Job Discussion Forums

[ESL Hobo]

Hi All,
It looks like the economy is going to be in a slump worldwide for a year or two almost everywhere, that said, how are things going in Vietnam right now, have teaching hours been cut back, etc.
Outlook for 2009?
Also, what is your opinion on the idea that, in many countries when the economy dips more people, not less, turn to taking English or other languages courses to improve their outlook for future job opprtunities.

Thanks,
ESL Hobo

[ajc19810]

So far I haven't seen any signs of the ESL market slowing down. I think salaries are at an all time high for foreign teachrs. Student numbers are growing and schools are continuing to open more and more branches.

I have a waiting list of 300 students and not enough teachers and not enough classrooms.

I hope the crisis will encourage people to study English and entice native English speakers from their home country to come work in Vietnam, where you can still buy a beer for under $1.

I am not an economist, but after speaking with friends in Saigon who have placed large long term rental deposits on buildings for schools I think that there is a lot of confidence in the ESL market now and will be for a few more years to come.

[ESL Hobo]

Thanks AJC,

That sounds encouraging.
I'll buy the first round on the "Dollar Beers" when I hop the train to Saigon. [/img]

[Piscador]

Enrollments are down at the school I'm working at. They aren't laying any teachers off, but there is a hiring freeze until after Tet. Young learner classes are still going strong, but class sizes are down for general English and a lot of the corporate clients have slashed their training budgets for 2009.

My personal opinion is that the VN economy hasn't bottomed out yet. The VN dong is still overvalued by 50%, and sooner or later the government will have to address that. When that happens, expect the inflation rate to leap. Property prices are still dropping. Foreign investment is expected to drop to near zero after Tet (in February). The government is predicting slowed economic growth. For what it's worth, I'm expecting zero economic growth.

I work in HCMC, but I'd like to hear about what's going on at other schools around the country. I know of one chain in Hanoi that is seriously overstaffed at the moment.