Job Discussion Forums

[specialsauce]

to get the topic back on track may i suggest you try vietnam. i understand it has a growing teaching establishment.

thailand - the qualifications are excessive and the money horrible. lots of scams (thi sis thailand!) and often will want you to teach on a tourist visa (DONT!)

cambodia - pretty much the same (teacher glut).

[junkmail]

[indy76]

I think Cambodia is the place to be now. Thailand keep changing the rules every 2 minutes. Vietnam is not my thing!

[norbdemn]

I lived in Thailand for two years. I really appreciate the Thai culture/Mentality when I look beyond their issues. It is a pleasant culture and I miss it dearly.

I believe Thailand is safe but not as safe as it used to be. Previous to my two years, I taught in Taiwan and Japan. While in Taiwan and Japan (1999-2001), I used to go to Thailand on holiday. During this period it was care-free. But now, it is getting a bit dangerous/uncertain with the insurgency down south and the govt - I know firsthand. During my two years in Thailand (2004 - 06), I was a victim in a bombing in Hat Yai. Luckily I escaped with a small shrapnel wound on my forearm - others weren't so lucky.

As far as teaching there, I have heard the govt. is going nuts with verifying qualifications and setting higher visa regulations (probably due to Karr - the pedophile caught over there at the time). This is going to push teachers to go elsewhere. They may have relaxed these regulations recently but am not sure.

I have also visited Vietnam and Cambodia. Cambodia is very third world like others have stated here. It had a ghost-town vibe. I just stayed a few days to visit Angkorwat. I thought the people were very friendly but would not want to live there.

I enjoyed Vietnam a great deal as well. In a lot of ways it is similar to Thailand except it is a few rungs down the third world ladder. I felt very comfortable here and loved the people as well. Actually, I think it would be good to go here since they are going through tremendous development now partly due to reestablishing trade with the US. There are beaches, islands, etc. You can make double or even triple than what you can make in Thailand and the living costs are about the same as Thailand (although it is getting more expensive).

Anywhere you go in SE Asia, go with the flow and maintain your cool no matter the situation. You need to be as diplomatic as you can. This worked for me but I am also a mellow guy for the most part.

Good Luck!

[Riding One]

Instead of starting a new thread, I'll ask about Cambodia here. I think this is fair.

How is the teacher's market for job availability right now in PP?

(Summer 2008.)



Thanks.

[Elkythedogsperson]

I would also like to here more about Cambodia right now. I am hoping to go back.

I left PP a year ago after completing a one year term at Western University. I enjoyed it very much and actually regret leaving (I came back to the western hemisphere for family reasons, family in the States) and am now teaching in Mexico. I spent a several months in Thailand before gong to Phnom Penh.

Regarding the general topic, I preferred Cambodia over Thailand. There is (well, was, it has been a year since I left) a big need for teachers there. However, the system is not as developed. Immigration is much easier to deal with in Cambodia than Thailand (employment visa and such). At the university I was at in PP, I found the students generally much less respectful by far than Thailand. Still, as a westerner, I was treated well. Finding jobs in Cambodia is generally done by word of mouth or just plain hitting the street...few schools there post jobs online. http://www.camtefl.org/ might be a good start though. Also http://www.khmer440.com/ and http://www.bayonpearnik.com/

In Cambodia you must deal with the poverty and the scars that remain from the black years...while certainly not a Sierra Leone (never been there, just heard stories) the legacy of the past is going to be in your face daily and this is not sopmething for the feint of heart. But the resilency of the people is amazing. The Khmer culture survives and it is strong.

As for physical danger, it�s there, but just stay away from certain areas at night, be cafreful when traveling alone as a barang, make local connections...a good regular tuk-tuk driver is a great fixer for anything in the city and will watch out for you and is honored to be at your beck and call provided you treat him with the respect he deserves.

The culture and the people are truly warm and caring. I had gotten burned out by a year in PP and had wnted to head toward an outlying city, Shinoukeville, Kratie, Battambang or SR, where an upper level teacher would be wanted but, as said above, things called be back here to the west. I hope to be back by 2009.

Anyone who�s there now, I�d love to hear from you.

[Kirkpatrick]

I am also interested in Cambodia, I hae beeen teaching in China, Korea, Japan, taiwan, and Thailand... i am sick and tired of all the visa games...From the sounds of it, it seems like in Cambodia you hae none of these problems... You just pay for a business visa and start teaching is this true??? Also how long would it take to find a job in June??? Also is arriving with a 1000usd enough to get started?? I am currently in China and am getting absolutely nowhere.... Been screwed over in China about 3 times now... It doesn't matter.... Anyways, I really must get the hell out of here.... Any help would be apperiated...

[khmerhit]

Cambodia. Try it and see.

[verite]

Well Thailand does have some violence here and there but on the whole (and since it has a lot more population than Cambodia) it is far safer.

Cambodia is a dangerous place in many ways. Most of the streets have no lights at all at night (so walking is a gamble depending on your size and ability to fight). The moto drivers at night will try to pull stuff that they will not try in the daylight. As far as the traffic: it is far worse in PP than anywhere in Thailand. There is no pretense given to laws or right of way. I have seen police knock down other motos with theirs and just keep going. Everyday you can see an accident an maybe fatal in PP.

PP does have teaching jobs. Most are part time teaching jobs that are available in PP. More Khmers speak English than Thais. That might have to do with the fact they realize that Khmay is not used anywhere else in the world.

I spent 4 years in Thailand and 1 year in Cambodia. The one year in Cambodia felt like far more than the 4 years in Thailand. Thailand does think it is the greatest place on the planet and has done a lot to drive farang out of the place. A lot of them are ending up in Cambodia. As for the sex business that is all every girl is in Cambodia. You are not going to meet any girl who doesn't want money. And if you do the math of what is the normal salary of a person working and what these girls are making it is far more than prostitutes make in the West.

It would be good if there were options away from the seedy money only night life in PP but there isn't. You must take into account who makes up the foreign population when considering a place to teach. Who is there? IN PP it is sex tourists (and those now out of Thailand). Is that what you really want to be around?

(Yeah, and the other contingent is the living out of touch with the real life NGO people who are making money from misery.)

[Green Acres]

I have taught in all three countries, and after reading the posts, I have to agree with everyone. Nice one.

If I were to go back to any of the countries, I would do so like this:

Thailand....for a few months working on an island teaching hospitality English or something like that. a working holiday, so to speak. I love Thai food and culture, and while some parts of Thailand are dangerous, I have never had much fear, perhaps because I am male, but all the same. The wages in Thailand are too low to make a year commitment to the place, so it's not the place to make a career, or something like that.

Cambodia...for a year working in Siem Riep or Phnom Penh. If you have never been there, then there is much to learn over a period of time, and the people are really nice. I didn't care for the food so much, but the culture is deep and there is much history to learn. Wages are also better than Thailand, so staying a year or so won't break the bank.

Vietnam is a good place if you can find a decent job. Many jobs in HCMC pay no more than those in Cambodia. I'd rather be in Cambodia than work for such wages, especially now that Vietnam is getting congested and expensive. Research and study in Vietnam is not easy, since most libraries were burned in 1975; much history erased. As well, the search for information/truth is not a high priority, even within the university community. As a place to live, it offers no distinct advantage, unless you have a great job that pays you about 2500$ or more per month. The other advantage is that there are usually plenty of jobs, whereas in Cambodia, there are usually a lot of people looking for jobs.

If you are backpacking, then try all of them. Vietnam is the place to get your cash up and the other two countries are great places to LOSE IT!! In a good way, of course....lol

[markustm]

Each Country has its very own character, and really depends on what you are looking for.

1): Vietnam

Generally, there are plenty of good jobs in Vietnam, but the downside is that bigger cities are getting more congested, and it is not cheap to rent in Vietnam. New work permit regulations may even create better salaries for those who qualify.

Also Vietnam has a very strong culture, which may not feel that welcoming to mainstream western visitors. Going local is tougher than in other South-east Asian countries.

2): Thailand

Great if you have never been to Asia before, but if you have lived in Asian countries- a bit of a tourist trap.

Teaching in Thailand is "okay," but does not support the lifestyle you can have in other Asian Countries. Also Thais tend to be "money" minded, so as a teacher, the average 'Tourist" is more respected or wanted.

3) Cambodia

A tragic failed state with a macho appeal. Living conditions can be rough, if you are on a part-time teachers salary, food not great, and the Khmers are used to comparing Westerners to the wealthy NGO's, who personally profit from the poverty.

There are too many unpaid vacations, a continuous glut of wanna be "macho" teachers, and basically too few full time contracts. Teaching is not really a career in Cambodia, and getting ahead is not a reason to stay there. Everything feels temporary.

Whats cool about Cambodia?. Been there, thrived, struggled, and lived. But not willing to brag about it, like many others seem to. And its all so temporary.

[khmerhit]

nothing temporary about cambodia, mate. odd thing to say.















C A M B O D I A
Try it and see.

[Solar Strength]

So which is better - Thailand, Vietnam, or Cambodia?

I have enjoyed teaching in Bangkok but I wouldn't go so far as to say that it isn't dangerous. Stay of the scooters and out of tuk tuks, the roads are dangerous especially on the islands, like Phuket. Lots of people get killed on scooters. There is a lot more gun action than I realized before coming to Thailand - Assassinations, and just gun violence in general. A lot of mafia also - i.e., taxi mafia, etc.

I like Thai food but I don't think it has much culture. I mean the food seems to be borrowed from India and the culture from China.

Some may disagree, but I like having the big shopping malls in Bangkok. Nice to catch a movie or go into the food court sometimes.

For me, I don't think I'd like to go any lower on the developed country ladder than Thailand.

[Marconi]

[MrMrLuckyKhan]