I'm considering a possible job offer in New Delhi. The package is too good not to at least give it some strong consideration.

I've never traveled through India but have spent the last 13 years living in Guatemala City, Bogota, and Siem Reap. I'm looking for some insight into life there. I'm well aware of the pollution issue, so that will definitely be part of the decision making process. Living in a developing country doesn't bother me, but I do want to have some kind of life outside of work.

Any feedback from folks familiar with India would be welcome. Thanks.

I've been to India about 10 times.
Mostly to Bangalore but I did go to HCL in Noida back in February 2020 before the world ended.

New Dehli probably has the most resources and nicest facilities so to speak in India but, that puts it somewhere below Ciudad Juarez.

Serious questions:

• Do you watch Bollywood movies?
• Do you like Indian food?
• Are you Vegetarian?

And most importantly

• What is your exit strategy?

A very good friend of mine planned to spend 3 years in Bangalore. Spouse bailed out after 2 years.

And of course, do you have kids, older parents, need to fly back to the USA?
They do fly nonstop to SFO these days.

HollywoodBQ said:

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I've been to India about 10 times.
Mostly to Bangalore but I did go to HCL in Noida back in February 2020 before the world ended.

New Dehli probably has the most resources and nicest facilities so to speak in India but, that puts it somewhere below Ciudad Juarez.

Serious questions:

• Do you watch Bollywood movies?
• Do you like Indian food?
• Are you Vegetarian?

And most importantly

• What is your exit strategy?

A very good friend of mine planned to spend 3 years in Bangalore. Spouse bailed out after 2 years.

And of course, do you have kids, older parents, need to fly back to the USA?
They do fly nonstop to SFO these days.

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Can't say I am much of a Bollywood fan. I'm fine with Indian food though. The initial contract is 2 years at an American school. After that, I could either resign or move on to another country. No spouse or kids. Annual flights home would be paid for by the school.

Are you a CELTA teacher or something like that by chance?

No, I teach elementary school. Taught in Texas for a while but have been teaching at international schools for the past 12 years. They tend to cater to the children of expats, embassy employees, etc.

Two year contract teaching expat kids sounds cool actually.

I'd do it in your situation.

If you need a hook up for a teaching job in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I've got some connections. In fact, we're doing a reunion in Vegas in February. Can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to that one.

Also strangely enough at the international school in KL, Malaysia.

Id love to pick your brain on this. If you are willing to chat, my email is in my profile.

ISKL is definetly a school that's on my list to look out for openings...one of the better ones in SE Asia.

I sent you an email.

Sister taught in Jakarta, Monterey and Shanghai. She had friends who taught in New Delhi and liked it with a wealthy student body attending. Nairobi is another desirable teaching location.

What are the logistics of your stay there?

Car and driver? You don't need to be driving in India.
Lodging? AC is a thing in most places now. Make sure you get that. Will you have help with cooking and cleaning?
Delhi gets really smoggy in the winter due to the fires burning for people to stay warm.

Restaurants are pretty good in India these days. You'd be surprised. You can get plenty of non Indian food that tastes pretty good.

All TV is in Hindi. There is a lot of variety but none of it is in English. That's been my experience, though, as my parents like their Indian shows when they're over there.

Lots to see over there if you get a chance to travel.

I'm unsure about the car and driver situation. That's something I'll bring up should I receive the offer.

The school is located directly across from the US Embassy and apartments are provided within walking distance. From what I've read from past employees, the accommodation is very nice, so I'm not concerned about that. I know that most of the foreign employees hire help for cleaning/cooking.

The school has a very strong reputation...I'm more concerned with living in India in general and whether I would be able to have a work/life balance there. I don't want to end up in a situation where I'm confined to my little expat neighborhood all the time.

I am enticed by the travel possibilities as I've never really traveled in that part of the world.

You'll be fine with the work/life balance. There will be a learning curve to get used to the lack of personal space and vibe of India.

I have no interest in visiting delhi, certainly wouldn't live there. air quality is bad overall - even worse if you are sensitive to airborne particles/allergens. I've been to india for work and avoided our delhi office because of air quality.

https://in.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/new-delhi/air-quality-data/#:~:text=Air%20quality%20is%20acceptable%3B%20however,unusually%20sensitive%20to%20air%20pollution.&text=Members%20of%20sensitive%20groups%20may,not%20likely%20to%20be%20affected.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-polluted_cities_by_particulate_matter_concentration

ETA: i did enjoy my visits to india. the people, culture, food are all great. i would have no concerns living in india with the right package. a car and driver would go a long way, and being in an americanized area would certainly alleviate some of my concerns.

scd88 said:

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You'll be fine with the work/life balance. There will be a learning curve to get used to the lack of personal space and vibe of India.

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Also a learning curve with respect to things like reliable power and people showing up on time.

In India, workers usually show up later to work but also work later into the evening.

And people run the streets very late. By that I mean, in the evening, people are out shopping, walking (not for exercise) the streets and hanging out in the street for no apparent reason.

You should have no trouble getting around India and exploring.

The main thing would just be adjusting your expectations for the additional red tape (at the airport for instance), and the additional time required to get anywhere.

You can easily hire a driver who will happily take you wherever you want to go and will wait on you all day.

When I was in Goa, I stayed far from the beach I wanted to go to but it was no problem to get a driver and just pay him whatever to wait on you. Instead of having to look for another driver to take me back a long distance to my hotel.

My friend who lived in Bangalore hired a driver on a monthly basis. It sounds like you wouldn't need that.

You can take Uber in Delhi or Bangalore or any major city I suspect.

You can also choose if you want a real car, or one of the little tuk-tuk 3 wheel death mobiles.

Another little detail I just remembered.

When traveling around India, there are local hotels that are for Indians and then of course there are regular hotels that cater to Westerners.

I assume a Westerner could stay in one of the local hotels if you wanted the experience.

When I was traveling for work, the local guys who had to come in to Bangalore for a training course had to take the train and stay in a local hotel. Whereas myself, obviously flew in and stayed at a Marriott or similar property.

HollywoodBQ said:

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Another little detail I just remembered.

When traveling around India, there are local hotels that are for Indians and then of course there are regular hotels that cater to Westerners.

I assume a Westerner could stay in one of the local hotels if you wanted the experience.

When I was traveling for work, the local guys who had to come in to Bangalore for a training course had to take the train and stay in a local hotel. Whereas myself, obviously flew in and stayed at a Marriott or similar property.

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The "western" hotels are nice.

scd88 said:

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HollywoodBQ said:

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Another little detail I just remembered.

When traveling around India, there are local hotels that are for Indians and then of course there are regular hotels that cater to Westerners.

I assume a Westerner could stay in one of the local hotels if you wanted the experience.

When I was traveling for work, the local guys who had to come in to Bangalore for a training course had to take the train and stay in a local hotel. Whereas myself, obviously flew in and stayed at a Marriott or similar property.

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The "western" hotels are nice.

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They are.

The amount of attendants they have on hand can feel overwhelming at times. You're always surrounded by hotel workers available to help you.

One thing I thought was kind of funny was how high end the Courtyard in Mumbai was compared to a regular Courtyard in the USA.

And when I stayed at Le Meridien in New Delhi, it was opulent.

When my friend's driver in an Audi A7 dropped me off at the wrong door of the hotel, they almost didn't want to let me in because they were having a very well heeled formal event. But since I was a Westerner and a guest of the hotel and it was a long walk around the corner from the event drop off to the hotel entrance, they let me slide by to the lift.