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.

Look in to RMIT who have campuses in Hanoi, HCMC, and Da Nang. The recruitment bar is higher than many but they pay well and conditions are good.

@Jamison123

Might be of interest to you. Recently posted job ad, here.

@It2VN

Thank you, I'll check it out

@Aidan in HCMC

Thanks!

@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

You should be aware that air quality in both cities is generally low, but especially in Ha Noi, similar to other megacities in Asia.

Residents urged to stay indoors as Hanoi air quality hits 'very unhealthy' levels (January 7, 2025)

https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/envir … 36787.html

@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
You should be aware that air quality in both cities is generally low, but especially in Ha Noi, similar to other megacities in Asia.
Residents urged to stay indoors as Hanoi air quality hits 'very unhealthy' levels (January 7, 2025)

https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/envir … 36787.html - @jayrozzetti23

Yeah, Even today in Hanoi, when temperatures are still in the cool zone, The pollution is significant.

it becomes absolutely brutal in the summertime when there is almost a constant air inversion condition created by the brutal heat, trapping the smog

@jayrozzetti23

Yeah, that is a concern of mine. Do you know where I'd look to find ESL jobs outside of Hanoi and HCMC?

@jayrozzetti23
Yeah, that is a concern of mine. Do you know where I'd look to find ESL jobs outside of Hanoi and HCMC? - @Jamison123

Seems like they are always looking for teachers in Hà Tĩnh and Vinh

And Phu Quoc too, I'm told.

@Jamison123

This site lists teaching jobs in Vietnam for foreigners and includes info about work permits, visas, documentation, etc.:

https://vietnamteachingjobs.com

This site is for general jobs and is more geared toward Vietnamese jobseekers:

https://www.vietnamworks.com/en

@Jamison123

  Hi .

I am Vietnammese, living in Hanoi. I am looking for the part time job English teacher for my daughter 5 years old.

If you have time to Hanoi, it is my pleasure to invite you to be a tutor for many reasons...please drop email to me ***

@Mak No

Hello,

Please create an advert in the jobs section : https://www.expat.com/en/jobs/asia/vietnam/

Or contact the member in private by clicking on his photo > send a message.

Thank you

Bhavna

@drutter

Do you know anything about Royal Education? They are a company that places ESL teachers in public schools in Hanoi.

I have not heard of Royal Education but there are so many companies  like there’s throughout Vietnam it doesn’t surprise me, perhaps they are local to the Hanoi area and I’m down south in Ho Chi Minh City.

Anyhow, you might want to reconsider public schools. In Vietnam they are basically government schools and they are grossly underfunded, short on updated supplies/equipment and the classrooms are packed with 40+ students.

I highly recommend you look for privately owned and run English Language Centers such as VUS.

@drutter
Do you know anything about Royal Education? They are a company that places ESL teachers in public schools in Hanoi. - @Jamison123

I definitely agree with drutter's advice above. Although I have no direct experience with the teaching in public schools option, I've heard that it's bottom-of-the-barrel type of work for non-native speakers or unqualified people. Teachers have to go to different locations throughout the city on their own dime and only get paid for the time in the classroom, so there are some unpaid breaks. As a result, you may be at the school for 3 hours but only get paid for two.

...Teachers have to go to different locations throughout the city on their own dime and only get paid for the time in the classroom, so there are some unpaid breaks. As a result, you may be at the school for 3 hours but only get paid for two. - @jayrozzetti23

I had a similar arrangement in 2018 when I did 30 days of teacher assistant work at a private language center in Tam Kỳ, Quảng Nam.

I paid for my train ticket from where I was living in Đà Nẵng as well as taxi fare getting about Tam Kỳ.

They would schedule me for 1 hour in the morning and 2 hours in the late afternoon/early evening.

I'd only get paid for the actual classroom time.

I didn't mind because I didn't need the money and it was a fun experience.

@drutter

Thanks for all your help. One more question: do you know anything about Duy Tan school in Phu Yen? It's an international private school. What's Phu Yen like?

Duy Tan school: https://duytanschool.edu.vn/

They've offered me a job

@Jamison123

Sorry I can’t help you with either of those two questions, Jamison. I don’t recall ever hearing anything about the school and I’ve never been to that city/district.

I’m down south in Ho Chi Minh City, perhaps those places are up north in or near Hanoi.

How normal is it to negotiate pay in Vietnam?

@Jamison123

I would guess that it's a relatively new school. The website looks professional. You may be able to find reviews on websites like Glassdoor, etc. Also, ask them if you can correspond with any current teachers. Phu Yen looks like a small coastal city, which could be healthy but boring. However, central Viet Nam is where most tropical storms land during the rainy season.

Regarding negotiation of salary, you can certainly try.

How normal is it to negotiate pay in Vietnam? - @Jamison123

I personally think it's not normal, because based on the inquiries I've seen here in the forum over the past seven years, far too many foreigners have zero negotiation skills.

That doesn't mean it can't be done, but the person who imagines he can negotiate with the Vietnamese has to have some certain knowledge about prevailing pay scales as well as a fundamental understanding that the number one skill for a successful negotiator is the willingness to walk away. 

If more foreigners would simply come here on a tourist visa with all of their documents previously notarized and certified prior to arrival, they would put themselves in much better positions to negotiate with prospective employers, instead of attempting to do it long distance.

Long distance you have absolutely no leverage.

If you are here in the country and you go for an interview and the employer makes an offer and you kindly state that you are continuing to look for something that is in your desired pay range with your desired benefits package, if your counter offer is reasonable they may stop you from walking out the door.

Otherwise, you finish leaving and go on to your next interview until you find what you want.

If you are negotiating with them long distance and you haven't made the commitment to come here, you could tell them you are walking away and they will let you

@drutter
Thanks for all your help. One more question: do you know anything about Duy Tan school in Phu Yen? It's an international private school. What's Phu Yen like? - @Jamison123

Phú Yên is the province name and it's largely rural with a significant coastal mountain range.

The school is located in Tuy Hòa City which is renowned for its natural beauty along the coast:

Google Maps link

It's also a city on a river which to me is always a plus here in Vietnam.

I know a number of Vietnamese people who make a point of going there every year or two.

It's civilized enough to have a Vincom Shopping Plaza as well as a co-op Mart supermarket.

There isn't a huge expat presence there, but over the years some foreigners have fallen in love with that spot and settled there with their Vietnamese spouses.

You'll be located on the coast about halfway between Quy Nhơn and Nha Trang, the most scenic portion of Vietnam's coastal byways that I've experienced in my road travels here.

I've been through there three separate times with a private driver and each time I found another amazing viewpoint where I could stop and be amazed. 

It's not as easy to relocate there as it would be in some other cities with more English speaking local citizens.

But it's definitely not totally isolated either.

If you can possibly visit there first before confirming the offer, I would highly recommend doing that.

Don't accept any job in Việt Nam via long distance.

Good luck with your job search 🙏