TEFL course. Is it required?

To get a good paying teaching job in VN you will need both a TEFL certificate and a BA from a major university -- the area of study on your BA doesn't matter so much, but you need a BA.

a BA meaning years at uni?

I was under the impression that teaching in VN was not as strict as Thailand? Am i corect in assuming that freelance is an option?

Also if I can ask, I am qualified to teach certain sports to under 16s. Would be beneficial on a CV when applying at schools? Or could this be a freelance operation also?

Many thanks

They are not as strict and you can get buy with just a TEFL but the number of job offers and your compensation will be drastically lower.

When I say BA I mean a Bachelor of Arts, or higher. You must show the degree -- just going to college for four years is not enough.
   
I'm sure you can find some freelance tutoring jobs, as for the sports stuff I don't know.

you only need it if you do not have a teaching degree already.

Yes, you should attend a course; one that has a minimum of 6 observed teaching hours.  You're getting long in the tooth and can expect to face discriminatory hiring practices as you get older (if you choose teaching as a career in Vietnam, long term).  Holding a solid teaching certificate could make your age a non-factor in the eyes and minds of most of the dimwits in charge.

You also lack experience in the field and would benefit greatly from the training, as would your students.

If your uni degree is in any subject other than one of the educational variety, then a TESOL or CELTA is a requirement for issuance of a work permit.  The problem is that the authorities have differing views and interpretations of their own laws, so what's kosher in one province may not be so kosher elsewhere.

A Trinity College, London TESOL, a Cambridge CELTA, or a degree from the New School, in NYC would be my recommendation.  Sadly, the CELTA would be your only option if you wanted to earn your teaching certificate in Vietnam.  For that I would recommend any CELTA provider that doesn't go by the name of  Apollo.  That leaves ILA, or Language Link.

Hi Mark thanks for your input.

would the TEFL not be sufficient? I am looking to do the 120 hour course which is broken down into 20 hours classroom and 100 hours online.

Im finding it difficult to know which one to go for because of conflicting advice all over the internet!!

The TELF and TESOL brands can be used by anyone that cares to call themselves a school and start cranking out paper.  That's one reason why the CELTA could be viewed as the logical choice, as Cambridge has done a masterful job at both protecting and promoting the CELTA, IMHO.

Your  6th paragraph is your answer