Moving in 22 days

Where are you moving? Which island?

No one can really answer your question without further information from you. The only thing anyone can say is "It depends"!!! What island will you be relocating to?

Some jobs are easy to find but they may not pay very much. Other jobs might be more difficult but the pay could be higher. What type of job are you seeking? What skills do you have? How much money do you need to earn to maintain the kind of lifestyle you want? Finding a job may not be difficult but finding a good job that pays what you consider a living wage could prove to be more difficult.

As for finding a place to live well that too depends on numerous factors. How much are you willing to spend for housing? How big a place do you need? How much are you willing to spend for your housing? Are you planning to rent or purchase? Properties come in all shapes and sizes - there's everything from run down shacks to opulent mansions and while there's always some type of housing available without knowing your budget it's difficult to give you a firm answer other than to say you can probably find someplace to live. Whether or not it will meet they expectations you have in your mind's eye is another matter.

St John I'd like to bartend or wait tables I want a simple life style 500 for rent would be nice

I don't live on St. John, but (St. Johnians correct me if I'm wrong) I don't think you could come anywhere near $500 for rent unless you had at least 2 or 3 roommates. You can't even get a place on St. Croix for that!

Surfsup - you really have to take off the rose colored glasses and do some research before you make the move. $500/month rent is not going to cut it anywhere in the USVI's (unless, as popflops points out you plan on having roommates). Also, a "simple lifestyle" in the Caribbean is often a pipe dream. Unless you are a trust fund baby or have an independent source of income you are still going to have to get up each day and go out and earn a living, pay your bills, do the laundry and other household chores, go food shopping. Those routine chores you are currently doing where you now live will take up most of your "simple lifestyle". As for earning a living, that's probably going to entail working long hours or two jobs - nothing "simple" in that!

You see, living expenses are high and wages are low - that's the Catch-22 of living/working in the Caribbean. For most people in the Caribbean "living a simpler lifestyle" is more "going without" many everyday conveniences you may be used to now. It's not unusual to have to go to 2, 3 or even 4 stores when you do your grocery shopping and still not find some of the basics on your list because the items are out of stock and no one knows when they will be replenished. You'll encounter long lines at the bank or when you go to pay your utility bill. Internet service may be sporadic as is sometimes the case with electricity service. the refrigerator or A/C repairmen may or may not show up for several days and when they do they'll have to order the necessary part which will come in about 10 more days, meantime your food spoils or you stay in a hot house (speaking of A?C you may find you can't afford the high electric bills so you "simplify" your life by not using the A/C.

Living in the Caribbean is not all sitting on the beach under a palm tree sipping pina colodas. It's everyday life, just in a place that is different from where you may now live.

What a buzz kill. I'm depressed now.

There is a pretty basic cottage for rent on STJ now for $500 a month. Saw it on cragslist yesterday I think.

I concur AFriend, well said. I really don't think $500.00 is going to get you a clean, safe place and Wapa. Food is more expensive than in the states because everything is shipped in. The lines in stores and empty shelves is part of living here, if you are patient and in no rush then you should be fine. Bartending and serving should be relatively easy to land a job. St. John has bars and restaurants. What about transportation? Grocery shopping on STJ is way more expensive and lesser inventory than STT. You may need to ferry over to STT for Kmart and Cost U Less, get a taxi both ways and then back on the ferry and then schlep it back to your apt

Just sayin' , you may want to rethink your plan. Not trying to be a buzz kill or anything.

There is a pretty basic cottage for rent on STJ now for $500 a month. Saw it on cragslist yesterday I think.

BEWARE of cheap Virgin island rentals on Craigslist. There of been some that ask for money to be sent to places like Nigeria and the UK that are scams. DO NOT send money to anyone for a rental until you can verify that they are legitimate.

I've seen a place or two over the past 11 years for rent for $500/month. When I moved here 11 years ago, a friend had a place that he was renting for $500 a month. It was basically a screened shed. It was made out of treated lumber, leaked everywhere when it rained (which it does frequently here) no appliances, an outdoor cold shower, and an outhouse.....and it wasn't in town. So you had to walk, hitchhike, or have a car. If you can find a studio apartment on St. John for $800 a month, you are lucky.

As far as jobs...there aren't many to speak of right now. As season starts to arrive you will have more opportunity. Bartending jobs are sought after and not the easiest to find. You will have more luck with waiting tables, but right now, I don't think you will find either. Just start meeting people and handing in as many applications as you can when you get here. There will still be several places closed for season when you arrive, but you can hit every place that is open.

Good luck!!! Spend what you have very very carefully until you can get a secure job and place to live. Most places require 1st, last, and security deposit, which is usually a pretty good chunk of change. I recently saw a couple of postings looking for roommates on the board at Connections, so make sure you check them out. I think they were about $700 a month or so with two or three other roomies.

Surf, You can always dream. But hope for the best and plan for the worst.

Have you made a pre-move visit, or is D-22 your PMV?

What a buzz kill. I'm depressed now.

Imagine how much worse it would have been if you had come down here unprepared.

You do realize you are moving to the most expensive of the Virgins, right?

You might be able to find an apartment on STX for $500.
And with a few exceptions, STX is less expensive for everything else than STJ and STT.

Maybe try and see if Maho Bay Camps or one of the other Eco camps needs an employee..that way you could check into employee discounts on staying there, if offered....don't know what your skills are.

I've seen a place or two over the past 11 years for rent for $500/month. When I moved here 11 years ago, a friend had a place that he was renting for $500 a month. It was basically a screened shed. It was made out of treated lumber, leaked everywhere when it rained (which it does frequently here) no appliances, an outdoor cold shower, and an outhouse.....and it wasn't in town..

That's pretty much what this looked like from the pictures. But you never know how bad someone will "rough it" for a change in their life.

When I moved here 11 years ago, I came with a round trip ticket, about $700 cash, two duffel bags, and knew one person. It was complete lunacy and would not recommend it to anyone. In the first 6 weeks I lost 15lbs off of my 110lb frame and was very dehydrated.....I was a complete idiot. Boy do I know what a person will do for change!!!! 😀

I had a much rougher time of it because I am really shy. On St. John, you do much better if you are social and can network. There are jobs and places to rent posted on the board in Connections, but all of the 'good' finds never make it anywhere near the board. You get all your best leads by knowing people.

btw, Surf, why St. John? Do you have a particular reason for preferring STJ over STT or STX?

Each island has its characteristics, but all are in America's Paradise!

Speaking of cheap rentals on craigslist, it's a dead giveaway if they are including "central heat" in the rent. See it often. BEWARE!

Now, I know we have totally "central" heat, but we don't usually consider it an amenity. LOL

I would opt for the free place on the estate with use of the little red sports car.
No wait, that is in Hawaii and only for TV PI's.:@)

btw, Surf, why St. John? Do you have a particular reason for preferring STJ over STT or STX?

Each island has its characteristics, but all are in America's Paradise!

Can't speak for Surf, but each island does have its own unique and wonderful characteristics. However, for some of us, there is just something about St. John that separates it apart from the other two. That "something" trumps the much higher costs and inconvenience.

You can get a waitstaff job pretty easily within a week or two. That time of year, it should be easy to find a couple of roommates living the same life as you. Make sure to budget for transportation and insurance if you want a simple life, as not having it makes living on STJ much more complicated. It's normal to find a place through the board at Connections when you arrive; most people can do this within a week as well. Expect it to be difficult to make ends meet; if you work a couple of jobs, you'll be fine.

Afriend I know I'll need roomates silly and I'm just saying I've done allot of research I just need a job and a roof over my head I work my ass off where I am now I love to work I mean you could just say hey ya fid a roomate an a job it might be hard but good luck here are some pointers you are a buzz kill

I just kind of chose st John it's the only island I've visited I just live in wrightsville beach nc now and need a big change I'm very friendly and have a great resume I'm sure I'll be fine I'm reallly glad I got some great pointers thanks everyone

By the way, the surf is REALLY up right now. The wake of Igor is making some nice swells!

Any good places to meet people