Job Discussion Forums

hjsdvs · Joined: 28 Jan 2005 Posts: 4

My name is David and I live in Tucson, AZ USA. I will be visting VietNam in July or Aug, for about three months. I am a White American but I am a Vietnamese Buddhist funny right? Well anyway I though about teaching while I was there, and I have my BA but no ESL cert. yet any advice on a good one to do over the net?

And please someone tell me what the average weekly hours teaching typicaly are?

Any advice please! And yes I have read all the other posts. Shocked

Really great advice but this is my fist trip outside the US so I'm perparing as much as posible.

One more thing why the hell is it so damn expensive to fly into Vietnam and so cheap to fly into Beijing Question

I'll stop talking now.

Mr Wind-up Bird · Joined: 22 Sep 2004 Posts: 196

OzBurn · Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 199

David, my own opinion is that you do not seem to have the English skills that are needed to teach. You write at the level of a young high school student. I would advise you to spend a year or so educating yourself in English. Work hard to improve your own skills. Learn how to write clearly and correctly. Following that, if you are still interested in teaching, start by volunteering locally. If you like it and achieve some success, try Vietnam.

It is a bad idea to attempt to teach a skill you do not have.

hjsdvs · Joined: 28 Jan 2005 Posts: 4

First off writing on the internet is not a place where I worry about being completly correct all the time. Secondly I have been helping to teach about Buddha's life to young Vietnamese children at my temple, and have had no problems. This kind of advice does not help anyone, and only helps me see the destorted view you have of others. Stop wasting my time and your own.

Paul John · Joined: 09 Jun 2003 Posts: 52

Ozburn does have a point. If you want to be taken seriously on an English teacher�s forum, you should try to minimize your grammar/spelling mistakes. We don�t expect perfection, but your first post was pretty badly written compared to your second.

Neither Ozburn nor I mean to put you down. You need to be aware that it can be pretty embarrassing when your students have to correct your English in class, especially when it happens regularly. VN students can be pretty sharp and very demanding. They can and do request that teachers be replaced if they aren�t up to scratch.

Mr W is right about online courses. At the very least, do a course with some element of practice teaching, where a competent trainer can observe and advise you.

OzBurn · Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 199

Surely "right livelihood" includes equipping yourself with the professional skills required to teach well before you attempt to offer yourself as an expert to unsuspecting students who may sometimes be paying two-thirds of their monthly income for your instructional services.

OzBurn · Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 199

Oh, and it�s "too much," not "to much."

hjsdvs · Joined: 28 Jan 2005 Posts: 4

To tell you the truth I would prefer teaching kids (4-13) or so.
I am by no means perfect in English, particularly grammar. But I am a very good listener and quite good at learning a new language. I think that I would be best placed at a school geared toward the young and one that concentrates on speaking. This would be my first post and I would use it as a learning experience.

So please, any useful advice is greatly welcome.