Settling into a job abroad

Last year I worked abroad teaching English and found it to be a great experience. After completing my teaching qualification I moved to Spain. I am currently looking to go further away this year and I am planning to move to Vietnam.

In my first year I learnt a great deal. The job gave me support to help me settle in a new country, helped me to meet people and learn some of the language. The students have not always been the easiest to teach but, as well as teaching them, I learnt from the adult students (cultural traditions, how to celebrate public holidays and where the best bar/ restaurant in town was.) I enjoyed working with the young children as well teaching them English in a fun way.

The first two months were very difficult as I think a lot of people who have lived abroad will agree. There are all the practical things to worry about: finding somewhere to live, starting a new job, setting up a bank account, getting a mobile phone and the internet. On top of this you need to meet new people, learn the language, find different food you like and adapt to a new way of life. My advice is to be patient; it won’t all happen immediately. I had times when I wanted to go home and know others who left after a few weeks. But you will get past this as you settle into the new job and lifestyle. 

My next challenge is picking a job in Vietnam. I get offered a job which seems great and then I google the company and find horror stories from people who worked for them. And like hotel reviews you can never tell if someone is being overly critical or speaking the truth. I see many agencies being advertised and then reviews saying never to go through an agency as they don’t care about the students or the staff. All the advice says just go and find a job out there. A daunting prospect.

If you decide to work abroad my advice is to be patient, you won't settle in immediately, enjoy the job you do, and remember to get involved and explore.