Job Discussion Forums

[tarheelbaby]

Hi,

I just graduated from college, early 20's and moving to Vietnam by myself in September to do the CELTA at ILA (despite lots of the criticism it seems to receive). I have done a fair bit of traveling in developing countries so I'm not to worried about that aspect... however I am still pretty terrified about moving by myself and jumping into the whole ESL business with pretty much no experience. Does anybody have any good advice?

p.s I've been pouring all the posts on the Vietnam forum which has only made me more nervous. Bought a plane ticket yesterday though so no turning back

[kigolo1881]

JUST DO IT!
Keep an open heart, mind and get thick skin.


I'm moving to VN myself middle of september, though this time its NOT for teaching.

[PeregrinationStation]

I'm doing the same thing, except taking CELTA at the Language Link in Hanoi. I'm hoping "just do it" is good advice.

Anyhow, feel free to drop me a line & we can talk our jitters out!

[kigolo1881]

What specific questions or tips do you want for your move?

[tarheelbaby]

Best city to live in, what to bring, how much money, etc.

On another note, Just do it seems like pretty good advice to me. Guess I'll find out when I get there!

[kigolo1881]

Well as far as I know, HCMC is the largest metropolitan city in the south, there's Hanoi in the North, which is the seat of the Govt.

There are smaller cities in central VN, such as Nha Trang (beach, vacation, tourism centered).
Da Nang- mid sized city of 1+ million ppl.

Most businesses are centered in HCMC, so I believe that's always a good starting point as well as since the Int'l Airport is located there.

Money wise, since i'm going there in September and not having many connections, i'd assume 1000 - 1500 USD/ mo should be enough for rent, food and entertainment.

As for clothing, bring basics such as underwear and good quality tshirts or dress shirts for work etc. Depending on you size and style, it might be difficult to find something you like. 1 or 2 good sets of dress shoes, casuals shoes and sneakers, there are cheap sneakers in VN but the qual is bad. If you need a suit, wait til u get to VN and get it tailored. I got a decent suit and 5 pairs of really nice slacks for about 150 USD. Dress shirts i prefer to buy in the US, since i can get collar size and sleeves in various lenghts, compared to the S,M,L size chart.

Cosmetics: sunblock is always good. Lotion if u need, get your toothbrushes in bulk (dentists recommend 1 for every 3 months), contact lense solution?

If you're a girl and need a hairdryer, bring a transformer since VN has a 2 round-prong 220V system.

If you have a laptop, digicam, other electronics, then just a socket adaptor is enough since most chargers can convert the power output. usually the power bricks say 110V~220V. Also, in some hotels that i stayed in there were multi purpose outlest so u could US and European (germany etc.)

Deodorant was available almost everywhere for just a little bit more.

Bring peptobismol or other OTC for upset stomachs. Get some pills for diarrhea while you're at it.

I'm Vietnamese, but never been back there and had the runs for 3 weeks on my first visit, afterwards it was OK. You will lose weight!

[HarryG]

Hey-I'm moving up there in August, probably to Hanoi but who knows... I have to admit, despite travelling before I'm quite nervous about this time. I feel like paying for the CELTA is sort of a financial commitment to spend quite a lot of time teaching so I hope I'm cut out for it. I fly out next week to ECC in Bangkok and feel very under-prepared!

If you want to share any worries/advice please PM me your email-it's always nice to have a potential contact on the ground.

I've heard some bad things about ILA as well but it seems like every big school gets bad-mouthed a fair bit-and it seems to be more as an employer than a teacher trainer.

Finally-I try to gain some confidence from the fact that I would be very impressed, jealous and supportive if a friend of mine was doing the same thing. This makes me think that my own advice to myself would always be= go for it! (if you see what I mean)

Good luck

Harry

[kigolo1881]

I'm flying from the US to BKK end of august for alittle vacation with friends for a week. After that, they'll fly home, but i'll head over to HCMC for 'hopefully' a job.

I've visited VN twice in 2005 for a total of 8 weeks with friends, but this time, i'll be all by myself and will need a roof over my head etc.

Any of you going to be in HCMC or def. Hanoi?

[tarheelbaby]

I'll be in HCMC, at least for the time being, as that's where I'm taking the CElTA. Don't have a clue what I'm doing, although in past travels that has always proven to be the most exciting and potentially rewarding part. I'd also love to have some contacts all over since in the next few months I will be deciding which city to try to find a job in.

[kparsons]

For starters, don't worry -- you're doing everything you should be. Taking the CELTA is the best way to get acquainted with language teaching (for adults -- kids is a different story). I'm certain you will find it hugely beneficial (despite being a major financial commitment).

What the best city to live in depends entirely upon you and what you want to get out of living here. If you'd like to be somewhere where there are few foreigners and you get a more "authentic" Vietnamese experience, choose Haiphong or Danang.... If you want to live in a city, choose Hanoi or HCMC. HCMC is much bigger than Hanoi, so it depends on how big you want your city.

$1000-$1500 a month to live on is A LOT in Vietnam. I certainly hope you don't spend that much (which would mean you'd be spending everything you earn...). Again, this amount will depend entirely on you. You can find incredibly cheap places to live (esp. if you share a house w/others), or you can spend a bit more and get a nicer place with more amenities. If you want to go out and drink every night, that's certainly going to increase your budget, as will the food you choose to eat -- if you eat on the street, it's very cheap. Whereas shopping in a grocery store can be a bit expensive (compared to buying some of these things at home).

As for things to bring -- are you male or female? There are many posts regarding this issue. Shoes, bras, and anything in larger sizes (and, when I say "large," I mean larger than the tiny Vietnamese people) can be damn near impossible to find. You can get items tailored, which is fairly reasonable, so that's always an option as well. Electronics are ungodly expensive here, so if you need to buy a phone or laptop, etc., buy it beforehand.

Good luck!

[kigolo1881]

I was thinking in terms of 1000-1500 USD in terms of the first few months before having a job and steady income, as well as getting used to new things, such as rent, food, furniture, supplies and entertainment.

Isn't it better to budget high than too little?

[tarheelbaby]

kigolo, you said you are not moving to vietnam for teaching this time- what are you going to be doing?

[kigolo1881]

tarheel,

i'm trying to find employment in a regular company within the transportation, import/export and banking industry.

I should never rule out teaching however.

[Torontonian]

Hey, I'll be going to Vietnam in September as well to teach in HCMC. Probably near the end since I'll be taking my Tesol course in two weeks. I actually just came back from a month vacation there and absolutely fell in love with it, hence Im going back so soon!

So are you teaching in HCMC too?? if you are, you're gonna have a fantastic time! its such am amazing city with so much culture and things to do. Just don't forget sun screen and a hat!

[sigmoid]