Teaching English in Hanoi?
Replies: 14 - Last Post: Dec 19, 2012 3:51 AM Last Post By: MissKellyMojo
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Teaching English in Hanoi?
Hi All,I was recently offered an English teaching position in Hanoi with BME. I was just wondering if anyone out there has worked with them or knows much about the company?
Also, as I've never been to Hanoi (or Asia for that matter) so I'm also wondering what peoples thoughts are on if it would be a nice/fun/enjoyable place to live for 4-5 months and if it's an easy base to travel around Vietnam from as I'll have my weekends free. Pretty much anything about the city would be helpful. I am currently deciding between this position and an au pair job in Brussels so if anyone has been to both and wants drop their opinion advice that would be awesome!
Thanks in advance!
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You can try this job. Quite interesting.It is very easy to travel around Vietnam. Just book a tour or a bus or a flight to any destination some days before your trip, you will have a memorable experience.
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You will make more in Brussels and the Euro is a thousand times more solid than the Dong.4
Weekend trips are fairly limited from Hanoi, but there is still quite a bit to do. The authorities are still making it hard to party in Hanoi if that's your thing.Good luck.
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But the cost of living is lower in Vietnam, swings and roundabouts!8
Depends on where you are from, as well?I really would wonder if you would get money for the au pair thing in Brussels. Normally they are beeing paid pocket money which really is not much. Especially not for travelling. It will cover your costs like commuting, shampoo and toothpaste stuff, a drink and snack out from time to time, mobile internet and maybe a movie or party once in a a while.
Ah sorry, I have now seen that you are from the states. To be honest I would make an decision based on the airfares to both destinations or close by destinations. I think it is not very expensive to get to Europe. And Europe is not developing so fast. Brussels will be the same in let´s say 5 years. Will Hanoi be the same? We don´t know...
How much would you get in Brussels? If you don´t mind sharing...
Brussels would be cool because you can see A LOT from there just for weekend trips - Germany, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg etc. can all be done via weekends. However, travelling in Europe is quite expensive.
Edited by: MissKellyMojo
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For all the info you'd need on life in Hanoi, check outThere's many informative threads on what to expect when living here and working at schools.
I've been here for 10months working at a local English school for kids and it's been a great experience (since the faculty are awesome - May School). To get a closer read into how prices reflect on western standards, I multiply the price in dong by 3x and that'll be a close approximation to how much it'd cost back home.
For instance, one bowl of Pho is ~30,000vnd or 1.5usd, x3 = ~5usd , in Vancouver, a bowl costs between 5-7cad.
You will probably make a wage equal to that of upper management professionals ~30-50million vnd / mo and the average joe makes around 5million /mo. Apartments range anywhere from $100 - $1000/mo depending on your location, I pay $300 for a studio apartment with a balcony, kitchen, bathroom and it's roughly 40 sq/m. The room usually come furnished with a bed, drawers and a flat screen tv with cable and internet connection.
Hope this helps! Definitely look into moving here, it's a great city with curious and friendly people.
Edited by: CanuckinHanoi
Edited by: CanuckinHanoi
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@mooslie - yes, that´s what I mean. I guess it is easier to score good deals for flights between America and Europe than America (or Europe) and Asia (everything beside Hong Kong or Shanghai at least) so I would really go to the destination which is harder to get to.Europe can also be visited with family, or even when you are retired. Not sure if you would go trekking in the vietnamese mountains with toddlers or so.
