Would my African American girlfriend be able to get a teaching job?

Almost all teaching jobs in Asia require a TEFL Certificate and many also require at least a Bachelors Degree. Find further info here: [link moderated]/

Why Exactly would you think she couldn’t get a job? Is she qualified?

We would get our Tefl but neither of us have our bachelors. I was always under the impression that Vietnam was prejudice against African Americans but I could be mistaken

BenMEvans wrote:

We would get our Tefl but neither of us have our bachelors. I was always under the impression that Vietnam was prejudice against African Americans but I could be mistaken

No degree...  No job it's a legal requirement

As with everyplace, you might run into some prejudice here, but it shouldn't cause much trouble for an English teacher who is qualified to teach. However, without BA 's you are both underqualified and will have a harder time finding a job, provided you can find one at all.  There was a time when you might have found work without the BA but the government has been cracking down on this lately.

drutter wrote:

As with everyplace, you might run into some prejudice here, but it shouldn't cause much trouble for an English teacher who is qualified to teach. However, without BA 's you are both underqualified and will have a harder time finding a job, provided you can find one at all.  There was a time when you might have found work without the BA but the government has been cracking down on this lately.

If you don't make any noise here everyone is friendly, but raise an issue like I did about a few residents in my building and you would have thought I suggested they stopped eating rice and drinking coffee.

I only asked people to out trash in bins..😭

As for the original question about work with out qualifications.. yes its possible, but as others have mentioned it's not legal

If you don't make any noise here everyone is friendly, but raise an issue like I did about a few residents in my building and you would have thought I suggested they stopped eating rice and drinking coffee.

I only asked people to out trash in bins..

Most language centres employ people without degrees. The letter of the law is very loosely followed.

colinoscapee wrote:

Most language centres employ people without degrees. The letter of the law is very loosely followed.

I would agree that "many" do so.

Do you honestly believe that "most" do?

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

Most language centres employ people without degrees. The letter of the law is very loosely followed.

I would agree that "many" do so.

Do you honestly believe that "most" do?

Im talking language mills, not schools, totally different.

Put it this way, 240 language centres were found to be trading without a license or with an expired license. Its a industry that ignores the rules.

colinoscapee wrote:

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

Most language centres employ people without degrees. The letter of the law is very loosely followed.

I would agree that "many" do so.

Do you honestly believe that "most" do?

Im talking language mills, not schools, totally different.

Put it this way, 240 language centres were found to be trading without a license or with an expired license. Its a industry that ignores the rules.

Most now on vietnamteachingjobs list a degree as mandatory, teaching certificates must be legalized etc.. weather a shortage of teachers here will affect that remains to be seen

Jlgarbutt wrote:

drutter wrote:

As with everyplace, you might run into some prejudice here, but it shouldn't cause much trouble for an English teacher who is qualified to teach. However, without BA 's you are both underqualified and will have a harder time finding a job, provided you can find one at all.  There was a time when you might have found work without the BA but the government has been cracking down on this lately.

If you don't make any noise here everyone is friendly, but raise an issue like I did about a few residents in my building and you would have thought I suggested they stopped eating rice and drinking coffee.

I only asked people to out trash in bins..😭

As for the original question about work with out qualifications.. yes its possible, but as others have mentioned it's not legal

how did that go down on your residents facebook group? they ban you yet? 

Andybris2020 wrote:

Jlgarbutt wrote:

drutter wrote:

As with everyplace, you might run into some prejudice here, but it shouldn't cause much trouble for an English teacher who is qualified to teach. However, without BA 's you are both underqualified and will have a harder time finding a job, provided you can find one at all.  There was a time when you might have found work without the BA but the government has been cracking down on this lately.

If you don't make any noise here everyone is friendly, but raise an issue like I did about a few residents in my building and you would have thought I suggested they stopped eating rice and drinking coffee.

I only asked people to out trash in bins..😭

As for the original question about work with out qualifications.. yes its possible, but as others have mentioned it's not legal

how did that go down on your residents facebook group? they ban you yet? 

Couple of thickos have asked for my profile to be banned. When I asked them if they would like to discuss further over coffee.... Ghosted..

BenMEvans wrote:

Hey me and my girlfriend are considering moving to Vietnam to teach English. She’s African American and I was wondering if she could get a teaching job or if it would be harder? I have tried to look it up but have found very little info on the subject! Thanks!

Legally speaking, no. In practice, maybe yes. But it's obviously harder for you guys to find a teaching job without qualification.

You will get more useful information from this site. Do not accept a job before landing in VN.

Trachers forum

Thanks! Man I really was under the impression on Tefls site that you could teach without a ba in Vietnam and Cambodia but I must have been mistaken

BenMEvans wrote:

Thanks! Man I really was under the impression on Tefls site that you could teach without a ba in Vietnam and Cambodia but I must have been mistaken

Many people do. Its illegal, but like everything here, people just ignore them.

VanKhanh Ho wrote:

BenMEvans wrote:

Hey me and my girlfriend are considering moving to Vietnam to teach English. She’s African American and I was wondering if she could get a teaching job or if it would be harder? I have tried to look it up but have found very little info on the subject! Thanks!

Legally speaking, no. In practice, maybe yes. But it's obviously harder for you guys to find a teaching job without qualification.

Not just harder... But illegal... I'm surprised you even entertained the idea of working without meeting the mandated requiremts. Just because others do it doesn't make it right

***

BenMEvans wrote:

****

If it's specifically written as a legal requirement then yes it is wrong . And yes it is illegal.

Get caught working without the correct documentation and you're looking at goodbye vietnam

Jlgarbutt wrote:

BenMEvans wrote:

Doesn’t make it wrong either if everyone does it and even tefl doesn’t say it’s illegal

If it's specifically written as a legal requirement then yes it is wrong . And yes it is illegal.

Get caught working without the correct documentation and you're looking at goodbye vietnam

You are correct just in the last year many have been caught out with incorrect work permits or paperwork and had to leave.

While the information about people being hired without degrees is correct, we should give information following VN rules so it doesnt get anyone in trouble.

****

BenMEvans wrote:

****

It's because there's a difference between what you can do and what it's legal to do (what you may do).

Just be aware that many of the things that you can do are illegal, and you're not supposed to do them.

But there are 13-year tourists in Vietnam who will tell you that as long as you can get away with something, then it doesn't matter.

I think most of the regular members of the forum would encourage you to go the legal route.

BenMEvans wrote:

****

Because he is just a YouTuber looking for site or channel hits. He is probably tucked away somewhere counting his income from people watching his channel, following and believing everyword.

To get a work permit in Vietnam, applicants must meet the following requirements:

Over 18 years old
Have a good health condition that satisfies the job’s specific demands and requirements.

Free of any criminal record in their country or a national security offense, not currently facing criminal prosecution, or not serving a criminal sentence by the Vietnamese and foreign policemen during the assignment.

Meet the requirements for the job positions for Vietnam work permit as follows:

For foreign experts:
Having a bachelor’s degree or higher or equivalent and a certificate of at least 3 years of experience working in the trained field relevant to the job position the foreign worker is expected to work for in Vietnam;

@BenMEvans  The VN border closed @ 8am 15th March 2020 so any info from anyone is old info, the information reported in news stories regarding people coming in and quarantine periods has changed several times since last Friday, what tourist did do, could do, and may have done 1 or 2 years ago means nothing until officials post the directive for everyone to read, agents, brokers, lawyers will all say the same thing "wait until we know".
Last time I looked the above person ran a teaching academy he is not a VN official giving VN advice.
If you come over with the flood of tourists when the borders open the jobs will no doubt go to the ones with the degrees and experience, the rest "might" get a job, so while he is saying you can,,,, thats what you are taking a chance on, maybe getting a job.

BenMEvans wrote:

I***.

Someone saying you dont need a degree and what is actually legal are two very different things. I suggest you do some research on the laws of Viet Nam regarding legal work here. Yes, people do work without degrees, but as stated numerous times, it's illegal.

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

BenMEvans wrote:

If you look at ninja teachers YouTube channel and go to his tefl site it says you don’t need a BA. I’m not arguing with you guys I just am wanting to know why he would put misleading information? That was my source.

It's because there's a difference between what you can do and what it's legal to do (what you may do).

Just be aware that many of the things that you can do are illegal, and you're not supposed to do them.

But there are 13-year tourists in Vietnam who will tell you that as long as you can get away with something, then it doesn't matter.

I think most of the regular members of the forum would encourage you to go the legal route.

& the ones that lived here for years with dodgy Business Visas but continually posted about how they were legal & sorted by their very good & trusted Visa agent friend & then had to do a runner out of the country when things got hot!!

I would highly suggest you take the advice of those who are telling you to follow the laws. If you come to Vietnam, you will be a guest in a foreign country. As long as you obey the laws you will be a welcome guest. If you break the laws there is a good chance you will no longer be welcome... it's really just that simple.
    The judge isn't going to care one way or another what you heard on some youtube channel.

Sometimes foreigners (read: clueless Americans) are astonished when they come up against the laws of another country and are chagrined to discover that these countries don't have the same attention to what's called "due process" in the good ol' United States of America.

It can be pretty awkward (read: terrifying) to discover that places like Thailand and Indonesia imprison folks without trial and execute on some pretty flimsy evidence. What they determine to be drug importers, for instance, might be in fact kids being idiotic about bringing in a little ganja. Some Aussie lads ran into a similar problem (not ganja) less than 10 years ago. Their families were, to say the least, distraught that this was their fate and the foreign government's wheels continued to turn without letup until the end was reached. Sad. But true.

So, a visa overstay is not likely to be a capital offense, but it might make you persona non grata for VN for any future visit. I mean, if they've found you to be a scofflaw on the visa issue (including work permit difficulties) how likely are they going to want to issue you another, uh, visa?

BenMEvans wrote:

If you look at ninja teachers YouTube channel and go to his tefl site it says you don’t need a BA. I’m not arguing with you guys I just am wanting to know why he would put misleading information? That was my source.

To a great degree, TEFLing in most of Southeast Asia is still a "cowboy" industry that is largely unregulated. So the situation is not black/white or yes/no but gray and maybe.

The main point now is that the country is still more or less closed as Andy said:

Andybris2020 wrote:

@BenMEvans  The VN border closed @ 8am 15th March 2020 so any info from anyone is old info, the information reported in news stories regarding people coming in and quarantine periods has changed several times since last Friday, what tourist did do, could do, and may have done 1 or 2 years ago means nothing until officials post the directive for everyone to read, agents, brokers, lawyers will all say the same thing "wait until we know".
Last time I looked the above person ran a teaching academy he is not a VN official giving VN advice.
If you come over with the flood of tourists when the borders open the jobs will no doubt go to the ones with the degrees and experience, the rest "might" get a job, so while he is saying you can,,,, thats what you are taking a chance on, maybe getting a job.

Also, you should take a look at website that Jigarbutt mentions:

Jlgarbutt wrote:

Most now on vietnamteachingjobs list a degree as mandatory, teaching certificates must be legalized etc. Whether a shortage of teachers here will affect that remains to be seen

These are the schools that are currently looking for teachers and you can contact them directly. Also, you can post your resume and see who contacts you.

Here's the link:
Vietnam Teaching Jobs

In terms of your original question, it's hard to say really. Schools want the "white face" but I still think the main criteria for most schools include "flexibility" (not complaining) and being able to handle large classes of kids (not boring).

Also, I think perceptions have changed somewhat as there are many successful African Americans in the mass media now including a former US president.

some employers will furnish you with bogus papers. depends on how high demand is. as i understand, covid hurt the english school industry pretty hard.

another problem with getting work through bogus paperwork is your employer can then manipulate you and treat you unfairly if they choose. theres no recourse for you then.

i met a few african americans when i lived in vietnam and heard mixed reviews re; racism. its more difficult for female apparently, with racism and sexism forming a double whammy. the AA men i met said people actually went out of their way to befriend them... sort of a "trophy friend" thing. said it was a little weird but still nice.

the women reported a lot of stuff like ass grabbing and general derision, but not all the time.

no matter where you go theres at least one person who isnt a monster

Who knows what the English language industry is going to look like post Covid. Pre Covid, I would say it was roughly a 50/50 split between legally and illegally employed. In the big cities more are legal than illegal. In smaller towns more are illegal - easier and cheaper to buy off the authorities.
Regarding, skin color :The whiter the better. While dark and brown skinned teachers do find jobs (especially in the sticks where they have problems getting foreign teachers) they have a significant harder time finding employment and will on average be paid less.

BenMEvans wrote:

Hey me and my girlfriend are considering moving to Vietnam to teach English. She’s African American and I was wondering if she could get a teaching job or if it would be harder? I have tried to look it up but have found very little info on the subject! Thanks!

You might want to check out this thread with a lot of information about the pre-covid teaching situation in Việt Nam:

expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=798373

As for the racial angle, the bottom line will be whether or not parents object.

It will probably be to her advantage that she is a woman.

The term African-American encompasses many, many people with myriad physical descriptions.

If the Vietnamese mothers think that she is beautiful, and if the Vietnamese men who own the schools believe that she is easy to work with, then her race shouldn't be a problem.

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

BenMEvans wrote:

Hey me and my girlfriend are considering moving to Vietnam to teach English. She’s  and I was wondering if she could get a teaching job or if it would be harder? I have tried to look it up but have found very little info on the subject! Thanks!

You might want to check out this thread with a lot of information about the pre-covid teaching situation in Việt Nam:

expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=798373

As for the racial angle, the bottom line will be whether or not parents object.

It will probably be to her advantage that she is a woman.

The term African-American encompasses many, many people with myriad physical descriptions.

If the Vietnamese mothers think that she is beautiful, and if the Vietnamese men who own the schools believe that she is easy to work with, then her race shouldn't be a problem.

I'm suprised we are even talking about this to be honest, with just about every music video, tv show and movie the kids watch now having a huge African American media presence plus post Obama era, I cant imagine many VN not seeing African American just about everyday, so they know the kids will have no bias or even be more eager to interact to learn their culture.
Plus the mix with in VN population goes from light skin to very dark skin anyway so not a lot of difference to the skin tones they see everywhere.

Andybris2020 wrote:

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

BenMEvans wrote:

Hey me and my girlfriend are considering moving to Vietnam to teach English. She’s  and I was wondering if she could get a teaching job or if it would be harder? I have tried to look it up but have found very little info on the subject! Thanks!

You might want to check out this thread with a lot of information about the pre-covid teaching situation in Việt Nam:

expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=798373

As for the racial angle, the bottom line will be whether or not parents object.

It will probably be to her advantage that she is a woman.

The term African-American encompasses many, many people with myriad physical descriptions.

If the Vietnamese mothers think that she is beautiful, and if the Vietnamese men who own the schools believe that she is easy to work with, then her race shouldn't be a problem.

I'm suprised we are even talking about this to be honest, with just about every music video, tv show and movie the kids watch now having a huge African American media presence plus post Obama era, I cant imagine many VN not seeing African American just about everyday, so they know the kids will have no bias or even be more eager to interact to learn their culture.
Plus the mix with in VN population goes from light skin to very dark skin anyway so not a lot of difference to the skin tones they see everywhere.

Just have a beer any afternoon in Bui Vien street & you will see Vietnamese interacting with Africans, not sure if they are Americans though & they seem to be the best of friends!

Andybris2020 wrote:

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

BenMEvans wrote:

Hey me and my girlfriend are considering moving to Vietnam to teach English. She’s  and I was wondering if she could get a teaching job or if it would be harder? I have tried to look it up but have found very little info on the subject! Thanks!

You might want to check out this thread with a lot of information about the pre-covid teaching situation in Việt Nam:

expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=798373

As for the racial angle, the bottom line will be whether or not parents object.

It will probably be to her advantage that she is a woman.

The term African-American encompasses many, many people with myriad physical descriptions.

If the Vietnamese mothers think that she is beautiful, and if the Vietnamese men who own the schools believe that she is easy to work with, then her race shouldn't be a problem.

I'm suprised we are even talking about this to be honest, with just about every music video, tv show and movie the kids watch now having a huge African American media presence plus post Obama era, I cant imagine many VN not seeing African American just about everyday, so they know the kids will have no bias or even be more eager to interact to learn their culture.
Plus the mix with in VN population goes from light skin to very dark skin anyway so not a lot of difference to the skin tones they see everywhere.

It does happen. I have known numerous people who struggled to find work, all due their skin colour.

This is a prime example of what can happen.

[url=]Job hunting[/url]

colinoscapee wrote:

Andybris2020 wrote:

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

You might want to check out this thread with a lot of information about the pre-covid teaching situation in Việt Nam:

expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=798373

As for the racial angle, the bottom line will be whether or not parents object.

It will probably be to her advantage that she is a woman.

The term African-American encompasses many, many people with myriad physical descriptions.

If the Vietnamese mothers think that she is beautiful, and if the Vietnamese men who own the schools believe that she is easy to work with, then her race shouldn't be a problem.

I'm suprised we are even talking about this to be honest, with just about every music video, tv show and movie the kids watch now having a huge African American media presence plus post Obama era, I cant imagine many VN not seeing African American just about everyday, so they know the kids will have no bias or even be more eager to interact to learn their culture.
Plus the mix with in VN population goes from light skin to very dark skin anyway so not a lot of difference to the skin tones they see everywhere.

It does happen. I have known numerous people who struggled to find work, all due their skin colour.

This is a prime example of what can happen.

[url=https://i.postimg.cc/44pzjkJt/Screensho … Chrome.jpg]Job hunting[/url]

Another place I discovered a lot of overt and covert bigotry against black men was on Vietnam Cupid 💘

Anyone who wants to go take a look, it won't be very long before you find profiles that specifically say they don't want to meet an African man.

Then as I got to know some women privately in messaging through that site, and others through other activities, more than a few dropped the comment that they are attracted to all kinds of men except African men.

This was always mentioned in a pejorative sense; not just a personal lack of attraction.

I never once heard a Vietnamese man say anything negative about African men; only Vietnamese women.

Generally vietnamese are looking for the following  qualities in an English teacher:

-  Native speaker of America, Uk, Australia
-  white skin ( this is taboo but they look for this)
-  Must have the right qualifications required for 
    Work permit,  or a person with above   
      qualifications may be accepted at a lower rate
    Of payment, and subject to employer violations.

In your case,  there wont be a problem, as she speaks the native accent and a native of the mighty USA,  and the skin colour would be an asset.

Dont worry !

peterwij wrote:

Generally vietnamese are looking for the following  qualities in an English teacher:

-  Native speaker of America, Uk, Australia
-  white skin ( this is taboo but they look for this)
-  Must have the right qualifications required for 
    Work permit,  or a person with above   
      qualifications may be accepted at a lower rate
    Of payment, and subject to employer violations.

In your case,  there wont be a problem, as she speaks the native accent and a native of the mighty USA,  and the skin colour would be an asset.

Dont worry !

You contradicted yourself in this post.