Job Discussion Forums

[jmatt]

Forgive me if this has been covered in an earlier thread---my searches didn't turn anything up.

Anyway, I have recently finished my M.Ed. TESL in the US and have 7 years of experience teaching in Japan, with my thesis based on Vietnamese student pronunciation difficulties stemming from negative transfer of the L1.

I am really interested in getting a job in Vietnam---have visited the country before and love it, but will be bringing my wife, a Japanese national, and my two kids Japanese/US passport holders.

I was wondering if anyone has any info on the difficulties on securing visas for family---if schools offer any help---and the red tape associated with the process.

Thanks!!!!!

[Nim Chimsky]

Hi jmatt

most schools will not help with your visa and of course would not even think about the wife and kid, but the visa situation in saigon is got the money we got the visa for you.

schools like rmit may help

Best regards

Nim Chimsky

[Nim Chimsky]

Hi jmatt

most schools will not help with your visa and of course would not even think about the wife and kid, but the visa situation in saigon is got the money we got the visa for you.

schools like rmit may help

Best regards

Nim Chimsky

[jmatt]

[BenE]

This is a good question and probably not one best answered by those avoiding the work permit procedure. IF you get supported by your school and work with one of the more reputable places on a full time contract. You should be able to get a dependent spouse visa for all your family.

Without a work permit there's no chance of this happening. I'm not sure if this law actually works but I've heard people who have got visas for their family through the company they worked for (though not often through schools)

[Nim Chimsky]

Hi jmatt

I doubt that you will find any reliable information on this website concerning your question. This is because the majority of teachers teaching EFL in Vietnam are single. There are married couples teaching in EFL but they generally do not have children with them. In fact, I have only met one teacher who was married with a child and this was about eight years ago when the visa situation was a very simple process.

As you are fully aware, there are many issues concerning bringing children to Vietnam and I won't go into those details. If you are set on Vietnam, you should try to get a job in one of the international schools such as BIS because they will take care of the visas etc for your wife, children and provide free education for your children.

I would do as much research as possible prior to moving to Vietnam because the salary of the average EFL teacher is not very high and it would be difficult to survive on that salary with a family of four.

Also, I suggest obtaining info directly from individuals who are in your same position, but I don't think there are many, in fact I know there aren't.

Anyway, best of luck.

Best regards

Nim Chimsky

[ExpatLuke]

I don't think I entirely agree with Nim. With the OP's qualifications, he could find some very well paying jobs here in Vietnam. Especially compared to the low cost of living here, he could easily support a family of 4 on his income. In fact, he'd probably end up saving more than he does in Japan now.

I've met a few teachers who have families here, and they seem to do alright. I've never thought to ask them how they handled visa and such. I just know that both the schools I've worked for so far in Vietnam have paid for my visas and one of them has paid for my work permit.

[Nim Chimsky]

Hi ExpatLuke

I agree that if he got one of the better paying EFL jobs in HCMC he would be able to support his family. However, there are too many unknowns for example how old are his children, education issues, and many other expenses if one has children.

Also he is qualified with the M.ED. but there are many other issues when it comes to getting the best paid jobs.
What does he look like, how old is he, experience in Japan-almost a guarantee that he was not teaching academic English in a university pathway programme, experience teaching IELTS, Experience managing teachers, experience designing curriculums-generally not many jobs like this in Japan

However, that does not mean that he can't get one of the high paying jobs.

I have been teaching at RMIT for some time and it's amazing the number of highly qualified and experienced candidates that are rejected for whatever reason.

As I stated before too many unknowns and he is bringing a lot of baggage with him that a lot of schools don't want to deal with.

Best regards

Nim Chimsky

[jmatt]

Thanks for the replies. It has been hard to get any useful and up-to-date information concerning this anywhere on the internet.

It's understandable---when I was teaching in Japan (at the hated NOVA---which, I must admit, treated me well & with a lot of leeway to do things as I wanted when I was there, as I took the job---but not myself!---seriously and was at a good school with good co-workers, which made a ton of difference at that place) as well as at a HS and a small private school, I don't think I knew any teachers there with a non-Japanese family. Though, the better jobs would allow for it and facilitate the process---I understand that many schools wouldn't go through the hassle when they could hire a single person with no baggage for the same job.

Since returning to the US (Portland OR) I have worked part-time teaching jobs and tutored, but mainly made my money bartending, as any decent paying ESL jobs here (the few there are) require a master's degree. Now that I've finished my M.Ed. TESOL, my family and I (my wife is Japanese and we have 2 young daughters---4 and 9 months) were planning to go back to Tokyo, but as I've worked teaching lots of Vietnamese ESL students here, wrote my thesis on Viet. final consonant pronunciation difficulties, and would love to live in the country (I spent 2 years traveling around SE Asia and taught in Cambodia and Indonesia---now Cambodia's a place I wouldn't want to be with children), I'm trying to figure out the logistics to do so.

I have management & curriculum design experience, and for what it's worth, am 40 yrs old and pretty damn good looking! (Ha! At least my mother tells me so----but whatever...).

Just trying to figure out the lay of the land----guess that I'll have to come to Vietnam and suss it out from there.

Anyway, appreciate the responses!

[mark_in_saigon]

as has been noted many times, it is really best to be here to see how it will work out. The thing that I think we all have to remember and remind ourselves about is the unprofessional nature of it all. That being the case, those of us who have special skills and qualifications can find ourselves especially frustrated. When you see the reality of it all, you understand that we are mostly working at a much lower level than we aspire to, and having expectations of doing very special work is often a pipe dream.

This can be a good life and a lot of fun, but I think the teaching mostly is just what enables us to maintain legal status and gives us some income. I have to question if we really are doing something of great significance. When you look at the kind of profile most schools are perfectly happy taking, and the expectations of the students, you realize that highly advanced skills in the theory of language acquisition are not what these guys are caring about, thinking about, or even able to understand.

OP may love the life over here, but this is not the country I would bring a spouse and kids to, maybe even the last place. Over 90% of tourists do not return. His family is likely going to feel that way too. Gawked at the traffic, got the Uncle Ho t shirt, let's go home dad.

Surely he can find work, alongside the Filipinos, the Nigerians, the backpackers and the rest of our ilk. If he really wants to fully use his advanced skills, my guess is that Japan (or any more modern country) has to be a better bet.

[jmatt]