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Looking at Glassdoor(company reviews) they are crap.

Most schools in VN are very low level, unorganised money making mills.

colinoscapee wrote:

Looking at Glassdoor(company reviews) they are crap.

Most schools in VN are very low level, unorganised money making mills.

Thanks Colin for the feedback.

I really appreciate it.

Cheers,

yudirajput wrote:

Hi all,

I have an interview with EMG Education in few days for English Teacher job.

I would like to know if anyone had worked with EMG before or if anyone is still currently working there ?

How the working environment is and what to expect in interview ?

Any inputs will be highly appreciated.

Thanks,
Stay safe.

I believe they (and similar businesses) will hire someone who doesn't write the English language well.

That's not meant as a positive comment...

Hi There are pros and cons.  You can't go and teach in a foreign country and expect to have a teaching holiday.  I know of teachers that are currently teaching at EMG and they are ok with it.
If you going there for a purpose,  fulfil that purpose... don't complain why you are working on 3 Saturdays of the month or starting at 7:30 and finishing at 5 or even spending 2 hours office time doing nothing.
You getting paid so stop complaining.
Look at the video on YouTube "teaching at EMG in Vietnam" The lady gives the pro n cons. 
The interview is cool based on how u will assess... methods of assessment.  discipline control,  how u start your lesson.  nothing difficult if u a teacher.
Good luck.. I'll see u on the other side if you get the job.

Hi to all, new member here.

I've worked as an English teacher in Vietnam for different companies for over 10 years, and, as was stated before, there are pros and cons working at any school or center here.

BUT, be VERY careful about joining this company, they have a certain reputation among teachers in HCMC.  They will try to keep your passport and other documents when you join them, and can get aggressive when you try to get them back.  Just be warned.  Anyway, good luck.

That is pure intimidation! No one has a blooming right to keep anyone's passport! But here, if you Need the job and you are a foreigner, and it's just about lawlessness....you get the drift..?
I worked teaching undergrads, and no one asked for my passport, except to make a copy.
But I reckon that is quite different ; those pupils are out to seek knowledge, not to learn how to speak a foreign language..

Sunil Lau wrote:

Hi There are pros and cons.  You can't go and teach in a foreign country and expect to have a teaching holiday.  I know of teachers that are currently teaching at EMG and they are ok with it.
If you going there for a purpose,  fulfil that purpose... don't complain why you are working on 3 Saturdays of the month or starting at 7:30 and finishing at 5 or even spending 2 hours office time doing nothing.
You getting paid so stop complaining.
Look at the video on YouTube "teaching at EMG in Vietnam" The lady gives the pro n cons. 
The interview is cool based on how u will assess... methods of assessment.  discipline control,  how u start your lesson.  nothing difficult if u a teacher.
Good luck.. I'll see u on the other side if you get the job.

From experience I would avoid the the organisation that sources teachers for schools, badly run and unprofessional

Swee Loke wrote:

That is pure intimidation! No one has a blooming right to keep anyone's passport! But here, if you Need the job and you are a foreigner, and it's just about lawlessness....you get the drift..?
I worked teaching undergrads, and no one asked for my passport, except to make a copy.
But I reckon that is quite different ; those pupils are out to seek knowledge, not to learn how to speak a foreign language..

I'm definitely not saying that what they are doing is legal, since the passport is usually not the property of the individual but of their government.

But from what I understand there have been significant numbers of ESL teachers who have abandoned their jobs before the end of their commitments, even after having received certain perks.

So it's not as if the schools are doing this for no reason at all.

It just becomes something else that has to be negotiated ahead of time.

Giving them a copy of your passport is reasonable.

Handing over your actual passport doesn't seem to be reasonable.

Then again, if they are the sponsor making it possible for the employee to be present in Vietnam, maybe it's not so unreasonable?

Maybe the employer should say that up front, that the new employee should voluntarily provide their passport to them for safekeeping, and anyone not willing to volunteer would not be considered for employment.

Kind of like volunteering to comply with vaccine mandates...

yudirajput wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

Looking at Glassdoor(company reviews) they are crap.

Most schools in VN are very low level, unorganised money making mills.

Thanks Colin for the feedback.

I really appreciate it.

Cheers,

If you can, find a school directly rather than rely on a learning center.

These places are all about bums on seats with little attention to quality or professionalism.

Do your research before joining any educational center, one I worked for had tons of false claims on their website claiming to be affiliated with a reputable university in the UK, turns out after a quick check it was all window dressing to convince students and schools to sign up

I'm sure for every good center there is a bad one. If you're told that course materials are provided the chances are you will will quite restricted in what you can and cannot do. Sale dull materials no matter how much effort you cram into 30 minutes will inevitably be greeted with some yawns, remember classes here are done by age group and not ability.

30+ students per class might get half a dozen eager kids, and probably more that couldn't care less.

The department of education found 500 schools in Saigon with expired or no trading license. Pretty much sums up the way things work in the industry here in VN.

colinoscapee wrote:

The department of educatiin found 200 schools in Saigon with expired or no trading license. Pretty much sums up the way things work in the industry here in VN.

Most are probably run with good intentions but just lack the quality of materials, staff and dedication.

After 18 months I'm still baffled by some processes in business, stores, and services.

Compass (learning center) were all about look at us.. we have this this and this, but the staff running the offices were terrible. Would happily send you to a school with incorrect lesson times, wrong books and them like to place blame on you. Ask them for the right information and you would be waiting days later. Towards the end of my stint. I went to the offices and waited. They ask why are you here today, my response I'm still waiting for the correct schedule and course materials..

Best price if advice for anyone, research the place first, check for positive reviews on other sites than Google and Facebook. Any mention of overseas affiliation, check..

To be fair the covid situation means less teachers are available leading to an increase smaller less professional outfits, kids need training and locals need to earn so you can see how if why the number of dodgy schools grows.

Does anyone regularly audit these places? And if they do are they the same kinds of checks that sees the exchange of money under the table?

Take a small house based outfit.. 25 students at 200k per hour.. soon adds up, tempting no doubt

yudirajput wrote:

Hi all,

I have an interview with EMG Education in few days for English Teacher job.

I would like to know if anyone had worked with EMG before or if anyone is still currently working there ?

How the working environment is and what to expect in interview ?

I don't know anything about this particular place. Maybe they are an exception, but the vast majority of these "three letter schools" aren't run very professionally. Profit is the main objective, of course, and English schools are a fantastic get-rich-quick business model, not only in Vietnam.

The easiest way to maximize profits is by reducing operational costs, including payments to teachers. Almost every school pays based on classrooms hours taught at the lowest rate possible.

Again, I can't speak for EMG, but the usual interview just involves nationality, experience and qualifications. The most important thing is availability. Since the schools follow the same model, they all have tons of kids classes throughout weekends. Usually, they ask for a demo lesson scheduled at a later date, so you have to prepare for that. Then generally, they will find some flaws in your demo, and try to offer a low hourly rate.

If you're popular, then they will give you more classes and vice versa if you're not.

If you have any sort of science/math/computer qualifications, you should check with the "international" schools. They usually have openings for these subjects.  They may offer something more like full-time employment with a salary, etc.

Also, have you been to either Ha Noi or HCMC? These days there are a number of opportunities in smaller more livable cities.

"Maybe the employer should say that up front, that the new employee should voluntarily provide their passport to them for safekeeping, and anyone not willing to volunteer would not be considered for employment."

I would not ever consider taking a job with an employer that insisted on keeping my passport. The passport is property that belongs to the government, who has entrusted it to me and will hold me responsible for it. I would give them a copy, no problem, but never, ever the original passport.

drutter wrote:

"Maybe the employer should say that up front, that the new employee should voluntarily provide their passport to them for safekeeping, and anyone not willing to volunteer would not be considered for employment."

I would not ever consider taking a job with an employer that insisted on keeping my passport. The passport is property that belongs to the government, who has entrusted it to me and will hold me responsible for it. I would give them a copy, no problem, but never, ever the original passport.

I'm sure it says somewhere it's illegal to keep a person's passport. If they desperately need proof of  ID then a copy is more than adequate

drutter wrote:

"Maybe the employer should say that up front, that the new employee should voluntarily provide their passport to them for safekeeping, and anyone not willing to volunteer would not be considered for employment."

I would not ever consider taking a job with an employer that insisted on keeping my passport. The passport is property that belongs to the government, who has entrusted it to me and will hold me responsible for it. I would give them a copy, no problem, but never, ever the original passport.

Sure.

But this was my full comment:

I wrote:

Maybe the employer should say that up front, that the new employee should voluntarily provide their passport to them for safekeeping, and anyone not willing to volunteer would not be considered for employment.

Kind of like volunteering to comply with vaccine mandates...

I should have winked... 😉

Woops! Your absolutely right, I overlooked the key word there "voluntarily."  Sorry about that, sir.

Like I say, the US may provide some tens of millions to 'perk up' the education of VN - that is the 'hardware' part; but more, its the 'software ' part that needs drastic 'fixing', otherwise,  it's all to zero effect..
Without proper English, the linkage to a globalised economy is broken..

Sunil Lau wrote:

Hi There are pros and cons.  You can't go and teach in a foreign country and expect to have a teaching holiday.  I know of teachers that are currently teaching at EMG and they are ok with it.
If you going there for a purpose,  fulfil that purpose... don't complain why you are working on 3 Saturdays of the month or starting at 7:30 and finishing at 5 or even spending 2 hours office time doing nothing.
You getting paid so stop complaining.
Look at the video on YouTube "teaching at EMG in Vietnam" The lady gives the pro n cons. 
The interview is cool based on how u will assess... methods of assessment.  discipline control,  how u start your lesson.  nothing difficult if u a teacher.
Good luck.. I'll see u on the other side if you get the job.

How was your experience with EMG so far ? Have you started your work yet with them ?

johnross23 wrote:

yudirajput wrote:

Hi all,

I have an interview with EMG Education in few days for English Teacher job.

I would like to know if anyone had worked with EMG before or if anyone is still currently working there ?

How the working environment is and what to expect in interview ?

I don't know anything about this particular place. Maybe they are an exception, but the vast majority of these "three letter schools" aren't run very professionally. Profit is the main objective, of course, and English schools are a fantastic get-rich-quick business model, not only in Vietnam.

The easiest way to maximize profits is by reducing operational costs, including payments to teachers. Almost every school pays based on classrooms hours taught at the lowest rate possible.

Again, I can't speak for EMG, but the usual interview just involves nationality, experience and qualifications. The most important thing is availability. Since the schools follow the same model, they all have tons of kids classes throughout weekends. Usually, they ask for a demo lesson scheduled at a later date, so you have to prepare for that. Then generally, they will find some flaws in your demo, and try to offer a low hourly rate.

If you're popular, then they will give you more classes and vice versa if you're not.

If you have any sort of science/math/computer qualifications, you should check with the "international" schools. They usually have openings for these subjects.  They may offer something more like full-time employment with a salary, etc.

Also, have you been to either Ha Noi or HCMC? These days there are a number of opportunities in smaller more livable cities.

Noted. agreed with you here. I have never been to Ha Noi or HCMC.

TOXIC

You will be treated like a dirtbag.

Only positive thing I have to say is they pay on time.

Former teacher there

ebxebx2 wrote:

TOXIC

You will be treated like a dirtbag.

Only positive thing I have to say is they pay on time.

Former teacher there

Thanks for your response.

Are you still in Vietnam ?

Is it true that they keep their foreign employee's passport in their custody ?

They only kept my passport for a few days for some kind of government thing. The paperwork to get a work permit takes a very long time. Don't work for anyone who says they will keep your passport.

ebxebx2 wrote:

They only kept my passport for a few days for some kind of government thing. The paperwork to get a work permit takes a very long time. Don't work for anyone who says they will keep your passport.

Of course. They are not entitled to keep anyone's passport.

How long was your contract for with them if I may ask ?

They keep your passport type of comment proves what kind of teachers work there. They only keep for a few days also incorrect. They'll keep any originals for many days without giving you a time, therefore some teachers lose patience. It takes about 3 weeks to do work permit but govt allows 3 months, so they'll proceed slowly (in batches with similar cases or find issues to pass days) because they need feedback from your managers before investing into work permit expenses (they should make it clear upfront but it's not a developed country). Ideally, they should check the originals face to face and return them in the same sitting (they don't have that education), ideally none should take your originals but you can't do anything in a govt office by yourself in a poor country, so you have to give out originals but do your own photocopies first, also laminate the certificates (they eat sticky oily watery food on their desks, but you may be sacked in the West for eating lunch on your desk in an office job). If you ask the originals back during observation probation period before work permit is issued then they'll think you are leaving and some hostilities begin. Many teachers leave abruptly and so they also make their process like that. Poor communication, they won't tell you when the work permit is done, you don't need to know, poor host poor guest, you just work, you'll assume that when you get your documents back. We should look at all sides of a problem

I worked with this company for 3 years in HCMC and don't plan on ever working with them again.

They did return my passport to me after having  it for a week at the most. They treated some people differently so not everyone's experience is the same.

Please take the advice given to you here.

@yudirajput

I worked at EMG for 6 years. The pay is good for the work, and I like that you get weekends off. I also really like teaching in public schools as opposed to a language center because you see the dame kids all year.

That being said, you don't want to work foe this company. I recently decided to leave because now if you quit, for any reason at all before your contract is up they fine you 5,000 USD and you are not allowed to qork anywhere in Vietnam as a teacher for one year. That's what happens if you give them notice that you're leaving. If you don't give them notice and you leave, but decide to stay in Vietnam they will make it so you can't work at any other company in Vietnam. They do this by not providing you with a termination letter, which is something you will haven't show any new employer in Vietnam. They will also sue you and do everything they can to get you deported.

You also are not allowed any sick days. If you do call I'm sick, not only will you not be paid for the day, but you will be fined 100 USD.

If I were you I would stay away from EMG. Good luck!

- @Vietnam Teacher

@pogiwayne I am looking for an English teaching job but someone wants to charge me 1500 USD

@pogiwayne I am looking for an English teaching job but someone wants to charge me 1500 USD

- @jadwera

@pogiwayne I thought so

@jadwera

BS. My sister-inlaw born in VN was supposedly told by local pubic school, that for 1k USD, THEY would hire her. Go figure.

- @Mac68

@Vietnam Teacher How much do EMG pay as a monthly or yearly salary as they have emailed me for an interview. And what is the rent in HCMC or vietnam for a studio and how much income tax do they take from you? Thanks in advance.

@Vietnam Teacher How much do EMG pay as a monthly or yearly salary as they have emailed me for an interview. And what is the rent in HCMC or vietnam for a studio and how much income tax do they take from you? Thanks in advance.
-@mrpianoman

They mentioned $2000 (before tax) in the contract when they sent me my contract earlier in July this year when I had successfully cleared my interview with them and they offered me a job which I refused. Good luck with your interview.