Is teaching English a good job for expats in Saigon?

In my personal experience, teaching English is an EXCELLENT job for expats in Saigon. I worked for 15 hours a week and made more than three times the amount my local Vietnamese boyfriend made as a surgeon. So you make enough to live a very comfortable life. I was more inclined to spend my time otherwise, but you can easily find 40+ hours of work a week if you want to work that much/ live especially lavishly. Work opportunities depend on your qualifications- to have the most opportunities available to you, you have to be a native English speaker (which you are), have a college degree, and be white (sad but true.) Even if you don't fall into the last category (I most certainly do not) you can still find a very good job at a well respected/high profile company. Feel free to PM me with any questions/hear my story- I just did the whole thing last year- I'm sure experiences will differ from person to person but I can tell you what steps I took/what lessons I learned.

I am a mature Australian male who has recently received a TESOL certificate, and wish to teach English in Vietnam. I have yet to complete my electives.I have approached several agencies Via email, I even approached an Agency whilst in Vietnam.They stipulated the requirements in regards to police clearance, Dr.certificate, Visa  and TESOL certificate, all notarized, for which I don't quite understand because they all have signatures on them anyway.
They all seemed to want a degree of some sought, plus their fees,( $190 Aus ) I do not have a degree.I do have technical training in the construction industry,ie. plumbing. As far as having a resume in regards to teaching, well it's the catch 22 .It's funny when you sign up to the TESOL course, they tell you ,you can teach anywhere,believe me this is not the case not without experience anyway,again the catch 22 dilemma.
I love Vietnam, it is a place,a culture that I am drawn to, and I see that the English language is very much a language desired amongst a huge spectrum of people..
I would appreciate any insight to my conundrum.
Thank you!   Giddyup!

To my understanding, (most of) the  schools themselves don't really care whether or not you have a bachelor's degree, but you need one in order to obtain a work permit- and the schools want you to have this work permit. I've had friends who were able to overcome this hurdle and have gotten jobs without a degree, but not having one definitely limits your job opportunities. It helps if you are blonde haired/blue eyed- these traits are valued higher than both a degree and teaching experience in many schools. I believe my (degree-less) friends just showed up in VN, walked into different schools, handed out their resumes and were eventually offered a position. That's the way I did it as well- in my experience, it's easier to look for a job on arrival- but I've known people who have secured good jobs while still overseas too.

You wont get a job via email without a degree or teaching experience. You need to be on the ground here and meet people working in the industry, there are a lot of unscrupulous operators here and Im sure you will come across them. Just bear with it and you can find work, but dont expect anything better then 10-15 usd an hour.

TEFL is a dead-end industry. It's fine for a year or two, but after that it's time to branch out into something serious. I've seen way too many people who got sucked into the easy job/expat lifestyle only to wake up years later, earning the exact same salary and doing the exact same things for years.

On the other hand, if you're serious about self-development or just want to put away some money then TEFL is a good way to spend a gap year or two. Also, the flexible schedule makes it easy to explore Asia: lots of people here work only part of the year and then spend a few months traveling.

[please post in the JOBS section]

mikeymyke wrote:

I was wondering how viable a job teaching English is for someone who doesn't know much Vietnamese, was born in Canada, and is married to a Vietnamese woman?  Does it pay well and have enough hours working?  Also are there a lot of opportunites?  English is being quickly adopted as a second language of choice, but I just don't know if that translates to lots of jobs for teachers.

If you are a Canadian Vietnamese your teaching opportunities are going to be limited. It can be done but you will have to work very hard at it. Most of the language centers do not hire foreign Viets and if they do they typically pay a lot less.

ssuprnova wrote:

TEFL is a dead-end industry. It's fine for a year or two, but after that it's time to branch out into something serious. I've seen way too many people who got sucked into the easy job/expat lifestyle only to wake up years later, earning the exact same salary and doing the exact same things for years.

On the other hand, if you're serious about self-development or just want to put away some money then TEFL is a good way to spend a gap year or two. Also, the flexible schedule makes it easy to explore Asia: lots of people here work only part of the year and then spend a few months traveling.

Just for myself, I have found teaching to be an enjoyable way to "act productive".  I am retired so needing a income is not my motivation. But I believe it is an excellent way to meet people and learn about the culture and traditions in Vietnam.

That depends on the teacher.  The most effective teachers aren't driven by greed, so If the students and their education take a backseat to your bottom line you may thrive here, because it really is like Wonderland!  Most of the teachers I know probably don't deserve to be here, living the life, but here WE are. Life is ss unfair as my parents led me to believe when I was growing up.

There's plenty of students, but an apparent shortage of foreign teachers that care about how effective their lessons really are, or ones that are willing to go that extra mile for their students.  Actually, forget that extra mile, because it's hard to find a foreign teacher that actually plans lessons, choosing instead to come in and wing it every time. Are they that good?  I can only use my experiences as a measure, which makes the answer "HELL NO!" I may be good for a few classes, but invariably I'll run into something during the lesson could taken it from good to great but in class is too damn late.

You can find work teaching here, but you need to earn a TESOL, or CELTA, at minimum. If you don't have a BA, I'd advice the CELTA course only because of the Cambridge brand being attached to it.  It would be very hard for any of the hacks that you may work with to accuse you of being a hack, if you're armed with that.


That's my take.  Feel free to take it or leave it!   

Teacher Mark wrote:

There's plenty of students, but an apparent shortage of foreign teachers that care about how effective their lessons really are, or ones that are willing to go that extra mile for their students.  Actually, forget that extra mile, because it's hard to find a foreign teacher that actually plans lessons, choosing instead to come in and wing it every time. Are they that good?  I can only use my experiences as a measure, which makes the answer "HELL NO!" I may be good for a few classes, but invariably I'll run into something during the lesson could taken it from good to great but in class is too damn late.

This is a product of the local TEFL market, which skews heavily towards hiring as many white foreigners as possible at the lowest wage they'll take. You can't honestly offer $15 an hour, often with classes that are as short as 35 minutes each, and expect any semblance of quality. This wage, of course, does not include prep time nor traveling time.

I agree that most teachers here don't deserve that title, however, there is a strong demand for them and you can't really blame 20-something kids (most of whom have left their country for the first time) for not knowing what they're doing. For most of them, the decision to come teach in Vietnam is a result of the poor job market back home, and they'd be on the next plane back if they could land a stable job there.

The old saying goes "if you pay peanuts, you'll get monkeys", and that's the general state of TEFL in Vietnam today (and, arguably, most of the world). Sure, there are serious institutions (such as foreign schools, the British Council, etc.) that offer quality language classes, but they also tend to pay much more than your typical language mill, as well as provide benefits.

In the end, however, the problem comes down to low local expectations from parents, who are willing to pay exorbitant tuition fees for sub-par education. The only people really profiting from the status quo are the owners of these English "schools". A cursory glance at the brand new buildings of chains like VUS, Apollo, or AMA (in contrast to their hiring requirements) are a solid indicator that the quality of education they offer is nowhere near being the top priority.

As in everything in life, there will be people with positive and negative experiences. The original question was about teaching english as a source of income. Just my experience, there are lots of job opportunities for both part time and full time employment. The pay scales that I am aware of from job offers I have recieved range from $16 to $25 usd for class room time with hotel accomodations included when asked to take an assignment away from home. All offer contracts that I would encourage people to read and understand before working. Some places will subtract money for no shows or calling in sick with no notice. I know, being sick without notice seems strict. That is why we read and negotiate all parts of the contract. Just my 500 dong worth.

As a Viet Kieu it is much harder to find a Teaching Job.
Locals (especially those wealthy parents) want "sorry to say" but a White Face. Blond hair, blue eyes, pale ... that's what they want.
They don't really care whether those "teachers" are qualified as long as they are white.

I offered my family to teach my cousins how to speak English since I lived abroad quite awhile (yep British English guys) but my aunt seriously said :" You can speak English? I thought you only speak German. How can a German Born Vietnamese speak fluent English?"

That was the moment I really wanted to bash her... so ignorant... I'm not white but still my English is better than those who never went abroad... sigh

So in general it's easy to make money as an English Teacher but as an ASIAN teacher it is really hard to find a well paid job.

I would suggest you to stick to your former qualification. What did you to back home?

For me I was lucky to find a job in tourism -  since I studied this and Vietnam is really booming now...

Good Luck

Hi all,

Please note that some off-topic posts have been removed from this thread.

Can we get back to the initial topic please !

Thank you

Maximilien
Expat-blog Team

Hi,

First of all i am a malaysian working in singapore. I dont have white face or blue eye but english is my mother tounge.

Are you saying that its difficult to land an english teaching job eventhough i have the qualification? Ba and tefl.

Thank you

Having been here for only a few months it does seem that teaching is perhaps the easiest option for foreigners looking for work, it is probably the backup option for many people who cannot find any other suitable work.

I've heard from friends that the money and working hours are quite good and some teaching positions are very easy and do not really involve much "teaching"...

ngchuanyi wrote:

Hi,

First of all i am a malaysian working in singapore. I dont have white face or blue eye but english is my mother tounge.

Are you saying that its difficult to land an english teaching job eventhough i have the qualification? Ba and tefl.

Thank you

If you have the qualification (which actually is necessary but some people let it slide when u are caucasian) u are able to get a job but still imo it's easier when u are white.

Vietnamese people don't care whether the teacher is good. They think that a Native (aka Caucasian) know what he does. That's what I learned while living in Saigon.

I'm not sure whether many Vietnamese know that English is the first language in Singapore... imo Singapore English or Chinglish as we call it is still not AMERICAN or BRITISH English and that"s what they want. They want to send their kids to the States or Europe...

It might be harder for you to find a decent paid job. Other non qualified "white" teachers might be paid much more than u but if you're fine with it go:)

i wish you good luck!

I understand what you trying to see as a few people i talk to here tell me about the same thing. I guess this is their perspective on things which couldn't be changed in a short period and i cant complain if i am being paid lower than other who might not as qualified as me.

I am seriously moving to hcm so i guess i have to take what they offer

ngchuanyi wrote:

I understand what you trying to see as a few people i talk to here tell me about the same thing. I guess this is their perspective on things which couldn't be changed in a short period and i cant complain if i am being paid lower than other who might not as qualified as me.

I am seriously moving to hcm so i guess i have to take what they offer

Would you mind doing another job besides teaching?Like working in tourism or Sales Marketing etc... There are some Singaporean companies and they are eager to hire professionals from Singapore:)

ngchuanyi wrote:

I understand what you are trying to see say, as a few people i talk I spoke to here have told me about the same thing. I guess this is their perspective on things [whose?] which couldn't won't be changed in a short period and i I can't complain if i I am being paid lower less than others those who might not be as qualified as me.

I am seriously considering moving to hcm so i I guess i I'll have to take what they offer

This will sound mean, but refer to the quote above for a primer on why non-native speakers tend to be paid less.

Dear missmae,

That would be even better.
Any recomendation ?

Hmm let me do some research. Cause my aunt works for a Singaporean Company but dont know the name. Its finance and logistic though:)

missmae wrote:

Hmm let me do some research. Cause my aunt works for a Singaporean Company but dont know the name. Its finance and logistic though:)

Great. Hope to hear from you soon

It must be because I know one Australian man in Saigon who stays employed teaching despite being a hardcore alcoholic, as in coming to class with flammable breath and sometimes curling up in an alcohol coma in front of his workplace, and shacking up with one of his students.

Despite all that, and despite classes of students who spend the class session on Zalo, he still gets paid. 

If someone with as many demerits as that can keep a job, I think most anyone who can fog a mirror can get one.