securing employment and shelter

Karl: One comment about your plan. If you don't have enough money for a look-see visit, do you have enough to keep yourself going for a while if you don't find anything immediately? You are going to need probably 3 month's worth of rent when you find a place. You can't legally camp on St Thomas, so you are going to need money for a guest house or B & B. Then food, various deposits, etc. It will add up quickly. I don't mean to be the one with the negative vibes, but want to make sure you have thought it through.

I have money for deposits and such, but I really can't afford to make a trip down right now, because I will need that money once I am on island. Not to mention, I don't have much vacation time from work. What about camping on St. John while I look for a job and a place? Is that an option? Otherwise, I can stay in a guesthouse, but would want to be as cheap as possible until I got settled in. Thanks for any advice.

St John has a nice camp ground. However, I believe they get booked fast. So you might have to start planing early. June is not high season down there. I can only assume that it is a more difficult to find work in that month. However, September might already be the beginning of season. I am not sure. I know they have a strong christmas season. I would call some hotels and ask when they normally hire for the season. That should be the time you move. From what I have seen in the job listings you should not have a problem finding work fast. I would send my resume to places prior to me moving and let them know when you are avaible for interviewing. I am not sure if German will come handy. Danish seem to be the usefull language on St Croix. But from reading the news European traveling is up due to the weak dollar right now. It can't hurt. Just list as many skills as you can and list also phone numbers for recommendations. Depending from where you are coming you might have to get a health certificate on the island. I am not sure what this entails and if you can do that on the mainland prior to arrival. Perhaps someone here knows more about that. Check the VI daily. Even if you do not apply right away you will soon get an idea who hires. Create a database for when you need it.

Iris

Hello,

Iris- Season is roughly Nov-May. Aug and September are the low of off season. Things start to pick up again in late October... picking up more in November and getting full swing in December/January.

Karl - What is your degree in? You might find a place & job in the first week, but it might take several weeks thus the suggestion to have some money to keep you afloat. Landlords for apartments usually want first and last months rent and a security deposit equivalent to one months rent. If you are wanting a job in hotel, restaurant, service industry and your date gets pushed back to September I would recommend pushing it to late October or even early November. September is slow season and things pick up in late October/early November.

Sidenote: I believe Cinnamon Bay closes during September for a few weeks, but definately double check that.

--Islander