Job Discussion Forums

[grant gerstners]

I gather from reading many of the first couple pages of discussion topics that there are job options for westerners in Vietnam other than teaching English.

I am currently a native English speaker in South Korean public schools. I have been here almost 7 months. Most of my work has been with middle school and high school students, but I also spend one afternoon a week with 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade elementary school students.

This is my first ESL job after many years doing work in my field. I only have a bachelor's degree, but it is in a science field.

So, could I be hired to teach science, instead of English? Are other jobs open to people with a science background?

I have some vacation time coming up in late January and early February, just before the Lunar New Year. I am thinking of doing some traveling and might try stopping in Vietnam for a visit.

I assume there will be lots of travelers just before and just after the Lunar New Year and I hope I'll avoid that by making sure my travels are finished several days before the New Year.

Any suggestions and recommendations welcomed and appreciated.

[toiyeuthitmeo]

You need a teaching license from your home country to teach at international schools, which are basically the only schools you could find work teaching something other than English language without holding a MA or higher.

Other work here for a BS in science, besides teaching? Probably not easy, as the sectors in which a foreigner could work in a science capacity are the kind that demand tons of specialization, advanced degrees, good contacts, experience, etc. These fields are oil and gas exploration and drilling, oil refinery, shipping, ship-building, safety inspection, bauxite mining, construction, environmental science, and public health. Those last two fields are most often associated with NGOs.

Basically the Vietnamese only want foreigners working in tech and science fields to the extent that they offer key expertise that cannot be found within their own borders, or to the extant that they can educate and train their own Vietnamese replacements, or to the extant that the foreign workers are a stipulation of a contract with foreign-owned company.

There is plenty of opportunity for entrepreneurship here, if you are willing to take risks, able to find local partners you can trust, and have some money to invest.

[VietCanada]

I teach Math and Science with only a BA and 5+ years experience from Korea. I picked from three job offers. I was working within a week of looking for a position here.

That doesn't mean your experience will be the same. Most schools I found were looking for English teachers. Others have many subjects like Math, Physics, Chemistry and Biology in science plus a selection of other typical high and middle school subjects.

It's true that many International schools want an education degree but there are some that don't for whatever reason.