Job Discussion Forums

[Miyazaki]

Can anyone here shed some light on what one could expect in terms of university teaching conditions in Vietnam?

For instance, what are the typical contact hours per-week teaching EFL in a university? What would one get for summer and winter vacation and is it paid? Also, what are the wages like?

What are some of the better universities to work for in Vietnam?

Thanks.

[ChuckECheese]

Hmmmmm.....Very good question.

For over two and a half years that I've worked in Vietnam, I have not met an expat who worked for any one of the unis in Vietnam. However, I've seen some university adverts looking for foreign English teachers. I guess expats aren't that interested in uni jobs because their pay sucks where I've seen them advertise for around US$500 - $1000 a month with no benefits.

To answer the OP's questions, as far as I know (not from the first hand knowledge, but from advertisements) uni jobs in Vietnam sucks. No benefit, vacation, flight reimbursement, housing, etc. NOTHING!

So there's no better university to work for in Vietnam. Sorry.

[larryB]

On various forums and around there have been complaints about levels and timing of pay in the local (read: State) Universities. Nong Lam (farming) University in Thu Duc apparently sometimes recruits foreign teachers, but not heard good things.

RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institue of Technology) is probably the only fully fledged university with credibilty, and is also one of the best paying EFL centers in the city. It is the only foreign university here so far, offering a full degree and MBA, saving many locals the expense of sending their children overseas. They run EFL classes as part of the degree course, but I think also as a stand alone course too. A nice big brand new campus in District 7 has taken over from the beautiful colonial house it had in District 1.

[lizarddoctor]

As far as the State owned gov't universities, you are usually looking at per class/part time work as you would walking into one of the language schools. IELTS and other standard ESL courses for overseas study are the only classes that I have had at the University level, but the pay was ok (15$/hr) and the schedule was only stable for about 10 weeks at a time contracted. (Everyone please look at the less than 3 month, no work permit needed by gov't law, contract that many state universities offer) The farther out you get (someone mentioned Thu Duc), the less I would actually trust the school in regards to getting a long term deal. You are only needed as long as they have enough students to pay your salary. In the bigger cities, there are more students to keep your paycheck flowing. Good thing is that the State owned schools get around the red tape much easier than a private school.

As far as RMIT, I have never worked there. Some of my friends prefer the stable full time schedual and benefits that they do offer. Just keep in mind that RMIT is not a State owned University. Expect a western workload for your paycheck and there should be no suprises from them.

[Miyazaki]

Thanks for the info.

What kind of classroom hours per-week, office hours, salary and vacation time do the teachers get at this Australian university?

What are facilities like - i.e., computers, printers, classroom equipment?

Any sporting or gym facilities on campus?

[mononoaware]

Hi, I may be a bit late, but I work at this school, so I'll try to answer your questions.

There is more than one type of position (level leader, exam coordinator, etc.), but I'll assume you want to be an hourly-paid english teacher (there are also full-time salaried teachers who are required to be at school 40 hours/wk). otherwise, we teach 20 teaching hours a week, which is all you're paid for. Prep time turns out to be fairly minimal, as there are great resources, and every ten weeks a new term begins. I'm not sure if their salaries are public info, and I absolutely love my job, so I'll just say that they're one of the highest paying employers in Vietnam. I'm able to live very well here and save over a thousand a month.

The facilities are very modern. After completing the english program, students do a degree, and there are computers and multimedia equipment all over the school. We have access to all the expected equip. for our classes--ohp, laminator, computers, video equip. etc.

There are plans in the works for a big sports complex to be built this year. For now, there are regular cricket and soccer tournaments and other things, yoga and stuff. (I don't know, I don't participate in everything offered.) Really the campus is not far off from my own university experience. It's very well-run, and maintains a high standard.

Like I said, I really love my job and can't say enough good things about the school. Like anywhere, I have coworkers who've worked in other countries (I have too) and lots of them find plenty to complain about or compare with past jobs, but as far as I'm concerned, I can't really think of much I'd change about my job.

Oh, and vacation time. Every ten weeks the term ends and you get a "down week." You can try to pick up some hours during this time, but otherwise you've got the week off. Four weeks vacation paid per year, anything else unpaid. And paid health insurance too, which can turn out to be very important in VN if you get dengue or something!

[Miyazaki]