Job Discussion Forums

[refugee]

I've been working in Korea for 6 years and have taught everyone from kindy, public schools, university & Business English. I've almost completed my MA TESOL and have a couple of TEFL certs. You'd think I'd find it easy finding work here in Korea but there are 2 main problems: I'm British (Koreans have an American fetish) and I'm experienced (Korean bosses like newbies they can mold). I'm losing out in interviews to 23 year-old Americans with no experience. Korea sucks.

Oh, and I'm neither blond nor female.

What are my chances in Vietnam and what kind of gig is available for me there?

I've seen a few of these on the job boards:
http://www.eslcafe.com/joblist/index.cgi?read=20604
for Academic managers for ILA. I've read a little about ILA on these boards but not much about the more 'senior' positions.

I know lots of you have worked there and will have worked with these 'managers'

I wonder if you could give me a heads up on whether this is something worth doing? Anybody have any experience/stories about these jobs?

I'm not sure seasoned Vietnammers would want to be 'managed' by a 1st-timer though?

[inky]

If by 'seasoned Vietamers' you mean people who've been teaching in Vietnam for a while, I don't think you'd run into any resentment because you are new to the country. If they aren't interested in management positions, or if they are unqualified for them, then they'd have no reason to be resentful toward you as a manager. If you're knowledgeable and supportive, who cares how long you've been in Vietnam?

You say you're losing out in interviews to less-experienced people, do you mean for management positions? I don't know about ILA, but I know of other schools in Vietnam that would prefer to hire you with your qualifications rather than hire inexperienced locally-based people.

[refugee]

Thanks for the reply

[snollygoster]

Quite a few actually- In no special order or with no particular recommendations:
Apollo
VATC
ILA
VUS
Saigon Tech Uni
and plenty more.

As Inky says, your experience and quals are recognized here for what they are, and although there are some schools that may have the type of attitude you experienced in Korea, there are plenty more where that attitude won't be seen.

[inky]

Also RMIT, Language Link, and possibly ACET. And others. Very different attitude in Vietnam.

[refugee]

Thanks for those lists inky & snolly

Have either of you worked in Korea? I'm wondering what the attitude is towards native speakers in Vietnam compared to Korea.

Have either of you worked in any of those schools you listed and had a foreigner as the Academic manager or some other non-teaching role? I'm wondering if you could share some experiences about that?

[snollygoster]

I haven't worked in Korea, but I have been involved with some of the places I mentioned, and some that Inky mentioned.
Generally, the attitude towards foreigners working there , from the management, is one of openness, transparency and equality, and generally supportive.

The attitude from the students is usually one of respect, and they have a more diligent attitude towards their study- Some places more so than others.
Compared to a lot of the "local" owned and managed ESL establishments, there is a noticeable difference, as the local run ones often have little interest in academic excellence, and place more emphasis on making money, and getting feed back from their students as to whether the students "like" you. Notice, not wheteher they learn or not- whether they like you. So in these places you need to be an Edutainer-not an educator.

But the ones on our lists, generally middlin to good.