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?

@poshsnobtwit I have a Bangladeshi friend in Dhaka

Given that can take a sabbatical & you have no massive commitments childwise I'd go for it, it's only 6 months, you could always come home if it's horrendous

I know it appears to be a good opportunity. Adventure, experience, no loss of income, no responsibilities left behind, good living conditions for that location, local support etc etc BUT it seems like it would be much more challenging than other developing countries and that Dhaka in particular is very difficult to live in. That’s why I’d like to hear experiences from people who have been there rather than general opinions about whether it’s a good idea to work in a developing country.

A guy I know, with a track record of working happily in developing countries, had a posting in Dhaka and couldn’t wait to leave.

Actually, I am pretty sure I heard on the grapevine that the UN has or is moving their offices out of Dhaka to Chittagong as even they don't consider Dhaka to be a livable enough standard, and their standards can be very low. I know the UN also send their staff to Bangkok for anything other than the most basic medical needs which should tell you something.

That’s very interesting, and off putting

It’s regarded as a hardship post. Friends who have worked there said it was almost impossible to make local friends because you’re far wealthier, and when they invite you for a Coca-Cola it’s massive expense for them etc. So you end up hanging out with expats. Which is pretty predictable.

That’s a very important point about barriers to meeting people

Really no, no one has a good word to say and all their sport is played in Dubai. That is enough for me to say no !

I worked there for 4 weeks. Based in Dhaka. It's a bit of a culture shock ( monkeys everywhere, electric cables dangling to the pavement, flies buzzing around meat hanging in the open air at butchers' stalls) but what an amazing experience. I was very well looked after and felt very safe (even went out for early morning runs) but I was in the diplomatic area. Being left- handed was a bit of a challenge (left hands are only used for ablutions, not eating etc) but I coped. A colleague spent 8 months out there and absolutely loved it. Go with a.n open mind, don't make comparisons to how it is in the UK and just go with the flow. That's what worked for me.

@EnglishSpringerSpanielMum thank you so much, that’s really interesting and more positive. I definitely don’t expect anywhere to be the same as the UK and have traveled quite a bit in India and always felt comfortable.
I am left handed too! That adds a new layer of difficulty I hadn’t thought of.

@EnglishSpringerSpanielMum if you wouldn’t mind, I’d love to hear about what you enjoyed about Dhaka.

I know someone who worked in Dhaka for a bit, she's an English teacher & has worked all over the world so is pretty adventurous and self reliant

She hated it, barely left her accommodation as she felt unsafe unless accompanied by colleagues. I think the year she was there she went on a few trips, all outside of Bangladesh just so she could do normal things like a normal person.

TBF anywhere in that region I'd go to Bangkok because the care there is amazing. I've said before that I should get repatriation insurance from the UK to Thailand since the level of care is so far above the NHS. I love the NHS but what you can have there is amazing. They saved my life.

I have been to Dhaka for a couple of weeks and it's definitely an intense place. It's very dense and the traffic is awful. But Bangladesh is an incredible country and I don't think you have much to lose from a 6 month posting, particularly if your accommodation is safe and comfortable.

Absolutely not. complete sh*thole and I've spent time in Islamabad and environs. However much it bristles, could not go out without being accompanied by male let alone having to cover. On some occasions, would still be hassled if couldn't provide evidence we were married.

Good things about Bangladesh - lovely, noisy, vibrant. Made me appreciate how lucky I was to be born in the UK (and it is just luck) but I felt fine going out on my own, in the daytime. Modest dress just meant keeping my legs and arms covered. If you can get to the ex-pat clubs, there's always a lot going on there - tennis, country dancing etc. I liked the genuine curiosity people had about life in the UK but I was teaching government employees, so they were all from relatively affluent backgrounds in comparison to many locals. Seeing the chai sellers approaching cars at traffic lights to sell tea is fun to watch. There's a lot of very visible begging (people come up to your car when you're stopped and rap on the window - we were advised to ignore them. I had a government driver taking me from my hotel to the offices every day - offices were in a shanty town, really, so the contrast from the hotel area to the offices was pretty stark. People want to practise their English so you'll be popular!

Food is good but be careful where you eat as I don't think food hygiene is great in some of the more local food spots. That said, I did a bike ride with some long-term ex-pats and we ate in a very basic shack and it was delicious! No alcohol except in the ex-pat clubs, although locals do have places where they go to drink. Learn a few words of Bangladeshi before you go and you'll be very popular. The Lonely Planet guide to Bangladesh was one I found useful.

Hope this helps! It's different but it's something you'll remember and talk about for years. I was there 10 years ago.

And (I keep remembering things!), there's a great department store in Dhaka called Aarong. It sells everything and the fabrics are just gorgeous. Also, I found people very helpful if I needed help.

I booked a car and driver (through a reputable firm) for a day trip outside Dhaka to see some other parts of the country. Well worth doing.

Aaron is wonderful and such an amazing story behind it.

https://www.aarong.com/uk/about-aarong

@EnglishSpringerSpanielMum @TheBossOfMe wow thanks so much for the info about Aarong. I have just been on the website. It’s a great story and I love the stuff. I want to go there now!

I saw the news today about the protests and violence in Dhaka and PM resigning and thought of you OP. I hope you stayed safely out of there.

@worryingafar aw thanks for remembering. Very shortly after posting this thread I began to notice what was happening on the news in Bangladesh. It's been going on for quite a while but hasn't been in the headlines. My contact at the university cancelled an online talk I was due to give and told me the internet had been deliberately cut on and off and it's generally too unsettled to even think about university business. I hope to be able to do the online talk later in the year but all thoughts of travelling or working there are definitely on hold!

I b was thinking about you @TheWoodlanders and hoped that you'd changed your mind, it did seem like a fascinating experience, but maybe one for the future...

Thanks for updating OP. Glad to hear you're safe and sound.

I certainly wouldn't go out to Bangladesh at the moment, so that's the right decision, I think.