Job Discussion Forums

[phillis2]

Anyone heard of any ESL jobs in Laos?

[scb222]

there are jobs in laos but you really need to go there to be sure of getting one. i suggest you go there in early august and take your cv to the schools.
- vientiane college
- logos
- honour international
- VIS
- Panyathip Bilingual
- ACL
etc.

[davidcronk]

The last time I was in Vientianne there were advertisements in the window of a travel agency opposite the restaurant Khop Chai Deu near Lang Xang Hotel. Also there was a school in Luang Prabang.
Unfortunately I don't have any more details.

[william wallace]

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[Micro67]

Some of these might be helpful:

1. www.vis.laopdr.com
2. www.sbc.laopdr.com
3. www.vientianecollege.com
4. www.laoshash.com - A drinking club with a running problem.

[moot point]

I saw some ads before but the salaries were appalling. What kind of life could one expect to lead working and teaching in Laos?

[william wallace]

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[Dillinger]

I don't know any native speaker teachers who earn as little as $250 a month in Laos.

Working 20 hours a week you can get about $850 a month here. Out of that you can get by on $400 to $500 a month quite comfortably. Housing is great. A furnished 2 or 3 bedroom villa, minutes from the town center, can be had for about $250 a month. Local food is ridiculously cheap and a large bottle of beerlao costs about 60 cents.

The problem with working in Laos is that there is a severe shortage of decent schools. Only a couple that are really student centered. The rest are just English factories. You'll likely get no contract, no paid time off, certainly no airfare, and little in the way of job stability. The students are great though.

Its one of those places where you definitely have to be on the ground to find something, and to see if the quiet pace of life is too quiet for you.

[Hod]

I love people who quote figures with no details whatsoever. $850 a month is more than most Bangkok teachers average over the course of a year or two.

But Bangkok isn't awash with do gooders posing in UN white land rovers. Many clubs and restaurants in Vientiane are outrageously overpriced - no I don't wanna eat balls of sticky rice at some stall every night. I'm not a local no matter how hard I try. And if you want to negotiate, forget Thai. French might get you further. Many of those places are run by Laotians who've returned from years in exile in France. Can't think what's driving them all back, although tourists' Kip, $ and Baht springs to mind.

And what about the world's slowest tuk tuks, the ones in Vientiane? I speak Thai, not Isaan alas, but am always prepared for the mother of all fleecings every time I climb aboard.

Saying that, over $10 an hour (week in week out, without fail) in one of world's poorest countries? Yeah right.

[cameron.mayo]

Hod: Why not $10 per hour that is the std in Cambodia why not Laos. I've been to both, they are both equally poor and equally fascinating for different reasons. Don't take the piss son, it is what it is...

[william wallace]

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[william wallace]

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[Dillinger]

Yes, I'm here now. And the $850 a month figure is based on a very real and quite standardized rate of $10 per hour, which is what a white face can get you at most language schools here. So, $10 per hour, 20 hours per week, comes out to between $800 and $850 per month (depending on the # of working days in a given month). If you can arrange corporate teaching work then $15 or $20 an hour is normal.

Some teachers might have problems cobbling together 20 hours per week, but it's certainly not unrealistic if you stick around for awhile and get decent feedback from your students. From my readings of Khmer440.com the poster who made the comparison to Cambodia seems to be quite right. The situation here involves piecing together hourly work, usually split shift, maybe at several different schools. Personally, I work 22.5 hours a week at one school, one class in the morning and two back-to-back in the early evening, M - F. Not ideal, but the commute is painless and I can lesson plan and relax all afternoon.

As for Vientiane being overpriced, that's just silly. There may be a lack of variety here but what you can buy is quite cheap. Anything from noodle soup (50 cents) up to a very decent French dinner for two including wine ($20). As I assume it is with every country, you find your own balance between a local lifestyle and a full-fledged ambassadorial expat existence.

I'm not sure what the fluctuation in conversion rates has to do with the reliability of my post. Everyone is paid in US$ here and the rate has stayed in the 10,000 kip per dollar range over the last couple of years.

Anyway, Laos is great but perhaps not great for everybody. The only real teaching opportunities are in Vientiane and its just not one of the most attractive parts of the country. I came here because I really liked the people and the atmosphere and that makes up (most of the time) for the lack of perks and stability.

[cameron.mayo]

Dillinger: Nice one man, more power to you. Enjoy! There is magic in Laos.

[william wallace]

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