Seriously looking to relocate, need advice please. (Lahaina: rental, big house)

[LFG Tom]

Hello,
I am looking to relocate my family to Hawaii to learn a new culture. We have visited the Islands many times, and absolutely love it! Maui seems to be the island of choice for us, but I am concerned about finding ajob on Maui, so I am also considering Oahu. I am considering going to bartending school to learn a new field that may be of use in a tourist community. My concerns are as follows:

How difficult would it be for me to get a job as an automotive technician on either Maui or Oahu? Or should I be a bartender? Then how difficult would it be to get a bartending job?

What about starting my own business on the Island and selling on the beach or Banyan Tree park in Lahaina (handmade tourist type stuff). Not looking to get rich or "be big", just want to survive and eat.

We already know cost of living is higher, and accept that, schools are not supposed to be great, and we plan to do internet schooling for the kids.
Our plan is to simplify our lives, we had got to caught up in the "money" and having the big house, nice cars, etc. Now I just want to simplify, live happy, and stress free, around caring people. Every time we are in the Islands, we feel welcomed, and at home. It's time to return, and stay.

If the whole world had the "Aloha Spirit", and lived a slower, less stressed lifestyle, I feel the world would be a much better place.

[Balad1]

You might be able to find employment as a certified mechanic if you have the experience and are good at it. Your other ideas aren't even worth further consideration, sorry.

Hawaii is a wonderrful place with a lousy job/employment situation. For years people have tried every angle in the book to make money and survive here. During the better times a person could make money catering to the tourists but that has mostly dried up and isn't projected to fully recover for years.

[hotzcatz]

I have a friend who was working for one of the car dealers on Oahu as a mechanic. He didn't get enough hours to survive and he doesn't have an expensive lifestyle at all. He's now managing a gas station. Even though he works longer hours he gets more money at the end of the week.

[whynot?]

I'm on Maui. I tend to agree that the auto technician idea is probably the most practical, but you may need a side job as a bartender and a weekend of selling art to help make ends meet. I don't know if you consider two jobs and a weekend art gig a "simpler life."

I never like to discourage people from moving if their schemes are at all practical, but the job market is very soft even though established business owners that we know think things are improving. If you are a dedicated, hard-worker and you have significant (liquid) savings to sustain you while you find your way, you'll probably be fine. It's still a good time to find decent rental properties, too.

Best of luck.

[Joliefille]

Seems to me that there would be more opportunity on Oahu for an auto mechanic, with all the dealerships here.
But probably the easiest way to check things out would be to visit internet jobsites like indeed.com or simplyhired.com & craigslist.