Job Discussion Forums

[StrawberryFF]

Hi everyone,

I'm Vietnamese-American and will be graduating this summer. I've been thinking of going to Vietnam for a while and working as a teacher after I complete a CELTA or a TEFL course here. What do you think it will be like for me to find a job? I heard that it can be difficult, and also, I don't speak much Vietnamese, I heard that might be a problem for me? Any ideas about this would be greatly appreciated as I have some other options available to me. Thanks SFF

[snollygoster]

Sensitive issue, so there are no replies. At the risk of saying something "wrong" I give my opinion based on observations.
I personally know people in your situation who have been disappointed in coming to Vietnam.
In fact some have gone back quite shell shocked at the treatment they get from Viet run schools, and from local people in general.
Its likely you will be offered less money than what locals refer to as a "real" foreigner. The problem is one of parent perception, that because you LOOK Viet, you are not as good as a foreigner in speaking English.
The fact that you dont speak Viet well will likely further ostracise you from the locals. In the class-room, it SHOULDNT make any difference as English is the medium of instruction.
That having been said, there are exceptions, and for as many VK who go back disappointed, there are as many who have a positive experience.
I aim to do no more or less than to alert you to how it may be.

[Danaa]

[StrawberryFF]

Thanks for the replies and messages. It's mostly my mom that thinks I may have some difficulty with people there. I'm pretty confident that I will find a job, but I am not so confident that everything will be alright. I think my mom is more paranoid than me, though, but then again, she could also be right. I was born in America, so I really don't know and I don't even speak Vietnamese, really. I'm still debating it, and maybe I will come another time, I'm really not sure.

What do you think about finding a job just for the summer, say June to August? Do you think there are extra opportunities there at this time? Thanks

[mark_in_saigon]

and this is the kind of comment that can offend people, so please forgive me in advance, but it is this. I have often heard from VN here that the Viet Kyu come over here and are very crass about their wealth and status. They have a bit of a "noveau riche" syndrome, having come from very difficult circumstances and risen many levels very quickly because of life in the west (as well as their efforts), and they treat the native VN as poor dumb country bumpkins. Now, this is "generally speaking", so while you may be the nicest VK on the planet, that is the perception that is directed at you, and you have to realize it. You certainly are not going to change everyone's opinion on this, although the people you interact with regularly may come to judge you based on your own character, and not this generalization. By the way, I often notice that some of the VN here who are wealthy enough to own cars act like jerks when driving, they think that having spent all that money they have much higher ownership rights to the road and treat the scooters as if they are a contemptible nuisance with very aggressive driving techniques. Make of this what you will, but I find that in the west, we have had wealth for long enough that our people do not think it means we are better than others (again, generally speaking).