Relocating to Hilo - Advice on Housing, Neighborhoods, Work? (Wailuku: 2015, apartment)

[Open-D]

Originally Posted by Arktikos

The bus system is practically non existent and it's not a very bike friendly town, so unfortunately you will need a car. Yearly registration fee is based on weight of vehicle. You will find it to be at least double what Oregon cost is. Cars also must get yearly safety check. Insurance is fairly expensive. Yes, it's a necessary PITA.

Waiakea high school has a better reputation than Hilo high, in case you were wondering for your daughter.

I haven't heard of any neighborhoods to avoid. Downtown the street people seem to own the place after dark though.

Why is the need to have a car "unfortunate". Cars, like the cowboy's horse of yesteryear, not only represent, but enable, a great deal of individual freedom. The ability to spread one's wings, live on your own schedule and itinerary. And in the Covid era, avoid mass transit.

As far as I see it, it is a win all around.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by Open-D

Why is the need to have a car "unfortunate"..

See original post. This person is currently living without a car and was apparently hoping to do the same in Hilo. Therefore, it is unfortunate for them that this won't be feasible.

Everyone doesn't share your perspective on car ownership, obviously.

[KohalaTransplant]

Originally Posted by Nyfinestbxtf

Hopefully things will be better for gaining employment as a teacher here. The more qualified you are the more difficult it will be. My wife is a secondary English teacher. She has her Hawaii teaching license, degree in business, degree in English, Masters in Education, Masters in Administration, and has six years of contracted teaching experience. She did interviews for 6 open positions and was turned down for every single one. I believe she is too highly qualified. The more qualified you are, the more expensive you are. I can’t see it was her interview that went bad. She had interviewed on the mainland this year and was offered a couple positions, but we decided to wait it out for next school year. Even if schools open back up in Hawaii, I believe she is not hirable for this state.

But the way it works is you are put into a pool for the islands you decide to teach in. Schools will pull candidates from the pool of teachers they need and interview them. You can turn down the interview and/or turn down the position if offered one only up to five times. After that you are removed from the pool.

Are you sure her interview style might not be off-putting here?

Surely her credentials and experience are available in her resume/application. If the reason she is being turned down is due to her being too expensive because of her experience and education level banding, wouldn't they have known that before they brought her in for interviews? Why bother doing that if they are not going to hire someone at that experience level? Seems like a waste of time for everyone, six times.

Qualities that seems positive in one environment, may be seen as less desirable in another. Not everyone is a good fit for every situation, even if they are qualified.


Good luck to both you and her in your respective job searches.

[prospectheightsresident]

Originally Posted by Nyfinestbxtf

A lot of vacation rentals are turning into longer term rentals. Our landlord has some nice properties in a decent part of Nanawale. She has one person staying in one of her rentals for 4 months.

If I owned a short term vacation rental, I'd definitely be trying to have it serve as a longer term rental now (even if not for a year long lease).

[Nyfinestbxtf]

Originally Posted by KohalaTransplant

Are you sure her interview style might not be off-putting here?

Surely her credentials and experience are available in her resume/application. If the reason she is being turned down is due to her being too expensive because of her experience and education level banding, wouldn't they have known that before they brought her in for interviews? Why bother doing that if they are not going to hire someone at that experience level? Seems like a waste of time for everyone, six times.

Qualities that seems positive in one environment, may be seen as less desirable in another. Not everyone is a good fit for every situation, even if they are qualified.


Good luck to both you and her in your respective job searches.

No, her interview wasn’t off putting. Why would her style be off putting? That makes no sense. She knows how to interview. Also, why would her qualities not be positive in one school, but positive in another? She teaches English and is good at it. She helps kids give their best effort and it shows in their knowledge they gain. Every interview she has done for positions here and on the mainland are pretty much the same questions and they look for the same things. They ask questions how to include kids who have disabilities, philosophy of teaching, how to help kids who are falling behind, classroom management, how to keep kids interested and engaged, and so on. It i believe was a formality. Schools has to interview highly qualified teachers if they are in the pool. They are not obligated to hire them. One school we know were doing interviews for a English position occupied by an uncertified teacher. They kept the uncertified teacher. One school she interviewed with the principal that turned my wife down emailed her and stated “you are highly qualified, educated, and experienced. You will find a position.”

[Nyfinestbxtf]

With that said, Covid could have a lot to do with it. We met a couple highly qualified teachers having a hard time getting a position and gave up. Whatever her style is, when you have the worst teacher shortage in the nation and are filling classrooms with unqualified, uncertified teachers who many are “teach for America” teachers and foreigners, you hire the highly qualified experienced teacher no matter their style.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by Nyfinestbxtf

No, her interview wasn’t off putting. Why would her style be off putting? That makes no sense.

Just being from the mainland is going to be "off putting" for many people who are hiring managers in Hawaii - many have a bias against mainland transplants for no other reason than they are from the mainland. They may smile at you, tell you how great you are - and when you walk out the door the candidate goes no further.

No matter how good your wife is at interviewing - there will be no doubt in my opinion there will be a bias by some that a mainland teacher isn't qualified to teach Hawaii born and raised children in an English class no matter what the resume says on paper and how well a person can interview.

That why I said all along - no matter how good you think you are - don't count on getting the position regardless of needs and qualification if you are from the mainland. I suspect this bias is strongest on the Big Island and Kauai - less so on Maui - and not much of a bias on Oahu.

[Nyfinestbxtf]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

Just being from the mainland is going to be "off putting" for many people who are hiring managers in Hawaii - many have a bias against mainland transplants for no other reason than they are from the mainland. They may smile at you, tell you how great you are - and when you walk out the door the candidate goes no further.

No matter how good your wife is at interviewing - there will be no doubt in my opinion there will be a bias by some that a mainland teacher isn't qualified to teach Hawaii born and raised children in an English class no matter what the resume says on paper and how well a person can interview.

That why I said all along - no matter how good you think you are - don't count on getting the position regardless of needs and qualification if you are from the mainland. I suspect this bias is strongest on the Big Island and Kauai - less so on Maui - and not much of a bias on Oahu.

Maybe that’s why they have the worst teacher shortage in the US. I don’t think it’s that though, that there is a bias of the mainland. They do big recruitment conventions on the mainland to get teachers and most teachers are hoales in any given school. Hawaii is not producing the teachers they have a demand for.

[Nyfinestbxtf]

I know things are done differently here and we are learning that and adjusting to it, but it would be beyond irrational for a principal to not fill a position and leave it open because a local is not available to take that position. So leaving that position open just puts more burden on the teachers you have and is a disservice to the students who are local. Also, it makes a principal look bad not putting a available qualified teacher in that position who can help with test scores. Not hiring a qualified teacher because they are from the mainland is cutting off your nose to spite your face.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by Nyfinestbxtf

I know things are done differently here and we are learning that and adjusting to it, but it would be beyond irrational for a principal to not fill a position and leave it open because a local is not available to take that position.

Attempting to apply logic to common sense issues in Hawaii will only continue to leave you even more frustrating.