Post: #1

Hey,

In the past few years I have been slowly working towards moving abroad, preferably towards Asia. I've had this idea for a long time but after I took a year off work to travel in 2011-2012 I decided I wanted to go for it. I did this by trying to acquire an extra Master and Bachelor in education. I finished my Masters in 2013 and I am almost finished with my 2nd Bachelor.

Some background information: 33 years old, and a secondary school teacher in Western Europe. Have a pretty good job, not to many hours of work and a decent salary in combination with a very cheap house. Because of being a teacher and the many holidays, my salary and my cheap house, I am able to travel a lot. So far in 2016 I have been in Iran, Japan, Vienna and Sri Lanka. I was probably going to go to Asia in July-August for a few weeks.

I applied for a few jobs abroad a year ago, and got quite far (2nd place for 2 jobs) and one of the jobs that was open last year, opened again this year. I applied and this time I got the job offer. So this means I have to make the choice to go or stay home. Maybe I just need a good kick, or maybe it's just because it's a big step, but I do have some doubts. It comes down to this:

The job offer is good, though my salary back home will be a bit better and will continue to rise faster then in Hanoi. Perks of the job are a yearly ticket back home, a ticket to KL and some relocation allowance. Also not a bad net salary. However, because of my current salary and cheap house, I will not be able to save as much money for myself or travel as I currently do. I will probably save about 2500-3500 us dollar less a year, even considering the cheaper cost of living. Also, for the past 8 months, I've been seeing a woman that ticks most of the boxes.

It has however always been my dream to go abroad, and it is a very good position, at a good school, and I would be able to stay for a number of years or relocate to other schools after 1 or 2 years of international experience. The longer I think about it and write about it, I do feel like I should take the job. It starts the first of august.

Any advice/tips/ideas on my situation, living in Hanoi or Vietnam in general would be much appreciated. As a traveller, I have visited Vietnam (and Hanoi) twice before.

Also, English is not my first language, so apologies if the post seems a bit incoherent.

Thanks.

Post: #2

What's the likelihood of this girl coming with you? If you are unsure about her, remember that Vietnam is so full of hot asian women it might be like bringing sand to the beach.

The position itself - it's not one of those fly by night english teaching outfits, is it? Nothing wrong with that if you're a younger guy, but if you have an established career as a teacher already those places won't do anything to help and might actually be a step back.

I see your flag is set to the Netherlands. I wouldn't worry about not being a native speaker if you speak like any of the other Dutch people I've met. You should have no problems.

How long are you thinking of making a move over there? I've mulled over the possibility of Vietnam also, but not sure how it bodes for long term expats.

Post: #3

Thanks for your reply, maybe to clarify a bit: It will not be a job teaching English and it will be at a credible international school. The position itself would be quite a huge step forward from my current position, also in responsibilities. The move would be for at least a year, they would want me to stay for 2 or longer.

And yeah, I will not bring her with me, it would be staying here at home, or go to Hanoi alone.

Post: #4

(05-22-2016 07:58 AM)Thaitanium Wrote:  The job offer is good, though my salary back home will be a bit better and will continue to rise faster then in Hanoi. Perks of the job are a yearly ticket back home, a ticket to KL and some relocation allowance. Also not a bad net salary. However, because of my current salary and cheap house, I will not be able to save as much money for myself or travel as I currently do.

Just based on what you said here on purely a financial level i'd say no it's not a good idea. Your current job already gives you financial freedom and flexibility to travel.

However it ultimately depends on what kind of lifestyle you want to lead.

Just keep in mind Hanoi is not Ho Chi Minh City. People tend to be extremely petty and insular there. I would not be surprised if that reflected in the work environment too. You'd be dealing with the well off kids of expats and locals.

I don't know much about teaching or international schools but I would not be surprised if they tried to get their money's worth from every international hire they pay top dollar for. This means lots of additional hours not specified in contract and other responsibilities.

This is not uncommon amongst even expat transfers working in decent positions in MNCs these days. They expect way more for less (comparative) pay sometimes because local hires have become very competitive.

Post: #5

Sounds like you have a good gig and girlfriend. You haven't specified the advantages of taking this offer except for the novelty of living in Asia. Can you take on year of sabbatical or leave of absence from your present job and return the following year?

Post: #6

Maybe it's the lack of coffee, but I thought the thread title read "Hand job offer..."

In all seriousness, have you ever been to Hanoi? Maybe scout it out first and see if you like it, before you commit to a more permanent relocation?

Post: #7

I actually took a sabbatical 4 years ago to travel for a year. That won't be an option anymore. Also, I have been in Hanoi twice, and I do really like the place. When I made my plans to move and start my extra educations, I actually thought of Bangkok, Shanghai, and Hanoi as the top places I would want to go.

I would not want to go in to much detail about the employer and such, but the advantages to me would be:

Currently have job strictly teaching, this new job will be teacher-director. Also I will be able to get international experience, so if I do this for a few years, I would have that experience, making it easier to move around the region. Also, this is a job where my teaching hours would be something like 15:00-18:00 every day, and then probably a few hours a day extra for my director activities. So not a bad daily schedule.

Post: #8

Vietnam is a love it or hate it kind of place. I have some good friends in Hanoi who teach and really enjoy it, you'll also be in close proximity to China for travel which is good. I think if you get the paid holidays and the salary is decent i'd go for it. You can live an excellent lifestyle in Hanoi as it's cheaper than Ho Chi Minh so you'd probably save well there.

I would be cautious of the contract though as the Vietnamese are crafty at the best of times, especially the northerners ;-) Make sure that you get a work permit before you go, don't go in on a tourist visa with promises of a work permit after 30 days etc. I'm sure that won't be an issue for an International School though. :-)

Post: #9

(05-22-2016 09:09 AM)El Chinito loco Wrote:  

(05-22-2016 07:58 AM)Thaitanium Wrote:  The job offer is good, though my salary back home will be a bit better and will continue to rise faster then in Hanoi. Perks of the job are a yearly ticket back home, a ticket to KL and some relocation allowance. Also not a bad net salary. However, because of my current salary and cheap house, I will not be able to save as much money for myself or travel as I currently do.

Just based on what you said here on purely a financial level i'd say no it's not a good idea. Your current job already gives you financial freedom and flexibility to travel.

However it ultimately depends on what kind of lifestyle you want to lead.

I'm echoing the same sentiment as well. It sounds like you have a great built in career path with good salary raises & ample vacation time staying at your current position.

I would only be serious about this position in Hanoi if you plan on doing professional networking with ex-pats in order to eventually get involved with side business hustles outside of your teaching responsibilities in Asia.

Post: #10

If they want you, they may offer you a bit more.

Tell them as much. You would love to relocate to Hanoi, but the salary isn't where it needs to be. Specify $XXXXX

Post: #11

Thanks for all the replies. Everything would be arranged before I go there, no funny business. Had a good talk with the treasurer about the deal, and money wise compared to actual hours it would not be a bad deal, so I would have time to pursue other hustles. I will likely take the offer.

Post: #12

I read hand job offer or stay in W-Europe. I was wondering how a hand job can be good enough to contemplate moving abroad.