Where to find expats jobs in Vietnam (Not teaching)

As you said your husband has Such a skill like this

"We want to find a job that he could use his skills and also useful if we return to the UK (his background is: Maths, PhD in Chemical engineering but hasn't had much work experience in this field, 8 years database development."

Why he can not find this small thing by him self??? And also you were talking like you don't know anything about Vietnam  but you just only 5 years been in UK 

Getting a job in Vn is easy if you are connected.
One way to get job is to look into the Vietnamese government projects. Some time they need international expat to advise them on infrastructure project. I declined to submit my bid for a project as adviser to the government on the inspection of the railway system project before accepting from the contractor about 12 months ago. My fear is, I dont understand the language. The task is not hard but the government can make the job difficult. 

Since your husband is a chemical engineer, there might be environmental projects that yr husband could bid. He need to look.
I lived and worked in Hanoi for 7 to 8 months as consultant to a government body responsible for building Hanoi Metro Line. It is a Government owned company. but project is funded by International body.   The red tapes are just incredible. THe project has stopped because of unknown corruption. Who knows..
cheers
philip

angie321 wrote:

As you said your husband has Such a skill like this

"We want to find a job that he could use his skills and also useful if we return to the UK (his background is: Maths, PhD in Chemical engineering but hasn't had much work experience in this field, 8 years database development."

Why he can not find this small thing by him self??? And also you were talking like you don't know anything about Vietnam  but you just only 5 years been in UK 

Because this is only an "idea" and we haven't been actively looking. Moving country is mainly my idea, he will agree to please me but he's never done any research himself as we won't be moving for at least another year or so.
Yes I grew up in Vietnam but I don't know about potential expat jobs as I had never been an expat in Vietnam. Vietnam is changing everyday. I visit Hanoi every year but still surprise with the changes.

you should just google vietnam jobs. i forgot the exact word to put in but there a website the has a list of oversees company located in vietnam with direct links to there company with job openings. 100% of the jobs are not teaching. Most companies are from USA and Europe. Lots of big name companies such as Northrop, Nike, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing company, Manulife etc. But good luck getting a job interview though if your not already here unless your willing to jump on the first flight out when they give you an interview. Best chance is to get a job in the UK and ask to be relocated.

kawanv wrote:

Getting a job in Vn is easy if you are connected.
One way to get job is to look into the Vietnamese government projects. Some time they need international expat to advise them on infrastructure project. I declined to submit my bid for a project as adviser to the government on the inspection of the railway system project before accepting from the contractor about 12 months ago. My fear is, I dont understand the language. The task is not hard but the government can make the job difficult. 

Since your husband is a chemical engineer, there might be environmental projects that yr husband could bid. He need to look.
I lived and worked in Hanoi for 7 to 8 months as consultant to a government body responsible for building Hanoi Metro Line. It is a Government owned company. but project is funded by International body.   The red tapes are just incredible. THe project has stopped because of unknown corruption. Who knows..
cheers
philip

Hi Philip, thanks for your reply. My husband did a 4 year PhD in chemical engineering but he ended up working as a database developer afterwards as a good job came up. So he wants to find a database / IT job if we move to VN. Could you recommend a good site for expat jobs?
I would prefer not to work for the government due to the corruption of those firms. I will be very angry to work somewhere corruption is a norm. I guess for your project the "unknown" corruption was by those "known" people like any other Government projects.
So in that case not knowing Vietnamese could be an advantage.
By the way, are you still working in Vietnam?

My own advice for you is that, try to secure a job first in vietnam before you move

Hi Hupmun,

Most of Vietnamese are dreaming of living in US, UK... but how strange you want to go back to Vietnam.  . It's wonderful if you come back to VN with full bags of money.Then you will just retire, and enjoy your comfortable living. In UK, your child will get better living condition as well as health care. However, it's your choice to move back here.

I think your husband should find a job first before moving back to VN. It's not easy to find a good job nowadays. Right after he gets a good job here, your family can move back and you can find yourself a job then.

Some famous websites as I know so far are:

http://www.vietnamworks.com/ ; http://www.careerlink.vn/ ; http://www.jobstreet.vn/ ; hope that Mr. Moderator will not hide these links

Cheer,

i am looking for a database engineer consultant. please get him to contact me when you arrive in vietnam

Try VietnamWorks. There you can post your resume and potential companies will contact you and you can search for jobs as well.

There are plenty expats that don't teach but those usually are brought here by foreign companies beforehand. Your Vietnamese skills will help you in landing a job but your husband would have to offer something that Vietnamese can't to be hired. Most countries have this rule, if a Vietnamese is capable they hire them first.

andy1npl wrote:

you should just google vietnam jobs. i forgot the exact word to put in but there a website the has a list of oversees company located in vietnam with direct links to there company with job openings. 100% of the jobs are not teaching. Most companies are from USA and Europe. Lots of big name companies such as Northrop, Nike, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing company, Manulife etc. But good luck getting a job interview though if your not already here unless your willing to jump on the first flight out when they give you an interview. Best chance is to get a job in the UK and ask to be relocated.

Thanks,
My friend who is now a teacher in Vietnam said the head teachers of some International schools in Vietnam actually flew from Vietnam to London to do interviews. And he got a much better package than other colleagues who came to Vietnam first and applied for the jobs in Vietnam.
But that's a teaching job (and they were recruiting a lot for a new school at that time). I doubt for other jobs the recruiters would come to UK to interview like that...
Will try to search for the website that you mentioned here. Cheers

bongolongo wrote:

i am looking for a database engineer consultant. please get him to contact me when you arrive in vietnam

Thanks for this, really appreciate that. Although we're not moving soon so the job may not be available then.
If you don't mind me asking, what is the range of salary for this position (database engineer consultant). Please feel free to private message me if you don't want to publish the info.

milkybunnyHCM wrote:

Try VietnamWorks. There you can post your resume and potential companies will contact you and you can search for jobs as well.

There are plenty expats that don't teach but those usually are brought here by foreign companies beforehand. Your Vietnamese skills will help you in landing a job but your husband would have to offer something that Vietnamese can't to be hired. Most countries have this rule, if a Vietnamese is capable they hire them first.

it's so much cheaper to hire the locals so I completely understand why they prefer locals rather than expats.
I would expect it will not be too difficult for myself to get any job, but to get a well-paid job, it won't be that easy. (we will give up our jobs in UK to move to VN so we do want to live comfortably with reasonably high income to make it worth it...)

I am a database/etl developer moved to Vietnam 6 months before. It was not easy to get job in Data field here as everywhere what I see is requirement for Java, Mobile developers or game developers. Still, If you will be living in Hochiminh or Hanoi, I guess it will be easier as there are more options in these cities. All the best!

inspi wrote:

I am a database/etl developer moved to Vietnam 6 months before. It was not easy to get job in Data field here as everywhere what I see is requirement for Java, Mobile developers or game developers. Still, If you will be living in Hochiminh or Hanoi, I guess it will be easier as there are more options in these cities. All the best!

Thanks, have you found the job you wanted? Are you working as a database developer now?

If we do decide to move, and there's no database developer job for my husband, we will look at other options for him like: lecturing Maths in a university (teaching is not his first choice but he has a Doctorate and also a Bachelor & Master degree in Maths so it's an option), process engineering, or general office admin manager.

Hi,
for your husband, well, he is considered then a/ either just as software engineer, that's a (local) salary. "millions" of Asians can do that database job, too. Since a few years, people from the Philippines etc. also come.. "competing" against all those (low salary) jobs in the software - well, not that fun.
However, try harvey nash, they are British ..not sure they have a branch in HN.

PhD, that's more interesting. There are a few foreign universities (VN universities, that's fine, however that's a local salary).
Try: RMIT (have a branch in HN, also HCM), and there is a "British university" (pls google it), in the North (not sure HN). In total, they are 4: A German one in HCMC, the British one, a French one, a Japanese one; and the RMIT (Australian).

Other idea, and not badly paid: the teacher's idea. Try the ILA, the biggest school. Or Apollo/"international house".

Yourself - yes, may I agree, maybe not much chances to get an expat job. However, a higher "local one" (with more money than what you suggested); possible. A lot of "Viet Kieu" get a higher salary than a local salary; especially with a foreign passport.

One more word, pls be not upset: costs of kindergarten/school; pls be "reasonable" - your kid must speak English fluently to go to the EU, later, for studies; and therefore, he/she needs the degree to start with studies. _There is no chance_ to get those skills in a "local" school. He/she must go to a foreign one and that is: _at least_ 800/usd/month (.. the British school: 2000/usd/month)

Living costs!!! It's not like it was. Sky-rocket prices today. To have a "decent" life, reasonably, with health insurance etc. _You need far more money_ than you needed 5 yrs ago. If your parents in VN are wealthy - that's great, come with your (British) family and have a good time. IF NOT pls consider holidays only .. .pls think about your kid. And think about your husband ... it is expensive now; only, if you accepted a "local" life; then, it's still cheap. BUT YOU HAVE A KID NOW and the kid needs English classes and a (very good) health insurance, and a car as the means of transportation  ..
Maybe holidays are very nice ..
Good luck and all the best!

.. sorry, haven't seen your direct question and I can't answer directly .. but the salary of a database engineer, or whatever software engineer .. is considerably low compared to the salary in the UK.
It is a local salary, but a high one; however: pls consider it is not considered very important. If your husband had whatever "management" degree/experience (project manager or such); it would be far better.
Or "ERP" (maybe ask your husband what is it) - it's also better, if he knew about "SAP" (pls ask your husband); then, pls google "Bosch" as a company.

Chances to get a job in the software in VN are great; however, to get a well-paid one: they are very, very low.
Teaching in a foreign university would be better.
Someone had mentioned teaching jobs. These were probably teaching jobs for university-trained primary-teachers, teaching in the British primary school maybe. They are highly paid (that means: they are paid similarly like in the UK). If your husband had a degree (it must be an university degree) - that would be great; and your life in VN would be ok. And some of those foreign primary/secondary schools allow to take the child in into the school/kindergarten (for free or for a reduced price). If possible, maybe consider that way .. all the best!

Hupmum wrote:

kawanv wrote:

Getting a job in Vn is easy if you are connected.
One way to get job is to look into the Vietnamese government projects. Some time they need international expat to advise them on infrastructure project. I declined to submit my bid for a project as adviser to the government on the inspection of the railway system project before accepting from the contractor about 12 months ago. My fear is, I dont understand the language. The task is not hard but the government can make the job difficult. 

Since your husband is a chemical engineer, there might be environmental projects that yr husband could bid. He need to look.
I lived and worked in Hanoi for 7 to 8 months as consultant to a government body responsible for building Hanoi Metro Line. It is a Government owned company. but project is funded by International body.   The red tapes are just incredible. THe project has stopped because of unknown corruption. Who knows..
cheers
philip

Hi Philip, thanks for your reply. My husband did a 4 year PhD in chemical engineering but he ended up working as a database developer afterwards as a good job came up. So he wants to find a database / IT job if we move to VN. Could you recommend a good site for expat jobs?
I would prefer not to work for the government due to the corruption of those firms. I will be very angry to work somewhere corruption is a norm. I guess for your project the "unknown" corruption was by those "known" people like any other Government projects.
So in that case not knowing Vietnamese could be an advantage.
By the way, are you still working in Vietnam?

Dear Hupmum,

The website to find a job for expats as below FYR:
https://vietnam.xpatjobs.com/http://www.vietnamworks.com/http://careerbuilder.vn/
Besides you also can try to contact headhunter in VN.

If your husband has experience of chemicals, I can introduce he for one rep. office in VN, they are trading in this field.

Cheers
Hellen