Job Discussion Forums

[ozinasia2010]

Hi,

I'm doing a CELTA at ILA in Ho Chi Minh city in February. I'm planning to do the CELTA and then sign a contract to begin working with ILA as soon as i complete the course.

ILA pay monthly, so i basically need to use savings to support myself for 8 weeks (providing i can commence working straight away. Hopefully this is possible). Would $2000 USD be enough to cover the 8 weeks?

Thanks

[inky]

It's probably enough, depending of course on what sort of housing you locate. If you can get into a shared house situation then your share of the rent will be low enough to allow you to survive.

Keep in mind that the Tet holiday period runs roughly from 10 - 18 February, you won't have any work around this time. ILA's CELTA course ends 12 Feb with another starting in March, so if you're doing the former your work hours will be quite limited at first. Have they told you that there's a job waiting for you at the end of the CELTA? That would be highly unusual. Anything is possible, but unless they have made some sort of guarantee, I wouldn't depend on it, so you might want to bring a bit more cash just to be safe.

They used to offer a 'start-up' bonus to their CELTA graduates who signed contracts, to help with exactly the situation you have described. No harm in asking!

[ozinasia2010]

Thanks for the advice! At this stage i'm just going to stay in a guest house until i meet people and then will eventually share an apartment. I'm planning to work for ILA but are open to working elsewhere if the conditions and pay are better. Do you have an idea of what the time frame would roughly be for completing the CELTA and then start working for ILA? (should i sign a contract with them).

Are there many opportunities to do short-term contract work until i decide who i want to work for permanently?

[cuongnguyen]

You may have many oppotunities teaching in HCMC. But ILA's rate is quite ok, I think so.