Job Discussion Forums

[saigon cowboy]

The korean crisis is getting worse by the hour. North Korea threatens to annialate the south, specifically Seoul.

Those esl teachers are going to start bailing out soon and glut the market here in Saigon and Thailand.

Let's hope it all get's resolved soon.

[Oneonta]

[saigon cowboy]

I heard it on BBC World News, NHK out of Tokyo...english edition, and several vietnamese news sources ( my viet girlfriend who speaks very good english translating ).

North Korea has detonated a nuclear bomb and has launched 2 missles over the Sea of Japan all within the last few days.

Yes, 56 years of suedo peace and north korea just tore up the treaty.

Like I said....hope it get's resolved soon.

[Oneonta]

[inky]

The same place he learned how to punctuate "get's."

[saigon cowboy]

I did not hear about teachers leaving korea, but if they start fighting don't you think most teachers will get out before it escalates.

That north korean prezz is sick and getting more crazy everyday.

Yes inky, thanks. I hope it GETZ resovled soon...

[roadballmint]

I'm teaching in Seoul right now and 1) the Norks are always threatening to annihilate the south, and 2) I have not heard of anyone planning to leave Korea over this.

Having said that, if things got bad enough for foreign teachers to start leaving, most of them would probably try for Japan, China or Taiwan. Honestly, the entire SE Asia region is too far off most people's radar screens up here. Very few teachers here seem interested in SE Asia. I wouldn't worry about the Vietnam ESL market becoming flooded with former teachers from Korea any time soon

[inky]

Not to mention the fact that if an actual war broke out nobody would have a chance to leave, everything would be obliterated. MOD EDIT

[Green Acres]

If the north attacks the south, then it will be a major calamity. No one will have any notice of the attack. The north's forces are mostly long-range cannons that will rain bombs upon seoul (50% of the population of SK). The southern areas may be hit with rockets, but I don't think they would use nukes. All areas 75 kilometers south of the DMZ would be relatively safe. It is why all the air bases and industries are there in the first place.

Really, most people don't believe that war will occur. Just sabre rattling. Technically, the two nations are still at war. An armistace was signed in 1953 that only divided the country. Disolving the armistace agreement, which Kim Il Jung threatens, is a refusal to reconcile differences peacefully.

Teachers are always coming here from Korea, more than from Japan, interestingly enough. They find it an interesting alternative to NE Asian lifestyles. Ultimately, the jobs in NE Asia are better and provide more benefits.

SE Asia could not even employ .10% of the Korean ESL professionals, should they choose to come here en masse. It's almost irrelevant should they decide to come here. It might root out some of the cowboy professionals in the south, but not for long. Vietnam will never be a place to develop a career or business, though there was a nice window of opportunity a few years ago and some people did make out well.

Those days are over. For example, ESL workers in Korea pay about 3% tax, maybe a little more. In contrast, new laws here are requiring their conterparts in Vietnam to pay 20%. This is a stark difference, and then when one compares the development and relative kindness and fairness of the Korean system (relatively speaking) to the lack of development and chaos one must overcome in Vietnam, well, taxation without representation will make anyone boil. It's obvious that the government is not only looking for new revenues (to replace shrinking FDI revenues), but that they also have an agenda to invite the world in to develop and give assistance, but then to later make it difficult for them to stay, so that they leave on their own accord. Vietnam, until the last 15 years, was closed to outsiders. While the country has opened, it still is fundamentally closed to outsiders -- this includes Viet Kyu. This is an actual policy position which is written about in many schools of business. I have read it before from students studying in business schools. I think it actually has historical reference to the last king of Vietnam, who thought he could invite the French in to help him settle his country and protect him from his enemies, but when he wanted them to leave, well, that's when the trouble started. If one wishes to find more examples of this policy in action, then check with different business blogs and journals about Vietnam. You will find many stories of illegitamate means used to "discourage" business investments.

Additionally, what feeds this policy is the censorship and complete control of the media by the government. The education system is an indoctrination system. I won't even go into what they teach the young to think and believe. They have allowed westerners to come here, but under very strict controls. The government will keep tight control of everything and everyone. They do not want to make the same mistake of the last Vietnamese king. That's all to say on the matter here, do your own research and come up with your own answers. In the end, the market here is small, it will always be small, and there will always be a trickle of people coming and going (since it takes a few years to really understand what's happening here). One can expect a massive exodus in the next 6 months, however. As long as the economy stays relatively firm, there will be more jobs in the future. The question will be, does anyone really want them. Why do you think wages are higher in Vietnam than in any other SE Asian country?