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First I would like to say hello to everyone, and thank you all for everything that you contribute to this site. My question is hopefully a simple one.....I am recently got my TESOL cert. and was planning on coming to Hanoi in January. However after reading other forums, and talking to a few people who sounded like they knew what they were talking about, I have been advised to wait until atleast February to travel. Susposedly this is due to the Tet festival. Apparently there are next to no schoold open and therefore I would find it hard to find a job. In fact one person recommended to me to not to Vietnam at all stating that because of the econimic situation it is getting increasingly harder and harder to find a job there. This is where I get a little confused. Some say go and some say don't. I would have just applied for a job at an international school but I do not have a BA or any degree for that matter. So I have a dilemma, and hope the members of this website could help me make my decision. Any help or opinions would be greatly appreciated.
teaching help jobs (add tags) Why? Details of tags
answered about 1 month ago by MissPride
Not to be mean, but I would echo the opinion that two fellow NH members posted in response to a similar Ask A.N.H. question (http://newhanoian.xemzi.com/en/aska/answers/qid/1376): Perhaps a refresher course might be a good idea. There are many grammatical and spelling errors in your post. For instance: - "I am recently got my TESOL cert." - "... one person recommended to me to not to Vietnam at all stating that because of the econimic (sp: economic) situation it is getting increasingly harder and harder to find a job there." That said, it is generally much easier to find open teaching positions in February. However, it would seem that many places are currently hiring as well. A friend of mine (who has a CELTA certificate but no B.A. degree) was offered a job at the first interview he went to, and he was offered a decent hourly wage rate as well. It's been two weeks since he's accepted that job offer, and I can say for certain that he's been getting a decent number of hours. NOTE: In case anyone's curious, the job he was offered was found on the NH Jobs section.
answered about 1 month ago by virezo
Schools for Vietnamese students close on Tet holiday but international school may not. The price goes insanely high during Tet holiday. You have to notice that. Transportation from January to February is also in trouble due to the numbers of passengers. It's better for you to come early in January or after February. It's getting harder to find a job here, of course. However there're a lot jobs still available now. I think it depends on you. Finally, if you don't come, you'll never know. Your choice.
answered about 1 month ago by granteralus
Yeah, it's better to wait until after Tet. Your flight will be cheaper and the job market opens up a bit, especially towards summer, when lots of schools will be looking to fill temporary summer classes. I really don't think finding a job is that hard here. However, the pay rate has not kept up with inflation. Vietnam's inflation rate has risen 24% since last year at this time. There has been a rise in income for teachers, but it just hasn't kept up. (And for several other industries as well) After talking with at least a dozen teachers from different schools, most people seem to be making between $17-$20/hour. With no degree you're probably looking at $15-$17/hr. That's more than enough to live on if you're teaching 20-25 hours per week.
answered about 1 month ago by Candide
Dear phobic888, vizero and granteralus are right, the week of Tet is a big one and almost everything closes down. All the international schools I know of are closed as well. Keep in mind that the Christmas holidays continue for many international schools until the second week of January as well. So January does seem to be the cruelest month in terms of TESOL. Is the economic crisis hitting Vietnam? Yes, certainly. But is it hitting here harder than any other part of the world? Hard to say. There are stories in the papers here of huge factory closures in Saigon (up to 10,000 jobs gone in one week) so it seems when the U.S. sneezes everyone catches a cold. Vietnam produces lots of stuff for America but they’re just not buying at the moment. There is also the fact that the Dong is not exactly the hardest (not in the Chelsea skinhead sense) of currencies. So we’re at the mercy of the international money weather a bit. I would say if you’re here to travel and see the culture - go for it. Just a return ticket will indemnify you from the worst of the uncertainties. If you are here to planning to do some saving or send back large sums I would think twice. On a totally anecdotal and statistically feeble note a friend of mine went to a party recently and had two job offers for teaching within five minutes so there are certainly some jobs out there. Best of luck with your decision. Pax, Candide
answered about 1 month ago by phobic888
Thank you all for your speedy replies. I will take them all in and then make my decision.
answered about 1 month ago by Shezza
It's true that if you don't come you'll never know. Why not come in January and if you have the resources (i.e. money), use that time to familiarize yourself with the town before starting work. You may also potentially find some tutoring work to get by. It's also true that your success depends largely on you and your persistence. There are plenty of opportunities to teach ESL in VN for the enterprising. You may also like to consider teaching in other cities which attract fewer teachers, e.g. Hai Phong, Da Nang, and Can Tho. Finally, don't be discouraged by people criticizing your grammar! I've noticed this happening a lot on TNH recently, and it seems to be both mean and pointless. All the best to you. You'll have an amazing time if you leave some of those doubts behind!
answered about 1 month ago by mackyhernandez
I totally agree with Shezza. The guy's got a TESOL certificate, so grammar doesn't really matter to the students (who don't know grammar in the first place). So I say go for it!
Also iznt da intrweb da land of do az u pleze 4 ppl in terms of spelling+grmmr these daze r ave I bin livin on marrrzzzzzzzz? I'm no fan o Blargon + generally need a Blossary but when in Rome...
Yah man. Me sez screw dem students. Itz all'bout da cash. Booyakasha! *snap*
answered about 1 month ago by loominpapa
I don't think you'll find it difficult to find a teaching job, demand is general far greater than supply here. Just be aware that although you have a TESOL certificate (which a number of schools will accept as a qualification) without a degree you will not be able to obtain a work permit. A lot of schools have found ways around this in the past and I'm sure they will continue to do so, but it is something to be mindful of.
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