Job Discussion Forums

[Threequalseven]

I've be traveling through HCMC in December for about a week, then I'm taking a round-trip back home for the holidays and I'll return in February. I really just have two questions about the logistics of hitting the pavement. First, are English schools spotted throughout the city, like hagwons in Korea, or do you pretty much need to know where to look in advance? Second, is it reasonable to expect to get an apartment in a certain district and find work in the same district? (Bonus question: Which districts would be better/worse for doing this?)

I've read many people suggest getting a temp house first, get your job situated, then find a place to really settle down. I'm fine with that. I'm just trying to get an idea of what to keep an eye out for while I'm visiting in December. Thanks!

[skarper]

I think you will be able to find the local schools easily enough using the internet and a map. Sounds daft but a map in Korea is no use at all since the streets have no names! Here they do at least have names.

However.

December is way to early for casual work starting after TET. The nature of such ad hoc employment is that it is not planned for very far in advance - 24 hours ahead seems typical.

They won't even keep your CV handy if you drop it in in December by February it will be buried/lost.

Temporary housing is your best option. Hotels at first and then a shared house would be my choice. Later you can settle in a bit more and maybe rent an apartment.

TBH - I don't see what you can actually accomplish in December. Just enjoy the holiday and learn how to get around the city. Anything else is a waste of effort and shoe leather.

If you have CELTA/DEGREE etc then you can try ILA/APOLLO and the other similar places that do plan ahead a bit. Though I don't think dropping a CV off at reception is really how it works for them.

Carefully read recent threads on here to get a feel for the state of play. Don't invest in a move here unless you have really thought it through.

[Threequalseven]

Thanks for the response. My partner and I already bought our plane tickets, so the move is happening. We're not actually planning to apply for jobs during our visit in December. We'll just be finishing a backpacking trip from Singapore, so I doubt we'd be very presentable anyway. I guess our goals for December, aside from enjoying ourselves, are just to get a feel for each district and try to find an area we'd like to live.

So, maybe I'll re-frame my question: Is a Google Maps search for "English Schools, Ho Chi Minh City" representative of the concentration of possible employers? It seems like there's a lot in the D-10/D-3 area, just a few in District 7, almost nothing in District 2. Is this accurate?

[skarper]

I have only been to HCMC once and only for a few days - during which I wasn't looking for schools - hopefully someone who knows HCMC will chime in.

[RustyShackleford]

Beep beep, recent Saigoner here.

No idea about the job situation in winter, but my research is inclined to say Not Good. However, just keep your ear on various websites catering to expats (that I'm sure the mods will snip if I post so I won't), note the addresses and pass out some resumes to them. If you apply in person and do a follow-up phone call/e-mail not long after, at least one of them will contact you for some work. If you just want a steady paycheck, apply to one of the big four (VUS, ILA, AMA, Apollo) and I'm sure they'll ping you back quickly.

I didn't use Google Maps are anything. Just asked some questions, got some rides and passed out some resumes. Within a week I was employed, and after some of the most relaxed stress I've ever known, I got a paycheck coming in next week.

Long story short: how to hit the pavement? Just hit it and hit it hard.