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ryan ludlow
Joined: 11 Dec 2004
Posts: 1
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 Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2004 1:26 pm Post subject: When is the best time to go to Vietnam to teach? |
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| Does anyone know when the new semester starts? When is the best time to go to Vietnam to teach? Jan? Feb? March? |
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sigmoid
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 1276
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| Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2004 4:25 am Post subject: |
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| Tet which is the Vietnamese equivalent of Chinese New Year is in early to mid-February. So you should come late February or early March. |
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Micro67
Joined: 29 May 2003
Posts: 297
Location: HCMC, Vietnam
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| Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2004 10:56 am Post subject: Getting Ready |
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Honestly, unless you want to spend an extended amount of time living on De Tham you probably don't even want to arrive until Tet is well past. There will be very few places open and the housing situation could be tricky unless you happen upon someone looking for a roommate.
If you have the time though, Tet is a great time to be in Vietnam. |
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huxter
Joined: 08 Mar 2004
Posts: 41
Location: Hanoi
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2005 1:28 am Post subject: |
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Micro67, do you really think we're screwed as far as finding teaching work goes at this time of year?
My girlfriend and I arrive in Hanoi mid-January and hope to secure at least some work before the Tet break begins. We're both well-qualified and fortunately have a house lined up already. Don't the schools just close for a week or two? Not much we can do about it now anyway - just enjoy Tet and get some sightseeing in I'spose 
BTW, what is De Tham?
Cheers |
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Micro67
Joined: 29 May 2003
Posts: 297
Location: HCMC, Vietnam
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2005 5:10 am Post subject: Tet |
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| huxter wrote: |
| Micro67, do you really think we're screwed as far as finding teaching work goes at this time of year? |
Lots of schools are looking for teachers - as always - but actually starting to work is less likely until Tet is over. Things really do shut down.
| huxter wrote: |
| My girlfriend and I arrive in Hanoi mid-January and hope to secure at least some work before the Tet break begins. We're both well-qualified and fortunately have a house lined up already. Don't the schools just close for a week or two? |
I may have over stated. There will be some classes, but most will be shut down for the holiday and those that aren't will be sparcely attended, IMHO.
| huxter wrote: |
| BTW, what is De Tham? |
Its basically our version of Kao Sanh (SP?) road in Bangkok. It is a place you won't be able to avoid winding up at some point and the jumping off point for most. |
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Paul John
Joined: 09 Jun 2003
Posts: 52
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2005 7:34 am Post subject: |
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From the Teaching in Vietnam FAQ (coming soon!)
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Current Outlook for Jobs (as of January, 2004)
We're in the middle of the Christmas/New Year/T�t season, which means a drop in new classes starting up. At the moment, classes are down all over, perhaps even more than usual. This is not a good time to arrive looking for work, although you're likely to pick up a few hours if you try. It's unlikely that you'll find full time work, though.
For established teachers, There are fewer new classes starting as your old courses finish. However, many teachers choose this time of year to return home for the holidays so there are often classes to take over or substitute classes to teach.
You can expect work to pick up in the weeks following the T�t holiday. T�t in 2005 falls on Wednesday, February 9th. Most schools will shut for two weeks from Sunday, February 6th until Monday, February 21st.
For new teachers, the best time to arrive is after mid-February, when new classes start opening. See What is the best time of the year to come to Vietnam? for a description of seasonal demands for EFL teachers.
What is the best time of the year to come to Vietnam?
Teaching here is seasonal but not extremely so. Except for the two week T�t period in late January or early-to-mid February there's always work available. The typical school year will run like this:
* from late February to early May demand for teachers is fairly high.
* there is normally a mini-slump between mid-May and mid-June as university and high school students enter the end-of-year exam period. These students make up the largest proportion of students in Vietnam.
* mid-June to the end of August is the busiest season -- summer vacation.
* there is often a dip in enrolments in September as students prepare to return to university or high school.
* October to mid-December is also fairly busy.
* from mid-December to T�t there is a big drop in new classes. Many students choose not to resume their English studies until after the T�t holiday.
In short, the best time to arrive for work is between, say, late February and November. This is the general trend but be aware that there are often variations from this pattern, not only from year to year but also from school to school.
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The FAQ will be up and running (I hope ) in another week or so. Micro67 has kindly agreed to host it on MekongESL.com, and I'll post a message in a few days letting everyone know when it's available.
Happy New Year!
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huxter
Joined: 08 Mar 2004
Posts: 41
Location: Hanoi
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| Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2005 12:54 pm Post subject: |
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Cheers Micro67 and Paul John - you've been a big help. I look forward to using the new forum on mekongesl.
Thanks again  |
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