You have to be on island to get anywhere where employment is concerned. A word of caution in that I do hope you realize that the downturn in the economy has affected us severely and will continue to do so for some time to come. Unemployment is rising and whatever jobs are (or will become) available will go to people who live here. Suggest you re-post on the relocation forum at vimovingcenter.com. Brings lots of money with you! Cheers!

Jolan please don't be so naive...certainly you did not just spin the globe and decide that you would move to ST. Employment on the island is as bad as it is where you live right now. I don't mean to burst your bubble but I don't believe you are prepared for this...not in Kansas any more Toto!

I'm going to have to echo what has been said. Things are rough on St. John right now, and about to get worse with season coming to an end. I have already heard many places talking about longer closings this year. One of the most noticable places that will go out of business shortly is Colombian Emeralds, right there at the end of the ferry dock. That will happen at the end of the month, and I wouldn't be too surprised to see other places close their doors for good. If you are a skilled and licensed electrician or plumber, you should find work easy..but that is about the only thing I can think of. The only job postings I have seen this season are for line cooks. I do remember a sign for Crazy Cracker's...I think they were hiring cooks and maybe waitresses. I wish I didn't have to paint such an ugly picture...but I want you to know that things could be very rough. Jobs are scarce in the off season, always. This year will be especially hard.

I really have to echo what STJ Julie said. I was just on island and talked to many of my old friends. Times are tough for everyone right now and people are worried about what they will do when the business that they works for close for the off season for longer periods of time this year.
When the economy in the states is bad, it affects the islands in a big way.

I wish you luck, but I have to say that now is not the time to make that move.

Well, we are not coming until october, so we will be doing heavy planning, and intend on staying for only a year. our good friends who lived there recently, have many connections. So I wish myself luck!

This thread has me very worried that nothing will be open in STJ when we come in July and is July considered "off season"? Are all the major restaurants, shops etc. not doing very well and will they be open this summer?
I think i saw on another thread someone saying STT villas were getting booked up and would probably have to check STJ villas out. This makes me wonder why businesses aren't doing very well if people are still traveling there. Any thoughts?

jolan8 wrote:
Well, we are not coming until october, so we will be doing heavy planning, and intend on staying for only a year. our good friends who lived there recently, have many connections. So I wish myself luck!

Bring enough cash to survive with no work for at least 6 months

Start your check list now
- Health Insurance
- Annual doctor visits
- If you plan to work on boats get your 6 pack now
- etc
- etc
- etc

Do not wait until October - make a PRE visit just to check it out.

This written by a parent who had son which moved down to STT for a year...

We just got back and admittedly did not spend as much as we normally do out in town.
We ate 2 dinners and all our breakfasts at the house and spent no more than $200 on gifts/souveneirs to bring home.

People pack coolers and eat at the villa and many repeat visitors don't need any more mementos of their trips. This does hurt the local businesses but for some people it is the only way it can make their trip affordable.

Check out www.stjohnspice.com they keep a restaurant closing list that should start getting populated soon, but July should not be a problem for closings.

We're the same way on the souvenirs and gifts, but we do eat out a lot while we're there and indulge in island drinks. We're kind of foodies.
Thanks for the website. I'll check it out.

Don't worry about closings in July.... Places that generally close will close for a 2 week period, up to a 2 month period, starting in August and most places will reopen no later than mid November. July is carnival time, and after the 4th things slow down, but they don't stop. Also, the restaurants are pretty good about staggering their closings. There will always be some open and some that never close or only close a couple of days to freshen up the place. Our store, Verace (jewelry), plans on closing a little longer this year but we are not sure how long. If we close, we do it in September. Last year it was two weeks, this year maybe all of September.
If you plan to move down here for a year...that will make it harder to find a job if it is disclosed to the potential employer in some cases. Any job that requires a lot of training will probably turn down someone who they know will not be around. The best way to get a job is to be on island, meet people, start hunting. It would be safe to say that it is almost impossible to find a job until you are on island. On a good note...you will probably find housing pretty easy. It will not be cheap, but you will have choices. When I came to St. John 10 years ago, thinking a lot like you, only a year...there was NO place to live. There wasn't much in the way of long term rental. Now, there are so many shiny new villas that are rented out short term that a lot of the older ones have decided to go long term now. There are so many long term rentals up on the board at Connections right now that you can hardly make sense of it. They range from about $1000 for a studio, to $2,600 for 2 or 3 bedrooms. The apartments that go the fastest are the ones close to town. The cheapest are usually in Coral Bay. Good luck!

Hi thankyou for the advice. We actually made a pre visit about a month ago. Some of our friends were living there, and now we plan to go back with them. Your checklist was handy, haha. Is it hard to get jobs on boats? my boyfriend was interested in that

Thankyou stjohnjulie, lol. That makes me feel more confident. Also considering, our friends lived and worked there which is awesome. I'm siked to be down there with them, and we have kind of expected on not finding a job until we get there. We also plan on saving a good amount to live off of for a while. What kind if business do you have? maybe you know our friends, they just moved back!

I agree with the concerns about jobs in the summer (it's like this every year, and has been getting worse for some years now, not just this year), but if you have planned and have enough to get yourselves into a place (think first and last month's rent, plus security.....~$5,000), plus enough to survive for a while, you should be OK. It's easier for girls to get jobs on boats because most captains are men and they want women as first mates (not always true, but mostly). Tell him to check out On Deck Racing. They are always looking for guys. Moving here can be tough, just like anywhere, but keep in mind there are always more jobs on St Thomas than there are on STJ, so you may need to commute or move when you get here. October is a decent time to get here. As soon as you arrive, start making connections. Don't get hammered and be an ass at every bar on the island (word gets around), and network. That's mostly how things get done down here. The day you arrive, go to Connections on STJ. They've got a big board where they post jobs, apartments, cars, boats, etc.

Forgive the peole who are being a bit aggressive with you. We see a lot of people come down here, spend several weeks and all their money getting drunk, then failing miserably and going home with their tail between their legs. It's hard to watch. We just don't want the same to happen to you guys. Just plan, be smart, and come on down here!!! Best of luck to you.

thankyou so much for the advice. It was very helpful. When we visited about a month ago, we spent our time getting trashed, haha. This time around we are bringing our daughter, so its much more serious, and plan on really making a living. Again, thankyou for your help, hope to see you in the fall!

What is on deck racing? should we inquire about a job with them now? or wait until we get there in October?
ps I Iike your sense of humor! so black and white

A motto we kinda came up with from listening around here: If you get to work on time, can work hard and are sober, the work will find you.

At first, you may need to take any kind of work until the locals here know who you are. It is a very small community and your reputation will be established quickly- good or bad.

I think the main concern right now is that this year is going to be particularly difficult where the effects of the stateside economic recession are concerned. We are always 8 to 12 months behind and in all honesty (although we're already feeling the effects) don't expect to feel the whole brunt until this coming "season." This past "season" has been extremely difficult for many, there have been several closings and the outlook for next season is worse by a large measure. I've lived here for a quarter of a century and have never seen the economy this bad.

I see now that you're bringing a child with you. That further complicates the equation. I wish you all the best but urge you to bring plenty of money with you as your job prospects are, unfortunately, going to be on the low side.

I have talked a couple who are moving down the same time who have kids who are red cross certified to babysit, and I think as long as I make enough connections, get to know the locals, keep a good reputation, things will have a better outcome. thankyou for the advice.

Im jealous of anyone moving to St. John....