Job in Bangladesh?

[TheWoodlanders]

I have the opportunity to work in Dhaka Bangladesh for 6 months. I would be able to take a sabbatical and return to my permanent job. DCs are grown up so no big disruption to my life. I think of myself as quite an intrepid person, have traveled quite a bit in developing countries. I also have a Bangladeshi friend in the city.

However, I can’t find many positive accounts of living and working there. In particular the flooding, mosquitoes and air pollution concern me. Am I right to be concerned?

It’s an absolutely hideous city, and I’m someone who has lived in other Asian cities and loved them. Terrible air pollution, shocking traffic so getting around the city is awful, mosquito problem is awful because a lot of the slums have open sewers. Lovely, lovely people - but not a lot else to commend it.

I would go on a holiday and see if you like it. I think it would be an adventure but not for the faint of heart!

My husband was posted there with his job and I went with him - I personally couldn't wait to come home! I found it overcrowded, dirty, full of biting insects that made my life a misery (I have the lovely "milk white celtic skin!") and I never really felt safe.

Tbf, that was probably ten years ago so it might have changed by now!

DH used to work in India a lot and was asked to go to Bangladesh for a couple of weeks. He looked into it and decided not to, Indian colleagues also advised that he not go for safety reasons

Oh dear…

I’d be living and working on a university campus with meals included so there would be limited shopping and commuting, which I think would ease things a bit. I guess my major concern is health (insects, flooding and air quality).

Like you I've travelled a lot in the majority world. I think @bluejelly is right, have a holiday there first. During a hot and humid part of the year...

Yes, good idea to have a holiday there first but there won’t be time. The job would start quite soon.

What are the pros? Will you be getting paid a shed load?

It's 6 months.... on a uni campus... I'd go for it. However.... I live on a uni campus in a city that maybe isn't the safest in the world and it is hard work if you can't go out without it being an organised trip.
Find out more details.... accomodation, power and Internet supply, how easy / safe it is to get off campus, evacuation plan (just in case it's needed).
Also look into the healthcare provision, we have a small clinic on site but for anything else there are a number of clinics we can use.
Think about vaccinations you'll need as well, malaria and maybe dengue will be the most important I think. As an anti malarial I took doxycycline for the first few weeks in Tanzania (was there for 2 years and maybe I was just lucky).

You would be in a golden cage I imagine but for 6 months I might give it a go

@flyingant I would be paid the same as I am now. It’s a type of job exchange.

@katscamel good points. I need to find out about healthcare provision. Not that it would be any worse than here but in case of issues specific to the area. Air quality worries me particularly

I only travelled there, did not work, but Dhaka is really confronting. Thousands of people living on the streets, lots of violence, terrible pollution. I had several encounters with men who seemed to deeply hate me for being a white woman on my own. Two men tried to mug me. I got badly sick, thought I was dying, food poisoning, rashes all over my body.
It's true that there are beautiful parts of the country, it's fascinating and most people are lovely though. Not much in the way of gender equality. Extreme, extreme poverty in most parts. I wasn't there in the wet season, but a large part of the population lives in temperary accommodation on the flood plains...

In that case, it might be just about bearable for six months so long as the money or the kudos on your CV made it all worthwhile. Other than that, it would be a bit like being in prison, but with more intelligent inmates.

The NHS is still amazing - particularly in a crisis and so yes - it can be much much worse and would be a priority.

I used to work in India in a similar climate. I’d go! It’s 6 months. It sounds like you’ll be well provided for. If it’s awful, you can come back. While, yes, there is a lot of poverty, there are aspects of life there that will be more modern than here and will surprise you.

I didn’t have any issues with insects, flooding or air quality. There are things like dengue to worry about, and I do know people who got it, but I never did. No flooding where I lived and while I’m asthmatic and the pollution did bother my asthma, it honestly wasn’t worse than London or NYC for me. And my inhalers were cheap to buy there.

I was in hospital myself there and also with a friend who had to go to hospital, and honestly the care was fantastic. 3 day impatient stay in a private room in a private hospital with food for Dh too cost me £500 (granted this was 15 years ago).

It would be an adventure for sure. I think you'd be in relative luxury at the university and like everywhere in the world, there is good enough healthcare for those who can pay enough. For 6 months, I would go.

Recent mid-long term experience...absolutely not. It's an awful city to live in, horribly polluted. Also have long term experience in India, and in many other more 'challenging' locations. I'd live in any of them again before I considered Dhaka.

My initial thought was that you’d be fine in the accommodation you describe. But…if you can’t really get out and about, then what’s the point?

Is it going to be great for your CV? I’ve been, I wouldn’t have felt safe or comfortable walking around alone (and I’m not fearful at all, I travel abroad alone and walk all kinds of places and late at night in the U.K.), and so six months more or less confined to a campus not really able to see much doesn’t sound very appealing, unless it’s a career boost.

misunderstood your post and now can’t delete. Sorry!

@ComtesseDeSpair it wouldn’t make much difference to my CV. I thought it would be really interesting work, and an adventure. I am beginning to think it’s not really the kind of adventure I had in mind!

Not in this lifetime. Absolute shit hole.

If you were safe and well looked after, I might be tempted to give it a whirl...

You'll have security on campus, I assume you won't be walking off unaccompanied into any slums, I'd definitely give it a go, it's only for six months. You could hire a local on your days off to help you explore, the countryside is absolutely beautiful.