Vietnam - TEFL in Vietnam
Vietnam is a stunningly beautiful country from bustling cities to serene mountains. It is well worth visiting if you get the chance. The major cities are often clean and full of old colonial landmarks and buildings. Wherever you are in Vietnam you'll always find lots of interesting things to see and do all the time. Major centers are: Ho Chi Minh city (hot, exciting, and with everything a westerner needs), Hanoi (reserved, traditional, cold in winter) Da Nang, on the coast of the South China Sea (warm, sunny, and with great beaches for surfing).
Apart from good climate, low cost of living, beautiful countryside, Vietnam offers new and seasoned English teachers alike very competitive salaries.
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Requirements
Job requirements in well established English language schools in Ho Chi Minh usually are:
- Native English speaker
- BA or MA (a degree essential for Work Permit requirements, but not always required by employers)
- TESL/TEFL Certificate such as the ICAL TEFL Certificate
- At least one year's experience
With this requirements you are looking at a potential salary of 1160 USD - 1500 USD per month for 21-23 hours per week + medical insurance allowance, flight allowance, end of year bonus + 20 working days paid annual leave and an additional 8 paid days off for national holidays.
In order to work legally in Vietnam you will need a visa + a work permit. Schools will often help their teachers with their visas application process and might even cover costs for both visa and work permit.
Although a degree is listed amongst the basic requirements for entry level teaching positions, Vietnam is reported to be one of those few countries where you can still be employed without a degree. However this will largely depend on the employer and their specific job requirements. There is a risk involved here, however, in that by not having a degree you may well be working on a tourist visa.
Where to Teach
Teaching ranges from university placed students to volunteering at orphanages and so on; you can get work in all kinds of schools and the Vietnamese tend to be quiet, pleasant people. They respect their history a lot and enjoy meeting foreigners - there's no antagonism shown at all to Westerners from the war.
There are a lot of volunteer organisations (some missionary) sending teachers to Vietnam.
Practicalities
A lot of ESL jobs offer air fares after 12 months, visa support, accommodation, etc.
Accommodation is usually simple. Average housing cost is around $300USD/month.
The major cities (Ho Chi Min & Hanoi) have Western products available and English is spoken by a lot of people, outside these cities though there's less Western influence and it is quieter and more rural.
Recent Job Posting
For your reference here are the details of a recent job offer we received from a private language school in HCMC. It should give you an idea of what you can expect.
- Contract Duration: 1 Year
- Salary US$ (approx.): from 1,066 to 1,394 USD (after tax)
- Bonus: 1000USD completion bonus (after tax)
- Working hours/week: up to 35 hours per week
- Teaching hours/week: 20 - 26 hours/week; 4-6 hours/day
- Overtime opportunities: available
- Vacation days: 4 Weeks + national statutory holidays
- Teaching Experience: preferred but not required
- Degree required: Bachelor's Degree or higher
- Certification required: Teacher Certification OR TEFL/TESL/TESOL/CELTA
- Accommodation: Assistance with finding suitable accomdation provided
- Airfare: Airfare is NOT provided
- Health insurance: $600 USD health insurance allowance per year (after tax)
- Visa: arranged and paid for
