Need help where to live and work

[mradriatic]

Hello everyone in the forum. My name is Drazen, and I'm currently in Europe visiting my mother. Lived before in Houston,Tx, and want to relocate and come to work and live in Miami, because I love the sea and the sun, and this is the city rich with that. Possess a Permanent Resident Card and all necessary documents to live and work in USA.

But, of course I need a cheape place to live in Miami Beach where I can get directly from the airport (normal roommate, my room and sharing kitchen) or some similar arrangement. I have a Tourism and Hospitality School, and Maritime Vocational School. My greatest wish would be to get a job on a yacht or so because I think it is there to make money. If there is nothing currently in this direction then maybe room service in a hotel. Basically anything that can earn money. Maybe even a casino boats. I also worked as a Personal Trainer, however I do not have a license. I would be grateful for any help and advice in the direction of finding a job or a place to live in the area of ​​Miami Beach.

The plan is to get there in October.
Thankfully,
Drazen

[Matt Meltzer]

There's really nowhere "cheap" in Miami Beach. What kins of budget are you looking at? And will you have a car?

The issue is without a car you'll pretty much need to live in Miami Beach to be able to function. But rents there are very high. How much money do you have saved up to move here? Typically we recommend about $8000, but that figure seems to be rising as the rents do.

You can get certified as a personal trainer, though there are a lot of people doing that here so it is not always easy to find a niche. There is work on boats, though someone else here would have to direct you on how to find that.

[Sobespace]

A good average of rents:

South beach: Studio $975-$1100, 1 BR $1175-$1400 (higher end with parking spot), 2 BR $1600+
North Beach: Studio $850-$1000, 1 BR: $975 -$1300 (higher end in a tall building with amenities, 2BR $1300+
Downtown: Studio $1200+, 1BR $1350+, Brickell add $200 to each. Midtown = Same as Brickell (Anything cheaper would be somewhat 'sketchy')

We have lots of personal trainers here in Sobe already. There are tons of hotel jobs and as far as room service, right now the Fontainebleu has 2 openings, Eden Roc, Delano, Shore Club, James Royal Palm and few others that I know off hand.

Good luck!

[derv17]

hello guys.. I was just reading your thread there and your discussion. I am an irish guy im 23 and me and my 3 friends are looking to move to miami to work. We have visas and all that but we want to know were is the best place to live. We were thinking south beach but from what we gather it is expensive to live there. We all have degrees in commerce or business related fields. We want to work hard but party hard as well when we get the chance but to also make money. We want to know as much as possible about it so that when we do go over shortly we know what were doing. If any of you can help me itd be really great.

[Jess]

Hi derv, what is it that you want to do for work? Is this a long term or shor term move?

[rk]

What type of visa do you have? That will normally restrict where you can work, which in turn will affect where you'll want to live.

[Matt Meltzer]

Jobs are very, very hard to get here. And, as rk said, your visa is going to restrict that even further. If you can find a company to hire and sponsor you that might be the route to go. But coming here without a job, even WITH paperwork, is a highly risky proposition at best. If you don't speak Spanish, it's even harder, and if you're not from the US, add another level to difficulty.

Spanish-speaking US citizens from Miami sometimes can't find work in a year or longer. So unless you're bringing a special skill we don't have here (like good customer service skills maybe) it's going to be a very long, mostly fruitless job hunt.

[Jess]

Also, please factor in health insurance. Coming here without it is absolutely crazy. If you hurt yourself and end up in casualty (the ER), your bill will be tens of thousands. Coming here to bar tend or whatever to just get by for a few months is ok, but doesn't come with insurance, so make sure to take out travel insurance before you come here.

[mradriatic]

Thanks guys for your respond!!!

Well my budget is not even close to 8 000$. But I was thinking to rent just a room in a one or two or three bedroom apartment with usiage of kitchen and bathroom, to live with roomates, for the beginning, and just pay for a room 400-500$ with utilities included.

I thought to do so on South Beach since all of the bigest hotels are there and possible job for me. Also planed to buy used scooter or bycicle for a light transportation around South Beach.

What you think guys and girls for the above idea?? Is it any good or?

And thank you for your suggestion for the hotels with open room service positions!! Thanks a lot, I made my profile on their websites and applied for job, but off course must be there for an interview(if they call).

All of your suggestion and any help is more than welcome. Hope to meet some of you for a drink in future. I like helpfull friend, I am like that too.

[mradriatic]

Sorry for bad spelling, just wanted to respond really fast.

[Gus]

Hi Drazen,

You're right about most of the hotels being located in Miami Beach. There are, however, quiet a few big hotels in Downtown Miami and Brickell you should also consider. Having a bicycle can get you to all the hotels on the beach and a scooter can get you over the MacArthur Causeway to the hotels in Downtown and Brickell.

When interviewing for a job, don't limit yourself to only room service positions. You'll make more money working in the restaurants, and if you don't have much experience, working as a pool or banquet server is a good place to start out.

The casino boats have all gone out of business.

But in addition to hotel jobs, there are also a lot of restaurants on Lincoln Road and Ocean Drive that are always hiring.

[mradriatic]

Thank you Gus. You have been very helpfull, together with Matt Meltzer and Sobespace. If you hear any news in my interest that can help me(jacht positions , hotel position, apartment roomate or else), I would be gratefull.

Thanks again,
Regards Drazen

[Matt Meltzer]

You're really not going to find anywhere to live for $500 a month, especially with utilities included. Even if you want to get roommates (not so simple as just showing up, it takes a lot of research and walking around and meeting people, many of whom you may not like) you're looking at at least $700 a month.

And again, Jess is right if you get sick and you don't buy your own insurance (about $200 a month I think) you're screwed.

[mradriatic]

You are right. Now I do not know what to do, it is not easy..Uf..

[derv17]

sorry my internet had broken down there for a week or so.. Jess and matt thanks for your replys.. We have a year internship visa which basically limits you to our degrees with regards to work.. We all have commerce/business degrees which is broad enough with regards to work so we would be able to work in a lot of areas.. We were thinking of maybe gettin a 3 bed apartment and putting the four of us in it to make the rent come down a bit.. would you think we would get away with this? Also is it really that hard to find work? I had a friend who was out there for a year like us, and whilst he did say it was expensive there he did say there was quite a bit of work there! Also we have to buy insurance before we head out there as it is cumpulsory for us.. Would you have any recommendations for us? any thoughts or information that would come in handy for us? I'd appreciate any info you would have

[Matt Meltzer]

Insurance as in Health Insurance? Jess can handle that question....

You could move 20 people into a 3 BR if you paid the rent on time, kept it clean, and were quiet. It just wouldn't be all that comfortable. If you're ok with sharing bedroom, you could even do 4 of you in a 2 BR. Cozy, to be sure. But much cheaper.

When your friend said there was "plenty of work," what kinda work was he talking about? There's a lot of service industry jobs like waiting tables and the like, but the jobs aren't necessarily "easy" to get. It may take a lot of time going to restaurants and a bit of luck.

Other work? Not much of it, especially if you don't speak Spanish.

[cynthial]

Thanks guys for your respond!!!

Well my budget is not even close to 8 000$. But I was thinking to rent just a room in a one or two or three bedroom apartment with usiage of kitchen and bathroom, to live with roomates, for the beginning, and just pay for a room 400-500$ with utilities included.

I thought to do so on South Beach since all of the bigest hotels are there and possible job for me. Also planed to buy used scooter or bycicle for a light transportation around South Beach.

What you think guys and girls for the above idea?? Is it any good or?

And thank you for your suggestion for the hotels with open room service positions!! Thanks a lot, I made my profile on their websites and applied for job, but off course must be there for an interview(if they call).

All of your suggestion and any help is more than welcome. Hope to meet some of you for a drink in future. I like helpfull friend, I am like that too.

airbnb.com
This site has rentals for people renting out a whole house and people who have properties or rooms and they are looking for renters.
Some people rent short term and some long term. You can look for free.

[derv17]

Thanks Matt.. I think he was pretty much talking bar work and the likes.. Is there no like multi national companies there or big industrial areas were there would be loads of companies that would maybe take you on? The insurance covers health and everything else as far as i know.. Thats good to know about apartments cause that would prob be a better option for us! I would love a 9 to 5 job doing something interesting but you say that opportunities like that are limited are they?? About the Spanish as well.. does everything revolve around having spanish? is that considered a disadvantage or what?

[mradriatic]

Thanks Cynthial
, I would check that web site.

[Jess]

We all have commerce/business degrees which is broad enough with regards to work so we would be able to work in a lot of areas.. we have to buy insurance before we head out there as it is cumpulsory for us.. Would you have any recommendations for us? any thoughts or information that would come in handy for us?

Insurance as in Health Insurance? Jess can handle that question....

Oh I can answer that alright... I hate insurance here. Necessary evil.

You MUST have health insurance to live in America. Granted, not everyone does as they cannot afford it/ have pre existing conditions, but as foreigners coming on a visa I am sure it is compulsory for you. However, before I moved here I tried to do it through my Bupa and they wouldn't do it as it is the US. My advice is either find a year travel insurance to cover you while in the States, or find a job that will provide you with health insurance. Get at least the minimum coverage, so if you have an accident or end up in A&E (the ER) here, you won't get landed with a massive bill... and when I say massive, boy do I mean it. Medical bills can get into hundreds of thousands in a matter of hours here without insurance, and you will have to pay.

Without insurance for a regular Dr if you get tonsilitis or something, and need antibiotics, a trip to Urgent Care or a Minute Clinic will set you back $200-$300, plus the prescription which will also cost you. Basically, without health insurance you are taking a big risk and can land yourself into huge debt faster than you can say "there's no NHS?"......