Thinking about moving the VI

I guess it depends on what you are looking for. I myself am I 22 year old college grad looking for a change of scenery, people, and opportunity. I have no responsibilties aside from loan repayments and I'd rather do it now rather than later. You didn't list your "life position" (ie, jobs, wife, kids) so its hard to help. But what it comes down to I would have to say is personal preferance. Go check out the place if you've never been, learn as much as you can about everything, and take your chances. Whats the worst that can happen?

Well I am single with no kids and the only thing keeping me from going is the lack of money. I plan on saving up for a while but i dont know if i could afford to go first to check it out thats why i came on here to find out what other people thought about the islands. Thanks,
Tim

Hello Tim,

Welcome to the board, you found the right place to get advice and suggestions and feedback. Often the first suggestion for folks is to take a visit but as you have already said thats not an option the second suggestion is to research as much as possiable and ask as many questions as you can think of from apartments to if your favorite ice cream is available! You need to read about each of the USVI islands and decide which one appeals to you; although they are related they each have their own character and atmosphere. Whether its a good place really depends on the individual - some folks love it and some do not. Have you thought about which island sounds like your place? What type of work are you looking at?

--Islander

Hello Islander,
Yes I am very glad I found this site. Just from reading the other posts I have learned so much about the islands. I definitely dont plan on taking this decision lightly and will do as much research and planning as it takes. Of course everyone thinking about making a big move like this has many questions and a lot of mine have been answered on the board already. As far as work goes, I am willing and capable to do pretty much anything. Is there any business in lightning protection on the islands? I have many years experience in that. I would rather do physical labor but have been doing food service for the last couple years and am getting managment experience now. Can you or anyone give advice on how to look for work on the islands and where? I am pretty sure I am looking at St Croix because of the cheaper cost of living. The rent is slightly higher than where i live now, Oxford, Mississippi, but the examples of other expenses on the site are pretty similar to here. Where are some good places to look for a place to live on St Croix? I dont need anything fancy but someplace fairly safe and close to things like stores and things. I would prefer to be closer to a city than out in the country to far since I dont have a car. Is it hard for someone to live on the islands without a car? I know its a lot of questions and I have what seems like a million more, but I will wait for more later. Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated and I thank you all in advance.

Thanks,
Tim

Hello Tim,

>>Is there any business in lightning protection on the islands?

I don't know of one.

>>I have many years experience in that. I would rather do physical labor but have been doing food service for the last couple years and am getting managment experience now.

Have you ever done construction or landscaping... definately labor intensive and you could look in these fields.

>>Can you or anyone give advice on how to look for work on the islands and where?

It depends on the field of work. Seasonal work like bartending, waitering... employers typically don't hire these people from away; they hire folks who are on island already. Management, teachers, nurses, doctors ect. can find work more easily from away but still requires calls, faxing, more calls. What might you be interested in besides lightening business.

>> Is it hard for someone to live on the islands without a car?

Yes it can be, particularly on St. Croix. On St. Thomas without a car, you would need to work and live in close proximity. While public transportation exist it isn't very reliable but there are $1 safari buses that run similar routes to the buses that make it feasiable for those without cars to get around.

--Islander

Hi Islander,

Thank you for all the advice so far. Its good to have people like you and all the other people on the board to turn to with my questions. I have done some construction and roofing with my grandfather, it was his lightning protection business, and we would do odd jobs for his customers sometimes, and plus i always helped him when he would do work on his own place. Which is an easier place to find a job, Christiansted or Frederickstead? Also is there many differences in living in the two? Like crime and shopping and things. I am also thinking about taking a course to be a certified bartender, once i am there would it be hard to pick up work as one? How much do used cars typically run there? I know it will vary pretty much but could anyone give me an average price range?

Thanks,
Tim

You'll have an easier time finding employment closer to C'sted than F'sted. There seem to be a lot of businesses that have left F'sted (I am told it occurred because the cruise lines decided to no longer dock there, so F'sted has the look and feel of a very small, rural town. C'sted, relatively speaking, is the island's bustling urban ceter. (And I mean relative to F'sted -- C'sted is also a very small, old town when compared to mainland cities. It has one street that goes in and one street that goes out of the "downtown" area, and the tallest building I recall seeing is salmon colored and 4 stories high.)

KMart is it in terms of chain stores that you also find on the mainland. There are two on STX -- one in the west end near F'sted - it is located in a small shopping plaza (see the post called "Strip Malls"). The KMart in the center of the island is part of a shopping complex that is "the" place to shop on hte island for residents -- there are also shoe and clothing stores, a Do It Center hardware store, Pueblo grocery store and pharmacy, movie theaters, fast food restaurants, and branches of several banks. The area is known as Sunny Isle -- it's about 15-20 minutes from C'Sted (we've been led to believe that everything, it seems, is about 15-20 minutes from C'sted if it's not rush hour. *lol*) We are moving into a neighborhood right in that area.

Everything I've read here aabout bartending jobs is that they are mostly available during the high season (December-April) and that you need to be on island, and move fast, to get them when they are posted.

As for car prices, check out the online newspapers. We just tossed out a copy of the Source from April, and saw mid-late 1980's Honda Civics listed as running good in hte price range of $2200-$3000, way more than what you would pay for the same cars in my section of the mainland. Do read the section of this web site on transportation -- and order the Settler's Handbook right away. It wil lbecome your USVI bible.

Good luck!

HipCrip