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RustyShackleford
Joined: 13 May 2013
Posts: 449
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 Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2017 12:17 pm Post subject: |
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| tellersquill wrote: |
My first choice was actually Cambodia but when I found out the wages are around $10 an hour I decide Vietnam is far better. |
If you want Cambodia, why not just buy a "business" visa (quite affordable from what I understand)? Extend it for a year and make money by working online with VIPKID or what have you. I know people who do that and live okay lives in Cambodia. The pay will essentially be Vietnam wages and you're able to teach wherever there is a wi-fi connection. |
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tellersquill
Joined: 08 Apr 2016
Posts: 94
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| Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2017 7:23 pm Post subject: |
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| RustyShackleford wrote: |
| tellersquill wrote: |
My first choice was actually Cambodia but when I found out the wages are around $10 an hour I decide Vietnam is far better. |
If you want Cambodia, why not just buy a "business" visa (quite affordable from what I understand)? Extend it for a year and make money by working online with VIPKID or what have you. I know people who do that and live okay lives in Cambodia. The pay will essentially be Vietnam wages and you're able to teach wherever there is a wi-fi connection. |
I think I'm going to focus on developing in the classroom before I start teaching online. Maybe i'll do a year in Vietnam and a year in Cambodia. |
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Galileo
Joined: 10 Oct 2006
Posts: 63
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| Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 12:55 am Post subject: |
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A lot little expenses can add up to a substantial amount:
"Total expenses for the month of November: $1,252 USD"
My Current Cost Of Living In Vietnam |
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tellersquill
Joined: 08 Apr 2016
Posts: 94
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| Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 7:42 am Post subject: |
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Haha mongering!
Fortunately I am still young and don't have to pay so that's a saving 
I'm starting to understand how some teachers survive on 800$ per month and some need to earn 1,500$
It just comes down to lifestyle. Even in the UK its possible to live off £650 per month like me and yet it also possible to spend £2000 per month if you like fancy living. Its just a case of learning to adjust to what you earn. |
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Dream_Seller
Joined: 01 Feb 2014
Posts: 78
Location: China
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| Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 4:54 am Post subject: |
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1. Dating (marrying) locals
2. Hanging out with other foreigners
3. Travelling
Realistically you may be able to save $100 monthly; in time, more. Whatever you do, it really can go many unforeseeable directions that can't be calculated by your calculator. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 5:14 am Post subject: |
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| tellersquill wrote: |
Has anyone got any experience working with Ninja Teacher in HCM?
I'm considering taking their TEFL course this summer and I wanted to hear about other peoples experiences.
....
The course is more expensive than everywhere else and is essentially as expensive as a celta, but the two added bonuses of the course is you get accommodation for the month of study, and you get a guaranteed job if you get onto the course. |
Back to your original inquiry... What did you decide on in regard to TEFL training? |
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1st Sgt Welsh
Joined: 13 Dec 2010
Posts: 946
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
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| Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 10:20 am Post subject: |
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A lot of people have been commenting on this thread about monthly budgets etc. so I might as well just add my two cents. If your intention is to scrimp and save then, IMHO, you will be missing out on one the key things that is great about living in Vietnam.
As another poster mentioned, the monthly pay for a full-time, entry-level teaching gig in the two major cities is around 1500 USD a month net. Once you get established at a school, there will invariably be extra hours that come up if you want them. There also plenty of teachers who do some tutoring on the side. So, opportunities to increase your income are readily available if needed, although it is true that things tend to slow down the closer you get to Tet.
Anyway, can you survive in a city like Saigon on 800 USD a month? Sure. The locals do it all the time and on much less money. Do I advise it? Nope. The difference in the amount of fun/quality of life that you will have on a 800 USD monthly budget compared to, say, 1,000 USD is considerable! My advice would be to get yourself a decent apartment (which, when I was there, you could easily find for 450 USD a month), eat in nice restaurants all the time (more or less 5 USD for a main course), enjoy decent coffee in nice cafes (2-3 USD), have a maid do your laundry and cleaning (50 USD a month), go out boozing with your friends on the weekends (costs will vary) etc. Don't worry about it! If spending that little bit of extra money is going to hurt you then, personally, I'd advise going somewhere else like South Korea instead. Seriously! Enjoy it while you can. God knows, for most of us, that kind of lifestyle would not be available to us in our home countries, so my advice, for whatever it's worth, would be to live it up a little  . |
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tellersquill
Joined: 08 Apr 2016
Posts: 94
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| Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 10:24 am Post subject: |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| tellersquill wrote: |
Has anyone got any experience working with Ninja Teacher in HCM?
I'm considering taking their TEFL course this summer and I wanted to hear about other peoples experiences.
....
The course is more expensive than everywhere else and is essentially as expensive as a celta, but the two added bonuses of the course is you get accommodation for the month of study, and you get a guaranteed job if you get onto the course. |
Back to your original inquiry... What did you decide on in regard to TEFL training? |
I'm just finishing my degree so I'm not focusing on it right.
I did see a banner on this site offering an in class 4 week tefl in Thailand for $750 which is great value for money.
The only thing is the course is over august and that's rainy season - I don't know how bad it is in Thailand during rainy season, but the hedonist in me wants to go during better weather.
As for where to teach - I honestly don't have a preference between Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. I've ruled out korea and china for personal reasons, but I still have those three other countries that really appeal to me.
I may just book a course and while I'm on the course I will apply for jobs and see what happens. If I find nothing in Thailand while finishing the course I can always just fly to HCM or Hanoi and start looking. |
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suphanburi
Joined: 20 Mar 2014
Posts: 916
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| Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 11:00 am Post subject: |
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The dream sellers (TEFL course providers) have another one coming.
More cannon fodder for the masses.
Teach and travel.
Take our course and be guaranteed a job when you are done.
See the exotic sights.
Experience the local culture.
Mornings in the classroom, afternoons on the beach and evenings in the dance clubs.
Elephant trekking or scuba diving on the weekends.
Oh, what a life we lead as TEFL teachers. . 
. |
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tellersquill
Joined: 08 Apr 2016
Posts: 94
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| Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 11:34 am Post subject: |
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| 1st Sgt Welsh wrote: |
A lot of people have been commenting on this thread about monthly budgets etc. so I might as well just add my two cents. If your intention is to scrimp and save then, IMHO, you will be missing out on one the key things that is great about living in Vietnam.
As another poster mentioned, the monthly pay for a full-time, entry-level teaching gig in the two major cities is around 1500 USD a month net. Once you get established at a school, there will invariably be extra hours that come up if you want them. There also plenty of teachers who do some tutoring on the side. So, opportunities to increase your income are readily available if needed, although it is true that things tend to slow down the closer you get to Tet.
Anyway, can you survive in a city like Saigon on 800 USD a month? Sure. The locals do it all the time and on much less money. Do I advise it? Nope. The difference in the amount of fun/quality of life that you will have on a 800 USD monthly budget compared to, say, 1,000 USD is considerable! My advice would be to get yourself a decent apartment (which, when I was there, you could easily find for 450 USD a month), eat in nice restaurants all the time (more or less 5 USD for a main course), enjoy decent coffee in nice cafes (2-3 USD), have a maid do your laundry and cleaning (50 USD a month), go out boozing with your friends on the weekends (costs will vary) etc. Don't worry about it! If spending that little bit of extra money is going to hurt you then, personally, I'd advise going somewhere else like South Korea instead. Seriously! Enjoy it while you can. God knows, for most of us, that kind of lifestyle would not be available to us in our home countries, so my advice, for whatever it's worth, would be to live it up a little . |
Seems like good advice.
I don't really drink if I'm being honest - so those costs don't really apply for me. But the apartment I can totally understand. As soon as I have a job that pays over $1,400 per month I will get a good place. But until I get set up I will probably just rent a cheap little room.
I think the whole point of figuring out how little I can live off is so that I know how much I need to earn each month to survive. |
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tellersquill
Joined: 08 Apr 2016
Posts: 94
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| Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 11:36 am Post subject: |
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| suphanburi wrote: |
The dream sellers (TEFL course providers) have another one coming.
More cannon fodder for the masses.
Teach and travel.
Take our course and be guaranteed a job when you are done.
See the exotic sights.
Experience the local culture.
Mornings in the classroom, afternoons on the beach and evenings in the dance clubs.
Elephant trekking or scuba diving on the weekends.
Oh, what a life we lead as TEFL teachers. .
. |
I wonder how much they deliver on?
I guess if they say there is a job guarantee then I imagine it is, lest they get disgruntled customers seeking revenge. |
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1st Sgt Welsh
Joined: 13 Dec 2010
Posts: 946
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
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| Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 1:24 pm Post subject: |
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| tellersquill wrote: |
| 1st Sgt Welsh wrote: |
A lot of people have been commenting on this thread about monthly budgets etc. so I might as well just add my two cents. If your intention is to scrimp and save then, IMHO, you will be missing out on one the key things that is great about living in Vietnam.
As another poster mentioned, the monthly pay for a full-time, entry-level teaching gig in the two major cities is around 1500 USD a month net. Once you get established at a school, there will invariably be extra hours that come up if you want them. There also plenty of teachers who do some tutoring on the side. So, opportunities to increase your income are readily available if needed, although it is true that things tend to slow down the closer you get to Tet.
Anyway, can you survive in a city like Saigon on 800 USD a month? Sure. The locals do it all the time and on much less money. Do I advise it? Nope. The difference in the amount of fun/quality of life that you will have on a 800 USD monthly budget compared to, say, 1,000 USD is considerable! My advice would be to get yourself a decent apartment (which, when I was there, you could easily find for 450 USD a month), eat in nice restaurants all the time (more or less 5 USD for a main course), enjoy decent coffee in nice cafes (2-3 USD), have a maid do your laundry and cleaning (50 USD a month), go out boozing with your friends on the weekends (costs will vary) etc. Don't worry about it! If spending that little bit of extra money is going to hurt you then, personally, I'd advise going somewhere else like South Korea instead. Seriously! Enjoy it while you can. God knows, for most of us, that kind of lifestyle would not be available to us in our home countries, so my advice, for whatever it's worth, would be to live it up a little . |
Seems like good advice.
I don't really drink if I'm being honest - so those costs don't really apply for me. But the apartment I can totally understand. As soon as I have a job that pays over $1,400 per month I will get a good place. But until I get set up I will probably just rent a cheap little room.
I think the whole point of figuring out how little I can live off is so that I know how much I need to earn each month to survive. |
I'm not a big drinker either (although plenty of my friends in Vietnam are) but, yeah, I was talking more in terms of after you get yourself established, which should only take a few months. You'll work it out once you get there, but, honestly, you can live very well in Vietnam for not that much money. People go to the Gulf for the savings potential, but, if you are going to go to Southeast Asia then just try to enjoy the lifestyle and don't sweat it if you spend a little more experiencing a very comfortable existence. You can always make money later and, generally speaking, there are better places for doing that than Vietnam. Good luck! |
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tellersquill
Joined: 08 Apr 2016
Posts: 94
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| Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 2:41 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks man.
Just out of curiosity - where are these better places to earn money? Is it all in Arabic countries?
I'm sticking with southeast asia for now because that's where it looks the most interesting for me. |
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1st Sgt Welsh
Joined: 13 Dec 2010
Posts: 946
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
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| Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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| tellersquill wrote: |
Just out of curiosity - where are these better places to earn money? Is it all in Arabic countries?
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You can get well-paid in a lot of places and it just depends on the employer. For example, in Sri Lanka, the British Council pay quite well, but they are the only ones in that country that do. Anyway, traditionally, the GCC states have been where TEFLers have gone to make the money, but, conditions there are on the decline and have been for some time. Besides, to earn it, you have to live in the Gulf and that's not for everybody. China has some good opportunities, especially if you are prepared to put in the hours. It is my understanding that South Korea is also still pretty good. Anyway, if you are interested in Southeast Asia, then I think Vietnam is a good place to start. You can learn the ropes, save a bit, travel and enjoy a nice lifestyle all at the same time. That's where I started my TEFLing career and, personally, I have no regrets. |
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RustyShackleford
Joined: 13 May 2013
Posts: 449
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| Posted: Fri May 05, 2017 5:00 am Post subject: |
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Vietnam or at least Saigon, for now anyways, is kind of the happy medium between all of the Asian locales if you ask me.
Lifestyle is less regimented than either Japan or Korea.
People are generally more cosmopolitan than anywhere else I've been in Asia. (Less engrained notions of Us vs. Them, less chest-thumping over how great our culture is, yet still maintaining a clear cultural pride)
Salaries are better than Thailand while sharing a similar climate and vibe.
Cost of living is low.
Food, while somewhat repetitive, is usually delicious and Saigon offers pretty much everything from Japanese to Mexican if you're okay with paying for it.
I made more in the Gulf but, now that all my debts are taken care of and I've broken even, much happier in Saigon even on my busier or more frustrating days. I started in Japan, been in the Gulf and Europe but Vietnam is where I've been happiest. |
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