Job Discussion Forums

[Nightwing]

Hey there,
I'm planning on showin' up in Hanoi in early july to look for a 6-12month contract. Just got back from a few months in Seoul, getting my tesol certificate and workin at a pre-school. 20 million people and a starbucks on every corner wasn't what i was lookin for. The people are great, but you'll have that anywhere.
So, if your in Hanoi let me know what the latest happenings are, job hunting tips and the like.
We need to get this Vietnam board movin.........

[Nightwing]

It's just me in this cold box. Just me and my friend albert, who seems to be some type of beatle, a stink bug from the smell of him. Anyway, here we are trapped in this box for 3 months now, nothing but Dave's cafe to sustain us and the activity is enough to keep a whole flock of attack stink beatles going for quite some time.

Are there really no Hanoi folks reading on this forum?
How about a PM?
Come on, I won't hurt you, just want some good info.

[Guest]

I was in H.C.M.C. for two months in July and August - I have now been teaching in China for the past 5 months. From what I learned when I was there - it is the same in Hanoi - demand is high for English teachers however they do not hire over the Internet. You have to show up with your resume in your hand and you will soon find work anywhere in Vietnam.

I think Hanoi would be a much nicer place to live long term than Saigon.

You do not get air fares refunded or accommodation provided as a rule but that is easy to find also.

From what I gathered and what I was offered, was an hourly rate in U.S. Dollars paid each Saturday in local currency. You can work as little or as much as you like. I was going to opt for 3 hours per day - 6 to 9 p.m. so that I had adults and so that I was free during the days to visit the Orphanage I was volunteering at.

Best of luck

[email protected]

[Micro67]

Does anyone have any idea where best to stay in Hanoi? What are the best places to hang out?

[mjed9]

Actually I've noticed no-one seems to be willing to chat anything about Hanoi ... I am intrigued and have already decided to go to discover for myself and once I do I shall be happy to furnish people with my findings ...

On the downside, I am not going until next January as I shall stick out my contract in Taipei

[Nightwing]

Perhaps it's a conspiracy. They tell us nothing and keep their oasis free from the hordes of folks that would spoil the tranquility.
Or, they're so poor they can't afford computers???
Oh! perhaps, all the teachers are kidnapped held until brainwashed into silence.

Regardless I plan on finding out for myself soon enough.
August I think.
Anyone else headin soon?
mjed9 in January?

[catweasle]

Unless a really (really!) plum job comes up for me in China, I will be heading to Ha Noi in July / August. Not quite sure what to expect...guess I'll just wait and find out!

[gjan45]

I'll be there in early August. I'm not worried at all or expecting anything in terms of what is going to happen. It's all a mystery to me and I like to keep it that way.

[Nightwing]

Well said.
You all headin to Hanoi or elsewhere.
Perhaps we could all meet at some point in those first few months.
A support group? No. Drinkin buddies.
When I was in seoul, some of the most entertaining people I met were from Dave's.

[catweasle]

Absoooluuutely! Sounds like a jolly good idea... and something to think about as I plod (plod? CRAWL..... whatever ... ) through these last few weeks.....roll on end of semester.

[Hyo-Shin]

no..no..don't leave me out...i'm finally blowing off korea for warmer pastures...stick around vietnam's gonna be swwweeeeeetttt

[gjan45]

[lexpat]

I've been here almost a week now and think Hanoi is probably the prettiest city I've found in SEA. I taught for two years in Bangkok and started this year with three months of teaching in Phnom Penh. I plan to look for work here or in Saigon. (I recently spent a couple months in Saigon before coming north).

My first impressions are almost entirely positive. The lake in the 'historical centre,' is beautiful and the place seems more like a Euro 'old town' than the typical SEA hodgepodge of Chinese chophouses and brand new modernist boxes. For Americans out there (or Western Canadians), think Portland, OR, or Victoria, BC. The place is cozy that way, but also a little close, i.e culturally claustrophobic.

As a member of the great, millennial, San Francisco diaspora set in motion by the arrival of the dreaded Dot Com People, I know plenty of folks who moved to cozy, culturally claustrophobic cities, expecially in the Northwest of the USA. They are great for a short time, as I think Hanoi might be. But unless you're planning on getting married, settling down and living a Fine and Home Centered Life in Aesthetic Splendour, I dunno.

I also know a bunch of people who moved to LA/NY and have to say those people all seemed to have stayed...something about being able to get good jobs and select their friends from a larger pool of possibilities, I suspect. I know a half dozen people who've taught in Hanoi...and to my surprise now that I've seen the burg...most later moved on to Saigon or Bangkok. When I've asked why, they all point to the way people are more available, the weather better, and the population more diverse. (Hmm. sounds like they were looking for 'a city' with all the cosmopolitanism that implies).

More later about jobs...they are available, that much I know. But if you're looking to distance yourself from China I would think Saigon or Bkk, with their nightlife, thrustable female population and more easy going style would be the ticket.

[gjan45]

[d-d-d-dom]

Hi

I'm turning up in Hanoi next week - just a few questions....

1) Is there an ANZ bank in Hanoi?

2) Do schools require your original CELTA certificate / degree / references or will copies do?

3) Is the dress code usually white shirt and tie or smart / casual?