|
Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
LettersAthruZ
Joined: 25 Apr 2010
Posts: 466
Location: North Viet Nam
|
 Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 7:39 am Post subject: |
 |
|
| inhanoi wrote: |
| ... or just get a Work Permit and become legal. Nothing "wacky" about that. |
Yeah, this entire visa situation has really gotta be upsetting some folk.....but I can understand why and I do sympathise with them!
Me?? I'm blessed!! 
I have a residence permit/work permit and I Freelance/independent contract! Got them through having "...a good relationship...." with those high up in The Powers That Be!
Don't know if there ISN'T really anything wacky about taking a work permit from an established big-name school/centre.....you then put yourself forward for dealing with a LOT of bulls--t.....things like being at the mercy of an unscrupulous Director, LOSING said work permit when you quit or are made redundant or you got the ax because it RIDES WITH THE EMPLOYER, not the teacher, putting up with deceptive T�y in your workplace acting as shills for management on ESL sites in order to earn a buck more an hour, etc. etc. and a lot of instructors really don't want to have to deal with that kind of rubbish!
Last edited by LettersAthruZ on Thu Feb 23, 2012 7:45 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
sigmoid
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 1276
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 7:44 am Post subject: |
|
|
Just about everyone I know from my days in Sai Gon have left already, generally a year or two ago, or are seriously thinking about leaving. The only guys I know that are still there are Viet Khieu and those in the "married to a local" category. And they're even thinking about leaving, too. 
And by "leave", I mean moving to teach in another country. This includes me. VN is a pretty big market just because there are so many VNese, which makes it a rather uncomfortable and crowded place but it does (or did) have the advantage of providing quite a demand for English teachers. But, it's not the only game in town.
If the VNese don't want to play nice, that's their prerogative. Hopefully, once they find themselves so cold and lonely, they might wake up and sit down to create a clear and reasonable visa/WP policy for foreign workers, instead of the one they have now , which is "whacky" indeed. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kurtz
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 518
Location: Phaic Tan
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:11 am Post subject: |
|
|
| sigmoid wrote: |
Just about everyone I know from my days in Sai Gon have left already, generally a year or two ago, or are seriously thinking about leaving. The only guys I know that are still there are Viet Khieu and those in the "married to a local" category. And they're even thinking about leaving, too.
And by "leave", I mean moving to teach in another country. This includes me. VN is a pretty big market just because there are so many VNese, which makes it a rather uncomfortable and crowded place but it does (or did) have the advantage of providing quite a demand for English teachers. But, it's not the only game in town.
If the VNese don't want to play nice, that's their prerogative. Hopefully, once they find themselves so cold and lonely, they might wake up and sit down to create a clear and reasonable visa/WP policy for foreign workers, instead of the one they have now , which is "whacky" indeed. |
Just out of interests' sake, I'd like to hear of some other places to work. Countries where you can save decent coin, have a transparent work permit system, don't have to be an EU citizen or live in a country with bad crime, a corrupt political system, employers who seek devoted teachers and not just a young, pretty face, or places that don't have male dominated, misogynist society.
IF you can get the good ol' work permit, by either legal means or by knowing someone, I still think Vietnam isn't too shabby.
Just a quick summary of this thread
1) Get a work permit through a foreign owned, language mill
2) Get a 6 month or 12 month visa from Cambodia, but you'd better take the bus as there's a major scam going down RE-flights from HCM 
3) The visa process is a corrupt mess (unless you do number 1)
4) Certain expats in Vietnam see everything that happens here due to corruption, others due to supply/demand. I'm not talking about getting nickled and dimed on the streets here.
5) Don't expect more than a one month visa in Hanoi
6) With the new laws, new arrivals can't get the work visa in Vietnam, you have to fly out of the country to get it. Decent language mills will pay for this ticket. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Mushroom Druid
Joined: 19 Oct 2009
Posts: 91
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 2:48 am Post subject: |
|
|
| kurtz wrote: |
| With the new laws, new arrivals can't get the work visa in Vietnamyou have to fly out of the country to get it. Decent language mills will pay for this ticket. |
Kurtz,
To get a work permit (?) Work visa (?) foreigners have to leave the country to get it?! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kurtz
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 518
Location: Phaic Tan
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 4:15 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Mushroom Druid wrote: |
| kurtz wrote: |
| With the new laws, new arrivals can't get the work visa in Vietnamyou have to fly out of the country to get it. Decent language mills will pay for this ticket. |
Kurtz,
To get a work permit (?) Work visa (?) foreigners have to leave the country to get it?! |
Yup. The business visa good for a year is being issued outside of Vietnam. A decent mill will pay for this trip. Other countries do the same, it's no biggie. This being Vietnam you'll probably here people not having to do this but the HR lady send us all an email saying this is how it's done now, those on new contracts get a trip out of the country on the school's coin. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Beautiful Loser
Joined: 29 May 2011
Posts: 80
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:17 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Andy123 wrote: |
Beautiful Loser,
Very funny and accurate post. Your insight is so true. |
That movie's jam packed with quotable quotes. There are others that apply to life here, as well. I don't know how many times I've told myself ~ "Shh! We want these Buddhists to like us!"
Last edited by Beautiful Loser on Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:31 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Beautiful Loser
Joined: 29 May 2011
Posts: 80
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:20 am Post subject: |
|
|
| kurtz wrote: |
| Mushroom Druid wrote: |
| kurtz wrote: |
| With the new laws, new arrivals can't get the work visa in Vietnamyou have to fly out of the country to get it. Decent language mills will pay for this ticket. |
Kurtz,
To get a work permit (?) Work visa (?) foreigners have to leave the country to get it?! |
Yup. The business visa good for a year is being issued outside of Vietnam. A decent mill will pay for this trip. Other countries do the same, it's no biggie. This being Vietnam you'll probably here people not having to do this but the HR lady send us all an email saying this is how it's done now, those on new contracts get a trip out of the country on the school's coin. |
Sweet! Make sure and take this little ditty along with you on your next sojourn.
Holiday in Cambodia: The Dead Kennedys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRwUlLahpiI |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kurtz
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 518
Location: Phaic Tan
|
| Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 8:00 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Beautiful Loser wrote: |
| kurtz wrote: |
| Mushroom Druid wrote: |
| kurtz wrote: |
| With the new laws, new arrivals can't get the work visa in Vietnamyou have to fly out of the country to get it. Decent language mills will pay for this ticket. |
Kurtz,
To get a work permit (?) Work visa (?) foreigners have to leave the country to get it?! |
Yup. The business visa good for a year is being issued outside of Vietnam. A decent mill will pay for this trip. Other countries do the same, it's no biggie. This being Vietnam you'll probably here people not having to do this but the HR lady send us all an email saying this is how it's done now, those on new contracts get a trip out of the country on the school's coin. |
Sweet! Make sure and take this little ditty along with you on your next sojourn.
Holiday in Cambodia: The Dead Kennedys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRwUlLahpiI |
I prefer this version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdelpcRm5zE&feature=related
I'll be taking a nice holiday in Laos to get mine, northerner you see. I might even have time to buy a beer Laos tank top and get some dredds and ink a tat or two in. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
just noel
Joined: 17 Jul 2006
Posts: 168
|
| Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 2:45 am Post subject: |
|
|
| kurtz wrote: |
| Yup. The business visa good for a year is being issued outside of Vietnam. A decent mill will pay for this trip. Other countries do the same, it's no biggie. This being Vietnam you'll probably here people not having to do this but the HR lady send us all an email saying this is how it's done now, those on new contracts get a trip out of the country on the school's coin. |
Kurtz, can I clarify with a question?
It seems you're referring to a Business Visa, not a Work Permit, right? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kurtz
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 518
Location: Phaic Tan
|
| Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 7:29 am Post subject: |
|
|
| just noel wrote: |
| kurtz wrote: |
| Yup. The business visa good for a year is being issued outside of Vietnam. A decent mill will pay for this trip. Other countries do the same, it's no biggie. This being Vietnam you'll probably here people not having to do this but the HR lady send us all an email saying this is how it's done now, those on new contracts get a trip out of the country on the school's coin. |
Kurtz, can I clarify with a question?
It seems you're referring to a Business Visa, not a Work Permit, right? |
Correct. The Work Permit MUST be obtained within 3 months of entering Vietnam. Once you have that, your school will sponsor your B2 Business Visa which will only be issued OUTSIDE of Vietnam.
This is what must be done to work legally in Vietnam. I'm sure if you know the right people, perhaps you can possibly get around all of that but I can't. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
LettersAthruZ
Joined: 25 Apr 2010
Posts: 466
Location: North Viet Nam
|
| Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 2:43 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Well they'll teach harder
with a gun in their back
for a bowl of rice a day..... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mark_in_saigon
Joined: 20 Sep 2009
Posts: 837
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 1:10 am Post subject: visas in Cambodia |
|
|
| One of the posters here contacted me about the visa agent in Cambodia that I had used recently. He funneled a couple of guys through this agent. The guys only requested 6 month visas, not sure why they did not want to go 1 year, maybe they were just trying to save money, don't know. Anyway, they all got their 6 month visas without a problem. These are business visas of course. I still HIGHLY recommend we get a 1 year multi entry visa when doing this thing, unless you are absolutely certain you are leaving within 6 months. I know I spent a lot more on my trip itself (for the visa) than I spent ON the visa, so it seems silly to do that twice a year. Yeah, it is fun going to Cambodia, but it is also good not having to worry about the visa for an entire year, you can go to Cambodia whenever you want with the multi entry visa. Just in case they change the enforcement again, which they can do at the drop of a hat, I would get the 1year visa. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
esbam2002
Joined: 26 May 2011
Posts: 54
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 4:14 am Post subject: |
|
|
Your prices are a little too high here....I just got my work permit and 3 year residency through my school.
Work Permit (3 Years):
The school paid the 400,000 VND cost of the permit.
Residency Permit (3 Years)
Cost $120 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kurtz
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 518
Location: Phaic Tan
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 12:06 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| esbam2002 wrote: |
Your prices are a little too high here....I just got my work permit and 3 year residency through my school.
Work Permit (3 Years):
The school paid the 400,000 VND cost of the permit.
Residency Permit (3 Years)
Cost $120 |
Most posters aren't able to get a 12 month visa through their school so they go to Cambodia and pay some corrupt official to get a 6 or 12 month visa at an inflated price. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
esbam2002
Joined: 26 May 2011
Posts: 54
|
| Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2012 7:19 am Post subject: |
|
|
That wasn't the point I was trying to make, as I know how difficult the process of getting a work permit is in this country....I worked at it for a year and a half before I found a school that would actually do it.
My point was the excessively over priced charges that the original poster set as prices....really it is nothing more than robbery and extortion....
He has a work permit price listed at $550 - $1600, depending on degree. When the cost of the processing of a work permit is only 400,000 VND/$20, of which a school will pay and nothing out of pocket for the teacher....that is a huge profit of over 1275 - 3900% over actual cost of processing....tell me that isn't robbery and extortion....unless he is paying people under the table and then you are getting robbed and extorted for something that is illegal, and you get in trouble, if checked, fined, or worse, and he still keeps the you money you paid, and nothing happens to him....
3 year residency card he has listed at $350 when the actual cost of processing a 3 year residency card is only $120 with a profit of near 200% of actual cost....
My point was the excessive costs listed here.... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
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
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
