Is it safe

I am a chef from Sydney looking at two OS jobs, I have a wife and a beautiful 8 month old baby girl. I am looking at a job in Vietnam and one in India. I want to know if ether of these two places are safe for my family and if the standard of living is OK. Also how dose the medical work? Any help or advice would be great as I have not traveled to any of the above.

Hi Dwane


Where in India will you be living and if its okay to ask what is the money you've been offered? I can give an accurate picture of what standard of living to expect. If you don't want to talk money, just say what city!


Hospitals in the big cities in India are good, you will probably have to pay upfront and then claim back from your insurance (make sure you ask for medical insurance for your whole family).

have not talked money at this stage, Goa is the area.

Goa is generally safe and beautiful. It is safe in the sense that there are no bombs going off and no civil fights etc. However I am sure it has petty crime like any city in the world.


I'm not sure if there are any 'big city' type hospitals there but India is full of really good doctor's clinics so i really don't think medical should be a problem.


Rents are high, so make sure you bargain a good package.


Your standard of living will depend on how much you earn, but other than high rents living in India is really not that expensive.


Goa is a tourist area, overun by backpackers and people vacationing in swish hotels. The locals are just lovely and it is a very interesting part of the country.


It is a party town with heaps of bars and restaurants...so lots of drinking and reveling.


If you have never been to India or Vietnam i suggest you try and get there before you agree to a job.


Asia is very different from Australia. Some people can hack it and some just can't.

Just wanted to add - you will most probably need a car to get around as public transport is pretty bad. Everything will depend on where you live - do you think you'll live in the resort you work at?


Goa is very different from the rest of India - less frantic! I think anyone would like living there.


It is an old Portugese settlement and you could posibly rent an old Portugese villa to live in.


My advice would be to go check it out yourself!