Puerto Rico

[doctorwho]

I haven't seen a new thread in a while, so I thought I would have a go. I know that this has been lightly touched on in another thread, but it really hasn't been addressed head-on. I understand that in order to work in the Puerto Rico office, you need to be fluent in Spanish. I also understand that there is some sort of effort underway to get people that are fluent in Spanish to work there. I do have some questions, however.

What is it like to work in P.R.?

Once you're there, can you leave, or is it like Hotel California?

Any other items of interest related to P.R.?

Thanks!

[aljsouth]

Some folks replied to your Puerto Rico post on the trasfer list and site thread.

I agree it warrants a new thread.

2 judges want out of PR. Don't know why. I know one judge who did a month tour in the old days when the agency sent judges in to hear dockets. He liked it fine.

[odarite]

In the class of 2001 there were 4 sent to PR, one finagled a transfer to another agency so as far as I know never went to PR, two took HOCALJ positions within a year (or 2 tops) and number 4 finally got out when selected for a new office. Hence the bad rap. Subsequently the agency tried to recruit Spanish speakers for PR specifically. From what I heard from some of the 2001 people, it is a very different lifestyle. Very manana If you can deal with that it is a great assignment. If you are all WASP work ethic, you will not enjoy PR. What is great for a detail or vacation may not suit you as a regular thing.

[lawandorder]

The PR offices are just like any other offices. Please don’t get the wrong impression. I notice a misconception that because PR may be a good vacation destination, it may be a place where people are laid back. That is not so. I also disagree with the innuendo that if you are lazy, go there. There are many federal offices far more productive than anywhere else. Anyway, I am not going to talk hearsay here, and would prefer to check statistics before accusing any office of inefficiency. The only problem that anyone might encounter in PR is an unexpected language barrier. If you are not bilingual (English/Spanish), you should consider other place. In PR you can do well as long as you are in the ODAR Office. Once you are away from work and have to do daily life activities, you might encounter communication problems. So what might start as an adventurous, thrilling experience, might ultimately cause you to get frustrated, and seek a way out of the district. Unless you have prior living abroad experience, I do not recommend that you seek placement in a PR office. If you are open-minded, bilingual, adaptable, then you should still consider whether you want to live in the tropics.

[doctorwho]

lawandorder said:

The PR offices are just like any other offices. Please don’t get the wrong impression. I notice a misconception that because PR may be a good vacation destination, it may be a place where people are laid back. That is not so. I also disagree with the innuendo that if you are lazy, go there. There are many federal offices far more productive than anywhere else. Anyway, I am not going to talk hearsay here, and would prefer to check statistics before accusing any office of inefficiency. The only problem that anyone might encounter in PR is an unexpected language barrier. If you are not bilingual (English/Spanish), you should consider other place. In PR you can do well as long as you are in the ODAR Office. Once you are away from work and have to do daily life activities, you might encounter communication problems. So what might start as an adventurous, thrilling experience, might ultimately cause you to get frustrated, and seek a way out of the district. Unless you have prior living abroad experience, I do not recommend that you seek placement in a PR office. If you are open-minded, bilingual, adaptable, then you should still consider whether you want to live in the tropics.

What an excellent post!