₦airaland Forum

Youngstown:
Hello Whyna, your story Is truly inspirational. You made mention of construction noises in one of your post. I would like to ask on how lucrative is the construction industry for foreigners. Thanks

The few I know who work in construction are skilled in that field

[quote author=charles2468 post=97044279][/quote]Good question.

Wondor:
@WhyNa
Nne you such a darling..your thread has given me so much movitivation and confidence in working towards migrating to vietnam..This is actually a step by step guide you taught and also have shared alot of experiences we can work with...Dalu rinne!

You're welcome

Donmegalin:
@whyna Godbless for the good work.
pls what business opportunities are profitable there in vietnam and how much can one start up with

I have no idea about this. I'm also hoping to venture into business once I have the right information.

Hopefully one of you comes here and gives us info in the long run.

In the main time, people do clothes, wood and I think aluminium.

There is a promo going on now so for the next.24 Hours, if you need the TEFL done, let me know.

Citygal:
It’s really nice to hear from your end again. Please is it advisable to start applying for visa now or we should wait till they start giving COVID vaccines.

Wait wait wait. They have even stopped repatriation of their citizens from other countries because the third wave was from returnees

Lol. You make it sound essy. Trust me, it's not

kenneyyice:
For me, I will take all three, it will stress tge hell out if me but trust me, on pay day I will forget the stress I went through for them. First, I will plane it in such a way that the classes will not collide wit each other. Plan may be Monday and Fiday for the first and then pan Tuesday and Thursday evenings for the second and since the 3rd one is only in the morning by 7, I can still attend every day of the week and move on. I no cone count bridges, I came for the money!. Goodluck WhyNa

Hey guys,

I'm sorry for the loong transmission. I've been super busy with work and it just keeps getting colder. It's between 15 to 18 degrees now and it's expected to get colder by next week. We just here wearing two shokoto and at least 3 tops.

So a third wave of Covid-19 was imminent but as usual, it was controlled sharply. This happened in HCMC.

On tax, if you work for those big schools and Centers, you'll definitely pay tax. Some others pay for you and you get your discussed salary at the end of the month. Don't know how they do that. Emi o ti sun tax lati mo ti de ibi.

PS: I'm not Yoruba.

On heavy certificate and applying to jobs, it's not by heavy certificate. Except of course it'ss in Education then you have an advantage. Experience is what counts here. That and a degree and TEFL

Here are some some tips on making an introduction video. I was supposed to do this since but no time.

1) Keep it short. One minute or one minute 30 seconds is enough

2) Smile and relax

3) No need to blow grammar and use big words

4) They just want to hear your accent

5) Introduce yourself, tell them the experience you have, whether you have a degree and TEFL.

6) End by saying when you'll be available and they shouldn't hesitate to contact you if your profile matches their requirements

7) Short and simple. Don't forget, relax, look into the camera and smile while talking.

Merry Christmas in advance. ....

These children still dey on fan for class while I die silently here

aminusodiq:
@ whyna
Pls help..texted alot of agents on Facebook and they told me I cant get a work permit while still in Nigeria!!! Pls your clarification will be highly appreciated

See these things are coded and not everyone deals with Nigerian matter

Joohan:
It's good to hear from you again. Hope you're doing great?

Yea I'm good. Just busy busy busy and dealing with flu every now and then. Guess it comes with the weather

kevwemanuel:
Thanks for your input and sharing your experience. Yes, it's a big organization, I suspect that that's the reason for them being very selective and picky. From what you've said, it seems the smaller organizations will be less selective of accents. At the appropriate time like you recommended, I will shoot my shots.

By the way, thanks for responding to my pm. I already sent you an email explaining this situation. Like you requested, I have sent you the video. Please go through and revert.

Thankssssss.

You're welcome. I'll take a look at it.

Yea start small and work your way up

kevwemanuel:
@whyna or anyone with sufficient know-how, how can we beat the "accent" challenge? Are all Vietnam organizations very rigid when it comes to accent discrimination or it varies from organization to organization?

In an application I made, after passing through the necessary stages, I was evicted on the basis of my accent. I have attached my eviction mail.

For people that have started sending applications, please kindly share your experience so far.

I'm really sorry about this. There's a few things I'd like to say....

1) Be you. The job market is huge. Have you heard the Ugandan accent before? I have a friend who has been working here for years and is Ugandan.

2) Start small. I've said this before fore. That company is nice walai and from the looks of it, a big one cos not many of them can send that mail with better English like that.

3) Grow a thick skin. You'd probably get many more mails like that and in a not so nice format

4) For now, quit trying and this goes to others trying now. Borders are not open. No school has the money to bring you in now and pay your quarantine fees too except big international schools and yes they will go for a native instead

That being said, no one has complained about my accent. If for anything, they commend it, I've always know this since I was still in Nigeria though.

If accents can be worked on, maybe you should spend more time working on it...if it's possible. You can also send me the video let me watch and give inputs.

All the best

mygee2:
other half lol

Other half, better half, future hubby, as long you understand, I move

dehiero:
Thanks for the update @whyna but I gotta ask these days it's not only about the money anymore for we nigerians, moving forward do you plan on getting naturalized in VT if yes what steps are you're going to take to achieve this?? Good morning

Hello, I plan on staying here for a while. It's a good place to make money while spending only a little. It will give me time to save up.

I have it in mind to move after some years. Also, I'm a lady so some percentage depends on my other half.

Also, naturalization in Vietnam is extremely difficult so the answer is no. Stay, work, save up and move

Some random facts...


1) Rush hour: There's what we call rush hour here. These are times when people go to work/school, after lunch and after work. There is usually heavy traffic at these times and if you're going somewhere, leave on time. The time is usually between 7am to 9am, 1:00pm to 2pm and 5pm to 7pm


2) Bum gun. Vietnamese people are not into toilet papers, just a few of them so in every and I mean every toilet, there's a bum gun for tamba after you are done with your business


3) Wires hanging low: This is one of the things that will amaze you when you get here. You'll see very as in extremely low hanging NEPA wire, lots and lots and coils and coil of them hanging in every allley way but funny enough, I haven't heard that anyone got electrocuted. The thing dey fear me when I first come but now, I don't even notice again


4) When you first start teaching, 30 minutes will seem ike an eternity to you talk more of 1 hour 30 minutes especially if you're teaching kindergarten. In the long run, you'd crave for 1 hour 30 minutes lessons not just for the pay but because that's just enough time to teach and sing and play with the kids.

When you go back to 1 hour lessons after tasting 1 hour 30 minutes, you'd always run out of time without finishing your lesson till you get used to it. In time, you'll normalize


5) Weight: Vietnamese people don't weigh much. An average 25-32 year old Vietnamese lady would weigh between 45-50kg. Shocker. Imagine their surprise when they see my weight. The kids are very light

6) Be mindful when renting a house here. There is this smell that emanates from the bathroom drainage hole and it can be pretty bad and stinky

7) Don't drink the tap water. I don't even use it to cook. Some people say it damages their hair too and they have to buy a shower filter to reduce the effect.


Buy malaria drugs that has a long shelf life and toothbrush when coming. Pharmacies don't sell over the counter malaria drugs and you have to go to a hospital first. All the toothbrushes here are as soft as a pillow

9) If you have a bike, invest in a good helmet. It will really protect you during the four seasons trust me

5) Make friends with Vietnamese and go with them to buy things you need. I still regret the first set of cloth shopping I did

So it's just like back in Naija, how you know that Oyingbo and mile 12 iare the best places for food stuff and alaba for electronic and co, it's the same here.

Yes you can actually get all you want from the supermarket but trust me, you'd get cheaper things when you have a Vietnamese friend wey Sabi.

For example, I like snacking and have gotten used to having dessert after each meal. Before, I used to do Doritos, yoghurt or some Korean snack. I can comfortably afford these things but variety they say is the spice of life and I've come across some locally made snacks that are really really good and cheap.

Same with clothing. You'd marvel at the winter jackets I bought at a give away price. Something I would have bought at triple the price if I had gone to the shopping mall.

4) I think I sent out up to 100 mails

Since I was always indoors, I spent majority of my time sending out mails. I applied to all and everything.

Did I get replies? Sometimes. Schools were just recovering from the Covid-19 situation so response was slow as they too had to recover.

I much later learnt that majority of the mail's I sent aren't read because they receive lots of mails so they sometimes don't read all.

Another thing that was kinda working against me was I was actually picky as I didn't want to leave Hanoi and wasn't willing to accept the small salary being offered to NNES so it took longer.

I also found another tactic. I sent out mail, then CALLED! If there's a phone number, I'm definitely calling and telling you I already sent my CV and we talk further.. Chances they speak a little English is hirgh so calling wasn't a problem. If you don't speak English, I translate and send you a text in Vietnamese.

This method also yielded a lot of fruit.

In the end, the multiple job offers I got was a result of the above

SpeciallyUnique:
Always happy to read from you. Thanks a lot for this update.

Btw, I heard there are some natural disasters happening in vietnam, how true/false is it??

I pray God keep guarding and protecting you.

Amen!!

Thanks. This is very true. It's affecting only the Central Vietnam areas though. The flooding no be here and many have lost their life and home destroyed.

But if you see the support from all and sundry, you'll marvel. Even the kids in school donated books or toys, individuals, government and all these things reached the people affected.

No storing in warehouse

3) I was sent money from home to be able to pay rent. I actually accepted jobs as low as $6

Shocker right

So remember before I traveled, I got a job offer for $900 a month which I rejected. During this period, I almost wished I didn't reject it but now thankful I did.

I arrived late February, March end lockdown began. Schools closed, no jobs, no income but rent and bills still had to be paid.

By this time, I had spent money on a bike, one month rent and deposit, feeding, transportation and some other things and I was running low..

Parents had the upper hand now as teachers were looking for jobs and everything was online.Westerners actually took to the streets begging. I KID YOU NOT!
In order to stay afloat, I accepted every and anything. It wasn't enough but it was something and better than being idle. Then, that 6 dollars was like gold to me and if I hear or see a price tag of even $5 dollars, my heart will first walk away.

I remember one Naija guy paying 6 months rent at once during that period and in my mind I was like God when.

There were times I cried. There were times I thought about staying or going home but even plane ticket money no dey. There were times I wondered whether rejectiing that 900 dollars job was a mistake.

This period lasted from March till May. This was also the lockdown period and 100% due to the Covid-19 situation in the world.

By June, things picked up and in July, I made the highest money since coming to Vietnam just by working part time. By end of June, I had multiple job offers with lots of packages which I have already shared in this group

2) Staying in a hotel for 1 week.

Now this was inevitable but the money I spent in one week was half of one month's rent.

I could have gone for a cheaper place but remember I had money on me so I had to be careful. I also had foodstuffs that needed to be opened and aired cos of the heat from packaging for days.

If you have someone here, it's best to ask the person to help you get an apartment you can move into as you land. However, don't rely on pictures sent. Do a video call with the person and see the house from the street till they enter they house and all. Agoda and booking dot come is also a good place.

For guys who travel light, you can actually stay in a hostel with bunk beds and save lots of money but generally, I still don't advice this. Safety and cleanliness issues.

Whatever you do, don't stay more than a week in a hotel, home stay or hostel. Start exploring and looking for house the day or next

Hey guys, hope everyone's doing fine.

I've been following the news on the happenings in Nigeria especially the hike in food stuff and it greatly saddens my heart.

Not to further dampen your spirits but I've been meaning to do a write up on a particular topic but haven't found the time.

So today, I want to talk about the downs I had when I first moved. Some believe it's all rosy immediately you land and hope to blow in 3 months. It's not always the case, it takes time to adjust. For some, it could actually be smooth from when they land, there's nothing God can't do. So here's a moment by moment challenge I encountered in my first .....say 6 months. I've been here for 9 months and believe me, I'm still learning.

1) Starting to spend my money from the airport on unnecessary things.

So I had a BTA of 1000 USD. In my mind, I was like what's wrong if I spend a few dollars. Now don't get me wrong, some things are essential but you have to choose and spend wisely. Once you leave, things go begin enter your eyes and e go dey do you to buy buy, try try like I don see these things for fim. Make I try am. Resist that urge! Time will come when you'll get tired of those things!!!

During the long lay over in Doha, I was soooo tired and sleepy and looked for a hotel to book. Kai. Thank God they were fully booked because I finally saw that there are places called quiet areas with comfortable reclining seats and couches where you can sleep peacefully. There are loooots of bathrooms for you to have privacy and freshen up wisely.

I also spent money on snacks and food I couldn't finish cos it was much and the taste wasn't okay for me. I saw things I knew in the menu ooo, but I wanted to try something new. The money I spent on that useless chips would have bought me food straight up. That chips cost me more than 15 dollars or so. I landed and the same chips no reach 1 dollar here.

Let me pause and cry small....

Nicoswit:
Whyna i followed your thread on vietnam then....are you still in vietname and how things dey go for ut side

Yup. Still here. Keeps getting better and better �

chukxie:
I vividly recall how some entitled lots almost ruined your thread with their visa, visa, visa inquiries. How's life treating you over there in your location? Enjoying the job? Regards.

I swear! Even after highlighting my step by step process.

I'm doing great. Thanks for asking

Cutealexio:
OP has the right to give out information he wants and what he posts on his thread but I understand that most of the people following this thread are here because they want to relocate, study abroad or start a business. To make this thread more fun if OP agrees I can answer all the questions about visa process, jobs, admissions or business to the best of my knowledge. Please note that I am not an agent and if anybody sends me a DM I won't reply. All DMs can be sent to OP...... This is my 4th year in China and I believe I have gained some experience. We are all adults there's no need to throw insults on ourselves. Thank you

Nice. But I think it's best you open your own thread for that purpose. My 2 Cents

If there's anything I've learnt since opening my thread, it's that some people feel ENTITLED, UNGRATEFUL and INCONSIDERATE

Even if the OP states his step by step route to China, some people would still criticize him and ask questions that have already been answered. Some others would want him to go further and post links and spoon feed them.

People need to understand that in as much as we are here to give out information and help others, we have our lives to live and the information we created the thread for and decided to give out is totally OUR DECISION. There are thousands on Nairaland outside the country but do you see them opening threads Some want to but it's drama like this that discourages them.

Nairaland doesn't pay anyone. OUR TIME, OUR CHOICES.

Asking people to write about what they are no expert in or put information that they don't want public in a public forum is not right. There's a reason why people specifically create threads on Visa and migration and guess what, people chip in because there is no one route to travel to a country.

Also, please note that migrating to ASIAN counties is totally different from the straight forward Canada or Aussie route where you just post everything publicly because indeed everything about them is straightforward.

Enjoy the information OP is giving. If you don't like it, move and find another thread that will satisfy and answer your questions. This is not the only thread on China on Nairaland. Better still, open a thread specifically for Visa and Migration and ask people to contribute. It's that simple.

OP, well done. Keep doing you, post pictures and the experiences you can. People look forward to this and it gives them hope and something to look forward to. Threads like this fueled my hustle when I was in Nigeria so keep posting.

Finally, holla if you reach my side. I'll do same.

Peace

Citygal:
Nigeria is hard to live, wahala for who no dey ready to japa.

Hi Whyna,
Hope you are doing great.

One quick question, can I still relocate to Việt Nam even without an ESL job offer yet and I’d get one when I arrive (with vigorous application, of course)?

Also, please come and give us hope, we await this week’s edition

Big YES

richmanrichard:
hello @ whyna, apart from English tutoring ,can you list some other valuable skills in Vietnam. what do u think of bike repairs? is the market saturated already? pls suggest extra other good paying skills in Vietnam.thanks

Yes there is a huge job market for repair of motorbikes seeing as the number of bikes here is probably more tham half the population.

However, there are also mechanics from companies like Yamaha and the rest here.

If you want to venture into this, then you would need to first focus on getting the attention of foreigners. Your advantage would be your ability to speak English which the Vietnamese mechanic can not (majority). You'd also need to do some advertising to let the expat community know you. In time, if you're good, you may attract locals and recommendation is a big deal here.

You offer bad service, your shop + address + pictures are up on google review and that's bye bye to your business

Estherosev2:
please can I use IELTS in place of Tefl or do I need both

No. TEFL is a must and different from IELTS. IELTS is optional but there are plans to make it compulsory for non-natives. Don't know how strict this would be

Badbunny:
A South African friend of mine trying to get into VN just recently told me he'll fly over to Thailand and get in by land, is that possible tho?

Yes it's possible as Thailand is one of the countries allowed to enter under strict protocols.

However, he should remember that this isn't Africa and they will sniff him out just by looking at his travel history/visa stamp. showing date of entry. Also, he still has to pay for quarantine. he can try though

uruba23:
I have nothing to say, I just came to look at VP mac hopefully one day he gives it to me as a Christmas present. The running of an economy requires doing things the unusual way, I have a video of statistics that shows how China came from no where to be the largest exporter in the world. One resource Nigeria have compare to China is it human capacity which needs to be developed. If WhyNa can tell us that little Vietnam offers free internet to its citizens with constant light imagine how vast there intellectual capacity would be to take the world. But here we keep collecting billion dollars loan to build railways which is not bad if we know how we would payback, I am sure 1billion dollars in research would have seen Nigeria engineers come with super concepts but as usual we all love quick fix.

Bro, don't misquote me o. Internet is free in the sense that it is embedded in your rent so as long as you pay rent, you're covered.

A few others require you pay extra for internet.

But yes Vietnam is farrrrr better than Nigeria and exceeded my expectations in all areas

E get as dem dey take do am.

That being said, it might be possible if you only workk in Centers. Getting a full time well paying job, you'll need it

Selfmade49ja:
@whyna


Thank you so much ma'am
God bless you my sister....please I might not sound very regular,cos I am old school.....I want to ask is it a must to have a degree or will the TEFL/IELTS do it....
I am in my forties with kids but will accept any available offer to seek greener pasture while my wife take care of the family till we eventually MOVE.....Please I will appreciate if you respond.....I have been on the thread for hours.....