Job Discussion Forums

[jojenks]

Arriving in HCMC on Thursday after travelling for 2 months in Vietnam. My partner and I would like to teach in HCMC but don't want to sign any contracts or worry about work permits until we get a feel for the place and have a good look at schools and housing. We are qualified teachers in Australia and have a TESOL certificate. Is there teaching work available of a more casual nature that will earn us enough money to survive for a couple of months or so? We don't want to sign contracts and hassle with work permits until we are sure we would like to stay. Thanks

[Texas_blu]

Most contracts are not worth the paper they're written on ONLY the contracts that are accompanied with a work permit are really binding in any way but not in all the stipulations, contracts are normal because they help keep the Ministry of Education from making doing business difficult for the VN.

So, don't fear a contract - it's a formality!

[Warrivar]

how true texas...

i got a contract written up and by written up i mean 10 minutes on word

such stipulations included

"the teacher can not privately teach the assigned classes for a year after instruction."

(Whatever happened to share the wealth comrade?...this only further proves my argument that communism has only ever been successfully applied on startrek)

"Teacher must take picture with the students upon request"

(Do i look like i work at disney land?)

that being said taking a picture with students isnt a hassle or anything it just seems ridiculous that someone would try and pass that off as a legal agreement. the same place that typed up this load of bull puckey also asked me if $9 an hour was ACCEPTABLE to me...it required a great deal of restraint on my part to not resort to a five minute long explanation about how i did not come to vietnam to be paid the same amount as a Mcdonald's worker followed by cursing and derrogatory comments about said person's mother. instead...i simply said no it is not, then asked for 15-16 an hour...they havent replied...

anyways before i turn this post into a memoir one other peice of information i got from a coworker is that unless the contract is in vietnamese it is pretty much illegitamate the english copy is just meant to translate the binding document. hope this helps.

-Warrivar

[jojenks]

Thanks for the advice...I guess we'll just take it as it comes and not sign anything we don't like the look of!