dondon

I have been given opportunity to work in INDORE - a large city in India as a kids Drama Teacher (which is what I am qualified to do) Position offers accommodation but only pays 3000 Rupees a month.
Two major questions - can anyone give me any details about a 24 single UK female living and working alone in India - will I be safe and made welcome - is there an expats circle in Indore -
and secondly how much more would I have to contribute to that basic wage in order to live to a decent standard?

Tomas Duke

I would bet that you will be just fine in India!
The Indians are very decent people and will treat you much as
you treat them, or according to your behaviour.

Dress modestly, in local style, and behave respectfully and you
there is a good chance you will end up loving India, like so
many other Europeans have come to do.

Myself I am a Swedish male who have spent about 36 months in
India and I love it more than I can say. I have never been to
Indore though.

Moneywise it all depends on your habits. But I would think that
if you add another 100$ or so per month you would be very
comfortable.


On Sun, 22 Sep 2002 14:54:01 +0000, dondon
wrote:

    > I have been given opportunity to work in INDORE - a large
    > city in India as a kids Drama Teacher (which is what I am qualified to
    >do) Position offers accommodation but only pays 3000 Rupees a month.
    > Two major questions - can anyone give me any details about a 24 single
    > UK female living and working alone in India - will I be safe and made
    > welcome - is there an expats circle in Indore -
    > and secondly how much more would I have to contribute to that basic wage
    > in order to live to a decent standard?


Tomas

Raj

dondon wrote:
    > I have been given opportunity to work in INDORE - a large
    > city in India as a kids Drama Teacher (which is what I am qualified to
    > do) Position offers accommodation but only pays 3000 Rupees a month.
    > Two major questions - can anyone give me any details about a 24 single
    > UK female living and working alone in India - will I be safe and made
    > welcome - is there an expats circle in Indore -
    > and secondly how much more would I have to contribute to that basic wage
    > in order to live to a decent standard?

My opinion. Rs. 3000/- is low. Who has provided this opportunity to you
?
Usually private schools pay upwards of Rs. 9,000/- for good teachers.
As for safety, wear skirts below the knee and do not travel alone after
dark.

--
Raj

Raj

Raj wrote:

    > Usually private schools pay upwards of Rs. 9,000/- for good teachers.
    > As for safety, wear skirts below the knee and do not travel alone after
    > dark.


Of course, I meant "knee length" skirts.

--
Raj

dondon

Thank you for replying to my questions - this is a position as a drama tutor for a new drama academy to open in Indore next year - so I expect it would not pay as much as full time or private education. It is a reputable multinational drama group and the Franchise is being taken up by a businessman in Indore who i understand already operates several quite large businesses there. I can only hope that he is an honorable employer. Are you local to Indore - if I gave you his name would it mean anything to you?

Raj

dondon wrote:

    > reputable multinational drama group and the Franchise is being taken up
    > by a businessman in Indore who i understand already operates several
    > quite large businesses there. I can only hope that he is an honorable
    > employer. Are you local to Indore - if I gave you his name would it
    > mean anything to you?


Although I am from India I've never been to Indore. This should not
deter you from naming the "multinational drama group" as well as the
"businessman in Indore" on usenet. There could be someone here or in
the theatre newsgroups who has information that could be helpful in
making a decision.

--
Raj

dondon

It is the Helen O;Grady International Drama Academy and the Indian Franchise is being run by 'Bob' Bapna of Bapna House, Indore
[    > reputable multinational drama group and the Franchise is being taken up
    > by a businessman in Indore who i understand already operates several
    > quite large businesses there. I can only hope that he is an honorable
    > employer. Are you local to Indore - if I gave you his name would it
    > mean anything to you?

Josi Hillary

Few comments:

Once you get used to Indian mores you will be fine in India.

I wonder if there are any British expatriates group in India. Perhaps 55
years ago you will find such groups all over India but things may be
different now.

India is like a continent. If you have an opportunity, make it a point to
travel to other parts of India. My sense is you will learn conversational
Hindi and it will come handy to travel by economic modes like trains (II
class). South India is quite different from the area where you will be but
it will be worth a trip.

Enjoy your experience in India.

dondon

thanks for replying Josi - sorry what do you mean by once you get used to Indian "mores"?
Can you give me any advice on cost of living over there - what will my 3000Rupees buy for example? - Am not too worried about the working part of this venture - more thinking about what I would/could do outside working hours - can a single white female have a "social" life? What sort of places/leisure activities could I take part in - and could I afford them if my food and lodgings had been found?
Sorry if this sounds really ignorant but I am wise enough to realise you can not go on what tourist brochures and TV programmes tell you.

Chuckles

dondon wrote in
news:424989.1032971174@britishexpat-
s.com:

    > thanks for replying Josi - sorry what do you mean by once you get used
    > to Indian "mores"?

You can't expect to get a summary of Indian customs and ways of living
and thinking in a NG post. There are many books on the subject, although
you'll still have much to learn when you get there. It is very different
there from what you are used to.

On the other hand,just in case you didn't understand the word, it is
pronounced "morays" and it means ways or customs.

    > Can you give me any advice on cost of living over there - what will my
    > 3000Rupees buy for example?

That is poverty wages, although might be OK in a village where there is
nothing to spend money on. The basics (dal, rice) are cheap in India but
many other things in cities---nice restaurants, fashionable clothes--are
increasingly expensive and approaching western costs.

A middle class college teacher or govt employee might earn Rs. 10,000 to
Rs. 20,000 per month, but of course they have to pay for food and
housing. (Salaries have increased steeply in recent years, as have
prices.) People working in IT or in private companies may earn much
more. But there are also many people living threadbare lives at a few
hundred rupees a month or less.

- Am not too worried about the working part
    > of this venture - more thinking about what I would/could do outside
    > working hours - can a single white female have a "social" life?

Not in the western sense. You can hang around with women and families.
Any association with single men--while not literally impossible as in
Muslim countries---will cause scandal and hostility, as will drinking,
partying, etc. Plus the men you hang out with will pobably have
different expectations of the interaction than you do. There is a huge
cultural gap, not always obvious at a casual glance. If there are other
westerners in the school or nearby, you can hang out with them, this
will not be disapproved of to the same degree.

    > What
    > sort of places/leisure activities could I take part in - and could I
    > afford them if my food and lodgings had been found?

The charms of Indore are easily exhausted. Mostly, what you will want to
do in India is travel. Travel is very cheap in western terms, but Rs
3000 is about GBP40 per month, and so travel will be very expensive for
you if you plan to live on your salary.

    > Sorry if this sounds really ignorant but I am wise enough to realise
    > you can not go on what tourist brochures and TV programmes tell you.

No need to apologize, but it's probably not a smart idea to take a job
in India in your current state of ignorance. Better to travel to India
once or twice as a tourist before deciding to embark on something like
this. India is not just another country, it is another world.

dondon

    > Can you give me any advice on cost of living over there - what will my
    > 3000Rupees buy for example?

That is poverty wages, although might be OK in a village where there is
nothing to spend money on. The basics (dal, rice) are cheap in India but
many other things in cities---nice restaurants, fashionable clothes--are
increasingly expensive and approaching western costs.

Thanks for this Chuckles - you're the first one to try & put it in basic terms for me. Much appreciated.

-- can a single white female have a "social" life?[/q1]

Not in the western sense.


That's what I thought - have travelled a bit in South America and in South East Asis where meeting up with other westeners was not a problem - thats why I asked if it was the same in Indian cities or not.
.

.

    > Sorry if this sounds really ignorant but I am wise enough to realise
    > you can not go on what tourist brochures and TV programmes tell you.

No need to apologize,


Once again thanks for your honesty - thats what I need lots of opinions as food for thought.

Josi Hillary

Hi,

Chuckles reply adequately covers your two questions on cost of living and
social life.

Many of the local residents will be very curious about why you are there,
and why you don't have a husband etc. It is their way of sizing you up.
Only through interactions with them, you will quickly learn how to deal with
such questions. My only advice is that you are open with them but that
doesn't mean you bare your soul.

It will be nice if your sponsor plays a role in introducing you to the local
conditions. From the brief comments you have made so far my sense is that
family could be a "rich" one for Indian standards.

If I were you, I will make some arrangements for some subsidies from home on
a regular basis.

Josi

Vj

hi ppl,
im new to this group.i was going thru the previous msgs on this
topic.im also from india.in my personal opinion 3000rs per month is
very less and u cant make a comfortable living out of it.just think
twice before u make a decission.
bye

Chuckles wrote in message news:...
    > dondon wrote in
    > news:424989.1032971174@britishexp-
    > ats.com:
    > >
    > > thanks for replying Josi - sorry what do you mean by once you get used
    > > to Indian "mores"?
    > You can't expect to get a summary of Indian customs and ways of living
    > and thinking in a NG post. There are many books on the subject, although
    > you'll still have much to learn when you get there. It is very different
    > there from what you are used to.
    > On the other hand,just in case you didn't understand the word, it is
    > pronounced "morays" and it means ways or customs.
    > > Can you give me any advice on cost of living over there - what will my
    > > 3000Rupees buy for example?
    > That is poverty wages, although might be OK in a village where there is
    > nothing to spend money on. The basics (dal, rice) are cheap in India but
    > many other things in cities---nice restaurants, fashionable clothes--are
    > increasingly expensive and approaching western costs.
    > A middle class college teacher or govt employee might earn Rs. 10,000 to
    > Rs. 20,000 per month, but of course they have to pay for food and
    > housing. (Salaries have increased steeply in recent years, as have
    > prices.) People working in IT or in private companies may earn much
    > more. But there are also many people living threadbare lives at a few
    > hundred rupees a month or less.
    > - Am not too worried about the working part
    > > of this venture - more thinking about what I would/could do outside
    > > working hours - can a single white female have a "social" life?
    > Not in the western sense. You can hang around with women and families.
    > Any association with single men--while not literally impossible as in
    > Muslim countries---will cause scandal and hostility, as will drinking,
    > partying, etc. Plus the men you hang out with will pobably have
    > different expectations of the interaction than you do. There is a huge
    > cultural gap, not always obvious at a casual glance. If there are other
    > westerners in the school or nearby, you can hang out with them, this
    > will not be disapproved of to the same degree.
    > > What
    > > sort of places/leisure activities could I take part in - and could I
    > > afford them if my food and lodgings had been found?
    > The charms of Indore are easily exhausted. Mostly, what you will want to
    > do in India is travel. Travel is very cheap in western terms, but Rs
    > 3000 is about GBP40 per month, and so travel will be very expensive for
    > you if you plan to live on your salary.
    > > Sorry if this sounds really ignorant but I am wise enough to realise
    > > you can not go on what tourist brochures and TV programmes tell you.
    > No need to apologize, but it's probably not a smart idea to take a job
    > in India in your current state of ignorance. Better to travel to India
    > once or twice as a tourist before deciding to embark on something like
    > this. India is not just another country, it is another world.

truecol

On Mon, 23 Sep 2002 11:18:25 -0400, Raj wrote:

    >Raj wrote:
    >> Usually private schools pay upwards of Rs. 9,000/- for good teachers.
    >> As for safety, wear skirts below the knee and do not travel alone after
    >> dark.
    >Of course, I meant "knee length" skirts.

And don't show your cleavage either. And Rs 3000 is peanuts.


SIAOGU

A rich man is not one who has a lot but one who needs little
Cast pearls before swine to email

Sam L Jackson

I will re-iterate what the others have already said and say Rs 3000
does not go very far...though there probaly is not a whole lot of
things to spend it on in Indore.

I just thought I'd put a few numbers up for you to get a better handle
on what costs are:

A 15 minute call to the us will probably cost you around Rs 400. This
does not include the service charges and taxes if you use a PCO(public
call office).

Eating out at a decent indian restaurant will set you back about Rs
100 or so.
A cold coke/pepsi when you are on the road is around Rs 15/


You will probably need a motorized 2-wheeler to get around town (don't
even dream about going around on a bicycle and buses are unreliable
and crowded). You could probably get a used one for about Rs15K to Rs
20K. I am guessing over a year or so you will lose about Rs 2-4K in
value depending on how well you bargain! The low end scooters like a
kinetic honda or easy to operate and friendly on the wallet. They
will cost you about a rupee per kilometer to operate.

Clothes will run anywhere from Rs 500 and up for a decent outfit.
I was in india recently and we bought some sets of salwar/kumiz (which
will be the most conevenient thing for you to wear) and a nice cotton
set was about Rs 800 and up.

Traveling around india on a train is relatively inexpensive if you go
by second class (could ba compared to cattle car on some trains)...but
can be a decent experience on others (fares from indore to major
cities : Mumbai(Bombay)/Delhi...about Rs400 each way, Calcutta (now
Kolkota?)/Chennai(Madras) will be around Rs500 each way) Travling
around in A/C sleeper will probably be three times as expensive) You
may be eligible for rail-travel concession because you are a teacher
(about 75% concession), which but I am not sure how the fact that you
are from UK affects that.

When traveling finding decent places to stay will be quite
expensive...a lot of the decent places (which you would consider
mid-tier in the west...like a days inn) charge comparable rates...so
rates will be about Rs1500 a night and up. (You really should avoid
the cheaper places. We stayed at one on a trip about 3 years ago and
heard somebody trying to get into our room at about 6:00 a.m. I found
a hotel employee lurking outside the door when I opened the door.
Needless to say, I checked out that morning)

Like somebody else said, unless you are bringing in cash from outside
you could find yourself skimping a lot. Which is okay for a week or
two...ask yourself if you want to do that for a year.


Wed, 25 Sep 2002 16:26:14 +0000, dondon
wrote:

    >thanks for replying Josi - sorry what do you mean by once you get used
    >to Indian "mores"?
    >Can you give me any advice on cost of living over there - what will my
    >3000Rupees buy for example? - Am not too worried about the working part
    >of this venture - more thinking about what I would/could do outside
    >working hours - can a single white female have a "social" life? What
    >sort of places/leisure activities could I take part in - and could I
    >afford them if my food and lodgings had been found?
    >Sorry if this sounds really ignorant but I am wise enough to realise you
    >can not go on what tourist brochures and TV programmes tell you.