celebrating my life and enjoying this new adventure. I will do some writing, I will continue to design t-shirts, do a lot of reading, cooking, beach and if I have some friends go out-I love to go out too.

I don't know how often you come to STT, but if and when you do maybe we could meet up.

Shawn

Here is Juan Luis Hospital Information:

http://www.jflusvi.org/

340-778-6311

--Islander