Job Discussion Forums

[maj0915]

Hey, does anyone know how easy it is to find summer-camp jobs in Vietnam? I've got one year of ESL experience in the US, eighteen months at a university in China, and an (online) TEFL. I'd be interested in any job that provided room/board.

[EFL Educator]

Yes there are summer camps in Vietnam...just like in China. However you will face a lot of competition from those already on the ground. Good luck!

[Brunouno]

You may want to do your homework to figure out if a summer camp job is worth it. There was a summer camp position advertised recently (I think it was ILA or Apollo) which worked out to be about 10 bucks an hour when broken down. With your experience and if you're normal, it shouldn't be a problem to find a job in HCM that will pay you around 20 bucks an hour. I wouldn't be concerned with accommodation; it's extremely easy to find a hotel to live in for around $250 a month.

[mark_in_saigon]

I would just give my opinion that it is not that easy to get $20 an hour in HCMC for someone with those qualifications. 15 is closer to what he should expect, in my opinion, and even then, it may be a few hours here and a few there. Even the better schools with the higher rates have dropped their pay, as noted on a fairly recent thread. For those who are at the higher ends of pay, notice how you can get occasional response to your resume from a better job and almost no response from those 15 bucks an hour jobs. They do not want to hire people who have expectations of professionalism from the employer, they want younger, desperate people they can control, who will put up with their constant problems. To get 20 or more, you have to be in the higher levels now, and it is not an overnight process. Or, that is my take on it. Your mileage may vary.

[skarper]

I would agree - 15 USD an hour is what the OP would likely get right off the bat.

After 6 months they might manage a few 20 USD/hour classes but would still be getting 15 for the bulk of the week. It takes time and some serious qualifications/experience to get 20 USD and hour even in HCMC or Hanoi.

I also agree the schools would rather pay less for less than more for more. The students/parents are mostly unable to tell the difference in the short term.

[EFL Educator]

Summer camp pay in Vietnam is pretty much the same as elsewhere in SE Asia...as are TEFL wages now. $15-$20 an hour seems to be the norm. Market forces dictate that wages will pretty much be the same due to the ample supply of young TEFL graduates throughout the region who will continue to keep wages low in the near future.

[I'm With Stupid]

Do they even do summer camp in Vietnam? They do summer school, but I've never heard of anything approaching a camp. It's just the same classes as the rest of the year, just during weekdays instead.