Job Discussion Forums

[BenE]

Half Man Half Noodle is a good place to start in Hanoi.

Also check out the New Hanoian website (Google 'New Hanoian') for more local job adverts for people already here.

[Texas_blu]

Therefore if Vietnamese or Americans leave high school (12 years) they have to do an additional "foundation year" before they would normally be allowed in to a British or Australian undergraduate degree.

Thanks for that explanation SR. I've known a lot of Brits and Aussies but this subject never came up.

Do you mean that the Senior High School year is actually preparatory collegiate level for undergraduate studies?

How fantastic that would have been to avert an entire year of tuition! Certainly would've made a substantial difference on my student loans.

But on the flip-side, the drop-out rate for US High School graduates is already pretty high, this change would multiply that rate tremendously.

[Texas_blu]

[spycatcher reincarnated]

Texas wrote:

[Texas_blu]

[inky]

In my experience there are no post-high school students who are more pampered or more stress-free than US college students. Many of them can barely write an essay without numerous errors in grammar or substance, they are clueless regarding world affairs, and they seem to have plenty of time to party or play mindless games.
The general studies aspect of the Bachelor's degree in the US is an attempt to shore up gaps in knowledge and information, and it is critical to a well-rounded education. Pre-med curriculum, for example, requires courses in literature and the humanities, as well as life science.

[Texas_blu]

Inky,

You do seem to be a bit acidic. Granted my degree was awarded some 14 years ago but my grade point average was important to me also. I turned 40 a couple of months later so I was like grandpa or daddy to most of my classmates.

There has always been an element of students that were totally aware of what the minimum was to get the same degree that I got but the application principle is substantially different also. Employers are unequivocally aware of the contrast as well. Perhaps that's why who've been exposed to the bottom-of-the-barrel rejects that seem to flood the ESL market here.

The college-of-hard-knocks seems to ripen these boneheads into to st acceptable for real world careers. Thus ESL provides this mechanism to mature these individuals. For me, it was a 4 year hitch in the US Army before ever entering those sacred halls.

But for some of these momma's boys, nothing short of raking their nose against the pavement seems to wake them up!

NO, anyone who'd tried to maintain a decent grade point (wo paying the nerds to do it for them) - ever slept much during their collegiate years!

[kparsons]

It is true that you can get a work permit without a university degree. However, the process is tedious, expensive, and just plain difficult. You need 5 years teaching experience (not the 2-3 yrs mentioned above) outside of Vietnam (the thought is that if it's in Vietnam, you've been working illegally). If you have that experience, you then need to get letters to confirm this from each and every single school you worked at prior to your arrival in Vietnam. These letters then need to be certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the country from which they were issued (e.g.: if you taught 2 years in China, 1 year in Japan, and 2 years in Thailand, you would have to get the letters from China certified by the MoF in China, those from Japan certified by the MoF in Japan, etc.).

That said, it is not an easy process and I have never met anyone who has done it (and therefore no one who has gotten a work permit without having a university degree).

The government has been cracking down on work permits again in the past few months, and the new business visa regulations are tied into the work permit, so it looks like (for the time being), it will be more difficult to work in Vietnam w/o the work permit. That's the reason why you won't be able to secure jobs at the bigger schools.

[Texas_blu]

kparsons wrote:

[Green Acres]

Regardless of the rules, money will buy anything in Vietnam. Always has, and always will.

[inky]

That comment is so vague that it is useless. How do you actually go about 'buying' a Work Permit? I'm not saying it can't be done, but I want some evidence from you to back up your comment. Otherwise you are doing a disservice to people coming here seeking valid information. So, enlighten us, please. What is the procedure?

[lucreziaborgia]

To the original poster,
I think it is best to play it straight in Vietnam and respect the processes. Using contacts and attempting to buy favours will get you nowhere fast. As you have already been advised, you will get some paid employment at second or third rate schools because you do not have the qualifications
or experience. You need to realise that it is no longer easy to find satisfying employment here just because you have Anglo-Celtic features and English is your first language. Nobody can give you a definitive answer to your questions as things are rapidly changing here.

[just noel]

[varbuut]

But the university degree needn't be from an English speaking country or a programme in English, right? As long as I have higher education from more or less any university, I'm ok?