Job Discussion Forums

[scintillatestar]

Hello,

Does anyone know the best way to go about finding a job in Vietnam? I a had a friend who taught there and loved it. I have an MA (not in TESOL, but in a humanities field), a CELTA, and a little over a year of ESL experience. I applied to Apollo, ILA, and Language Link online. Does anyone recommend calling these schools directly? Does it generally take a few days to hear back? Are there others schools that might be hiring? I would be willing to work in HCMC or Hanoi; it seems that more positions are available at the former. Any help would be most appreciated.

Best,
Lindsay

[BenE]

You should have little trouble finding a job in Hanoi or HCM city with those qualifications.

Just keep looking through and wait until you get some offers and then consider which one is the best offer for you.

There are quite a few schools that are good but are reluctant to hire from overseas as it involves factoring in time for you to settle in etc.
If you turn up and show your face at many schools they will probably be happy to give you hours even if they say to others that they don't need anyone at the moment.

[scintillatestar]

Thanks - I got a preliminary offer from Apollo. Would anyone recommend working in Hanoi v. HCMC or vice-versa?

Best,
L.

[mark_in_saigon]

I would consider the differences in climate for one thing, they have a definite cool season in HN, and most of them have no freaking heaters either! Still, you may prefer the climate of the north. The vn have definite opinions of each other, with a certain amount of badmouthing of the northerners from the southerners, and vice versa. Others here are far more knowledgeable on the money issue, I think most would tell you the south has better economic possibilities. The north is probably a bit more traditional, less westernized, and perhaps the students are more serious. I loved it in the north. It only costs a hundred dollars to get there from HCMC, check it out. See it with a vn friend, don't do it alone, they will take care of you.

[inky]

"See it with a vn friend, don't do it alone, they will take care of you.'
mark, that's a nice idea, except that the friend would have to be from Hanoi. A Saigonese in Hanoi is almost as likely to be ill-treated as a foreigner, in those situations where people may potentially be ill-treated (meaning the tourist areas, Old Quarter, etc).

scintilla, the main difference, in addition to climate, lies in the fact that Hanoi has more character than Saigon. French architecture, parks and lakes, and distinct neighborhoods make Hanoi a pleasant place to be. Hanoi is more conservative politically and socially. You would be hard-pressed to find a restaurant/bar open past 10pm, making it tough on teachers finishing up at 9:30. Hanoi residents outside the tourist areas are lovely people, and the students are earnest and committed. The weather in Saigon is more consistently warm/hot. As mark notes, the northern winter can be difficult, but if you like to mark time with a definite change of seasons, then Hanoi is the obvious choice.

As for travel, the north offers many beautiful weekend getaways to the mountains or Halong Bay. From Saigon, the Mekong Delta, and some decent beaches aren't far.

Make sure that Apollo is going to process and pay for your visa and Work Permit before you sign.

[mark_in_saigon]

I would add, that if you are a courteous, kind, polite person, who does not exude negativity, and if you treat people with respect (vn as well as westerners) as your general rule, which of course is impossible for some people, but if you do, you can quickly and easily make friends in the north, having never set foot there before. I had never been there, and within days had people (vn) who were very close to me. They took me everywhere, and we had a ball. I care very much for the people in the north. True, for people who tend to be jerks, this does not apply to them. No need to comment in that case, we can only sympathize with the sadness of that kind of life. IM me if you need some contacts there, as long as you are the nice kind of person, I am sure they will take good care of you too. The north and northerners are lovely. Oh, the consensus is the food is a little tastier in the south, but it seemed fine to me.