Moving to Maui...Am I insane? (Kihei: fit in, apartment, insurance) - Hawaii (HI) - City-Data Forum

Audi5252 · 07-02-2009, 08:57 AM

Hello everyone

I recently visited Maui 3 weeks ago, and have been seriously contemplating a move since then, I’ve lurked through the message boards, hoping to see if this is even feasible

I currently live in Rhode Island & a 30yr old single female...

My main income here on the mainland is Commercial Insurance (Businesses, Contractors, etc.), and I’ve looked online for Maui Insurance Agencies/Companies, but don’t seem to be coming up with very much.

Do local agencies hire mainlanders? I don’t sell insurance but rather service it for existing customers.

I also bartend part time, and I know there are plenty of resorts in Maui, but I hear of layoffs for those who already in the workforce there

So I guess my question is, do I move down w/ no job & hustle to find something when I get there & bring say $5000 to find apartment…I would be looking for a roommate – mostly in the Kihei area. Or attempt to find something beforehand

Anyone familiar w/ the insurance industry in Maui? Maybe suggest a staffing agency?

Do staffing agencies even exist in Maui?

Am I nuts for thinking a move like this is possible given my work skills????

Mick St John · 07-02-2009, 10:41 AM

You're not crazy for loving Maui. Every time we're there it gets harder to leave.
But I don't think I would care to try to make a living there. Even in the best of times, pay scale in Hawaii is very low and cost of living is very high. And this isn't the best of times.
But if you've got no strings attached and you're currently in a job you don't mind leaving, you might as well try it. I would suggest having a lot more than $5000 in reserve, however. Maybe $10K (or more) AND a return ticket, just in case.

hothulamaui · 07-02-2009, 12:55 PM

think of the island like you would a very small town. not a lot of jobs to start with, not alot of the same services you would find in the big cities. I would doubt there is a staffing agency for insurance but I could be wrong. it is more likely that you would get a job bartending or waiting tables. I think at your age you should try to move here if it is calling you. check out our paper on line, the maui news. right now there really are no jobs, it is very scary. most places when they are hiring will not hire someone from the mainland, they only ire people who live here. lots of roommate situations so I doubt that would be a problem for you. if you can wait to do this I would wait 6 months to a year and save every dime you can. hopefully by then the economy will be better as well. the more cushion you have to get settled the longer you can stay and your chances to get the job and place you want to live greater.

TexasCasey · 07-02-2009, 01:07 PM

First of all imho, noone is crazy for going for it - just plan a bit first. Ive done the same thing recently. The only thing I would say is try to have as much savings as is humanly possible first. Besides the difficulty in finding jobs right now, you may also want to take a while by choice, to play a bit??? Main thing, with this whacked economy is money, money, money... Save, save, save.

Audi5252 · 07-02-2009, 01:56 PM

I forsee the $$$ issue comepletely. I was astounded though @ the amount of people I saw there who looked NOTHING like natives...

Can anyone explaine the hesitation in hiring mainlanders? Are they afraid we won't last? I know there is a large divide between natives & outsiders, but does it run that deep that it's that cut throat for a job?

I hear of insane electric bills, running $100-120 for a 1 bedroom...Could this be true?

Cost of living nowadays is expensive anywhere! It's all relative.

$5000 is a low estimate, for 6 months which is about the amount of time I would stay if I found no employment - $10k would probably be more along the lines of what I would need.

marylee54 · 07-02-2009, 03:36 PM

You need to shake the sand out a bit more, you still haven't fully unpacked, at least mentally!

We've been to Maui many times and love it more each time, but its one thing to visit, another thing to live there. The cost of living is totally unreal, $5000 will probably last you 1-2 months, more like one month. And its truly not paradise, with the crime, hight cost of living, etc.

Here'a another thought---being unemployed on the Islands presents a unique set of problems, transportation for job hunting. Unless you find a job right on Maui, how do you think you'll get around to the other islands to job hunt? That's why there's about 90% UE on Lanai and Molokai, they can't get off the island!

Personally, if I were you, I'd just save up money for the next trip.
Aloha!

hothulamaui · 07-02-2009, 05:53 PM

people do not hire mainlanders unless they are already on island. lots of people want to be here and unless you are here there is no reason for someone to hire, say a bartender who lives in california for a job when there are 6 people applying for the job that live in the area.

PacificFlights · 07-02-2009, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audi5252

I forsee the $$$ issue comepletely. I was astounded though @ the amount of people I saw there who looked NOTHING like natives...

What does a native Hawaiian look like? If you see one you thought was native looking, are you sure they are not a Somoan or from Guam or Tahiti, or Japan?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audi5252

Can anyone explaine the hesitation in hiring mainlanders? Are they afraid we won't last? I know there is a large divide between natives & outsiders, but does it run that deep that it's that cut throat for a job?

Why hire some "off the plane" mainlander when a dozen residents with ties to the island are applying also? It's not so much a native against outsider, but hiring a person who most likely will stay and not somebody who just got to Hawaii and can just as easily decide to move somewhere else on a dream and a whim. All employers have been burnt by dreamers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audi5252

I hear of insane electric bills, running $100-120 for a 1 bedroom...Could this be true?

Take a look at your electric bill. How much is a kilowatt hour? It's over forty cents on Hawaii, so you do the math.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audi5252

Cost of living nowadays is expensive anywhere! It's all relative.

Not true on Hawaii. You can live in a big city and pay a huge amount for housing and fuel and such, but odds are the cost of basics like bread, milk, sheets, soap, TP, etc may be no higher in cost than some small boondock town. But on Hawaii, everything will cost more. It may be only a few cents per item but all that adds up over the year. Next time you visit, make a list of all your purchases for the year and go to a store and compare the cost. A nickel here, a dime there, and on everything. Sure you can find mainland everyday regular prices on Hawaii, if you shop the sales. But will you shop only the sales?

Hawaii is a great place to live and work - SO LONG AS you are prepared and making the move with your eyes open, not with some rose colored tourist glasses hiding the reality.

mdand3boys · 07-02-2009, 11:37 PM

My wife was able to transfer. I have started doing small computer repair/consulting jobs (pays less than on Mainland)

Important things to do if you move:

1. Get a Hawaii bank account. Bank of Hawaii lets you do it on-line
2. Immediately after arriving, get a Hawaii driver's license. This establishes you as a local. Every company will ask for ID to comply with federal hiring laws.
3. Buy an island car to fit in or if shipping a car, immediately get Hawaii license plates, etc. taken care of. If you pull up to a prospective employer in a rental, they will be suspect as to your ability and willingness to stay on-island.

hotzcatz · 07-03-2009, 12:04 AM

Okay, pretend you are an employer. In today's job market as soon as the hint of a job is out there, a whole line of folks are wanting the job.

First in line are your relatives. On the mainland folks don't hire their relatives all that often, but around here, it is not only done all the time but considered a good thing. After all, you will know everything there is to know about the person and if they misbehave you can call their mother.

Second in line are friends and neighbors. They are about the same category as relatives since frequently everyone has known each other since hanabata days. (small kid time)

Third in line are folks you aren't related and don't know but have a reference from someone you do know since you can ask about them and get a valid answer.

Fourth in line are all the folks not related to you, ones you don't know and have no references from anyone you know but at least live here. They won't be asking silly questions about why things are done the way they are done or worse yet trying to change things all the time.

Fifth in line is everyone else and among them are folks fresh from the mainland.

This job hire line up didn't use to matter as much because there were jobs enough for folks, now with not that many jobs available some folks aren't finding any.