Does anyone work in Hawaii?

[Heather]

Well, my quest for the perfect (warm) beach town has left me disappointed with my choices here on the mainland. The California coast is too expensive, and Florida doesn't require a license. I've been in love with Hawaii since my husband and I went there for our honeymoon, and I'm seriously considering moving there.

I was wondering what the reporting scene is like there. Which island has the most work, and do you have to travel between islands for jobs?

How long did it take to get used to the Hawaiian language and spellings?

Is the pay good compared to cost of living?

Thanks for any help.. if we have any Hawaii reporters around, that is.
Heather

[Judy]

The only thing I know is from an ad I read for an officialship. It said something about having to understand a couple different dialects of broken English. Sounds like they really do have their own language.

[Heather]

Figured I would update you guys with what I found out so far. I talked to a couple firms there, and I guess most of the work is in Honolulu, Oahu. I won't post the page rates on here, but they were definitely in line with what we get up here in northern California.

Like everywhere, they said they're a little slow right now. Reporters generally don't travel between the islands. There's very little work on the other islands, and both of the firms I talked to said they had them covered by people living there already. Both firms I talked to stressed that I should definitely call them when I find out if I passed the RPR (fingers crossed) so it sounds like there's at least some work there. Also, the United States District Court is hiring for per diem reporters with four years of experience.

Here's a great site I found with some info on the Hawaiian language and reporting in Hawaii. http://www.hawaiicourtreportersassociation.com/07_Rep_in_Haw.htm

Still hoping someone is on here that lives and works in Hawaii, but I bet they're at the beach!!