basic questions about living in Goa

carlaeb

Hello there. I am just starting my research on living as an ex-pat in Goa. My husband's company is sending us there from the US. We should arrive in October this year. If you can give me any thoughts, advice or point me in the right direction I'd really appreciate it!

First, can you give me an idea of what the rent is like? We don't need anything fancy, but we want two bedrooms -and since we have a dog, a small courtyard or garden.

Next, do Western women face any particular hassles getting around the city by themselves? I've lived in Central America, so I expect typical cat-calling and staring and that sort of thing. My question is, assuming I don't do anything stupid, will I face any serious harassment from the men there? I visited India once before but never went anywhere alone so I don't know what to expect. I've heard horror stories from Western travelers, but I'm hoping they were exaggerating? How does the harassment compare to places like Mexico City or Jamaica?

Finally, how competitive are teaching jobs at nicer schools? I will have right to work there, so the school will not have to sponsor my visa. I'm a qualified teacher in the US, but I haven't had a regular classroom job in a couple of years, so my resume is not up to date. I only speak English and a bit of Spanish, and I think I'd prefer to work in schools with a Western curriculum, although who knows what I'll think when I get there...

Thanks again.

GoanCanuck

The rent depends on the location. You did not mention where your husband would be working. If he is going to be working in Panjim, the rent will be between Rs 20,000-Rs 50,000 depending on the neighbourhood and the facilities available. You said that you want a place with 2 bedrooms with a small courtyard and garden which basically means that you are not looking for an apartment but a small bungalow.


You should not have any problems in the main towns of Panjim, Margao and Vasco. You may get overcharged for taxis and at retail outlets but nothing serious.

Schools in Goa are divided into two broad categories,
a) Government funded schools
b) Private schools

Government funded schools are prohibited from hiring foreign nationals. You are not eligible to get a job in these type of schools

Private schools in Goa can employ foreign nationals but the pay tends to be low and the hours of work very long.

A regular work week comprises of 6 days with Sunday being the only day off. Saturday is a half day.

In India a school teacher is expected to do school related work even while at home. This includes preparing assignments, marking exam papers, preparing report cards and any other duties that the principal gives you to complete.

You will normally work about 45-50 hours/week including work done from your home. Of course there is no such thing as overtime pay.

Unlike Mumbai and Delhi there is no school in Goa which has an exclusive Western curriculum. The private schools in Goa are affiliated to either the Goa board of education or the Delhi based CBSE and ICSE.

carlaeb

Thanks for responding so quickly! I appreciate the info! Sounds like a teacher's life/work schedule in India is very similar to the US. That's the reason I quit teaching in the US! Well, I'll look into it, but thanks for the warning. Perhaps I'll volunteer instead if what you say turns out to be true everywhere.

According to the embassy here, I will have legal right to work anywhere in India as my husband is a citizen (but hasn't lived there in a really long time so doesn't know much more about what to expect than I do). But I just figured that government schools would not want to hire me as I don't speak any of the local languages or know much about the culture, history of the country, etc. Unless perhaps they wanted me to teach English or English lit or something like that.

birds

Hi Carla,

We live in Goa for almost two years now. Really happy to be here.

If you were to stay a little away from the cities (15 minutes or so) you can also find places with a lower rent between Rs.10,000 to 15,000.

I know that Yellow school and the European school, both in North Goa are very happy to take on foreign teachers but I do not think the pay is much.

I never get hassled here, other than the occasional overcharging but even that is not too often.

Make sure your dog has all the vaccinations and that he/she is sterilised. Also check before you leave what paperwork you need to bring your dog back with you to the US when you return.

The best vet is Marlyn Estibeira in Porvorim but the GSPCA also in Porvorim is also good for routine stuff and less busy than Marlyn.

GoanCanuck

Since you are married to an Indian citizen, you are classified as a PIO. Anyone in this category is eligible to work anywhere in India barring public sector employment.

The only way for you to be eligible to work in a publicly funded school is for you to take Indian citizenship which you can do after staying in India for the specified period. Of course this will mean that you will cease to be an American citizen.

Not really. It is much more demanding to be a school teacher in India in a decent school and that too for relatively low pay.

birds

Over lunch I was just flicking through the Herald (a Goan local newspaper) and noticed about ten adverts from schools asking for teachers .

carlaeb

Great! The rent sounds reasonable. I have since been looking online at several places. Seems like this is going to be good. Also, it's reassuring to hear that the women there have relatively few hassles. That's what I thought. Sometimes people just like to tell horror stories because they make exciting travel tales! lol

birds-

Thanks for the vet tip! Have you found dog parks or anything like that there for your dog? My dog is really social.

Canuck-

Thanks for the visa clarification. The embassy made it sound like the paperwork would be fast and no problem to get done. Do you know if that is true? We can live anywhere in Goa. The only requirement is that he be close to a major airport. He'll be flying nearly every week, so it'd be convenient to get there in no more than 40 minutes. We will pick the neighborhood according to price, safety, and what is around. It's most important that I can get around (basic shopping, restaurants, etc) without having to drive. Somewhere that we can take nice walks through and easily do shopping is ideal, but we want to save money too. Do you have any suggestions where to look? I figure that anywhere real close to the coast would be crazy expensive. Just FYI- though experiences may vary greatly according to region, teaching in public US schools has gotten really bad. Typical work day is 10-12 hours, kids are rude and violent, lots of pressure from the government, though the pay is better. I was hoping things would be better in India.

birds

There are no dog parks here but there is no need for it either because there is plenty of rural areas where you can walk with your dog but there are two things you have to be careful of.

The first is chickens . Many people have chickens roaming freely around their houses. My dogs killed all the neighbours chickens . They accepted payment for compensation (Rs.20 for a small chicken and Rs.60 for a big one) but it was not a good start. Somehow my dogs have now stopped doing it, not sure why. But perhaps your dog is better behaved.

The second is other dogs. Many people have a dog which just walks around freely outside their house (is the same with my dogs). It is not a bad life for the dog but when you walk by with yours they can get territorial (as they should). Besides these dogs there are also plenty of strays but they normally stay well away. It does mean though that you should make sure that your dog has good rabies protection.

Oh yes, from what I understand is that in India children are better behaved at school than in western countries.

GoanCanuck

The airport in Goa is located next to the port town of Vasco. The capital city of Panjim is 30km from the airport and the commercial hub which is Margao is located 25km from the airport.

You have three main choices of where to live considering your requirements,
1) Panjim
2) Margao
3) Vasco

Among the above three cities, Panjim is the best as far as cleanliness and facilities are concerned. The only downside is that the properties in Panjim are more expensive.

Margao is cheaper but is famous for its congestion and pollution. The plus points for Margao is that it has the best school in Goa as well as the best hospital.

Vasco is the cheapest of the three but lacks the facilities available in Panjim or Margao. Of course it has the upside of being next to the airport.

You said that you want to stay in a neighbourhood where you won't have to drive to do your shopping. This would essentially mandate that you stay in Panjim in the Miramar area which is the most expensive neighbourhood. My advice would be to buy a car and hire a driver and stay a little away from the city. You will save a lot on rent and drivers are easily available for between $100-$200/month.

machadinha

Hi Carla, just leaving a note that as you'll have seen from GoanCanuck's reply too, Goa is a state albeit a small one, not a city. I'm not sure if this was clear to you so far, as you seem to approach it as one entity. That's not so strange, many people seem to think it's a city.

Good luck with your arrangements, seems like some good tips are coming in

__________________
Reading tips, all picked up at IndiaMike : INDAX's A Comprehensive Guide To India / Dinoj Surendran's Desi Humor / ITHVC on Culture Shock & Travel Health / JetLag Travel Guides For the Undiscerning Traveller / India Travel Links

carlaeb

I just wanted to let you know that I responded to you in the Chandigarh thread.

ciaougo

Hi Machadinha, You seem to be well informed about the Goa area. My hubby would love to live in the area in a years time so we're doing a bit of internet research. Do you know of any interesting internet sites to visit .. we want to rent first.

machadinha

Hm? No, sorry, that must be a mistake. I've never been there. All I've ever said about it will have been from hearsay, things I picked up on this forum as elsewhere.

It gets discussed quite a bit here, so I'd suggest searching on for it a bit more. If you have no Indian backgrounds, you can't just up and go "live" in India, so that's a first thing you'll run into. People will need to know what will be your hubby's legal status (and/or yours, if applicable) there and so on, in order to comment.

carlaeb

Oh wait, nevermind. I totally misread a post and responded to the wrong thing. Sorry about the confusion.

silversurfer

Carlaeb, if you are going to stay for long in Goa, you should consider the Dona Paula area as the place to live. It is the more affulent section of Panjim with good rental options, albiet a bit more expensive than others parts of Goa.