Job Discussion Forums

duduanna · Joined: 12 Mar 2008 Posts: 12

hi
has anyone worked for apollo in da nang.i am considering a job offer of a summer programme in that city.
is da nang an ok place to spend 3 months and can i manage on $400 a month (accomodation is paid for)
any info will be greatly received
cheers!!

deessell2 · Joined: 11 Jun 2005 Posts: 132 Location: Under the sun

Are they paying for the flight? It is a terrible offer. Are you sure there are no other benefits?

duduanna · Joined: 12 Mar 2008 Posts: 12

youve got me worried now..haha
ill detail the job...
apollo are offering a 3month summer teaching placement(see their advert) accomodation(hotel) and flight paid for ($1000 allowance) and $412 a month for 18 hrs per week teaching.$14-19 per hour extra teaching.
ive read about and looked at apollo and they seem to be a reputable/0k school to work in....
i just want a short contract and my flight paid so not too bothered bout salary as long as i can buy food and beer...and get by
please let me know more if you know any more and thanks for all the feedback.
would love to hear from anyone who has done this 3month programme for apollo or is considering it, and also in da nang.apollo offered 3 choices.hcmc,hanoi or da nang.
cheers all

lizarddoctor · Joined: 11 Aug 2004 Posts: 141 Location: HCMC, Vietnam

412$/mo for 18$ a week? Doesn't matter what they promise as far as a recommendation from me anyway. The base salary is 15$/hr for any new incomming westerner and depending on your qualifications up to 20$ is more of a good figure to look for. Take that 18 hours a week at 15$ (minimum) and you are still going to pull 1080$/month and that doesn't count the hours that you will be pulling at another school to beef up that total. Housing costs are minimal and I wouldn't count on getting an extra 1000$ for airfare after the summer, though it might happen. Word to the wise, get the cash upfront in the form of a respectable salary and buy the plane ticket yourself.

One of the online newbie to Vietnam bait tactics if you ask me. Summertime is golden months to be a teacher in HCMC and most make from 2500-3000/month.

duduanna · Joined: 12 Mar 2008 Posts: 12

cheers for that reply lizard..great stuff

reading reviews of teachers who have taught at apollo the school do pay back the $1000 with flight receipt so im not worried about that bit.

i dont want to work in hcmc but near the coast in a quieter place...only 2 schools in danang.apollo and ILA(ILA dont have any short term contracts)

only want a short term stay till august as moving to spain in september so the 3 month contract seems ideal..

ive read on various sites that you can live very well on $500 a month so
it dosnt seem too far away to me...

any comments related to da nang or whether i could live simply on $412 a month would be welcome...or any teachers who have done this 3 month placement...

duduanna · Joined: 12 Mar 2008 Posts: 12

cheers for the info jerry

yes have been on saigonesl.com and apollo is mentioned as being ok as a school and is listed in the districts in hcmc and hanoi...not much more info than that though..

AnnMouse · Joined: 06 Mar 2007 Posts: 14

Hi, there OP, I did this myself last year in Hanoi so I can tell you how it worked out for me.

I got a $1000 to cover the cost of my flight. 50% was paid up front on arrival and I got the rest at the end of the contract. The cost of my business visa was also reimbursed immediately. The cost of my transfers from and back to the airport were also paid and I was met at the airport by a really nice girl who worked as a teaching assistant at the school. When I got to the city centre I was met by one of the senior staff who took me out for coffee and we had a good chat about what to expect.
I was scheduled to work about 20 hours a week, which was tough to start with as I was new to the city and everything but I soon got into it
The school paid for the total cost of my accommodation which was in a guesthouse hotel. I am guessing from asking around that that would have been about $400 a month going on the nightly rates for hotels in Hanoi. I don't imagine that they would be that much cheaper in Danang and like you OP I was only gonna be there for 3 months, so I wouldn't have wanted to find my own accommodation and work all at the same time so I think it worked out as a good deal.
Maybe Jerrymcb and Lizarddoctor are coming at this from the point of view of someone who has spent more time in Vietnam but as a short term thing it worked out great for me. Oh, and with all my other costs covered I could live fine on the monthly allowance and actually ended up getting paid some overtime at the end of the contract too, so there you go

deessell2 · Joined: 11 Jun 2005 Posts: 132 Location: Under the sun

Carriec65 · Joined: 22 May 2007 Posts: 3 Location: England

If u have any q's I did this last summer, the stipend was pretty hard to live, so you do have to be careful. But that said I had a wonderful experience.....

RedRoof · Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Posts: 30 Location: Australia

I've not worked in Apollo Da Nang before . . . . though that's where I'm going this Summer.

I have done two previous summers in Apollo Ha Noi and as you have noted from other posts I've made, I'm able to make positive comments on the experience and the company.

I'm the first to admit it's not the most earth shatteringly astronomical rate of remuneration. As a colleague @ Le Van Hue campus (in Ha Noi) pointed out last year, he does much better at casual teacher wages and covering his own expenses. BUT, if you only want (as I do) a short term position and to escape winter in OZ, it's an easy option.

Personally I don't want the hassle of bonds, looking for accommodation, setting up house, connecting utilities etc. I've been as happy as the proverbial porcine animal in wet earth in a one star Viet hotel with delightful Viet staff in 2006-07.

I also don't want overtime so the hours allocated are fine by me. The person doing the hiring / allocations this year was teaching in the school last year. This promotes confidence that her comprehension of the needs of teachers will facilitate consideration & fair treatment.

I'm looking forward to Da Nang and the numerous Bia Hois!

Feel free to communicate offline.

byeeee
Red Roof

RedRoof · Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Posts: 30 Location: Australia

Hangh

Thanks for the heads up on changing prices.

The deal is Apollo is paying accommodation(note, two "m"s), airfares ($1000), visas (last year $170 OZ) airport pick up/ drop off.

Thus the monthly salary is food, drink and "entertainment / miscellaneous" money. I love street food, beer & gin are very cheap and I'm easy to entertain!

byeeeee
RedRoof

teacherviet · Joined: 30 Nov 2007 Posts: 18

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have just returned from a short holiday to Danang and it would be very difficult , if not impossible, to live on US$14 per day. Prices have increased substantially, 40-50 per cent. However, it depends on your living standards. Therefore, if you are similar to redroof and can live like
a PIG "proverbial porcine animal in wet earth" Apollo wants to hear from you

duduanna · Joined: 12 Mar 2008 Posts: 12

cheers redroof..great stuff

hope to meet up with you in da nang for a cheap gin or two..

ive never been able to spell accomodation..or much els for that matter
and ive always thought an OHP was an old aged pensioner

thanks all for taking the time to reply and for all the input and valid comments..its helped me a lot

hen · Joined: 17 Apr 2008 Posts: 1 Location: australia

I'm also going to Danang this year, and the stuff I've read here has helped me to decide that it is the kind of experience that I want. Looking forward to meeting up with duduanna and redroof and (hopefully) chatting over a gin or two.