Job Discussion Forums

[1st Sgt Welsh]

[vabeckele]

[I'm With Stupid]

Perhaps a more important question would be where in the world could you realistically be an ESL teacher and afford to support a family in relative comfort? Because from what I've read, the actual wages on offer don't seem to change that much, only the cost of living does. So it seems like, in most cases, you have a choice between a subsistence level of wages in a country with a decent education system, or pretty generous wages in a country where you're going to be spending most of it on things that you get as standard in most developed countries.

The reality is that ESL isn't a stable family-oriented career, so to attempt to turn it into one is always going to be a challenge. If you want something with a good pension and benefits, get qualified as a normal school teacher and then look at international schools if you also want to live abroad.

[Riding One]

[ExpatLuke]

I'm pretty sure most people will bitch and moan about their middle-class salaries no matter how much they make. It's never enough, is it?

Needless to say, all the doomsayers convinced you can't raise a family on an ESL salary don't seem to have any experience to back their statements up. If that were true, you wouldn't see so many people with families here, there wouldn't be so many Westerners marrying locals and settling down. Even in Danang there's great places to work. There's international schools here that offer about $2500 per month, tuition for your children, 1 fully paid flight home per year, paid vacation, insurance. And when you factor in that you can rent and big, fully furnished house from $400 per month or less, you're already saving more than you would make teaching in your home country.

[kona]

that_guy, if you have any skills in IT (which I'm assuming you probably do, considering that geospatial science probably takes some tech savviness), then check out these jobs at RMIT. http://www.rmit.edu.vn/jobs

Considering the position you hold right now, I wouldn't come over on anything less than one of these salaries (making at least $2,500 usd a month), especially given your expertise in your field.

So far, you haven't really mentioned anything about the field of TESOL that gives us an idea you're are really keen on going into it. If that's the case, then look for work in your field. You'd be surprised what you can find with a bit research, research, applying, and research.

What are the private sector prospects for someone with your degree? There might be an inroad there, with pay that might be substantially more than what any EFL teacher would get, doing something we guess you enjoy and that you are, more importantly, adequately trained for. Something to consider, all the best...

[spycatcher reincarnated]

I see posters are assuming that ESL teachers will automatically want to send their children to top notch international schools. I do not see this as an automatic decision, especially as in many cases here one of the spouses has a first language of Vietnamese.

I figure that when deciding upon children's education one should consider the desired outcomes first then work out how they are best going to achieve these, within budget constraints. To decide one's desired outcome one may have to be able to answer questions such as these:

Where are my children going to live?
If they are going to leave Vietnam at what age are they going to leave and what will I want their language skills to be at the time?
What do I want them to know?
How would I like them to be?
What level of education do I want them to achieve?
If I want them to achieve uni level education will it be necessary for them to attend university to achieve this?
What language do I want this university level education to be conducted in?
What languages do I want them to speak?
Is being totally bilingual a realistic possibility, and if not, which is the preferred dominant language?
Where are my children likely to be starting their first job?

NB: I believe that now and in the future it is and will be the Vietnamese (native Vietnamese speakers) that are going to be the movers and shakers in Vietnam, not the foreigners.

When one has answered questions such as the above they can start to consider the benefits of:

Vietnamese schooling
Bilingual schooling
Online international schooling
Home schooling
International schooling
Leaving Vietnam for overseas schooling
One of the above with additional tutoring

One does not have send their children to international schools, and depending on one's situation it may not be the best thing to do, regardless of costs.

[kurtz]

[Riding One]

[VietCanada]

"If you chase women, you'll never have any money. If you chase money, you'll always have women." IDK who said this. But I think there's truth to it.

IMHO the smartest thing the OP can do is pursue his career in geospatial whatever. Why would you do all that work, spend all that money, make all that sacrifice and then toss it aside like rinds because of a woman? Classic mistake. Pursue your career choice as if you never met her. If it's meant to be it will work out. The life you've lived and the choices you've made to this point have culminated in meeting a terrific life partner. Wait for your mid-life crisis to teach EFL in a foreign country. LOL. At least then you'll have an established career to fall back on.

[Tigerstyleone]

So OP, when are you coming? Or did you change your mind?

[bradleycooper]

Does anyone know what the expected salary at RMIT would be?

[1st Sgt Welsh]