Job Discussion Forums

[Gravity]

Hello from Chicago. This is my first post. I have a BA degree in Poetry, more important is a love of the English language. I have grown weary of my fast paced city life and looked in to teaching English abroad as a possible escape. The country which seemed most attractive was Vietnam, which first aroused my interest due to Anthony Bourdaine's: No Reservations. The people seem very kind and that attracts me. I have also read in the forums here and elsewhere that I can expect students that are quite diligent and respectful. I have not taught English before and I'm only 23, so I'm only new and I want to learn and do a good job. I study Buddhism and Taoism and would appreciate learning more about them in a country where they take a larger cultural relevance. I am interested in any references or places where I might be able to learn more about Vietnam's spiritual culture with so many faces. Anything you could tell me about that would be much appreciated. I am asking any advice from you where to go to teach or visit, and should anything have about my situation or personality, I hope, struck you, so shall it guide your comment. I feel as if I can only see out of one eye and it looks at Vietnam through the internet. My eye asks how does one make decisions about a home before seeing the house? I only have inclinations which right now after research point to Da Nang. It seems large enough where I could go to a language school, get a CELTA, find a decent job in a couple of months, get a Work Permit, maybe get a second job if necessary and always enjoy the beach. Da Nang seems smaller and the pace of life slower than HCMC and Hanoi. Can anyone comment as to that and their experiences in Da Nang, teaching or visiting? I am not so concerned with making money and moreso need a break from wild city life. I also want to know about your experiences comparing and contrasting Da Nang and the larger cities, as to the darker and leftout elements of life there, the part that is graciously left out of advertised city life, for example, does Da Nang have similar amounts of homelessness, drug dealings/using, crime, etc. the seedier element of existence. I don't ask this because I come to the country looking for trouble, but because I am trying to put together a larger picture of what it is like to be there in my head. I want the sky with birds, and the soup with a black fly. Thank you for helping me decide and it is nice to be posting with you all. O. Mishkin.

[sg9015]

I don't find Saigon seedy at all, maybe I don't go out enough but it is certainly much more below the surface than London.

I get the feeling that the fly reference is a literary one rather than a literal one but if you want flies in your soup I'm sure most places would happily oblige.

I am yet to visit Danang so I can't give you a comparison on that front. My advice to you would be to come to Saigon, the largets marketplace for EFL teachers, sample that for a few months first, make sure you enjoy it and then venture up to Danang or elsewhere.

Saigon is a busy city but it has its quieter areas and I have found that the pace of life here falls into that happy medium area. It's also easy and relatively cheap to get away for a few days if you want to kick back on a beach in Mui Nei/Phan Tiet.

[deessell2]

Any chance you could use paragraphs?

The ONLY way you could work in Danang would be to apply with either ILA or Apollo. You will need to get a work permit to stay in the country longer than three months. These two companies have branches in Danang and would be able to arrange your work permit.

I think that Danang would be considered a good"post" for the people who would like a break from Hanoi and Saigon, the people who have been here for a while. Might be more difficult for someone new to country?

Rent is also expensive, I hear. There is a big Korean and Japanese foreign community and that keeps foreign prices quite high.

[Zembekiko1Aegean]

Talk about starry-eyed. Anthony Bourdain? Take a year off, perhaps visit Nepal. Go back to Chicago and teach in inner-city schools....and then come and teach in SE Asia. Have you thought about doing volunteer work for an NGO? Lots of that stuff in Cambodia and Laos. ILA will eat you up and spit you out. Sorry.

[snollygoster]

Compared to Saigon? I have worked in both. VATC also have a branch in Da Nang, so there are now 3 contenders- also Univeriy of Queensland (thats in Australia) have a ELC in Danang University- magically there are now 4 viable possibilities.
Da Nang has clean air, and good beaches-there is no major crime, and its small enough to be a tight knit community. Close to Hoi An where there are lots of tourists and excellent food, theres a hill station at Ba Na not far away and its cool there, and its got a cable car to get you up to the top. Also near by are the marble Mountains-riddled with caves containing Buddhist relics.
If you are looking for a genuine Buddhist experience, I suggest that Vietnam is not a typical Buddhist country as you might imagine Buddhism to be in the East. Too materialistic to fall into that category, but it does offer an interesting blend of Buddhism, Taoism mixed with local animism and incorporating western ideas such as capitalism.
Negative -Da Nang has really bad storms frequently- People die in them-that serious.
Da nang DOES have the comforts a westerner expects (you may have to look for them) and it DOES have a more laid back lifestyle than Saigon. If you're into contemplating your navel, with butter on your baguette, then it may suit you.
Negative note- Da nang has bad storms that kill people. Frequently.

[haller_79]

I think Da Nang is the most livable city out of it, Hanoi and Saigon, BUT (and its a big one), it gets a really bad monsoon season from October to around March (and can even get cold), so if you are going to live there do it outside these months and you will enjoy it a lot more. One other drawback there is the lack of culture. The biggest plus other than the beaches and great seafood are the people, definately the friendliest in Vietnam.

[Gravity]

Yes, i can use paragraphs haha, sorry for the text block. I hope my response isn't too hefty. I feel as if I'm getting mixed reviews about teaching in Vietnam. The consensus seems to be that it is great despite certain difficulties which are well worth the effort. But others seem to have a more negative opinion on it, as in "don't even try." Can anyone enlighten me as to that?

"If you want flies in your soup I'm sure most places would happily oblige." Lol sg, yes, a literary one. I think you answered my question about the character of the city. When you talk about a happy medium, as to pace of life, can you elaborate on that more sg and maybe discuss your day to day life?

Zembekiko, I get the feeling you don't like Anthony I think he's wonderful. You are offering me the suggestion of first getting more real life experience and consider me to be "starry-eyed" because I want to get this in a place that is new and so unusual to me. And naturally, whatever from the outside has influenced me, to the consideration of an insider, is an adulterated or idealistic version of how it actually is. Why do you say ILA will eat me up and spit me out? Is it ILA you mean, or Vietnam???

For my purposes I'll have my soul, my BA, looking for a CELTA or equivalent, enough money to go somewhere on a one way ticket, spending money to last while I get on my feet, and then from there is how it goes. What is so wrong with that? I haven't thought about working for an NGO. They mostly seem to be for volunteer or internships when I search the web. I need to be able to make as much or a little more than I spend. May I ask you this: Are there any NGOs in Vietnam, Cambodia, or Laos that you know of which you would recommend?

Great suggestions all. I hope other people are getting as much out of this too. I have a lot of time to plan so any information or suggestions I can get at this point is wonderful. Much love.
O. Mishkin