Job Discussion Forums

Danwa88 · Joined: 11 Apr 2018 Posts: 3

My partner and I are looking for ESL teaching jobs in Vietnam and have been offered a job following a TESOL course through ‘global work and travel company’. They offer a month in Thailand for training with excursions and accommodation and airport transfers and continued support once in a placement in Vietnam. Does anyone have any experience with them as a recruitment agency as there are a lot of mixed vague reviews and a lot of good ones and some horror stories. It’s hard to know what to believe as it does sound like a convenient way of getting into the teaching world. But is it worth the money?

rogerwilco · Joined: 10 Jun 2010 Posts: 1549

How much ?

suphanburi · Joined: 20 Mar 2014 Posts: 916

"A foole and his money be soone at debate: which after with sorrow repents him too late."
Points of Good Husbandry, 1557.

The extras are no extra and you get stung both ways - you pay for the privilege and then you get screwed in the pay packet.
Why pay someone for something you can do for free?

Assuming you have what it takes to get legal (degree, clear police check, correct passport, pulse) ...
a) Go to Thailand,
b) get your TEFL,
c) get a 90-day tourist visa to Vietnam,
d) fly in and get the best paying job that you can.

If, however, you do not have a degree or have the wrong passport then take what you can get since you won't be legal (wrong visa and no work permit).

.

SeldomSeen · Joined: 07 Feb 2013 Posts: 40

If you are serious about teaching and want to give it a few years and work in the better places then go for a CELTA or Trinity CertTESOL. There may be a few other courses out there, but anything without an observed teaching component isn't really worth having, as they are unlikely to be recognised by the better employers.

ILA and Apollo both offer these in Vietnam and have a good record of employing successful graduates of the course.

These courses are likely to be more expensive than the one you are looking at. It's up to you to do the cost-benefit analysis. Without a CELTA (or equivalent) you will certainly be excluded from the better jobs. If teaching is something you want to do for a while then a CELTA is likely to be your best option.

If you just want a couple of years work, are happy to teach kids, are young and handsome, then any old TESOL certificate will do.