Site Search:
 
Get TEFL Certified & Start Your Adventure Today!
Teach English Abroad and Get Paid to see the World!
Job Discussion Forums Forum Index Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Talk me out of moving to Vietnam

 
Post new topic   This topic is locked: you cannot edit posts or make replies.    Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Vietnam
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
coffeespoonman



Joined: 04 Feb 2005
Posts: 512
Location: At my computer...

PostPosted: Fri Dec 15, 2017 3:03 am    Post subject: Talk me out of moving to Vietnam Reply with quote

Hi all,

To keep it short and sweet, I have an excellent job on an open ended contract with a fantastic salary. The only problem is that it's in China. I've been here for nearly seven years, and while I don't (always) hate living in China, the urge to move on is getting harder and harder to resist, and the little things are piling up.

I have an interview with RMIT coming up soon. I know that holiday is a big negative there, and I know that I would have to start on an hourly wage. The salary is also approximately half of what I currently earn. But I love Vietnam and I've always wanted to spend some more time there.

So, for those of you who live or have lived in HCMC (and even work/worked at RMIT) - what else do I need to put on the scale here? What are the negatives that I may not be considering? The positives that I may not know about?

Talk me out of moving there! Or convince me that it would be the right move!

Thanks!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
kingplaya4



Joined: 09 Dec 2017
Posts: 11
Location: Nha Be

PostPosted: Fri Dec 15, 2017 3:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's tough to get enough hours if you don't want to work at multiple schools, and even then it still can be. If you work at a public school they won't need you for 4 months a year (can be even a little more than that depends on the school district) and classes are huge.

Generally pretty noisy depending on where you live.

I find all kinds of critters creeping into my apartment from time to time, no matter how much I clean it. You will need aircon in your apartment 365 days a year.

You're going to need a motorcycle, and I would say the chance of an accident gets close to 100% over time. That said, keep your speed down to 20-25 km on narrow busy roads and 30-35 on wide non crowded roads and it probably won't be too serious. People merge onto the road from all directions often without considering other traffic, so that's the reason why I would say at least a minor accident is inevitable.

It's more expensive than advertised, at least for westerners. I spend about 1k a month, and I don't drink, go on dates or do very much. Perhaps I can cut that down to $800 a month if I really cut down on food products, but that would be the best I could do, and I'd be living like a monk pretty much.

If all that dissuaded you, you might want to stay put. If it sounds fun, then i guess the country is for you. Just remember, you do have a shelf life in the ESL industry, so money may be important in your future. I see a lot of ads that don't want people over 40 or 45, although at the moment I think they are a bit flexible on that or teachers must age fast here based on the faces I see.

I'm the kind of person that doesn't like to constantly move around, but if you like to stay somewhere 6 months and then move on again, then you can always just do a test run here and then go back to China if it doesn't work out.

Oh, last thing there seems to be a huge demand for teaching very young students (nursery school age/kindergarten) so if you can do that well it's a huge plus.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
rogerwilco



Joined: 10 Jun 2010
Posts: 1549

PostPosted: Fri Dec 15, 2017 4:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Comparing China and Vietnam

Vietnam, in general, no paid holidays and no free apartments.
IMO, Vietnamese food is much better.

China, my experience was, more than 3 months paid holiday and a free apartment.

Much harder to save money in Vietnam.

Both countries can be very noisy, and in both you need to negotiate hard and try to avoid getting ripped off.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
coffeespoonman



Joined: 04 Feb 2005
Posts: 512
Location: At my computer...

PostPosted: Fri Dec 15, 2017 12:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the replies so far. A few follow up comments:

I'd only move to Vietnam if I were offered a job at RMIT. Hopefully putting together enough hours wouldn't be a problem, but if it were occasionally, no big deal. I have savings. Wouldn't work at a public school, though could consider IELTS work or perhaps private lessons if the right opportunity showed itself. I'm pretty picky these days.

Noise is not a problem. I miss noise. Where I live in China is not at all noisy. I'm used to fighting for every dime (I lived in Istanbul for several years), so I know how to negotiate and avoid being ripped off, but incidentally, I have never once been ripped off by Chinese people.

Critters would be a small problem for the wife. Air con is ok.

I have an e-bike here and am comfortable with the speeds you mention, but I wouldn't want to go much more than 40km/hr. I dunno, maybe if I got used to it. I'm a pretty careful guy, but I do understand the danger.

I've been to Vietnam many times, and I know that you can live on 5 dollars a day (minus rent of course) or 500. I would sometimes go out for craft beers (I'm an amateur brewer), but I don't have expensive tastes when it comes to most things. I would expect to spend about 2k USD a month between my wife and I, and I would be okay with that. I'm not looking to save much if at all if I move there.

No teaching kids for me, but the wife could. She's Turkish so non-native but the Chinese don't notice. I would guess Vietnam would be similar?

Love Chinese food but would be happier to eat Vietnamese food on a regular basis. Much healthier!

I get a reasonable amount of paid holidays here, but not 3+ months. I get a little over 2. And quite a good housing allowance. I know that RMIT gives paid holidays once you go salaried, but that you never get more than a week at a time, which is pretty crap.

Thanks again for the replies. Looking forward to more perspectives. This is a really hard decision for the wife and I, so we're very glad to hear from all of you.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
kingplaya4



Joined: 09 Dec 2017
Posts: 11
Location: Nha Be

PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 11:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can't speak for the countryside, but no way can they live on $150 a month. You won't be able to get this deal, but a Vietnamese can get a one room outside the city for $100 including utilities. Then $150 a month for food, this is all vietnamese cheap food, no western burgers etc. So that's already $250 bucks, plus whatever they need to spend on gas for moto, clothes, small savings. I'd guess they could live on $350 as a bare minimum, of course a young single woman still living at home could live on less.

You don't need to go faster than 40km in Ho Chi Minh, you will see some young guys and gals going 60k or rarely more (be careful with young motorcycle taxi drivers, most are okay but a few have a death wish). But anyway, no need to exceed that speed.

Is your wife light skinned and has only a very slight accent? If so, she can definitely get work. Even if she's darked skinned she can probably get work too, but I haven't seen that so far, so can't say for sure.

If you and your wife both work, an average of 2k should be no problem including the down times. I'm not familiar with RMIT sounds like some kind of large private school? My experience with those is the number one thing they want is a lot of energy from their teachers and keeping the students happy, education is likely secondary, but RMIT could be different so I can't say for sure. Good luck.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
coffeespoonman



Joined: 04 Feb 2005
Posts: 512
Location: At my computer...

PostPosted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 7:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wife is light skinned and blonde, but she does have an accent. Not a huge one, and it's never been a problem in China. She's been teaching kids here, but she's actually a psychologist. Hopefully there would be opportunities there for her in psychology. It's just that she's never practiced in English, so she's a bit nervous about doing that.

RMIT is an Australian University with a few campuses in Vietnam. Everyone whom I've talked to has had good things to say about it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
psychedelicacy



Joined: 05 Oct 2013
Posts: 180
Location: Beijing

PostPosted: Mon Dec 25, 2017 8:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can't understand why anyone would prefer Vietnam to China or even like Vietnam at all, personally, but oh well - there's no accounting for taste!

Nevertheless RMIT was an excellent employer as far as I was concerned, which is to be expected really as they are an Australian university. Things seem to have changed a lot since I was there, but looking around Linkedin, some of the people I worked with are still there.

In my day, their pay was about $3000 (US) per month - I forget exactly but it was between 3 and 4. If those rates still exist, then RMIT is pretty much a godsend, assuming you can tolerate Vietnam. But I suspect pay has gone down, in which case I would reconsider.

They also had either a morning shift or an afternoon one - the other half of the day was prep/marking. The morning classes started at 7:30, which to me was madness. I'm a morning person, but a 7:30 start I've never heard of anywhere else in teaching. Mind you, this is a few years ago - could have changed completely.

A lot of marking as well - which although I understand it was English for Academic Purposes, it did feel silly a lot of the time, because Vietnamese learners don't tend to need a lot of help with writing. They usually need a lot of support with speaking and pronunciation. It could be frustrating marking a load of essays, which were often good, knowing full well that these learners couldn't produce a single sentence of acceptable spoken English.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Mr. Kalgukshi
Mod Team
Mod Team


Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Posts: 6613
Location: Need to know basis only.

PostPosted: Tue Dec 26, 2017 2:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Individual postings that exceed 300 words will be removed from the public board.

This policy applies to all forums on this board.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Mr. Kalgukshi
Mod Team
Mod Team


Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Posts: 6613
Location: Need to know basis only.

PostPosted: Tue Dec 26, 2017 7:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Postings Questioning or Commenting on Moderator Actions

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=77552

Public comments or questions regarding Moderator actions or decisions have never been permitted on this board.

Instead, address your comments/questions by PM to a Moderator.

Public posting of such comments/questions here will result in a permanent ban to include the iSP.

This policy is applicable to all forums on this board.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   This topic is locked: you cannot edit posts or make replies.    Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Vietnam All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group

Teaching Jobs in China
Teaching Jobs in China