ESL job recommendations

Hello  Jamison123,

Welcome to Expat.com 😀

Hopefully, you will find the advice you are looking for here!

Cheers,

Cheryl

Expat.com team

Hi, what would you say are the better language centers or schools to work at in Vietnam? I was recently offered a position with VUS and am interviewing with Scots English, but I am hesitant about both (especially Scots). I do not yet live in Vietnam and have little experience teaching ESL (but I meet all the standard qualifications). I do have a lot of experience working in education. Any advice would be awesome! - @Jamison123

Depending on where you work, you are likely to find vocabulary and grammar are your two big problems.

Buy "My Pals" international edition books 1A and B, and 2A and B.

These will givve  you everything you need, but the pronunciation work is general rather  than specific to any given country.

For  example, most can be  ignoored for Indonesia, but labiodentals, TH, and S/Sh are required. You'll work  it out for your preferred country.

@Jamison123

VUS is big here and everything I‘ve heard about them has been good. I‘ve been here for 9 years and never heard of Scots so if I were you I‘d definitely go with VUS.

@drutter Great, thank you for the advice. I think I am going to accept the job at VUS, but do you know any schools that are in/near Hanoi?

@drutter Great, thank you for the advice. I think I am going to accept the job at VUS, but do you know any schools that are in/near Hanoi? - @Jamison123

https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/ … on=Vietnam

@Jamison123

VUS schools?

At VUS we have TEFL jobs available throughout Vietnam, including 5 locations in the bustling capital city of Hanoi.

(Link)

I'm curious. Why the focus on Hanoi and environs?

@Aidan in HCMC

Ah, they told me they only have openings in HCMC and nearby.

Hanoi is just my preferred location because I'm more interested in the culture there and climate, but I'll go where I'm offered a job

@Jamison123

Hello Jamison you’re very welcome. I’m happy I was able to offer you some helpful advice. I have visited Hanoi but not enough to really know the area that well. However I am almost positive that VUS will have several branches in and around Hanoi. I suggest you google VUS in Hanoi, Vietnam or something similar.

@Aidan in HCMC Ah, they told me they only have openings in HCMC and nearby.

Understood. I would suspect there's more students wishing to enrol in English learning courses in the south than there is in the north, hence the demand for more teachers there.

Hanoi is just my preferred location because I'm more interested in the culture there and climate...

You didn't mention how familiar you are with Vietnam, or whether you'd visited before.

I spent ~2.5 years in Saigon (HCMC) when I first arrived back in 2017, then ~2.5 years in/around Hanoi. Currently I'm at close to 3 years here in Phu Quoc.

If you've only a rudimentary knowledge of Vietnam I doubt very much that you'll notice any cultural differences exhibited by the local population, except perhaps in that the southern people seem to be more open to interaction with foreigners, northerners being more reserved (almost to the point of appearing standoffish). As far as cultural exhibitions/venues/attractions go, I think Saigon beats Hanoi, hands down (i.e. theatres, museums, foreign and local cuisine, nightlife etc).

With regard to climate, I much prefer that of the south. Hanoi's winter season can be quite cold, wet, and miserable. There didn't seem to be any reprieve from the cold there, as none of the homes I stayed at or visited, or businesses I visited, had any form of heating. When it's 8C (~45F) outside, it'll be 8C at your computer desk, couch, kitchen table etc etc. The north's summers are brutally(!) hot, with 40C (~105F) not being unusual. Add to that 40C the typical south east Asian city air pollution makes it very, very uncomfortable.

Conversely, Saigon temps always hovered around 32-34C (85-90F), the difference in seasons being whether it was the dry or wet season.

...but I'll go where I'm offered a job - @Jamison123

And that... is a very good attitude!

@Aidan in HCMC
Ah, they told me they only have openings in HCMC and nearby.
Hanoi is just my preferred location because I'm more interested in the culture there and climate, but I'll go where I'm offered a job - @Jamison123

Another option to be within two hours of Hà Nội by car or bus, or 2 1/2 hours by train is to work in Hải Phòng which is a little less than 1 hour away from Hạ Long Bay.

The demand for ESL teachers is always much greater in Hải Phòng.

I fully understand the draw of Hà Nội. Hopefully you will find the best combination of where to work & where to live

@Jamison123

I could be wrong but I suspect that bit about only having openings in HCMC is just the recuiter trying to boost his numbers. Keep in mind they do get paid according to the number of teachers they bring in to their local branch(s).

I’m quite sure there is a high demand for English teachers in and around Hanoi.

The best way around this might be to take the job here in HCMC for 6 to 12 months and then transfer to Hanoi.