Nam is actually full of older, more seasoned teachers that don’t have kids. I was working with guys that had done Japan and Taiwan in the 90s and leveled up into well paid gigs. I think that nam can be just as comfortable as Taiwan, if not more comfortable, if you make enough money to live in a nice area.
The main concern I hear from my friends, and why many of them have gone home, is that international school is so expensive. But, schooling is also a huge issue for expats here.
I didn’t jive with Hanoi because the expat scene was super cliquey, it’s super polluted, nightlife was really druggy, many teachers are trustifarinas and locals aren’t nearly as friendly as in the south. It’s a great place to visit, and there’s way more to see than Saigon, but it also turns into a sleepy city without a lot to do after a few months. That, the weather, the pollution and the overall vibe are what make it a difficult place to live unlike Saigon.
Overall, I recommend nam for people that are sick of being stuck in crappy cram school jobs here. It’s way more professional, the money is way better and I think there’s a lot more to see and do if you’re the type of person that doesn’t mind some hardship.
It’s a huge mess right now: no delivery, districts closed off by the police, hospitals overrun by COVID. I’ve been getting messages from friends packing up and heading home because they haven’t had work in months. Guess it’s so bad that this year has bankrupted a lot of people.
Yes, public hospitals are awful. There are private hospitals that are ok though. Most people fly to Bangkok to get anything serious taken care of. It’s not a place you want to be seriously injured without a plan, especially out in the countryside.
The communism is an issue. I’ve noticed that people are way friendlier starting in Danang for some reason. Guess the Chinese conquered all the way down to that are at one point too, so I think the north has a lot more Chinese influence.
Best advice given by one of my favorite long timer posters many a moon ago:
When shit hits the fan in Taiwan or other backwaters, head to the Bum.
Trust it way more than anything in Taiwan. Bumrungrad International Hospital | Bangkok Thailand
Compared with Bum, Taiwan hospitals are less stellar (they misdiagnosed me of having leukemia three decades ago. So yeah, a backwater). Have you seen the international certifications/recognitions from the Bum? Sorry, Taiwan has no equivalent by a country mile.
A lot of now developed places were considered a “backwater” back then. The financial district of Shanghai with its huge-ass skyscrapers was a pear farm 30 years ago. Dubai was a fishing village.
2003 is not that long ago. And if you read Comrade’s story from 1988, it certainly did not change from 1988 to 2003.
Sorry, I would choose Bum in a country second vs. anything Taiwan has to offer on hospitals and most international minded folk would too. Bum or Sing (Singapore). Been to both and to hospitals in Taiwan. Not even close.
I considered Nazarbayev (Kazakhstan) when I was sending out applications last year, since they always seem to be hiring, but I didn’t want any more cold snowy winters.
Saudi was pretty awesome in lots of ways. Great job, pleasant students and general work environment, pay/perks were awesome, nice weather, expat camaraderie was world class, food was way better than Taiwan, easy to fly to Europe/Africa/Asia, great private hospitals, no taxes on anything (gas was cheaper than water, designer eyeglasses were subsidized, cigarettes cost nothing).
The obvious drawbacks led me to leave after a few years, but my plan when I went to Thailand was actually to look for a nice girl to settle down with and go back. I just didn’t find one I liked enough to get hitched.
Yeah would be curious on TT’s views?
For me, most unprofessional expats ever (non teaching role). Albeit very high salary (just travel allowance was more than many teachers make a year). Huge egos at a university of 1000 students with 20 billion endowment.
were you there long? i was in dhahran, better than riyadh or the smaller towns, but jeddah i heard was a nice place to live. we worked 3 hours a day, and had 3 months paid vacation per year; never in my life have i been given so much with so little expected in return. i hear things have changed in the middle east generally for English teachers (as they have in asia), but i was glad to get the tail end of that sweet deal
Saudis were great, but they were poor at selecting expats in leadership positions administratively. I was in Thuwal, near Jeddah. Just under a year. Decided one day that no amount of money was worth the infighting. What was it Kissinger said about faculty infighting? So nasty because so little at stake? Even worse in technocratic admin positions.
Would go back to Gulf but probably persona non grata in Saudi as I made them lose a lot of face. (which I won’t get into).
Saudization had started by the time I got there, so they had moved on to being poor at selecting locals. Fortunately, the locals were rarely in their office and the Indian/Pakistani secretaries tended to be pleasant, competent, and available.
I have a similar story about China, pretty sure I am blacklisted. I applied for some UAE jobs last year before ending up in Taiwan, actually I’m glad this is where I am.
Sayre’s Law, I just posted that on another thread not long ago, strangely enough:
I made them lose face in international circles and the Israelis published it ( right before Trump visited for the first time). Could not have been better timing in going for the uber jugular.
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