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ccfan
Joined: 03 Aug 2004
Posts: 6
Location: New York City
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 Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2005 7:02 pm Post subject: Individual English Tutoring |
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| I've looked through the posts and couldn't find anyone addressing tutoring. Does anyone on the board have experience making a living in Vietnam on tutoring alone? I'm coming to Vietnam in 6 weeks. I currently do one-on-one tutoring in NYC with Korean and Japanese students and it's nice to be able to give that kind of personal attention to a student. If anyone is doing it, please let me know basically how it's going, how long it took to get a good schedule of students, and if you'd recommend it. Thanks! |
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Snaff
Joined: 20 Feb 2005
Posts: 142
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| Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 3:50 am Post subject: Re: Individual English Tutoring |
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Last edited by Snaff on Sat Oct 29, 2005 9:01 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Mr Wind-up Bird
Joined: 22 Sep 2004
Posts: 196
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| Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:21 am Post subject: Re: Individual English Tutoring |
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| Snaff wrote: |
And don't put up flyers in apartment complexes.
When I see them, I nonchalantly walk by, casually rip them off of the wall, put them in my pocket, and later tear them up into pieces.
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What's so bad about putting up flyers, and what gives you the right to sabotage someone's attempts to make a living? |
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huxter
Joined: 08 Mar 2004
Posts: 41
Location: Hanoi
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| Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 2:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Too right. What do you say Snaff? |
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Snaff
Joined: 20 Feb 2005
Posts: 142
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| Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 3:22 pm Post subject: Re: Individual English Tutoring |
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Last edited by Snaff on Sat Oct 29, 2005 9:02 am; edited 1 time in total |
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PotKettleBlack
Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 9
Location: Vietnam
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| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 8:23 am Post subject: Unbelievable |
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| Nothing more amusing than some out-of-touch lost soul perusing high-end apartments with an out-of-date tie, wrinkled shirt, and cheap shiny shoes trying to take my work away from me. |
Nobody is trying to take work away from you. There are many people in Saigon eager to get private tutoring. I was here on holiday and I got plenty of offers. This may be because I was staying with a fairly well-connected Vietnamese family; I had better access to the upper class families and I know that is not the case with everybody. I think in a city of this size there's enough work for everybody.
I don't see how the way you dress has anything to do with your ability to teach. You clearly hold your own presentation in high esteem and that's fine but the acceptable dress standard for work and interviews in Saigon is 'business-casual'. For the benefit of every hapless buffoon in the industry, please define an out-of-date tie.
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| These hapless buffoons try to undercut. Nobody gets near my little Kyung, Young-Joo, or San Young. Nobody. Especially not from some cotton-candy hallmark pin-up on a lobby bulletin board. They go down and they go down quick. |
If your reputation, presentation and abilities are as exemplary as they sound then you can suceed by virtue of your own merits, rather than needing to sabotage the efforts of others.
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The first time I see one I take it down. |
Scary.
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| The second time I see one I make a phone call: Bin Thanh, An Phu, Sedona Suites, Norfolk Mansion, and to some folks at the International schools. A couple calls with the drop of their name and they never get work in this town--ever. |
"Fear me. I am Snaff the well-connected elitist. I am the godfather of English Tutoring. I own this town. Defy me and you will never work in this town!"
If you are starting out here heed the above warning. I made the mistake of trying to undercut by putting up signs all over town. The next day every single sign was ripped down. I tried getting working at every school in Ho Chi Minh City but failed. Every time I went to an interview it seemed like I had almost got it - each time I was declined. I couldn't understand why this kept happening, but now it makes sense having read this thread. Each time, before offering me a contract, the director would pull out a huge paper scroll, blow the dust off it, look at it solemnly then inform me that they would not be hiring at this stage.
One time curiosity got the best of me and I wrestled it from their hands. At the top of the scroll was the heading 'Snaff's do-not-hire list' and sure enough my name was number 829 on the list. It didn't make sense at the time but now I understand how I stuffed up. I was astonished that every single school had a copy, even the smaller low-paying schools in the Tan Binh District had it. Truly remarkable. I asked a local "Who is this 'Snaff' I keep hearing of?'. Apparently he is some god-like figurehead of English Teaching and an exceptional judge of character. "Better iron that shirt buster" he said. "Snaff don't like wrinkly shirts".
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| You wanna take my privates you need to suck the right thumbs. |
This city is all about connections and sucking up. Locals have to bribe employers just to get a decent job ($100 a month). As a foreigner seeking work in Vietnam you should not have to expect this kind of treatment. If you have the experience, the skill and most importantly the look for the job you will get it. Ignore people like 'Snaff'.
My serious advice to all is disregard what Snaff has said. Saigon and Hanoi are huge cities with plenty of opportunities. I find it hard to believe that schools would really care who is advertising him/herself as a private teacher. I once worked with a guy who previously managed a McDonalds. For every car that came through the drive-through he discreetly checked their registration and warrant of fitness. Those that were expired were compiled into a list and given to the police. He was proud of this service to the community and, not surprisingly, was hated by every single person who ever met him.
Maybe you should stop trying to get others in trouble by reporting them to Mom and upgrade yourself from sub-human to the real deal. |
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Mr Wind-up Bird
Joined: 22 Sep 2004
Posts: 196
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| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 8:55 am Post subject: |
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| Wise words Pot. As for the "out of date tie" thing, I wasn't aware ties came with a sell-by date. Though having said that, it doesn't seem possible to buy any other type of tie in HCMC... |
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Snaff
Joined: 20 Feb 2005
Posts: 142
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| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 3:12 pm Post subject: |
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Last edited by Snaff on Sat Oct 29, 2005 9:03 am; edited 1 time in total |
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PotKettleBlack
Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 9
Location: Vietnam
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| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 7:15 pm Post subject: |
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Though I have no doubt you know what you're talking about - certainly that kind of cynicism is often the negative byproduct of experience - I really don't think it will ring true for most teachers in Vietnam. Sure, it's always easier to get ahead in business by sucking up; that you will find in most western countries. What you will also find, though, are individuals with true character who don't take shortcuts.
$85 lunch? Oh dear. I assume that includes the massage with extras. Good advice for anybody coming to Vietnam would be to shed such gross and unnecessary spending habits. Yes, they are very superficial here and the locals will look up to you for being able to spend more on a meal than they make in a month but if you want a truly rewarding experience be a bit more subtle and you will get a more sincere kind of respect. I can't understand the mentality of people coming to a country as financially and culturally crippled as Vietnam and trying t | |
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