Returned from STX

What did you consider the pros and cons of moving to St. Croix? Did you check out the schools? I was offered a job there last summer and turned it down without giving it enough thought. Now another opportunity has arised there. It's really odd that this place so far from where I live keeps popping up in my life. Maybe I need to give it some thought.

I would like to hear about some of the pro's and con's also. I am Headed down on December 1st to investigate a job on St. Thomas. I have a wife and two children which certainly makes the subject of relocation a little more complicated. Can anybody give me an idea of:
1. How much it will cost to ship a car from New Jersey to St. Thomas
2. If I would be able to get around via taxi for several weeks
2. If there are furnished apartments available
3. What the cost of moving the contents of an average 4-bedroom house would be

I would appreciate any amount of input on any or all of the above subjects

Thank you very much.

I moved to the Islands 15 years ago and it was not that expensive to move everything. It would have cost a lot more to buy furniture. I didn't ship the car, I bought an Island car. Yes there are furnished apartments on both Islands. The schools are the only consideration I would worry about. Check them out carefully. It's a great place to live.

The pros and cons of a move to the Virgin Islands.....Basically we have been thinking about this for over a year when I found out about this job. I am a nurse practitioner and the job is in the family planning clinic throught he department of health. My husband is a minister and we have 3 boys (10, 8, and 4). Things that were important to us...
1. the reason we wanted to move- change in scenery, slower pace lifestyle, great experience for the kids and for us, soemthing new to do, etc
2. finding a job- for me that was not too hard but it will be a $4k pay cut from what I make right now. BUT an opportunity to have student loans paid off for a 2 year commitment to work there.
3. my husband finding a job- he would probably have to find a teaching job because ministerial jobs can be hard to find what he is looking for. He has a master's degree and the salary for him teaching in the VI would probably be at least $20K less than what he makes now.
4. education for the kids- would definitely have to be private schools- the 2 we looked at Good Hope and Country Day (Country Day would be my choice- I hear that kids at Good Hope don't have books of their own). THe cost for all 3 would be abuot $22K per year. That was without any financial aid which I hope we could get since we would have 3 in school.
5. healthcare- my husband has some health issues and very likely would have to return to the states for periodic treatments. BIg cost
6. living expenses- we were considering a long -term rental and probably just sending some of our personal items, but hoping to find a furnished rental. I looked around in the grocery stores when we were there and the prices didn't seem to be too bad compared to what I'm used too. THe price of gas was definitely cheaper.

Overall, we just didn't feel it was worth the risk at this point in our lives. We have some other goals that we want to work on- like getting rid of debt and we decided that financially we could not do it in the islands. And the health issues were huge. It is hard to raise 3 kids without the support of family close and although we are 8 hours away from family now, we can still get in the car and drive or for $200 get a plane. Not hte same if we were in the VI.

It is still something I would like to do. I still think it would be great for the kids and a nice change of pace for us, so I will keep on dreaming and keep the plan in hte back of my mind.

We made the decision to come down for a visit so we would know what was the right thing for us. I have a nice job here, but I didn't want to have any regrets. So I wanted to see the place and see if I thought I could live there. I think I could live there and be happy, but I didn't get the sense that this was the right thing for me to do. I didn't feel as if it was NOT the place I needed to be, but just not the sense that it IS the place for me. So I am content with the decision we made and I can say that at least I gave it a shot. No regrets that I turned down the job without even going to see it.

ANyway, hope this helps. Relocating is definitely a person choice and not the right thing for everyone. I'm sure you will read lots of stories on this board of people that did just that and you will have to make the decision that is right for you. Good luck and have fun in the process. WE had a great vacation!

Thank you all for the input, I appreciate it.

Lora, I was reading the message board on St. Croix, and I came across your comment "I hear that kids at Good Hope don't have books of their own". Well I happened to graduate from Good Hope School after attending from 2nd grade to 12th grade, and not ONCE did I not have a textbook of my own. So I hope you realize to fully research what you say before you spread misconceptions. By the way, I attend Brown University, one of the top schools in the country, which is evidence that Good Hope prepared me for a successful college life. We are prestigious to the point that even admissions counselors at schools in the continental US know of our school by name. So, just to inform you, we never have any "textbook problems" at our school.

Dominic Latty
Brown University '07

Hello,

Comment on School Books... Perhaps there was a mix up in info... I attended both public and private schools on St. Thomas.. in public school the books are provided to you for use during the school year - I do recall there being shortages from time to time right at the beginning of a school year but this was usually corrected shortly, I have heard of book shortages in public schools though in more recent times. In private school students were responsiable for buying their own books. Good Hope is a private school with fairly hefty tuition, I would imagine the students are either responsiable for buying their own books or that the tuition covers it.

--Islander

To answer your statement, at Good Hope, textbooks are included with tuition. It's in the form of a $150 miscellaneous charge that they add to the main tuition. Of course, you don't get to keep them, you turn them in at the end of the year like at any other high school. So no, the students are not responsible for buying their own textbooks, they are provided. Also, "fairly hefty tuition" has different meanings to different people. To elaborate, tuition is $7000-8000 a year depending on if you are a high school student, elementary, etc. So to me that is hefty, but to someone else, it probably isn't.

About the differences between Country Day and Good Hope, I have attended both schools, and I would have to say that Good Hope offers a more well-rounded education. Its location on the beach (wonderful relaxing atmosphere for learning), and with a MUCH more diverse atmosphere than Country Day allows for a more well rounded and fulfilling learning experience. Take my word for it. I am a product of a Good Hope education and it has tremendously positively influenced the way I see the world in more ways than I can possibly imagine.

To clarufy , I got the information about problems with books from a teacher on St. Croix during my visit there a few weeks ago. So it may have been a beginning of the school year problem. I'm not sure. Idid not visit Good Hope school but was impressed with the information that I got form the website regarding curriculum and placement of students in colleges. As of recent data, the tuition at both Country Day and Good Hope were about the same- I can't remember details but in the neighborhood of $22K per year for 3 kids (Kindergarten, 3rd grade, 5th grade). ANd yes the prices depend on the grade.

To answer a few of your questions....the cost to ship your car depends on the weight, the year and I think the value of your car. The main thing that will increase the cost is if it was made in US or outside of US. If outside US, you incur an export tax to be paid to bring your car to the VI. So it depends on the VIN # on your car. I shipped my car here in 1999 and the shipping was only $600-700 for a 1993 Honda Civic. However, I had to pay additional fees up to $700 more for road tax, export tax, etc.

I would suggest renting a car while you are here for 2 weeks. Taxis can get expensive, especially in season. there are $1 safari buses, but they have the same route each day and if you aren't on that route, it won't work for you. and they stop running about 7:30 each night.

there are plenty of furnished apartments. sometimes not such nice furniture that you may be accustomed to.

Couldn't tell you how much it costs to ship all your furniture. What I would suggest is that you hold off on shipping your things until you live here for a while to see if you like it. It is a very different place to live. Most people either love it or hate it. It's different than just coming here on vacation. I love it and have been here for 6 years. I have lived on ST Croix and St. Thomas and work on St. John so I really appreciate the differences and charms each island has to offer. Good luck with your visit this week and hopefully you will fall in love with the islands as so many people have.