½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

Hi Gino Bui,

From your first name it seems like you are Vietnamese American, if that is the case, I think you will have some difficulties in finding teaching job in Vietnam. Native English speakers is very welcomed by English Centers in Vietnam, but only if they are Caucasian. If you are an English native speaker but have an Asian-looking, you will surely get lower salary in case you are hired.

But if you are Caucasian, you do not have to be worried to find a good teaching job in Vietnam. I have no experience about getting a TEFL certificate so I cannot give you any advice about that.

Good luck!

Wow really? That's so unfortunately, perfect example of reverse racism.  I speak completly perfect English as I have lived in the United States since I was 2 years old.  Thank you for the incite.  I am definitely dummed out if this news.  I'll do some research, get others opinions, and think of other possible options.

Best regards,
Gino

You are welcome,
The things I told you is what I often observe.
Don't worry since everything has exception. Maybe there will be some place out there that would make no discrimination ^^

While it's true that schools often prefer "white" teachers for marketing purposes, the actual situation is that, other than the very best schools, they often take who they can get, and your background is just one factor.

'Alive' and 'available' are the most important qualifications.

'Flexible' and 'not boring' are next on the list, followed by 'responsible' and 'reliable'. Basically, like any business, they need people who can get the job done and who they can count on.

It's important to realize that English schools are the new coffeeshops, easy to set up and make money.

Anyway, in the south at least, it's not that uncommon to have Viet kieu colleagues from the States. I can think of several that have basically reintegrated. They teach, got married, have a kid, etc.

There are other business opportunities as well. VN's economy is still relatively robust. In theory, you could open your own English school, for example, or a coffeeshop.

Anyway, do more research and network in person and online. It's definitely possible for Vietnamese Americans to succeed in HCMC and surrounding provinces and English is just one option.

Thank for the invaluable input.  Do you know of schools that have job placements you can recommend?

Nearly all schools need teachers on a fairly continual basis as turnover is pretty high.

As mentioned, "do more research and network in person and online."

Probably the fastest way to get familiar with the TEFL market in VN is to go here:


½ûÂþÌìÌà (this site) also has some job ads and you can post your resume:
/en/jobs/asia/vietnam/

You can also search onlne for "english language school vietnam" etc. You'll find that most schools have a website or FB page. You can also search on FB for groups such as "teaching jobs in HCMC", etc.

You can also just search for general jobs and post your resume online. This is the largest site in VN  as far as i know:

English:

VNese:

You can probably find others.

I am not an English teacher but having read a hundred similar posts, general recommendations are:

• Best jobs  (including all subjects in high schools and colleges) go to teachers with teaching degrees and credentials
• Not being a college-educated teacher, the highest regarded TEFL program is the intensive, one month CELTA. You can take the program in Saigon and save 1/3 cost than in US, and you are already in the job market and acclimated to the culture
• You can easily live in Vietnam on a full-time teacher's salary. Small towns pay less but housing costs less there.
• You need to be in-country, not apply to positions from overseas, to scout for jobs in person that come and go fast.
• Schools should help you sort out your working visa. But some schools are dodgy, don't work at those.

I see many recruiters advertise positions on FB as well. Search and join large groups with 'Saigon' or 'HCMC' in the title, there are lots.

(American here, 'college' is just a smaller 'university'.
In Australia, college = high school? Doesn't make sense!)

gobot wrote:

I am not an English teacher but having read a hundred similar posts, general recommendations are:

• Best jobs  (including all subjects in high schools and colleges) go to teachers with teaching degrees and credentials
• Not being a college-educated teacher, the highest regarded TEFL program is the intensive, one month CELTA. You can take the program in Saigon and save 1/3 cost than in US, and you are already in the job market and acclimated to the culture
• You can easily live in Vietnam on a full-time teacher's salary. Small towns pay less but housing costs less there.
• You need to be in-country, not apply to positions from overseas, to scout for jobs in person that come and go fast.
• Schools should help you sort out your working visa. But some schools are dodgy, don't work at those.

I see many recruiters advertise positions on FB as well. Search and join large groups with 'Saigon' or 'HCMC' in the title, there are lots.

(American here, 'college' is just a smaller 'university'.
In Australia, college = high school? Doesn't make sense!)

Actually, college in Australia means a private school or a place to gain qualification for certain jobs.

Hi,  I got my TEFL Certificate on-line from International TEFL Teacher Training (ITTT TEFL) in 2008 and it was quite easy. I was already teaching at a Vietnamese English Language Campus of a very large University here in Vietnam. ITTT provided lessons, the assignments, and a mentor to give assistance when necessary.
My English Language School was very  happy with the certificate.

Good Luck!!

Riverlea

gobot wrote:

(American here, 'college' is just a smaller 'university'.
In Australia, college = high school? Doesn't make sense!)

It is not only a function of size.  To be a little more accurate, in the US, a college is an academic institution, no matter how large or small, that grants 4-year Baccalaureate degrees.  A University is an organization that incorporates two or more colleges.   Most Universities in the US have a liberal arts college at their core along with other more specific colleges, both graduate and undergraduate, such as agriculture, fine arts, education, journalism, architecture, law, or medicine.   In some, but not all cases, people who attend universities receive a diploma not with the name of the university but with the name of the particular college that they were associated with.

Gobot:
(American here, 'college' is just a smaller 'university'.
In Australia, college = high school? Doesn't make sense!)

It doesn't make sense in Australia either - a college in Australia is usually a private school or place of vocational learning (Technical And Further Education: TAFE).

Another example of the many differences between Australian English usage and American ("US"?) is "diploma".  In Australia, the educational recognition 'rankings' usually begin with 'Statement of Attainment', then Certificate, Diploma, Degree (undergraduate and post-graduate), then Ph D, etc.  Degrees are usually associated with and/or obtained from universities in Australia, not colleges or schools (High, Grammar or Secondary - public or private), whereas diplomas can be obtained from virtually any educational institution, secondary or tertiary.  Any degree (eg Bachelor, Master, etc) is more highly regarded in Australia than a diploma.

I'm no 'subject matter expert', btw, and I didn't post any of the above to look for an argument or to claim there are no other variations - I just wanted to show that there are differences in usage between different countries, and they doubtless make sense in the country where they're used...

Hi John

I am Canadian, retired and looking to going to Vietnam to teach English.
I do not have a university degree. But I am thinking of taking the certification course for teaching.
What do you think of my chances are of gaining employment?
Do you know what the pay scale is for someone without a degree?
Are there any regions which are better for acquiring positions like this?
Your input, or anyone's input would be much appreciated.
Dianne

smithsfallsgirl wrote:

Hi John

I am Canadian, retired and looking to going to Vietnam to teach English.
I do not have a university degree. But I am thinking of taking the certification course for teaching.
What do you think of my chances are of gaining employment?
Do you know what the pay scale is for someone without a degree?
Are there any regions which are better for acquiring positions like this?
Your input, or anyone's input would be much appreciated.
Dianne

Saying what your chances of getting a job is really hard, it all comes down to if you can actually teach the subject. If you are prepared to start at the bottom and work your way up, then you wont find it too difficult to gain a job. Once you have classroom experience, better jobs can be found without too much problem.

Well, you can see my post above (#7)

Nearly all schools need teachers on a fairly continual basis as turnover is pretty high.

As mentioned, "do more research and network in person and online."

Probably the fastest way to get familiar with the TEFL market in VN is to go here:


½ûÂþÌìÌà (this site) also has some job ads and you can post your resume:
/en/jobs/asia/vietnam/

You can also search onlne for "english language school vietnam" etc. You'll find that most schools have a website or FB page. You can also search on FB for groups such as "teaching jobs in HCMC", etc.

Right now, VN's economy is still fairly hot, so there is a growing middle-class with disposable income. Every kid is expected to learn English starting in pre-school. As a result, English schools are opening up nationwide and already established schools are expanding by opening branches in the provinces. The largest market segment is the kids, so they mostly need people to teach the alphabet, colors, animals and other basic vocabulary, not people with advanced educational qualifications.

So, it's not really a matter of finding work, but it can be difficult to find good work as most of the schools are not very well-managed, and it's sometimes difficult to get enough work as schools usually pay by the teaching hour. Pay in the south is around $12 to 20 per teaching hours and maybe more like $18 to 25 in the north. 12 hours per week is generally considered the minimum. Demand fluctuates throughout the year with the biggest demand in the summer, which is now finishing.

Most classes are evenings and weekends, so most teachers are busy at those times and free during weekdays.

Anyway, the ideal candidate is a female who is reliable, enthusiastic and good with kids aged from 3 to 18. You should also be "flexible" (don't complain too much) and "not boring" (be lively, active and fun).

Thank you for responding.

Dianne

Thank you for your very detailed answer. I appreciate it.

johnross23 wrote:

Well, you can see my post above (#7)

***snip***

"Anyway, the ideal candidate is a female who is reliable, enthusiastic and good with kids aged from 3 to 18. You should also be "flexible" (don't complain too much) and "not boring" (be lively, active and fun)".

Please expand on the preference for female candidates. I ask because we have a young man posting in another thread about his plans to come teach. I'll copy your answer to him. Thanks!

Well, there's plenty of room for male candidates as well. In fact, the TEFL industry is dominated by males.

That's the first reason. If a female shows up to apply, HR are going to be excited that it's not just another guy.

The second reason is, as previously stated, it's mostly kids classes. Without going into a detailed analysis of Freudian psychology and the oedipus complex, suffice it to say that women teachers are considered to be more effective and appropriate for kids classes.

Thirdly, whether it is true or not, it is generally thought that females are less likely to be heavy drinkers/smokers, drug users, patrons of girly bars, pedophiles, murderers, criminals on the lam, egomaniac psychopaths, etc., all of which are not unheard of in the TEFL industry.

Finally, as mentioned in my post above, teachers are part of the marketing of a school. These schools are first and foremost run-for-profit businesses. From the parents' perspective, who would rather see when dropping off your precious child, a nice lady socializing in the lobby with the local admin staff (who are mostly female) or some dodgy looking lads having a smoke break in front of the school?

Anyway, the important thing is if someone is interested, they shouldn't worry too much. Just contact some schools instead of agonizing about your age, race, gender, nationality, education, etc. If you're a decent person with a reasonably sound mind that can speak English, then there is a school looking for you.

Agree with John.

Parents have a lot of sway in relation to who is employed by the school that their little darlings will attend. I know of one decent size language centre that removed 7 South Africans from their employment, all because of the parents. The parents mindset was that South Africans are all black, and that English is not their native language.

I also heard a similar story and that they tried to rehire at least one when they realised they couldn't cover all of their classes.

Anyway, it's all just part of the game. Most likely, the teachers just found work elsewhere in a matter of days.

The schools seem to enjoy occasionally shooting themselves in the foot with managerial decisions. They appear unaware of the effects of globalization and that they're not only competing for teachers with other schools in town or even the nation, but with schools around the world.

With the information available on the internet, many of the most qualified teachers can quickly strike VN from the list of potential teaching destinations. I'd say the only thing keeping many schools afloat is the insatiable demand of nearly unlimited students.