Job Discussion Forums

[rpayvin]

Hello All,

I would like some opinions about finding a job in Vietnam. I have a CELTA and 2 years of teaching experience in Korea, and one year experience tutoring in Canada.

My question is, what are the pros and cons of trying to find a job in HCMC from abroad, as opposed to coming to the country with enough start-up money and finding a place to stay and applying to jobs that way? I am very flexible with the kind of job I am looking for, although I would prefer to teach adults.

Thanks for any input everyone.

[inhanoi]

Hi there. I can't answer for HCMC, as I took a job in Hanoi, but I can say I'm quite happy with my hiring process from overseas. Of course, it depends on the school. I checked out a lot of what was on offer and settled on what appeared to be the best arrangement for me personally. Fortunately, they offered me a position (without a lot of experience). Perhaps I would have been just as fortunate had I waited until arrival, but it was nice to know I had a position and to begin getting paid with a minimum guarantee shortly after getting here.

What have you decided to do, if I may ask?

[generalgiap]

May I suggest language link, the school has a great reputation for treating
their teachers professionally, no probation period, guaranteed hours, hourly rates up to 24 usd

[toiyeuthitmeo]

Teaching kids well, and actually enjoying doing that job, is a must in this market. There are opportunities to teach adults, but kids rule the average private language school. What bothers you about it, BTW?

CELTA with 2 years experience is nice enough to get you a gig.

There are loads of horror stories, some very recent on this forum, of people coming here with a job lined up, only to be betrayed. The general consensus is that the ability and will to hit the pavement, scout out locations, and be able to walk away after being disappointed or lied to, is a must.

If someone offers you a contract while you are at home, by all means post on this forum so the many seasoned and knowledgeable people here can scour the terms for its merits and/or misleadings.

Despite the skepticism painted above and the myriad reasons for coming here first to job hunt, some people do come here with a job promised and do well enough with that job. We probably don't hear about those people too often because happy endings are boring

[charlie don't surf]

[generalgiap]

Again, lets deal with reality.

There is nothing wrong with getting a job before you arrive and you will not be stuck anywhere because one has done this.

As the cat meat lover, not sure if its the con meo hai chan hay bon chan, stated, must read the contract in detail. If it's a reputable school, it will have a one month notice period. So if you arrive and dont like the place immediately, can walk away immediately or if you start teaching and dont like it, give one month notice. I know numerous teachers who have signed contracts from abroad with ILA and RMIT and have had no problems. In fact, due to the above, I suggest getting a contract before if you can because I dont think there are any schools who will pay for airfare, visas etc prior to one arriving, so walk away immediately if you dont like it and theres nothing they can do.

[rpayvin]

Thank you for all of the replies everyone.

It seems both ways of job hunting have yielded good results for many of you, which is the impression I already had from reading these forums. It is good to get that point reinforced.

As far as I can see, applying from abroad has the potential benefit of gaining airfare/visa reimbursement, and if it works out, a lot less start up costs and uncertainty.

I plan to come and vacation around the region for two months before I settle on a place in Vietnam to set myself up and look for jobs, and would like to spend another month or two getting used to the country before I start working. It is for this reason that I do not want to apply from abroad - I don't believe it would be easy for me to negotiate a contract that would have a start date that is 3 or 4 months after when I apply for and accept the job. Correct me on this if any of you have experience to the contrary.

As many of you have said, showing up and being flexible and having the experience and resources to support yourself while you get started seems to work, and that will give me the ability to do as I said above.

In regards to teaching children, I don't mind, and I foresee myself teaching a mix of all ages (I have experience with all age groups) but in the long term I am interested in obtaining a DELTA, which is more adult focused and requires you to have a couple years of experience teaching adults before you can take it.

I will likely have much more specific questions as my time approaches to depart in a couple of months, I was just testing the water to see if my assumptions about the two approaches are realistic. Cheers!