Job Discussion Forums

[Coats2Coast]

Hey there, I'm a first time poster. My question is important to me as I was born in Vietnam, but was adopted at a young into a Canadian family 20 years ago. I have recently graduate from college with a diploma in Mechanical Engineering. My English is fluent, and I cannot remember how to speak Vietnamese. I have taken a TESL certificate course, and currently volunteering to teach adult ESL classes 4 hrs/week. O.K, back to the question. IS MY NATIONALITY GOING TO BE A DISADVANTAGE?
Even with good qualifications, will the fact that I am not Anglo going to diminish my chance of finding a teaching job in HCMC?

[lizarddoctor]

Nationality isn't an issue, the fact that you are a fluent English speaker coming from Canada is a huge benefit. Race, on the otherhand, is a huge factor of employablility in Asia. Many schools just can't get past the skin and focus on education. Parents want the white face. Plain and simple... and Asian looking person, no matter where they are from, is not marketable to a school. Not to say that Asian looking westerners don't find jobs, as many friends of mine here are very successful. Just don't be too offended when race plays a bigger role when trying to find a job. Asians just don't see or understand racism the way westerners do.

In Korea, they require a picture to even before they talk to a teacher. The school I was at was offended when some of us teachers told them that their policy of hiring was racist. They only saw racism as Black and White, and that they were not guilty of racism at any level since they were Korean. There is a school in District 3 that only hires Canadians, that may be a solid option as I have seen their contract on the internet and they seem to be legit. Head to CEC-CLC through the link or start at the home page to browse the resources.

http://www.saigonesl.com/Content_Pages_for_main/District_Pages/District_3_Page.htm

[Coats2Coast]

Thanks for the info DOC.
I knew the colour of my skin would be a big obstacle, but having comfirm it you makes me realize what I am up against. Oh, thanks for the link as well. I love your website, there is a tonne of info. How far is District 3 from city centre(D1)?

[lizarddoctor]

Right next door (5 minutes). HCMC is very small when you compare it to other Asian Cities. Nearly everyone is riding motorbikes and getting around is fairly easy. The motorbike discussion is something for another day though.

[kid eh]

How about a Canadian of 'East Indian descent? Would finding a job be more difficult? Would racism make living in Vietnam unpleasant? I assume the answer is yes to some degree, but would like to know if there are any dark-skinned hyphenated-Westerners who would (not) recommend giving it a try.

[Snaff]

[chipy66]

i know of several asian westerners who teach in HCMC at "good" schools so it shouldnt be a problem