Job Discussion Forums

gdhillard · Joined: 02 Jan 2014 Posts: 7 Location: Roanoke, Virginia

Such unhappy people. I'm hoping that this is not a common version of Westerner that the Vietnamese are exposed to.
As earlier stated, thank you to the folks who are helpful on this forum.
To the people posting anon and attacking, I guess the internet is a natural hang out for you folks. I hope again you find a better way to be happy. Exercise, good diet and meaningful relationships can do wonders. Church can be a life saver as well. Good luck.

mark_in_saigon · Joined: 20 Sep 2009 Posts: 837

bridies1 · Joined: 29 Dec 2013 Posts: 2

Vietnam changes so quickly that anything someone tells you now may not be very relevant in three years. Learn the language if you think it's worth it for however long you'll stay (it's far from essential). The main thing though, is to save, you may well need a financial cushion at some point after arriving in Vietnam.

Anh Dep · Joined: 16 Mar 2013 Posts: 56 Location: Bangkok Thailand

I would like to see the OP's opinion of Viet Nam after living and working here for a few years. Im sure it will be totally different after dealing with immigration, dodgy schools and dodgy landlords.

TRH · Joined: 27 Oct 2011 Posts: 340 Location: Hawaii

kurtz · Joined: 12 Mar 2008 Posts: 518 Location: Phaic Tan

Hi Gary,

Your intentions seem to be honest. However, the reality is you're coming to the wrong country.

People have had real life experiences on here, yet you don't seem to heed their warning - you know best I'm sure. The reality is, people often get exploited, cheated and fired for no good reason. You seem like a nice person, but a completely naive one.

Some questions for you:

1) Have you ever lived abroad?
2) Have you ever been to Vietnam?
3) What do you know about visas and work permits?
4) What is the REAL reason you want to go to Vietnam? Pardon my cynicism, but most older gents want to find a 25 year old wife.

Yes, I take plenty of exercise, I have a decent amount of friends but no, I don't get my morals and values from 3rd hand miracles so I don't go to church.

You need a reality check, and I'm happy to give you one.

LarueLarry · Joined: 05 Jul 2013 Posts: 32

Let's say the OP has the best intentions--he's not looking to chase skirt or proselytize over here. He goes to the countryside to teach and learn about Vietnamese "culture." He makes enough to support himself, teaches village children and doesn't sell the farm for the first sob story he hears (or the second, third, etc). I think he'd be satisfied with the results.

My only caveat would be to make sure (how?) that if you're working for peanuts your employer isn't selling your services for a ridiculous price.

Maybe put a little money away and volunteer. But the same caveat applies.

montblanc20 · Joined: 21 Jul 2013 Posts: 53

The more that I think about it, the more this thread sounds weird. I'm going to delete my previous advice. Learn as much as you can before coming. I question the judgement of somebody who would put his name out on the internet. Be careful not to be too badly taken advantage of. It happens to naive old people. The nature of people is not always good, wherever you are. Always ask for the price before. People are poor and will think you're rich.

mark_in_saigon · Joined: 20 Sep 2009 Posts: 837

Not trying to be obnoxious here, but this thread is a pretty good example of the question I have often wondered, and I am sure some of you have wondered about also. The question is: are folks who have taught various subjects (which can include English) the best choices for teaching English in Asia? I am not qualified to speculate about how they would do in other countries, especially Europe. It does seem to me that the systems (for most everything) are so different here that people who have been successful teachers in the west would often find themselves frustrated out of their gourds over here. While I am sure some of them cope, I do wonder how many of them do not. I never taught in the west, but I did work with many foreigners in my jobs, and found that to be good preparation. Perhaps teachers who work with non native speakers in the west have an advantage. But anyway, for most jobs, the classroom part can be quite easy, it is the everything else that is a nightmare.

On the other hand, folks who were not teachers also seem to wash out at a high rate as well. I do think that life here is so different, unless your situation and mindset is just right for this, you are not going to thrive. So many who do stick around are just barely getting by, many of them seem like they would have trouble finding work back home. I know when I made the move, jobs were very hard to find back there, it was in the height of the recession.

Still, if you can find your niche and get paid for it, life here can be better than the west. Better enjoy it, it could end at any moment.

Are you all seeing this massive number of Thailand backpackers over here? I am thinking we are getting a lot of those guys til the scene over there smooths out. I think this might have been the big week. I had dinner down there on BV one night this week, they seemed like a Thailand monger invasion. Nice girls tell me they are getting very rude proposals from these guys, they think every girl in the CBD must be for sale. These guys are gradually turning the population against western foreigners with their approach.

Dream_Seller · Joined: 01 Feb 2014 Posts: 78 Location: China

mark_in_saigon · Joined: 20 Sep 2009 Posts: 837

Yeah, but it is the front line for the new western tourist here. My gf tells me that about 8 years ago, we were considered nice, innocent, rich and harmless. She knows a lot of people who work in tourism and meet the guys down there, and her info is the VN are gradually losing these good feelings about us, mainly due to the kind of interaction they get from this young crowd down there (also the same group that make it to other locations). You know, at the same time, the VN create their own economic system for dealing with these guys, so if you were to hang out there for a week or so, you might believe every VN is either a scammer, a tout, or a hooker. Kind of a vicious circle, you know?

This thread was for the guy who was from Vermont or somewhere over there. Once we get totally off topic from the original thread, it would be great if we could move over to the general purpose "straw men and issues we cannot resolve" thread. Just post over there when we get totally off topic and we can keep all these lovely little subjects going in one place. Oh what fun!