~ FEBRUARY 4 2006

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Falling in Love and Moving
From: USA
Inquiry:

I have just completed a 3 1/2 month trip to Lao, Cambodia, and Vietnam. I had spent 6 to 7 weeks in Laos and traveled from Muang Sing to Don Det. I have fallen in love with Laos and a Lao man. I am now interested in spending more time in Laos. I have several years of professional experience with a domestic NGO. Will I be able to find good, meaningful work in Laos such as a with a foreign aid organization? Will I be able to find a good TEFL position in the meanwhile? How much can I expect to pay in living expenses per month in Luangprabang?

Most definitely with your experience you would be able to find work with an iNGO in Laos. However, depending on what specific previous work experience you had with your domestic NGO, iNGOs seek very specific expertise (ex. experts in rice and agriculture, animal husbandry, environment, translation, etc.)

There is a list of iNGOs in Laos at http://www.directoryofngos.org. Many NGOs advertise their available positions on their websites and more commonly in the Vientiane Times newspaper. I would encourage you to apply to the NGOs of interest to you even if they are not currently advertising any open positions.

Definitely work in the TEFL arena is an option. But it may or may not be a long-term fulfilling position for you. There is definitely a demand for English teachers in Vientiane and to a lesser extent in Luangprabang. It will allow you make some spending money while you search for an NGO position.

In terms of how much you will spend. This depends entirely on you. Some foreigners can stretch out $300-400/month for all their expenses including rent and food. While others spend that much on rent alone and need more for everything else. And others can live on a lot less. Rental rates vary so much in Laos and it all depends on what you want. More amenities will mean a more expensive place. For planning, always over estimate your costs as it would be better to have money left then to be left without any money (let's suggest a minimum $400/month for rent for a house).

Accomodations in Laos are typically affordable especially if you shop around and bargain and if you let them know you want long-term rates. You can always rent in a guesthouse while you look for a real house to rent.

Your story sounds like a wonderful love story. We are glad to hear that you had such a nice time traveling in Laos. We hope that everything works out for you. Plan well and make no decisions in haste.

[Editor's Note: We have received several e-mails from varying inviduals all inquiring about finding accomodations in Vientiane and Luangprabang. This reply should be useful to others as well.]

The Vientiane Times occassionally has some ads by some individuals or businesses. A more comprehensive listing is provided by an company called Mekoxab. They offer a variety of services and even produce a magazine called Update. But the service of interest to you would be that they do provide a listing of houses, building, land to rent or buy. There are other individuals/businesses who do the same who act as brokers or real estate agents, but Mekoxab is one of the few with a comprehensive listing (for renting/buying land, houses, and buildings).

The contact info. is below. Although their website links (2 of which I have and both of which no longer work) are provided for you. In spite of these broken links, the company is still alive and kicking.

Mekoxab
111 Thadeua Rd B. Phaxay
P.O.Box 8695, Sisatanak
Tel/Fax. (021) 35 1963
E-mail: mekoxab@laotel.com
Website: www.businessinlao.com

Also note that many places go unadvertised and simply place "For Rent" (or "For Sale") signs on the front gates of the house. Therefore consider going on a drive around areas that you wish to live in.

Also remember that you can negotiate long-term rate plans at hotels, guesthouses, and houses.