Job Discussion Forums

[mlomker]

[stilloutthere]

There have been lots of comments about Viet Nam having high requirements for work permits, then not doing anything to enforce that requirement. This is exactly the same policy Japan followed when they had a huge teacher shortage in the 80's. Part time work paid better than legal work, because it was less secure, and people worked for years flying to Korea and back every time their tourist visa expired. Then, when things started to slow down in the early nineties, they started to enforce the law more strictly. It worked out well, and it seems Viet Nam is trying to follow the same sort of policy, along with the 3-month-no-work-permit needed twist.

[Dsay]

I just wanted to let everyone know that the turnaround time on an FBI background check is 14-16 weeks. Also, they won't give you any kind of status update - like letting you know if the fingerprints you sent are usable - for 12 weeks.
This information was given to me today by a rep at their call center in West Virginia.

[ChuckECheese]

[tirthyatri]

I'm trying to get my ducks in a row about work permits. On reading the postings I see here, it appears that there are two contradictory theories about how Americans go about getting one.

One theory is that you must go to your local police and get a notarized letter, then to the State Department of State, then to the Federal Department of State, and then finally to the Vietnamese Consulate.

The second theory is that you go and get fingerprinted by the local police, send the results to the FBI and bingo! you're done, just as soon as the FBI gets the paperwork back to you.

Am I missing something here? Since I am hoping to head out in a couple of months to Vietnam to take a CELTA course and then join the workforce, I'd really like to make sure that I show up with the right papers. Can anybody comment?

[ChuckECheese]

[suvving]

[freebeacher]

I applied for one of the Vietnam jobs advertised this week here on Dave's international jobs forum. I have a B.A. and 6 months of experience in Taiwan, 3 months in Spain, and 3 months in Greece. I was told I was ineligible to work anywhere in Vietnam as I did not have a TEFL certificate, which is an immigration requirement for a work visa. So, obviously some schools in Vietnam claim to be following the rules, if requiring a TEFL is indeed one of the rules, and I do not know that it is.

[mach114]

I recently got a response from the US embassy in Hanoi. Here is what they said;

If you want to have your documents authenticated in Vietnam, you have to submit your original documents (or copies certified by a U.S. notary public) because Vietnamese authorities only accept original documents or certified true copies. Please bring your original documents (or certified true copies) to our office and execute affidavits to go with them. You�ll have to pay $30 for the first document and $20 for each additional. We�ll witness your signature on the affidavit and put seal on it. After that, you have to bring the documents to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam (40 Tran Phu Street) for authentication. Please note that we are open to the public only in the morning between 08:00 and 11:30 Monday through Friday (except VN and US holidays)



You may want to have your documents authenticated in the U.S. Please find instructions for this process at http://travel.state.gov/law/info/judicial/judicial_701.html



We hope the information is helpful.



Sincerely,

American Citizens Services

Consular Section

U.S. Embassy

Hanoi, Vietnam


Apparently the US has finally got a system in place to authenticate documents in country. However, you would still need to have your background check from the USA. Which you then will be able to get an affidavit for at the US embassy in Hanoi and I assume the same can be done at the consulate in HCMC.

[KLUH]

So, long story short, show up on a tourist visa, visa, get a job, and enjoy life.

In the triple F (Far Flung Future) if they ever have some fascist crackdown on requirements, remember this ain't the ONLY country in SE Asia.

Or get yourself a degree/diploma. If you prefer to hedge your bets, just steadily plod towards one through distance learning.

Assuming something happens, and things become untenable, go somewhere more laid back, keep teaching, get your college credits at your leisure or frantically, whichever appeals the most, and then return, armed with the credentials you need.

It isn't like getting a degree is a jail sentence. Some people enjoy the digestion of material and the learning.

It's the cost that always put me off.

[mach114]

I just got my FBI check back! It took ten days. Not ten weeks. There was no rush service. Just regular old slug mail. Now to get it notarized and authenticated. Enjoy folks!

[seaskyclay]

mach114 said, "I recently got a response from the US embassy in Hanoi. Here is what they said..."

This is hugely helpful! I can't believe the authentication can be done in Vietnam. Everyone, including my school, has said it had to be done in the States. I've had my background check and medical check certificate since the time I arrived in the country, but I've been unable to get the degree dealt with from abroad.

Please post how your process for getting your degree authenticated/notarized has gone. I'll be curious to read about your experience.

Thanks!

seaskyclay

[feemtwo]

Hi All,

Here's a description of the notarization and authentication process that I (a US citizen) had to go through in Hanoi. (I assume the notarization process is the only thing that differs based on nationality and that the authentication process is the same, but don't take my word for it).

I taught at Language Link in Hanoi from 6/08 to 3/09. The HR department at work handled the work permit application for me, but before they were able to do so I had to get my FBI criminal background check, university degree and CELTA notarized and authenticated. Thanks to some changes (already discussed here) that occurred in summer of 2008, I was able to do this from within Vietnam with the help of the US Embassy. The notarization and authentication processes weren't necessarily lengthy but they were a bit complicated (surprise). Here's the email I drafted to describe the process to fellow American teachers:


STEP 1 - NOTARIZATION (took about an hour)

I went to the US Embassy in the Rose Garden building (not the main US Embassy on Lang Ha) with the following ORIGINAL documents: university degree, CELTA certificate and FBI background check (which I'd obtained in the US before coming to VN). On the second floor, I went to the window for US citizens and they gave me an affidavit to fill out for each document. On the affidavits there is a space to declare something about the document, so I just made up something official-sounding for each one. For example, on the affidavit for my degree, I wrote "I certify this is a true copy of my bachelor's degree in business administration, which I earned from the University of Southern California on 10 May, 2002."

After I filled out and signed all three affidavits, I went back to the window and gave the woman the affidavits, documents and my passport (I think). After a while, a man came out and gave me back the affidavits and documents which had been notarized, and my passport. They didn't write anything on the original documents themselves, but they did put a little metal ring through each to attach the affidavit.

I then paid the $70 fee ($30 for the first document and $20 for the second and third). They accept credit cards.


STEP 2 - AUTHENTICATION (took about 45 minutes over 2 visits)

I'd imagine that this process is the same regardless of one's nationality, but here it is anyway.

First, I made a copy of each affidavit and original document that had been notarized at the US Embassy, and a copy of my passport. I went to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs at 40 Tran Phu and went to window 6 to request an application form. I filled out the form, then took my documents, my passport and all the copies back to window 6. The man checked that I had all the required documents, gave me a number, gave me everything back and I sat down.

When my number came up on the screen, I went to window 5. The woman took my documents, looked at my passport and gave me a little paper acknowledging receipt of my 3 documents and telling me to come back in 2 days at 10 AM. I didn't pay anything at that point and they didn't keep my passport.

I returned to the MFA 2 days later at the time stated on the little paper. I gave my paper to the man at to window 6 and he told me to sit down. They then called me to window 4 (the cashier) where I paid 480,000 dong (160,000 for each document). I'm not sure if they accept credit cards. Probably not. The cashier gave me my documents and on the back of each affidavit is a little sticker with a signature, which is the authentication.

Good luck all!

[Tainan]

Hello,

Could you say something more about the "medical" that you mentioned rather briefly in the original post? What is required, and is it really required to work in VN?
Thanks!

[Lumix]

Hi,


I wanted to clarify the criminal back ground check process for Americans. The information here was provided to me by my school's HR department and the Consulate General of Vietnam in San Francisco.

1. Back ground checks are to be requested through your state's Department of Justice (DOJ).

- go to DOJ's web page and print off the correct form for back ground checks (go to the "Visa/Immigration" section).
- go have your live scan (finger prints) taken at local agency/business (I had mine done at a local Mail Boxes Etc. The DOJ web page provides info for all providers in your area).
- the fee ranges from $50 - 65 in California. ($32 DOJ fee + live scan fee).

2. Call the DOJ and make sure they send you an official document (official state letterhead) signed by a public official.

- this is important because it's what the Vietnam Consulate/ Embassy requires for the visa process. The California DOJ initially sent me a very unofficial word document - no official letterhead nor signature. I had to call them and request that they send me the official version of the document, explaining what it was for.

3. When the back ground check arrives, it must be authenticated by your state's Secretary of State Department. There is a fee of approx. $20. You can go there in person or send it by mail. Call them first to make sure that your document can be authenticated with no further steps.

4. Finally, you send the authenticated document to the Embassy or Consulate General of Vietnam where they translate and authenticate the document. There is a fee of $70 w/ a turn around time of 1 week, or $100 for expedited 1 day service.

Note: I was told that FBI back ground checks were not accepted due to the fact that they can't be authenticated by the Secretary of State.

It's no longer necessary to have the Federal government Secretary of State Department authenticate any documentation. The Vietnamese government, in other words, considers valid the authentication of each state's Secretary of State Department.


Hope this helps for anyone faced with the task. It can seem pretty complicated at first, but it can be done. Good luck.