Job Discussion Forums

[ssuprnova]

Chao cac anh chi,

Could someone share their experience of working in Danang or Nha Trang? What are the main schools (aside from ILA) and how are the wages?

The reason I ask is because I spent about three years working in HCMC and then I realized I can't really live in that city anymore. Currently I'm funemployed and chilling in Spain. Really enjoying the cheap, fantastic wine and quality food so far, but from what I can gather this is not a place I'd like to work (the typical wages are around half of what I got in Vietnam).

I also have a standing offer from my school in HCMC but I'd really rather not go back there at all. Danang, on the other hand, struck me as a very livable city; admittedly, I've only visited it twice but the sole fact that it's on the coast is worth a paycut compared to HCMC.

So... Danang teachers, what's the teaching scene like?

[ExpatLuke]

Danang is considered the most attractive place to live in all of Vietnam. So as you might imagine, that means there is quite a large number of teachers looking for work.

Work at the more reputable places is limited, but they won't hire most of the riff-raff that washes in. Meaning the backpackers, non-native teachers, and degree-less teachers aren't competition at these places. If you're qualified with at least your university degree, a TEFL certificate, and can provide a clean criminal background check, you can find work at ILA, Apollo, and Fisher SuperKids. Those 3 places are considered the top 3 in terms of job stability, professionalism, and pay.

If you don't go for one of those options, there are literally scores of small, mom-and-pops style English centers popping up all over the city. The downside is that they won't sponsor work permits and you'll be competing with every Tom, Dick, and Harry who decides they want to stay in Danang for an extended period of time, because these places will literally hire anyone. You'll have to string together hours at 3-4 different schools to be able to survive too. The upside is that work expectations are non-existent other than that you have a pulse.

Pay at the better places will range from $18-$22 per hour depending on the school. SuperKids even offers full-time contracts with benefits for a monthly salary.

Pay at the other places can start as low as $13 and will possibly get up to $18 if you find one of the "nicer" ones.

[DauntlessinDanang]

[mark_in_saigon]

Great post, quite interesting. I loved this quote, and think it is a great summary of how things are over here.

[DauntlessinDanang]

[mark_in_saigon]

In god we trust, all others pay cash. Who said that?

I think it would be quite an eye opener to see the statistics on how many expats end up losing their wives and their investments. The VN have some saying, I should look it up, but I will paraphrase, and this is about their own relationships.

You will know if your husband (or wife) loves you when you die. If he stays with you until the end, he loved you.

Point being, some of these folks will take the long term view on taking advantage of you, not everyone is trying to scam you in the first moment, some of these folks are sophisticated enough to have an actual long term strategy.

And, this is not to disparage these people either, I am very happy here, and with them. I would even go out on a limb and say there are the extremely rare times when you can actually believe in someone (before she proves it at the end of your life). But I would also say, most of the time, we are just flying on instinct, we are not sure how it will all end up. Which is fine, until you put your grandma's fortune on the table.

Oh yeah, a very good VK friend of mine, a man who grew up here, was imprisoned after the war, became successful in the west, and now dedicates his life to trying to help his country, he told me what his people say about a well known VN slogan: Vietnam, land of hidden charms, AND hidden agendas.

[sigmoid]

At the risk of pushing this thread further off-topic, I would add that the whole obsession with buying land and building a house in places where you can't own land and there is already a surplus of houses for sale seems to be due to it being an integral part of the marriage agreement, rather than a real estate investment. It is a phenomenon that mostly occurs in the more traditional areas throughout SE Asia, and Asia in general.

In an effort to get back on-topic, I would say that HCMC is less liveable than ever. If you're not into Ha Noi, then Da Nang is your obvious next choice. There are more and more language schools opening up nationwide, so other options do exist. However, in many cases these schools are small with few students, not well-managed, or are branches of ILA, AMA, etc.

Expat Luke's description is fairly accurate.

So, basically, if you're at a point in your life where you want some peace and quiet, take the pay-cut but save your sanity and lungs and enjoy a lower cost of living, do a lot of online networking, make some contacts, narrow it down, do some online interviews and/or travel to where you want to live. Domestic flights are cheap, especially with VietJet Air.

[mark_in_saigon]