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Teaching English in Vietnam

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HendrikJordaan

Hi all,
I am a 50 year old guy from South Africa with a bachelors degree and is currently doing a TEFL course. I've been teaching Scuba and First Aid courses for 9 years. We've been traveling Vietnam recently and I fell in love with the country and its people. The absolute need for communication grabbed my attention. My question is; would I at my age be able to find a teaching job and preferably teaching adults?
Appreciate your time.
Hendrik Jordaan

khaomy

Moderated by Julien 7 years ago
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itmanvn07

Hi,
Which district do you live now?
I'm a web developer and I wanna to talk in English to other, please let me know if you have a class so I can join

Hoang

mimi288

I m a recruiter here.***

I will answer all your questions.

Anna

Moderated by Bhavna 7 years ago
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Julien

mimi, you should post in our jobs in Vietnam section

THIGV

mimi288 wrote:

I m a recruiter here.


Absolutely stay away from recruiters.  They will skim a couple of $$ right off the top.  You can find a job without them even if at your age you may encounter some difficulties.  50 is close to the tipping point that way.  Some major chains openly advertise for 40 and below only, but you will find work especially since you will meet the criteria for legal employment.  The more the authorities crack down the better for you.  Check out what documents you need for your work permit particularly if the SA consulate is helpful in certifying them.  Be sure to bring your police check with you from SA.

As far as teaching adults, you may have to "pay dues" by working in government schools and with kiddies on weekends but with time you can make the shift.  My own preference is the opposite.  I like public schools and teaching teens but I know I am a little out of the ordinary that way.  Another downside to teaching adults is that it is almost all evenings.

jayrozzetti23

There are recruiters because demand for anybody who can teach English far outstrips supply. English teaching is BIG busine$$. Unfortunately, the largest segment of the market is kids classes, mostly on weekends or during the summer. The public schools gigs mentioned by THIGV are a second major option. Another drawback is that the vast majority of schools are not very well managed, especially in the area of human resources.

So, yeah, finding teaching work is not the problem but finding a good work situation is. The second largest market is IELTS test prep, so learn about this test, especially the Speaking and Writing sections. There are some adult general English and corporate classes but not so many outside the  big cities.

The job search is basically the same as any other job. Search for "vietnam teaching jobs" and "english schools vietnam" to study the market by checking out some job ads and school websites and networking. If you're in VN, print out your CV and knock on some doors, network with others at the nearest English teacher/expat hangout bar/restaurant and the locals of course. The main point is do a lot of research and don't just grab the first thing that comes along.

Also, you mention "teaching Scuba and First Aid courses". It's a bit of a long shot but there MAY be some possibility of doing that, although more so in Thailand, Philippines, etc. You should look into it as you never know.

BleepBloop

I would say so yeah! Most of the teachers here are young people, but I think that's just the nature of young people being the more likely expats. I don't know of any mandatory age cutoff rule around. I just got a job teaching adults, and while that market is a bit smaller than teaching kids, if you look hard enough you can find places. Google will be your best friend. And the best way to find a job is to actually be in the city (because teaching jobs are harder to come by in smaller towns) you want to be in, and send both electronic applications plus visit places in person with CV and cover letter in hand. Good luck!

Guestposter822

knock on doors...

marianalobo

Dear Hedrick,

Check this add: https://www.expat.com/en/jobs/asia/viet … -in-v.html

They have an age range until 50 :)

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