Moving to the U.S. Islands - Questions

If you are coming for only 2 months, you may want to do so in Oct./Nov. as Sept. really is the doldrums in terms of finding a job.
Many businesses close during that month as there is not much tourist trade in Sept. and not many businesses are looking to hire at that time plus it is the height of hurricane season as well. You may find it difficult to find a job if only planning on being here for 2 months. If you plan on giving it a yrs. try, it might be better plus then it would be worthwhile to ship your truck. These are things to consider. You will need a vehicle to get around no matter which island you choose.

I prefer STT but then I live here so those that live in STX or STJ shall say the same, no doubt. I just think STT allows for more options tho STX is probably cheaper to live than STJ/STT. You may find less options for work in STX, however. The economy here is not the greatest at present and things will be more expensive, especially for electricity, than what you may be used to stateside.

Landlords often want 1st, last and a security deposit, plus you have to pay deposits to connect Electricity, Cable, Internet, etc,
Sometimes you can find a place that includes everything and is furnished but they cost more to rent than those that don't.
Sometimes you can find someone looking for a place to share. All of that is difficult to do if you are not actually on island
Where you work depends on what you can do.
You may be able to get away with less but best to bring more money than less.
10K is a nice sum and will get you thru but planning just a 2 month trip will make it more difficult for everything.
You should either just come on vacation or plan on staying longer.
Good Luck

Read some of the other posts on the forum here to get a better idea of what you may want to do, then make a plan accodringly.
You can look on Craig's list for VI rentals and get an idea of rental costs as well as check the Island Trader, online.

What island should I move to? I can only really give a little advice on St. John, so that is how I will answer the rest

Where should I look for work?
It's better to be on island to do this. There is a place called Connections and they have a big bulletin board with postings for jobs, places to live, things for sale, and other community notices

Should I ship my truck out there?
I don't think it is worth the hassle unless you are sure you are going to stay.

What's the minimum amount of money I should bring for two months of bills?
(I'm not rich in any way!) This is a hard question to answer. You could find a place to live for $1,000 a month (at the moment, the cheap places are usually gone in Oct/Nov) Most places want a year lease, first/last and security. If you want to buy an island car, tack on another $4k at least. If you are frugal with food and don't eat out, $75 a week minimum. It's hard to say because everybody has a very different idea of 'minimum standard of living'.

Is there anything I'm not thinking about at the moment?
Probably 🙂

How can I make this work realistically?
I think you could make a go of it. It's not easy making it here, and things are different than they are stateside, but some people love it here and are willing to do more than they thought capable to live here. Some people bring down a mountain of cash and still don't make it. Some people bring down next to nothing and have made it here. If you REALLY want to try, you are young enough, and don't have a bunch of financial responsibilities, family or pet responsibilities, give it a shot!

All and any advice helps! Thank you!

Have a great day! 😎

Ryan25, welcome to the forum. I'll make a wild guess that you'll come here with $5K. In that case, I suggest:

- Ship nothing to USVI, especially not a vehicle. If you leave after 2 months, it will be a huge waste of money.

- Become a roommate in an existing rental situation.

- Try to live within walking distance of where you expect to work. Eg: Red Hook in STT, or Christiansted or Cane Bay in STX, or Cruz Bay in STJ. Red Hook in STT is probably your safest bet because of jobs, your lifestyle, and proximity of stores and services, followed by STX which is cheaper but more spread out, with STJ being probably your worst choice because of cost.

- Don't buy a car here at first. Get rides from friends or take safari taxis. Lots of people have no car here. It's inconvenient, but not impossible. Other threads in this forum discuss the safari taxi routes. Get a car after you've determined that you're staying a while.

- Have enough money in reserve to leave island if you discover that it's not for you.

- Be positive. Tell employers that you plan to stay long-term, not just for 2 months to try it out.

- Network and keep trying. Jobs and rentals will open up, so keep going back and asking. Be nice to everyone you meet.

- As mentioned, September really is a bad time to move here. Oct/Nov is better.

Good luck!

You can keep your eye out on craiglist for share/roommate situations:

http://virgin.craigslist.org/roo/

and keep an eye on the classified section on this website too.

Ryan25, welcome to the forum. I'll make a wild guess that you'll come here with $5K. In that case, I suggest:

- Ship nothing to USVI, especially not a vehicle. If you leave after 2 months, it will be a huge waste of money.

- Become a roommate in an existing rental situation.

- Try to live within walking distance of where you expect to work. Eg: Red Hook in STT, or Christiansted or Cane Bay in STX, or Cruz Bay in STJ. Red Hook in STT is probably your safest bet because of jobs, your lifestyle, and proximity of stores and services, followed by STX which is cheaper but more spread out, with STJ being probably your worst choice because of cost.

- Don't buy a car here at first. Get rides from friends or take safari taxis. Lots of people have no car here. It's inconvenient, but not impossible. Other threads in this forum discuss the safari taxi routes. Get a car after you've determined that you're staying a while.

- Have enough money in reserve to leave island if you discover that it's not for you.

- Be positive. Tell employers that you plan to stay long-term, not just for 2 months to try it out.

- Network and keep trying. Jobs and rentals will open up, so keep going back and asking. Be nice to everyone you meet.

- As mentioned, September really is a bad time to move here. Oct/Nov is better.

Good luck!

GREAT ADVICE!! As usual. Bob we shoulda meet up for a drink, our treat when we move in a few months!

We just got back from 3 weeks in STX for our PMV. We LOVED it!!! Ugh I'm DREADING going back to life here with no chickens running aroun and no "good day". We're likely going to buy a house there instead of rent. It's very much what we wanted out of a place to live. Even WITH some of the "worries" that STX has going on now. (Hovensa etc)

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What island should I move to? I live on STX, so I vote for STX.

Where should I look for work? What type of work do you want/like to do? If you don't care and are a good worker and can prove it, you will find a job. If you are a slacker and just want to party you will be fired pretty soon.

Should I ship my truck out there? NOPE. Right now cars are cheap, save yourself the headache and if you decide to live here on a more long term basis then ship it.

What's the minimum amount of money I should bring for two months of bills? (I'm not rich in any way!) Can't answer that, but as a person in four person household that owns a home and pays mortgage and for everything, you need a minimum of 6K

Is there anything I'm not thinking about at the moment? Pretty sure, but as long as you bring a good attitude and are flexible you should do fine.
How can I make this work realistically?See my above answer, but read and plan very carefully