"Low season"

Low season has to do with the time the hotels are less crowded and begin charging lower rates. Usually that means after the Easter holiday so it varies slightly from resort to resort and from year to year. Typically they call it "Shoulder Season" (April and May and November to mid-December. June, July, August, September and October are the "real" low season. While it may be easier to find places to live during Low Season due to the outflux of people, a great many employers (especially those in tourist related industries - hotels, resorts, restaurants, etc.) lay off staff during that time because there just aren't enough visitors to warrant the extra help. Thus jobs are scarcer at that time.

A family member has recently moved to STT and is working as a chef at a major resort. It took much guts for this individual to do this - and he went with minimal savings. Is it a certainty - with such a professional position - that it's actually possible that he would be a "layoff victim" during the low season? May it simply depend on the resort?

If the hotels are anything like the places in Florida they will simply lay you off so they do not have to pay benenfits. I believe seasonal workers do get few or non. I was laid off for 2-3 month during the summer in FLorida just for that reason and then be re hired. If you plan for it you can do ok. But it still does not make up for not having benefits. The hotel industry is just to hart on your body and health to not carry benefits.

Iris

Hello Bert,

It’s possible but not a certainty. We do have visitors during off season and restaurants at hotels stay open so kitchen staff and servers are necessary to keep the show going. A few restaurants do close during the slowest months, usually September for several weeks... so employees at those places just need to plan their budgets accordingly for the extended "vacation" until reopening.

--Islander