I'm a little worried you're never going to find a junior developer that's satisfactory enough to qualify for what you want, explicitly because you're looking for a senior developer at junior developer pay. Junior developers need to be given time to make mistakes and learn. I know a senior developer might seem too expensive for your budget, but hiring a junior developer might ultimately cost more for your project over…
Ability to communicate and ability to think. That's the core of what I look for in any (junior) developer. Its the skeleton on which everything else hangs. Its not the only qualities but the most important ones.
I can do those, but still learning how to program. Any recommendations on job searches?