Relocation, have question, and need advise

[Hotzcatz]

Aloha Lenny,

From your description of your current lifestyle and amenities (health care, schooling, jobs that pay above minimum) you may want to think about putting all your stuff in storage and finding a renter for your house for a year. Can you take a "sabbatical" for a year from your current job? Move out here for a year, rent a house and see how it works out. If it doesn't work (and from my guessing estimation there is probably about a 65% chance it won't) then you will be able to get back to where you are without any big losses.

What are your reasons for moving here? "Paradise" is just a frame of mind and has nothing really to do with the location. From the sounds of it your family will be taking a huge hit in your current lifestyle and what gains are you going to get to offset that?

Moving to the "country" and living the "simple life" may not include high end jobs. If you don't want to work in the service industry, perhaps you'd like to take up farming? I know some folks looking for coffee pickers in the worst way. It's seasonal work, though. We don't have any manufacture jobs so no need for folks to maintain manufacturing equipment. There's a few places which process agricultural products, a slaughterhouse, an ice house, etc. Many of them don't have in house service folks but fly repair folks over from Oahu when they need them.

Actually, with the downturn in tourism and the vog I'm expecting a lot of folks to have to leave the island. Either because of lack of work or for health reasons. Remember when sugar went down? Hilo lost about 40% of it's economic support and a lot of folks left then. It kinda feels like we are on the beginnings of another curve like that. Maybe the "economic stimulus" package will pull the economy up enough that folks will vacation here again but it doesn't feel like a good economic time to be changing jobs. See if you can get here with a return "bridge" in place and have enough money to live for a year and return if necessary.

Just my two cents and advice is worth what you pay for it so feel free to ignore it.

A hui hou

[Guest]

quote:

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Originally posted by pslamont

.... Schools here in Hawaii are in the very bottom of national quality. There are many many factors. Part is culture with families having such very low expectations for their children. Part is the extremely poor salary structure for teachers. (My husband took a pay cut of nearly 50% to come teach here from So. Calif). New teachers come here with bright spirits and excitement to begin their adventure but discover they can not live on the salary and leave after a couple years. This leaves a very young and inexperienced staff that is transient; never good for the kids........

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I would like to add to Pams sentiment about the schools. I worked for the Department of Education here in Hawaii for the last 10 years in what is considered a "State" position... meaning I wasn't just located at one school.... I serviced ALL of the Schools in the State.

I also know for a fact.... that the "Puna" Public schools traditionally rank lowest in the STATE ... so take on top the fact that Hawaii schools rank low nationally...and then add on the Puna schools are the worst in the State.... You can see what you may be preparing your kids for.

Also, many kids from the mainland are often dissed because they are not local.

Kid you not.... used to have the "Hate Haole Day" at the schools where the non local kids would get teased, picked upon and often beat up just because they weren't raised in Puna.

Not to scare you or anything...

You might want to read This story of a young girl getting the shat beat out of her simply because she wasn't local.... and yes... this was on the Big Island recently.

Once again... best of luck.

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Lower your expectations and be ready for anything.

[missydog1]

I too became even more concerned when you wrote more about your wants.

As was said, the job you seek is on the other side of the island.
The medical crisis here is unreal. I don't know of any doctors on the east side taking new patients. You will have a rough time even finding an OB-gyn or a pediatrician. The people without doctors end up at the Bay Clinic, where they told me, a couple months ago, that they were not making appointments for new patients in less than six weeks and need all your records first. Meanwhile you can come in at 7 am and wait a half day to be seen.

Any real medical problems and your kids and you will be sent to Oahu. $150 plane ticket each, a hotel room, etc.., just to go for a consult. It cost me a thousand dollars to go be with my grandson when he got sick and was flown to Kapiolani. There they could not even diagnose him with RSV (which he had), because, big surprise, the only machine in the state that could run the test was broken, and they had to send cultures to California.

Schooling -- home school or private ... (or charter, I guess).
Cost of going to the best school, HPA, maybe $12000 a year per kid? (in Waimea)

Then you will also need to experience our insects. Have you seen a 7" centipede yet? Do you know about them? I'm currently battling these nasty critters. Found one in my bed (which bit me, MAJOR OW!), and one in my bathroom sink. Most people who live here have centipede stories, so not hard to become educated on them. Also fire ants are becoming a problem.

I find that the number of biting insects means that I actually enjoy being in my yard less than I did in California. Every time I go out to work, something bites me! No big surprise, because after all this is the tropics, but tourism sells Hawai'i as practically pest and annoyance free. When you live here, and aren't at a hotel, you will see the other side.

I agree, try it for six months. Your kids are still at an age where changing schools isn't a big deal.

[emorata]

aloha lenny,

you might want to consider looking at honokaa or waimea area for jobs in kona, easier commute...schools tend to be a little better and nicer amenities, shopping, etc...its still a country feel in most parts of the hamakua area and your between kona and hilo area...so things are possible, although rentals are definitely higer in the waimea area.

good luck with your search, hope it fits into your scope.

best

noel