Job Discussion Forums

[ragazzo gallese]

Hello lovely people.

I'm a British graduate and CELTA qualified teacher with two years of experience in Italy. Rising prices and poor wages in Europe and making me think that I should head East. A good friend lives in China, and although I quite liked it there when I visited, I'm considering all the options... I actually saw a documentary on the food of Vietnam the other day, and that in itself was almost enought to seal the deal!

Anyway, regarding work... I've read the spiel from ILA, who promise the life of a lord, but I'm long enough in the tooth to know that what schools promise and what they deliver are two different things.

Here are my questions (by the way, I am interested in either of the main cities, Hanoi or Saigon:

a. Can you really live a good life on a teacher's wage? (nice apartment, eating out, occasional drinking sessions, a little money aside for a rainy day, etc.)

b. What's the job satisfaction like? (i.e. are teacher's generally treated like slaves by a money-grabbing boss, and worked to breaking point)

c. What's the ex-pat scene like?

d. How do locals view the ex-pat community? (I am a nice, polite person)

e. Not being either a monk or a whoremonger, what are the chances of a nice, normal western guy finding a nice, local girlfriend. (i.e. do they stick to their own?)

f. Any tips on what to look for or look out for in terms of schools? (I am aware that Apollo is a good school, and ILA looks quite professional on the surface. Any thoughts?

I hope you'll find a moment to pass on your wisdom. I'll be most grateful if you do!

Johnny.

PS. Maybe some of these questions have been answered before... if so, then I apologise.

[snollygoster]

The answers to your questions are mostly "Yes".
Food is terrific, cost of living low, and there are definately good jobs to be had that will see you living a very good lifestyle.

I noticed your initial contacts, and I would recommend coming here and checking for yourself before committing to any one school or College.
Getting a job is very easy, and if you check out the blog mentioned here (its a work in progress so wont have all the answers just yet- give it a week or two).;

MOD EDIT

With CELTA the world is your oyster in Vietnam, and the fact you have demonstrable experience will put you high on many lists.

Women? They are quite lovely, I married one and I'm not unhappy- But you do need to be aware of the ones looking for an exit visa. Bit of commom sense needed-thats all. Usually Viets are easy to see through if they have bad intentions-most are so straight up, that its quite refreshing.

If you get tempted to use a recruiter to get you a job, my advise is DONT- They will take YOUR money and the schools money and land you in a bad paying situation and leave you to your own devices. There are only a few in Vietnam, and once you are here yourself, you will see what I mean- they prey on the people who dont have the guts to do anything for themselves.

If you follow the instructions in the blog, you will be working within 10 days of arriving here.

good luck!

[jayasia]

sounds perfect, where do i sign up?

sure you're not an ILA recruiter , snottyposter?

[ragazzo gallese]

I just read your very informative blog, thanks very much. It seems that I maybe be better up turning up at the end of September and doing everything face to face.

I'm planning on doing a bit of travelling in Asia with my brother for a month or two anyway - I've only been to China and Japan so far - so it would be good to see how the land lies before commiting to one school.

I noticed that your advice is regarding HCMC. How does life there compare to Hanoi?

Thanks again!

[jayasia]

whoa...not so fast johnny boy!.......gonna keep this short..

u saw a frigging travel show about the food, so that means it's all hunky dory on the food front?
was it hosted by Bobby Chinn? ....complete retard he his.....

some guy has posted u his website about how easy everything is....u know, your transition from italy to vietnam....and employers wettin themselves to recruit u bcoz u've got no asian experience.....

same guy who blogs that northern food is bland, whilst the southern food is spicy n flavoursome......huh?

i could go on, but ur a big boy now, albeit an excitable one ( just wot schools are looking for!), so go ahead n wait to see what other pearls of wisdom materialise on Hanoi......

[ragazzo gallese]

Well, yes, I can be a little excitable and impulsive, but it's worked out OK for me so far... I usually have a back-up plan.

Re. the food show, it's a BBC series with Rick Stein - basically travelling around Southeast Asia eating good food. He did chat with some crazy local celebrity chef - could that be the retard you're talking about?

By the way, you can catch it on BBC iplayer online. If you're outside of the UK you'll need a UK proxy.

Thanks for the tips!

[snollygoster]

Take jayasias advice- Dont believe only me- If you can get some other comments- do- Of course observations about the food are personal- its an opinion that Hanoi food is bland- Hanoians dont think so- but they also cringe at spice when they sample the southern food.

Actually I think the blog is good and pretty much on track- Makes no difference to me if people follow the advice or not.
I have found after 10 years here that what it says works- painful trial and error.
Yes the blog is mostly about Saigon, although I worked in Hanoi for nearly 3 years too- so I believe I am in the right place to make such judgements.

Hanoi? I'd visit it again and again, but I doubt I would want to live there again. Lovely French colonial architecture-cold winters.
Schools there are generally more conservative than in the south, and Hanoians tend to be more careful about how they spend their money- so you get more serious students- Saigonese however, are more into living for the moment, and dont get so serious.

My opinions are just that-opinions- Dont take them as gospel- works for me, AND its my attempt to save you the pain of getting hooked up with a recruiter who will screw you over, because I've seen it too often, and I want newcomers to see that its not difficult when you know what to do.

Let me know if you need some specific info about Hanoi- there has been more added to the blog- such as school names, addresses and names of people to contact, and a To Do list once you get to Vietnam- Enjoy.

[snollygoster]

PS- I am DEFINATELY NOT an ILA recruiter- If I was a recruiter, I can assure you it would be with other establishments.
I recruit with no one- only show you how to do it yourself.

[shanewarne]

Yehhaaaa cowboy, lets all move to vietnam!!!! The food is greeeeeeeaaaatt!!!

[jayasia]

hi snollygoster,


i think ur doing a grand job.

thanks for letting me know the food in saigon is spicy n tasty. i don't need to fly off to BKK so often now if i can get the same here.

i had wondered wot i should be doing with the chillis that i see on the table, and why people were using so much ajinamoto ( msg brand) in their cooking?


good luck to ya'll.

[jayasia]

sorry, one question from me.

do these restaurants double up as pet shops?
bcoz there's all these cages with dogs, cats, snakes and cockroaches.
just curious......seems like bizness is brisk bcoz everytime i come in, the dogs are different so i have to reacquaint myself with those sweet little things again.

sorry , correction.....the cockroaches were uncaged, they were on the walls. i guess they must be free range pets.


cheers!

[Slippy]

Hi Snolly,

Just had a look at your site and, like you say, it's still very much a work in progress. However, speaking as someone who views this forum as a potential source of useful information regarding life in Vietnam and opportunities for employment, then your new site can only be seen as another useful source of information. I particularly liked the �Coming to Vietnam� section, a nice little �tick list� for anyone thinking of making the move.

Anyway, good luck with the site�a new voice in the choir is always welcome.
Slippy

[snollygoster]

Thanks Slippy for the encouragement. Any suggestions are gratefully accepted.
The blog is not the answer to every question, but I am not really interested in writing encyclopedias about my personal observations and opinions.

Not mentioned for example, (seeing "food" seems to really interest some) is that also on the menu can be silk worms, snakes, hedghogs, and most things that fly, swim or walk- AND like everywhere-even Italy-Vietnam has cockroaches (not usually eaten like in some countries).

Of course, "spice" does not only refer to chili- I mean it in its broad sense-it includes pepper, cardamom, nutmeg etc, and whilst I say the food in Vietnam (especially the south) is really good, it can not compare with Thai food. My opinion that Hanoi food is like eating newspaper is my OPINION, and has been backed up by many other ex-pats who say the comparison is realistic.

I guess I'm lucky my wife is a chef and I get the best. She cooks with honey, nuoc mam, ginger, chili,and almost every spice known. She does not use Ajinimoto, and such use of MSG IS of concern in restaurants.

Blog a Work in progress? Yes, hoping to always improve and offer useful information. Keep newbies out of the clutches of recruiters.

[happigur1]

Holy crap! The food in Vietnam is hella good! Much more flavors than in China. Most of mainland China food seems very bland and not much flavor at all. If purely for the food, I would definitely go to Vietnam or Thailand to teach as well!

[snollygoster]

Here a link to another independent blog- School details etc. A little out of date, but good information none the less.
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/publications/magazine/0701/teaching_english_in_vietnam.shtml