“What to prepare before coming to Vietnam?” This must be the question of many foreigners wishing to teach in Vietnam. To start your teaching career most favorably in Vietnam english teaching jobs market, you can refer to the article below to draw a lot of experience for yourself.
Vietnam english teaching jobs market has several open job opportunities
- Overview of Vietnam english teaching english market
Vietnam is a large and rapidly growing market for foreigners to seek teaching jobs. Vietnam is a popular choice for many reasons, including endless travel opportunities in Southeast Asia, low cost of living, unique culture, and one of the best cuisines in the world. Schools in Vietnam are very fond of hiring native English-speaking teachers due to their correct pronunciation and intonation and extremely fluent communication skills.
The ideal time for you to look for career opportunities in the field of English teaching is after the Tet holiday (usually late January or early February) or before the start of a new school year (usually at the end of August and early September). Even so, many schools, especially international schools in Vietnam, will interview and recruit new teachers throughout the year. Teaching contracts of native teachers usually last 12 months or longer depending on the needs and aspirations of each individual.
While most English teaching job interviews in Vietnam are conducted face-to-face, some are completed in advance via video chat. Most English teaching jobs in Vietnam are found in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City – two colorful, vibrant, and historic cities.
- Vietnam teaching jobs market – compared with other markets in Asia
The job market and demand for English teachers in East and Southeast Asia is said to be the largest in the world. Many of these countries are highly industrialized, economically and culturally strong, and clearly realize the importance of education. This combination has created a large amount of recruitment demand outside the market and many positions open for English teachers.
Comparing the English teaching career market in Vietnam with some countries in Asia
| Country | Interview Procedures | Visa Info | Typical Students | Average Monthly Cost of Living(in $ USD & Local Currency) | Average Monthly Salary in $ USD& Local Currency | Estimated Start-up Costs* | Housing | Reimbursed Airfare |
| Indonesia | Phone/skype in advance | Work visa in advance | Business Professionals, Children | $550 – 850 USD (7,330,000 -12,000,000 IDR) | $650 – 1,050 USD (9,300,000 -14,700,000 IDR) | $700 – 1,100 USD (9,790,050 -15,384,350IDR) | Self-pay, Housing advice provided by employer | Sometimes |
| Japan | Interview in US, Canada, UK 3 – 6 months in advance | Work visa in advance | Business Professionals, Children | $800 – 2,000 USD (88,650 – 221,650 JPY)Plus housing | $1,500 – 2,500 USD (166,250 – 277,050JPY) Can save$500 – 700 USD/Mo | $2,500 – 3,000 USD (277,050 – 332,500 JPY) | Some free housing or housing subsidy | No |
| Kazakhstan | Phone/skype in advance, sometimes face-to-face | Work visa in advance | Business Professionals, Children | $700 – 850 USD (253,000 – 316,000 KZT) | $350 – 1,250 USD (126,000 – 474,000 KZT) | $800 – 1,000 USD (301,050 – 376,300 KZT) | Some Free Housing | No/Some return flight |
| Kyrgyzstan | Phone/skype in advance, sometimes face-to-face | Work visa in advance | Business Professionals, Children | $400 – 800 USD (27,000 – 54,000 KGS) | $400 – 800 USD (27,000 – 54,000 KGS) | $800 – 1,000 USD (54,000 – 68,000 KGS) | Some Free Housing | No |
| Laos | Face-to-face in Laos | Tourist Visa or Work Visa | Business Professionals, Children | $500 – $1,000 USD (4,180,000 LAK -8,360,000 LAK) | $500 – $1,000 USD (4,180,000 LAK -8,360,000 LAK) | $1,000 – $1,500 USD (8,360,000 LAK -12,540,000 LAK) | Self-pay, Housing advice provided by employer | No |
| Malaysia | Phone/skype in advance | Work visa in advance | Business Professionals, Children | $900 – 1,800 USD (3,500 – 7,000 MRY) | $1,200 – 2,300 USD (4,700 – 9,000 MRY) | $1,350 – 2,700 USD (5,300 – 10,550 MRY) | Self-pay, Housing advice provided by employer | No |
| Myanmar | Phone/skype in advance, sometimes face-to-face | Business Visa | Business Professionals, Children | $650 – $800 USD (1,027,400 -1,232,900 MMK) | $900 – $1,800 USD (1,371,200 -2,739,700 MMK) | $1,100 – 2,000 USD (1,676,500 -3,048,200 MMK) | Self-pay, Housing advice provided by employer | No |
| Singapore | Phone/skype in advance | Work visa in advance | Business Professionals, Children | $2,750 – 3,400 USD (3,700 – 4,600 SGD) | $2,750 – 3,550 USD (3,700 – 4,800 SGD) | $5,500 – 6,800 USD (7,450 – 9,200 SGD)) | Self-pay, Housing advice provided by employer | No |
| South Korea | Phone/skype in advance | Work visa in advance | Business Professionals, Children | $650 – 900 USD (730,600 -1,010,500 KRW)Plus housing | $1,850 – 2,500 USD (2,100,000 -2,807,000 KRW)Plus free Housing Can save $1,200 –$1,600 USD/Mo | $1,000 – 2,000 USD (1,122,850 -2,245,650 KRW) | Free Housing or Housing Subsidy | One way or round trip |
| Taiwan | Phone/skype in advance | Work visa in advance | Business Professionals, Children | $500 – 1,500 USD (15,400 – 46,150 TWD) | $1,000 – 2,000 USD (30,800 – 61,500 TWD)Can save up to$500 USD/Mo | $1,500 – 2,500 USD (46,150 – 76,900 TWD) | Self-pay, Housing advice provided by employer | No |
| Thailand | Most face-to- face in Thailand; Some phone/skype in advance | Work visa in advance or in country | Business Professionals, Children | $500 – 800 USD (15,700 – 25,100 THB) | $950 – 1,500 USD (30,000 – 47,000 THB)Can save $450 –$700 USD/Mo | $1,000 – 1,500 USD (31,350 – 47,000 THB) | Self-pay, Housing advice provided by employer | No |
| Vietnam | Most face-to- face in Vietnam; Few phone/skype in advance | Tourist visa convert to work visa or work visa in advance | Business Professionals, Children | $500 – 900 USD (11,605,000 -20,889,000 VND) | $1,100 – 1,500 USD (25,049,500 -35,000,000 VND)Can save up to$600 USD/Mo | $1,000 – 2,000 USD (22,772,000 -46,404,950 VND) | Self-pay, Housing advice provided by employer | No |
Source: International TEFL Academy, Inc.
The Vietnam English teaching jobs market has certain competitive advantages compared to many other countries in the region
- Main stages to become an English teacher in Vietnam
- Step 1: Preparing the necessary professional certificates
The first factor you need to prepare before starting a career in teaching English in Vietnam is professional certifications. In particular, a university or graduate degree in teaching is extremely important if you want to find professional teaching jobs.
In addition, depending on the position you apply for or the environment you work in (school, English center, …), you need to prepare other certificates such as TEFL, or TESOL.
- Step 2: Looking for Vietnam teaching jobs
The easiest way is that you can search for jobs through social networking sites like Facebook, or Instagram. These social networking sites not only possess a large number of users but also are where many forums or groups related to recruitment operate. You can join these groups to find the right opportunity. In addition, major international schools or English centers all have fan pages with a large number of followers. These are not only places where you can keep up to date with information but also easily find teaching positions at these centers or schools.
Furthermore, you can also refer to the following recruitment websites in Vietnam to search for teaching positions:
- https://www.vietnamworks.com/
- https://careerbuilder.vn/
- https://glints.com/vn/
- https://www.jobstreet.vn/
- ….
- Step 3: Begin Interviewing
Some language schools in Vietnam will recruit, interview and pre-hire new English teachers by phone / Skype / Zoom. You should do at least 5-10 interviews with different language schools before accepting an offer. However, the most common and easiest way to get hired to teach English in Vietnam is to go there to interview with local schools.
- Step 4: Completing your work visa paperwork
You can process a work visa from your home country before exiting or after arriving in Vietnam with the help of your company. Visa requirements in Vietnam can be confusing, so do your research or talk to someone knowledgeable about the issue to save time and effort.
- Step 5: Accepting Your Job Offer & Start Working In Vietnam
You can consider job offers based on your needs and desires. After accepting the offer, you will coordinate with your workplace in further activities and begin the official job.
You need to prepare well before starting a new teaching job in Vietnam
The Vietnam English teaching jobs market has a lot of open opportunities for foreigners. However, you should prepare well before starting your teaching career in Vietnam by consulting many information sources, carefully preparing professional knowledge and legal documents.
