Job Discussion Forums

teacherajarn · Joined: 30 Aug 2011 Posts: 4

I see daily postings for teacher jobs at Language Link on several websites. They must have difficulty attracting and retaining teachers.

1st Sgt Welsh · Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 6:47 am Post subject:

That might be true to an extent teacherajarn, but, I don't know that I would go so far as to state that they must have a big problem with attracting or keeping teachers. I'm not sure they are any worse off in this regard than the other big chains, like Apollo or ILA, and I personally haven't heard anything on this either way. Language Link is one of the biggest schools here so it is only to be expected that positions would come up frequently.

snollygoster · Joined: 04 Jun 2009 Posts: 478

LettersAthruZ · Joined: 25 Apr 2010 Posts: 466 Location: North Viet Nam

Mr. Kalgukshi · Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 6:43 am Post subject:

It would be a good idea for all concerned to avoid personal asides and stay on topic.

A very good idea.

haller_79 · Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 145

MOD EDIT I'll make my point which is this: You can do good and help those who need it in Vietnam, but probably not as an ESL teacher working for an international language school. So to say that you can't do good for those who need it does not apply to the country in general, perhaps it does apply to the world of international language schools, but that's a choice for the individual to make, I do not really care either way but when such an individual who has chosen to work for an international language school, making $18-20 an hour to teach to the more priveledged members of VN society then asserts that it's not possible to do good for those who need it is being hypocritical in my view, because the option is always there to take a big pay cut and go work for a charity related organisation, or at least an organisation not set up with a profit agenda.
Also the use of the word 'victim' was an unnecessary embellishment - does Vietnam really need foreigners landing on its shores who are hellbent on 'winning'? I think there's already enough of that in Vietnamese society without us adding to it.

mark_in_saigon · Joined: 20 Sep 2009 Posts: 837

If we are here, teaching English, and paying for our lives, we are doing what they want us to do. SOMEONE has to do it, recall they had once decided they did not want us, English was neglected. Now they have us again, because they think it is in their best interests. If you want to do more, try to do a special job on some of your best students, they are the ones who are going to change this nation for the better, if anyone is. You can give away part of your income to charity if it makes you feel better, there are plenty of opportunities to give money away here.

The original intent of this thread was the focus on broken promises by a particular organization. It is an important topic, which we probably all have seen a lot in our lives. I would repeat what some others have said, it is very common, and the best recourse is to be in a position of strength. Don't need them more than they need you. If you don't like what is happening, be prepared to take your act elsewhere, it will at least be a change of scenery, which is always fun. Having financial resources already makes this a lot easier. Being down to your last shekel is a recipe for disaster. You do not want to be poor in a poor country.

teacherajarn · Joined: 30 Aug 2011 Posts: 4

I want to thank all of you who have supported my thread. We need to stick together. We have become no more than the burger-flippers of education. The practices of places like Language Link need to be stopped.

mark_in_saigon · Joined: 20 Sep 2009 Posts: 837

You are what you are. It applies to us as well as the schools. If your skills are such that you have to work at the lowest level schools, you pretty much have to accept what they have to offer. If a school wants to put itself in the position of hiring the least qualified and teaching at the lowest levels, then they either are forced to that position, or choose it. If a school runs a good program, gets a good income and pays decent wages, that is what they are. To think we are gonna change these guys may be a bit unrealistic. If we want to change something, it should be ourselves, so that we can aspire to the better schools. I find it pretty unusual to change these guys in a substantive way. We can call their bluffs and maybe get the wage they were willing to actually pay us, but that is not going to stop them from trying it again on the next guy.

Burger flippers may be right in many if not most cases. We are not analyzing Dostoevsky over here. There are plenty of burger flippers who could do Family and Friends, and Let's Go. They are not making 15 bucks an hour though, and their expenses are substantially higher. This is a pretty good place for a western burger flipper to get paid for speaking his native language.

generalgiap · Joined: 03 Sep 2011 Posts: 95

I and possibly others would be interested in reading the email from Language Link, If I had a similar isssue, that would be part of the first post. Please post it. Why not post it? It would help others who may be mislead from schools in Vietnam. Looking forward to reading the email. And I guarantee that if you post it, you will get 100% support from all the readers including myself. If there is no email post, I suspect it never happened.