Job Discussion Forums

[RyanR1984]

Hi all,

Having been put off of taking a job in China, due to the lack of having a degree and the resultant visa difficulties I will encounter, I have decided that I'll probably head to Vietnam, to do the CELTA course there through a company called ILA. Has anyone here heard of them or done the course with them? Apparently they can do the whole package, visa, 5 weeks of accommodation, and breakfast for the five weeks, for $2695, or something like that, which seems pretty god blue to me!

I am quite heavily tattooed, although all of them are coverable with long sleeves, I have none on my neck or hands. It says on the ILA website that tattoos have bad connotations in Vietnam, and I just wondered how true that was? Am I likely to be turned away by potential employers for having tattoos?

Thanks,

Ryan

[RustyShackleford]

Lots and lots of Viets are getting fashion tattoos these days and, unlike Japan, are pretty tolerant of foreigners having them. For professionalism's sake, you'd do well to cover, but don't be too too concerned.

[RyanR1984]

Thanks, I'd rather hoped as much. I expect I'll be wearing a collar and tie to class anyway.

[sigmoid]

[RyanR1984]

Hi sigmoid,

I'm afraid it was a typo on my part, I had entered the reply on my phone. It should have read pretty good value.

Thanks for the rest of the advice too.I think I'm going to go for it with ILA. As I said, it's good value, the course they are offering, so I'll only need to pay for my flights, and evening meals, which I hear you can get pretty cheaply in Saigon.

Are ILA likely to take me on without a degree? It seems as if they are likely to require the proper visas and whatnot, even more so than other, smaller schools and employers.

[skarper]

I think lack of a degree may well be an issue.

Plenty of places take people on an ad hoc basis without a degree or anything - not even a native speaker passport.

Do you need a degree for a WP? I'm not sure. I always thought so but maybe a cert TESOL is enough - technically.

The 64000 dong question is always will your school do their bit? Most won't.

Key is if you can cut the mustard in class. If you are popular, reliable and pliable then you will get work.

[RyanR1984]

For what it's worth, I intend on studying and finishing a bachelors degree whilst I'm out there, through the OU, so I'll have a degree in a couple of years. I figure I can get by until that point, hopefully.

[Mattingly]

[mark_in_saigon]

On the tattoo issue, I was recently in a brand new monster mall, and there was a well known school with a franchise there. They had a big picture of their foreign academic manager. He was a young man and he was wearing a tie, but he had those big holes in his ears with big round plugs, I think they call it gauging or some such. He was just standing there in the pic, as natural as could be, like this is the way professionals look nowadays.

I think if a school will put that up as the face of their franchise, we are getting awfully close to acceptance of tattoos between the eyes or whatever young people think is necessary for them to truly express themselves.

Like my brother told me, it was easier when we were young, all you had to do to shock em was to have long hair!

[sigmoid]

[mark_in_saigon]

Interesting theory, however, it always seems like some attributes are not so accepted. Being overweight for example. I also think your example about old guys is a good one. I think older guys (especially here) need to dress nicely and groom themselves more than the young people. It is accepted for young people to always have a 2 day growth of beard, for example, that is actually a style (I think). Older guys cannot pull it off. Cool on a young person is often sloppy on an old person. Don't you think? I know the VN students expect older people to maintain different standards. Interesting how it goes. Smoking for young people is cool, shows a devil may care attitude. Do it for 30 years, you ruin your lungs, your skin, your teeth are brown, you smell terrible, you're old before your time. Older people can't get away with the same things younger people are forgiven for.

Performance should matter most, but interestingly, considering the word performance, we have to remember, we are putting on a show. I think your best show is not put on with a craggy face or shaggy hair. But I can see with the young people, various markers of young rebellion (tattoos between the eyes, etc.) indeed are part of the show, and may eventually be considered a positive attribute. That franchise was not afraid to show that pic of the guy with the tribal ears as their public face.

[Grendal]

[Mattingly]