Job Discussion Forums

[mgs2]

How does Thailand contrast to Vietnam for teaching English in terms of pay, cost of living and ease of finding work? I've worked in VN and found it pretty easy as long as you have a TESOL, is that comparable to Thailand?

[sheikxhoni]

I never taught in VN but I did take the CELTA at ILA and hung around for a month and met a lot of teachers there. Now I teach in a huge public school in Bangkok. I can share what I know.

There is a lot more discrimination here compared to VN, or so it seems. Ads for teachers here will often state that only people 25 to 50 can apply. There are Fillipine teachers here who struggle to find jobs and are paid a lot less than me. It seems that the native speaking teachers are for show - to make the school look good - and so they only want white, good looking people in right age range. I am 62 and many people told me I am lucky to be working. In HCMC, VN I met several blacks and seniors who are teaching.

In VN most of the action seems to be in private schools - ILA, Apollo, Seamco, and others - but in Thailand most of the opportunities are in public schools with contracts through private schools. Of course there are lots of private school jobs too but only for the most highly qualified.

In VN the private schools were huge with lots of activity, ex ILA. In VN I interviewed at a private school in a smallish town up the coast and it seemed busy with lots of Vietnamese students coming and going. But I also spent a few weeks at TEFL International in Ban Phe - which heavily advertises on DavesESLCafe - and I never saw a Thai student even once. The school's real business seems to be to contract TEFL grads out to Thai public schools - a common practise here. I work for a public school but my check comes from a private academy like ILA only tiny in comparison.

My summery is that Thailand is more modern and more fun. But Vietnam seems to be a lot more serious about English. Cost of living can be similar as long as you stay away form tourist places. I blew $79 on a crappy ribeye steak and two beers at the Hard Rock Cafe in Bangkok. That could happen in HCMC city too, but it is not as likely.

[mgs2]

Thanks for your post sheikxhoni, I found it very interesting. Your point about seniors is a good one. I worked in public schools in HCMC, and for the local teachers there, you could only work untill 55 as a woman and 60 as a man. However there wouldn't be the same restrictions for foreigners because they're not seen in the same light. I don't think seniors would have any trouble working in HCMC, as long as your enthusiastic.

What is the nightlife like in Thailand are there many more places to go out, but also a lot more expensive places that are out of reach of teachers? One thing that did disappoint me about HCMC was the lack of expats, a problem I don't think Thailand would have?

What is it like working in the public schools in Thailand? As I mentioned I worked in public schools in HCMC, but at the same time as private language centres. I wouldn't work in public schools long term, it wasn't the most enjoyable work.

[sheikxhoni]

All the stories you have heard about Thailand night life are true. Lots of prostitutes (everywhere, not just for tourists), lots of lady boys, lots of fast food, incredible shopping, okay prices unless you want to waste money. I blew $79 at the Hard Rock Cafe on two crappy ribeye steaks and two beers because I just wanted a steak and thought I would get a good one there - wrong! Street food will feed you well for a dollar a meal. I have a nice room, but no kitchen, for $90 a month. Electric is separate and another $60 per month. Life is good but not a lot different than VN. Compared to HCMC, Bangkok is a real city and HCMC is still a nice village.

Teaching at the huge public school in BKK is a crazy experience. I have over 700 students. I have 17 separate classes which I see once a week. Most classes have over 45 students. No one is allowed to fail although that is not up to me. It is a mad house. I will finish up my time here and never look back. Pay is about $1,000 US a month. We are told to do our best, smiile a lot, play games, and make nice with the Thai co-teachers - and we do. Smaller schools outside the big city may be different.

I hope opinions - and that is all they are - are helpful. ENJOY - -

[mgs2]

And sheikxhoni given you have spent some time in HCMC and Thailand, have you noticed that Thailand has many more expats?

[sheikxhoni]

More is a relative term in this case. Bangkok and Thailand have bigger tourism infrastructure. You see a lot of tourists passing thorugh in BKK and less in VN or Cambodia. And Thailand is an established place to retire although retiring in VN might be pretty good too. Plus the Christan missionaries find more fertile ground in Thailand than in VN where they might get more official resistence. On the other hand the hash house harrier group is more accessable in HCMC than it is in BKK. But we are talking about teachers so who cares about all those other folks. There are plenty of opportunities in both places to either mix with or avoid other foreign people as you please. Have you been to the "backpacker neighborhood" in HCMC? It is very helpful to most people when they first arrive. I have heard there is a "backpacker" area in BKK too but have never seen it myself.

[mgs2]

Yes there is a fairly large backpacker area in HCMC as well, but I'm referring to foreign expats, not just tourists staying for a few days. And thats the point I make, in HCMC I found there were many tourists, but not that large amount of expats.

[sheikxhoni]

I'm curious. What exactly is your interest in expats? Teachers are expats; embassy personal are expats; people working in the host country are expats; retirees in the host country are expats; etc, etc. Yes, there are more in Thailand then in VN. So?

I contend a smaller group is better. There is a better sense of community. I thought the hash house harriers group in HCMC was great. They meet at the same well known downtown hotel and have busses to take you on the hash. But in BKK you need a car and/or good knowledge of the city to find the hash. Fewer expat makes for a better hash in this case.

[mgs2]

I think its interesting to have large expat communities, as opposed to short term tourists, because that gives you a greater group to bond with whom you can relate to. One of the things that did annoy me a little about Vietnam was that you don't have so many people to talk to naturally the way you do back home. Whilst I admire the Vietnamese who have been able to learn English, when I cannot speak a second language, you cannot have the same conversations with them that you can with native speakers.

This wasn't a huge deal, particularly given there were so many interesting other things in Vietnam. But I felt after a time there my experience lost any intellectual interest. This may be because I'm also a university student and used to studying complex things, and I sort of lost that part while in Vietnam.