Job Discussion Forums

AngelaNguyen · Joined: 29 Mar 2006 Posts: 2

Hi Everyone!

I apologize if I should have posted this in the Newbie forum. I am graduating in a year with a Masters in Elementary Ed. Although I don't have TEFL Certification, my student teaching was and 1 year internship will be in ESL inclusion rooms. I also spent a year in college teaching English in China.

Now my family and I want to move to HCMC, Vietnam to live. My husband is Vietnamese and was raised there. But, as he doesn't have a Bachelor's degree I wonder what work will be available to him? He is a plotter/wideformat printer technician here and makes good money, but the situation is different over there. Also, our one son will be about ready to start Kindergarten by the time we move.

The Career Development Program at the University of New Mexico is an all expense paid, intensive Master's Program that even alocates the 24 students accepted a living stipend. Also, my Bachelors was in Spanish, Mass Communications and International Politics, so my background is pretty well rounded.

I have been reading the discussions in the forum for a while and learned a lot, but I would still like to ask this question. Is it possible for me alone to earn enough to comfortably support my family of 3 and pay my son's school tuition? I am comfortable and familiar with Vietnamese ex-pat culture (the culture of the Vietnamese living in the US) but I have never lived in Vietnam. Has anyone ever brought their children to Vietnam?

Thanks for your advice and for all I have learned already from reading your posts!

Angela

mlomker · Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 378

I don't have specific knowledge, but I found myself wincing throughout your entire post. I think you'd be taking quite a risk by going right now.

Here's why: International schools for your child will cost an utter fortune and local schools are why Asians are so intent on sending their kids abroad! Your husband won't be able to earn a dime in Vietnam without a college degree. You will be going with what sounds like a good background but supporting three people? What if you get sick? Eek!

Hands-down the wealthiest teachers that go to Asia are licensed and have taught for a number of years in their home countries before they go. If you are licensed to teach then you should definitely get some experience here before you go! If you could get your husband into one of the 'easy' bachelor degree programs that have sprung up around the country then that'd be really smart.

If you both had degrees or if you were able to make 'International School' money (and often tuition for your children is free) then I wouldn't hesitate to tell you to go.

I think you need to think about this one...having a family is quite an obligation. I'm single, so I could afford to be reckless if I wanted to be.

legaleagle · Joined: 08 Jul 2005 Posts: 59 Location: HCMC

Angela, I'm certain that you can get very good work in Vietnam. You should use Mekongesl.com as a start and get the email addresses for the international schools. Send them your CV and see what happens. For work other than teaching, try vietnamworks.com. Might I ask if you also can speak Vietnamese? That would likely be helpful in the corporate setting.

Your husband can enrol in a bachelor's degree online or get a western degree in HCMC full-time in just over two years. Certainly you will earn a sufficient income to support your family in the meantime - I support my wife and we're having a baby in a few months. We have no problems with cash, and much less so than would be the case in the US of our one-earner situation.

If your husband doesn't want to go to school, he can also look on vietnamworks, as there are lots of different sectors which are hiring.

My particular experience with work is only in Saigon, but Hanoi likely also has good opportunities.

Good luck, just do it! You won't be sorry.

laconic · Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2006 7:37 am Post subject: Reservations

I also have reservations about what you are contemplating doing.

Does your child speak Vietnamese?

If so, you may be able to enroll him in a Vietnamese kindergarten and save yourself a lot of money. If not, you are going to have to come up with an alternative. Some of the alternatives will cost you a lot of money.

Does your husband still have family in Vietnam and are they in a position to assist you with various things while you are here? This could also be a determining factor.

I am not as optimistic as some who have written here as to your chances of a high paying position or your husband securing employment at a decent wage.

Think this through very carefully before you decide to come.

You may want to consider getting some experience in the U.S. and socking away some savings before you head this way. It will give you a cushion to land on in case you experience a hard landing when first arriving here.

Ultimately, it will be your decision, but the truth is income often plays a big part here in how much one enjoys the place.

I've found that those who have a job paying at the top end of the spectrum seem to enjoy it a lot more than those who do not and sometimes offer opinions very different than the vast majority of ESL teachers here.

Whatever the case, good luck!

legaleagle · Joined: 08 Jul 2005 Posts: 59 Location: HCMC

Hi, we all have our experiences, but I'm banking on a Masters in Elementary Ed being a pretty good ticket for supporting one's family here in Vietnam. It is also an interesting background for someone that has a kindergartner, as she could probably get a job at the same school where her baby attends. And there might not be any tuition for the baby! That is how I was seeing it - but hey, I'm an optimist! Probably better to stay in high-rent Orange County or similar, right? Just forget your dreams and stay home because it might not work out!

laconic · Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2006 9:57 am Post subject: Dreams

legaleagle · Joined: 08 Jul 2005 Posts: 59 Location: HCMC

The vast majority of teachers here have no (real) connection with Vietnam (they are farang) and many (99.9%?) have no M Ed in Elementary Education! A bunch don't even have a degree, bro! Sounds to me like she'll be fine after she gets her feet on the ground.

legaleagle · Joined: 08 Jul 2005 Posts: 59 Location: HCMC

I just went back and read to make sure I'm not giving Angela bad advice - she also spent a year in China! She is so far beyond the "average teacher" that it ain't even funny. She's actually a pro teacher, not just someone looking to teach over here.

legaleagle · Joined: 08 Jul 2005 Posts: 59 Location: HCMC

Because I am a problem-solver, and not a problem-maker, I would also like to add a couple of things to my posts above.

From what I can gather, international schools pay the big bucks if you are recruited from abroad, rather than from in-country. So my advice would be to look at the links below, and see if you can get hooked up with the recruiters (and hired) before you ever come over here.

FYI, I know a teacher at Saigon South and he makes $2700/month +$500 housing/month +$3000 for furniture/year + loads of extra cash/month for tutoring. You can easily support your family on that salary in Saigon. The links below should lead to this type of teaching job.

http://www.iss.edu/edustaff/jobs.html

http://www.cois.org/

Good luck to you.

laconic · Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2006 12:52 pm Post subject:

AngelaNguyen · Joined: 29 Mar 2006 Posts: 2

Thanks everyone for all of your responses! I never expected to get so many posts so quickly!!

I really appreciate everyone's advice and I'm glad I'm not getting only one perspective (such as deffinitely don't come or definitly do). I think what I'm getting out of this is that I need more information before making a decision to come or not at this time. We had been planning to take a trip before making the move anyway and what I really hoped to get out of this post is information to make me better prepared to do some research while I'm in country.

The way my Master's is set up I will have a year's experience when I graduate. But you are right that still isn't much. I also have a friend who is going through the process of listing with the American International Schools and I am keeping in touch with her as to how she is doing that. It takes a while and you need to wait for openings in the schools you are most interested in, but it is worth it once you're settled. Also, we have about 1/2 of our average, annual, US salary saved already for the move to assist us in getting settled.

With regards to language: My husband and son are bi-lingual and I am learing Vietnamese...I can almost hold a conversation but am still pretty pathetic at it. My husband's immediate family is all in the US, but he has Aunts, Uncles and Cousins in HCMC. They would love to have us stay with them but they aren't at all conected to the field of Education.

I agree that it would be better for us if my husband had a BA, but he really isn't good at the school thing. His English is fluent, but academic readings are still tough. He was 18 when he arrived in the US so the whole of his education was in Vietnam and he is more of a hands-on learner anyway. That's why he just got a technical certificate after settling in the US. Ironic for the spouse of a profesional educator isn't it?

I have no intention of giving up this dream. But, since I am coming with a child, would much rather be overprepared than under before I move. Even if it takes a couple more years, I would rather make a smooth transition. All of your advice is really helping me do that. So, thanks again!!