Rent is too damn high! I want to move but how to proceed?
March 15, 2018 2:11 AM Subscribe
The city I'm currently living in, Bellingham, is experiencing a housing shortage. Rent has gone up more than wages can match. I'd like to move, but I'm not sure how to go about it.
The vast majority of my work experience in is the hotel industry working as a night auditor. I like that job and its hours, but it doesn't seem like the sort of work that one can find other than by presenting oneself in person. That poses a difficulty since I'd like to find work, and an apartment, before leaving the place I am now, but don't have any idea if that can be done or how to do it effectively given it's been over a decade since I last had to search for work and job searching has changed radically over that time.
Is there a good way to find a relatively low level job online without being in the location where the job exists? I'm open to moving almost anywhere really since I have no ties, but I need to be able to easily find an apartment and afford rent wherever I go so either the cost of living has to be low or the minimum wage has to be high since hotel work is based off minimum even for jobs that aren't at the lowest rate of pay. I have no car and minimal savings so not much opportunity for conducting a physical search and would need to make the search and transition period as short as possible. I'd be open to doing other work, but have minimal experience outside a few years of being an Operations Processor, data entry, filing, and contacting others for files back in the early 2000s, so I don't have much I can add to a resume for work outside my current field.
I'm at a total loss in how to proceed since I don't have any clear destination or solid fallback options to rely on and haven't had to search for jobs much before this. It's a lot of risk with no safety net, so I have to do it right the first time. Any advice would be much appreciated.
The vast majority of my work experience in is the hotel industry working as a night auditor. I like that job and its hours, but it doesn't seem like the sort of work that one can find other than by presenting oneself in person. That poses a difficulty since I'd like to find work, and an apartment, before leaving the place I am now, but don't have any idea if that can be done or how to do it effectively given it's been over a decade since I last had to search for work and job searching has changed radically over that time.
Is there a good way to find a relatively low level job online without being in the location where the job exists? I'm open to moving almost anywhere really since I have no ties, but I need to be able to easily find an apartment and afford rent wherever I go so either the cost of living has to be low or the minimum wage has to be high since hotel work is based off minimum even for jobs that aren't at the lowest rate of pay. I have no car and minimal savings so not much opportunity for conducting a physical search and would need to make the search and transition period as short as possible. I'd be open to doing other work, but have minimal experience outside a few years of being an Operations Processor, data entry, filing, and contacting others for files back in the early 2000s, so I don't have much I can add to a resume for work outside my current field.
I'm at a total loss in how to proceed since I don't have any clear destination or solid fallback options to rely on and haven't had to search for jobs much before this. It's a lot of risk with no safety net, so I have to do it right the first time. Any advice would be much appreciated.
Response by poster: Not as a usual method. The hotels are all independently owned and operated so there isn't that kind of coordination, and I'm not sure how eager my current employer will be to help me once he finds out I'd be leaving since he's something of a possessive fellow.
posted by gusottertrout at 4:19 AM on March 15, 2018
posted by gusottertrout at 4:19 AM on March 15, 2018
You are probably better off narrowing down where you want to live and then applying for jobs. Do you have family or friends living in a place you would consider moving to? Perhaps they could let you stay overnight/couple of days to let you explore whether you want to live there and explore employment options. Do you have a college with a hospitality program nearby? Maybe they will have a job fair in spring for chains, locally I also have a non-profit job seekers organization that also offers job fairs - perhaps the new location you choose will have something similiar. Have you considered resorts where staff housing is provided?
posted by saucysault at 6:19 AM on March 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by saucysault at 6:19 AM on March 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
What about explicitly looking for [summer] seasonal hotel work? I imagine they cast the net a bit wider and are more likely to hire people from elsewhere, if they are in places where there just isn't enough labor supply in the summer. It's not a low cost of living area, but Alaska has highly seasonal work and I hear that people make good money spending summers there.
Other not-outrageous-cost-of-living cities with significant tourism/hospitality, that I can think of: Chicago, most Florida cities, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Boston?
posted by mosst at 7:06 AM on March 15, 2018
Other not-outrageous-cost-of-living cities with significant tourism/hospitality, that I can think of: Chicago, most Florida cities, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Boston?
posted by mosst at 7:06 AM on March 15, 2018
Also, I believe a lot of resorts and retreats offer live-in positions, which may allow you to kill both birds with one stone (one good search term would be "employee housing"). Here's one page of information to start with.
posted by mosst at 7:09 AM on March 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by mosst at 7:09 AM on March 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
Yeah, the way I've done this — though not in your line of work — has been to pick a target city where I have good friends, load all my stuff into one of those moving pods, put the pod in storage, and go stay on my friends' couch for a while. That let me apply to jobs in person, visit apartments, etc.
If you have some savings and don't mind spending them, you could do the same in a hostel, or even a motel.
Boston
(FWIW, I would not consider Boston to be a place with a not-outrageous cost of living.)
posted by nebulawindphone at 10:57 AM on March 15, 2018
If you have some savings and don't mind spending them, you could do the same in a hostel, or even a motel.
Boston
(FWIW, I would not consider Boston to be a place with a not-outrageous cost of living.)
posted by nebulawindphone at 10:57 AM on March 15, 2018
Good luck and I would also say that metro Boston rents are too high. A surprise and probably punitive rent bump has sent me 50 miles out of town to a smoking shithole of a town.
posted by turkeybrain at 11:52 AM on March 15, 2018
posted by turkeybrain at 11:52 AM on March 15, 2018
Columbus, Ohio is a fun city with a thriving hotel industry.
posted by bbqturtle at 11:52 AM on March 15, 2018
posted by bbqturtle at 11:52 AM on March 15, 2018
Philadelphia! Rent is cheap here. And lots of great people and art! And hotels! Good luck!
posted by erattacorrige at 6:25 PM on March 15, 2018
posted by erattacorrige at 6:25 PM on March 15, 2018
Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Some cities mentioned I never would have considered, but now will look at. The ideas about seasonal work and staying with friends are good too, but would be, heh, last resorts for me as seasonal work builds a little money but only puts off the end problem for a couple months and requires storing my belongings somewhere and my friends in the US mostly aren't well situated to help much without it being a major imposition.
I suspect the kind of info I was hoping for simply might not exist as my line of work doesn't lend itself to anything but in person applications most of the time even with the internet being more prominent for job hunting now days. I'll probably just have to pick a spot, pack up and go and try and make it work out when I get there. Thanks for helping me clarify my options. That itself provides some relief.
posted by gusottertrout at 2:11 AM on March 16, 2018
I suspect the kind of info I was hoping for simply might not exist as my line of work doesn't lend itself to anything but in person applications most of the time even with the internet being more prominent for job hunting now days. I'll probably just have to pick a spot, pack up and go and try and make it work out when I get there. Thanks for helping me clarify my options. That itself provides some relief.
posted by gusottertrout at 2:11 AM on March 16, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Juniper Toast at 4:10 AM on March 15, 2018 [2 favorites]