Off Topic: 1 year USA

Rene,

This might be a little (a lot!) out of my realm, but I'm pretty sure you can get a "student visa" to study in the U.S.

As for finding work in the Newport area, I can't say. If you were coming to South Florida, there's plenty of crew-housing, as well as roomates wanted in the classified section of the local newspaper. As for finding work, depends on your interest, aptitude and skills. Mostly, anyone that WANTS to work, can find it.

Let me know if I can help.

'Yachtforums' is right (sorry havent learnt your name yet!) about the Visa. My brother has been in the US for 4yrs now doing university Masters and now a Phd. He had to have a visa issued by the British Embassy to proove to Customs that he is eligible to work in the US. When he came back to the UK for Christmas he had to return to the Embasssy to get another 3yr visa.

You should definitly check out the visa with your embassy before you plan to leave. Also if you know anyone in the US or the area you want to go to, get them to check out the classified papers for housing and jobs.

Best advice is to have a good idea of what you want to do and where you want to do it before you leave.

Good luck to ya! and have fun!

You can check a lot from home as well, the Sun-Sentinel.com has classified ads and links to a lot of info on the Broward-Lauderdale area.

To follow a daily paper gives you quite a bit of what is going on and there are certainly papers in R.I. you can read on the net as well.

Good luck in your search!

Rene,

I'll keep an eye out for crew companies while I'm at the Miami Show. We've out-sourced help for business cruises in the past, but I wouldn't recommend any of them. I'm sure their management is well intended, but the people they supplied didn't have much boat handling experience. They basically just got in the way.

For the most part, we rely on friends that regularly cruise with us to help-out for an evening if we've got business people onboard. They typically know the protocols and procedures we use, based on time aboard.

BTW, Lars made an excellent suggestion! Check out the local newspapers online. This can be very helpful. It can provide insight into the economy, industry and employment available.

Best!

Rene,

With the soaring costs of real estate in the U.S. over the past few years, particularly in popular or trendy, major metropolitan areas... the cost of rentals has escalated dramatically too.

South Florida is one of many hotspots, or "bubbles". This area has probably seen the greatest appreciation in real estate values of anywhere in the nation because it was undervalued in comparison to the rest of the country. Now, it has not only caught up, it has exceeded the values of other high-end established areas.

When real estate prices increase, the cost of rentals literally rise in sympathy. There are more than a few factors that result in rental prices rising. For example... landlords or property owners recognize that many people can't afford housing, so they raise the rents to capitalize on the need. For many new home buyers, the monthly obligation is so high that a second source of income is needed to make ends meet, such as a working wife, second job, or... a roomate.

In looking at the site you referenced, the prices I saw on the first few pages appear to be about half the cost of apt. rentals I've seen in the Ft. Lauderdale area. The prices are clearly out of line with the income of most people and we are finally beginning to see some correction take place. Home sales have stagnated and asking prices are beginning to drop.

I would suggest looking for an apartment in a nearby city. Ft. Laud. has the highest rental prices in the state. If you go north or south, just a few miles, you could save a few hundred dollars a month. Frankly (and this just a personal opinion after living in Lauderdale most of my life), the cost of housing or rentals is not justifiable. With the exception of being among big boats, you can have an equal or better quality of life in surrounding cities, or other parts of the state. Don't get me wrong.... Lauderdale is GREAT place to live. But the question is... at what price?

We have three major newspapers in the tri-county area. These are among your best sources to find rentals or rooms...

www.sun-sentinal.com
www.palmbeachpost.com
www.miamiherald.com

Carl: Maybee you could post those newspapers links on the home page, for a fee of course. I'm sure you'd like to see some reverse osmosis for a change.