Job Discussion Forums

[eclectic]

with a BA in English, 1 year teaching exp in Korea, and no tefl cert. (Im not talking about Korea, Japan, Taiwan or China)

[gajackson1]

off of the top of my head? Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos.

I can't say for Indonesia or Malaysia. Don't think you have enough experience to secure a job here in Brunei, and it is *rarely* fast here, evne when teachers are in demand.

I'm sure there are other places, but you want a job fast? you can pretty much secure jobs on arrival in those 4, if you have copies of your stuff all sorted & are willing to do a little pavement-pounding.

~G~

[eclectic]

Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos-- sounds good. Well when I say quick I mean within a few weeks or so of arriving. I heard Thailand is a break-even cost of living situation, and Vietnam about the same, but I hear Laos is great and somewhat less publicized.

Malaysia isnt easy to get into--Brunei, wow, sounds fascinating and exotic, I know almost nothing except that there is a big Muslim population there and the country is run by a Sultan, is that right? Imagine its hot and humid there. What kind of food do they eat, like Philipino kind of or even INdonesian?

[roamingteacher]

Thailand is much better than "breaking even" - most teachers have a lifestyle much more luxurious and hedonistic than anything they could afford at home...

[eclectic]

i have heard several times that not only does one break even, but one even has to dip into savings to get by there. I guess those are real partiers and big spenders. On the other hand I see salaries are only 800-900 US/mo. Even with a low cost of living, its hard to see saving more than 200-300 dollars/mo. But I guess there are those who live like I would--frugally--and could live luxuriously as you say.

[roamingteacher]

Oh - I didn't say anything about saving. Rents vary massively from a couple of thousand baht to over 20k, so it really depends on what you're willing to settle for. 2k will still get you a decent living space. To save, you'd need to have good quals and get a job in a 'decent' school - whether EFL or international. But in the meantime, there's a wide variety of experiences to enjoy and travelling around the country is very affordable.

[eclectic]

OK now I get you. Living luxuriously its true does NOT mean---and probably precludes the notion of--saving any damn money! hahaha thats pretty damn funny. Well hey, I wouldnt mind it for a month or 2, or 3, or even 4 but Id start to want to save after all my teaching hours, and so for me, luxury is less attractive than saving. If I were 24 again, hahaha, and that goes a way back, I'd do that luxury thing ina minute, and for more than 4 mos. too.

[TheBee'sKnees]

Who told you Vietnam qualifies as a "break even" situation? Cost of living vs income in either Saigon or Hanoi is certainly good enough to have a relatively leisurely life. But do you have any plans to get a tefl cert? If so you could certainly make more money and live quite luxuriously.

[eclectic]

well I can save 1,200 US dollars a month in Korea, but wihtout a tefl too!
I was gonna get the 40 hour online tefl from i-to-i which has no classroom hours.

What could you make and save in vietnam then? pls advise.

[gajackson1]

sorry about not being more specific -

I just commented on this in another thread (about Laos), but will restate it here:

If you are qualified, saavy, attractive, etc., yes - you can find 'a good job' and 'make good money' and 'live a nice lifestyle' in some of these countries.

But the longer you stay, the more you find you WON'T be able to fly back to the Americas, Japan, vacation in Western Europe, etc. on a regular basis.

$750USD/month is a whole, WHOLE lotta money in Vietnam. You can live truly large on that kind of salary. And have awesome times in Laos, Cambodia, most of Thailand, etc.

But that isn't going to get you far re: that trip to Barcelona, or popping through London on your way back to Canuckistan.

So by 'break even' I didn't really mean your local time/lifestyle; I meant in the larger scheme of things. You live well while there, but are losing out on other earning potential & 1st-world places the longer you stay.

That being said, for a lot of people, the day-in, day-out quality of life *IS* the larger scheme of things.



G.

[eclectic]

good points gaj, I understand. Once one ducks out of or below the radar, yeah, one lives royally in 2nd/3rd world set-ups. But after a few years, the savings arent even there to fly out! And if they are, then youll be arriving in Los Angeles or Toronto, say, broke. And who the F wants to go back there anyway? Still, it eliminates those trips abroad, though one could live great 4ever in Laos or India for example. Kind of burns bridges, which scares the living ^%#^ out of me!

[Seibu]

[khmerhit]

c a m b o d i a
TRY IT AND SEE

[parrothead]

[AdamtheJohnson]