Hello.
I am a 45 year old New Zealand trained, registered, and experienced (10 years) high school (12 - 18 year olds) maths and physics teacher. My degree is in mechanical engineering. Being from New Zealand I am a native English speaker.
I am considering moving to Vietnam for a year or two or more and am wanting to know how hard / easy it is to find work as a maths and / or physics teacher. OK, I would be happy 'just' teaching English too. My qualifications are as a maths / physics, not ESOL teacher.
I want to be by the coast and am looking at Hai Phong, Da Nang, or a smaller city / town.
If I turn up in Vietnam, wander down the coast, look for a nice cruisy place with a school and go 'hi, I'm a maths teacher', how hard to find work?
I'm not looking at saving any wads of cash.
Yes, I probably could apply to an international school before I leave, but prefer to be in a smaller centre, and freer to move around maybe every three to six months.
Any advice / feedback gratefully accepted.
Thanks
Bruce Menzies
Maths and physics teaching
International schools are where you want to be looking. Currently most have already done the hiring for the upcoming school year. But there is always the chance a teacher has left unexpectedly. Teaching maths and sciences as a native English speaker is only viable in an international school setting. You definitely have a better chance to become an English teacher even if you aren't TESOL certified. I also think it's best if you start in a major city (Saigon or Hanoi) and get some experience before going to a smaller town.
With that said I managed to get a maths teaching position with Singapore International a few months back. I worked as an English teacher up till now and was a really good gig. Even if you don't want to save a lot of dinero, the cost of everything here kind of makes you save.
Good luck on your ventures. There is opportunity here, its just not out in the open.
Thank you.
When does the school year start and finish and how many holidays do they have throughout the year - i.e. how much time to go touring with a 'proper' job?
I have read that while a TESOL qualification is an advantage it is not strictly necessary. How much truth is there in this? Where will a TESOL qual get me into, that a lack of one will not? How much English teaching work without a TESOL qual is there - how different will pay rates be?
Also have read that 20 - 25 hours a week of English teaching is enough to comfortably live on and it is easy to find this much work - even as an itinerant / short term contracts. True?
Also, the cost of a TESOL course here in New Zealand is approx 3500 NZD. Can anyone tell me the cost of a TESOL course in Vietnam?
Again, any feed back gratefully received.
Bruce
P.S. Did not mention in my original post that I intend seeing out the school year here, so am not looking to move over until early next year.
Without a TESOL or TEFL or CELTA certification you are looking to be possibly teaching at a school that doesn't have a fixed contract, if a contract at all. Some of the time you would be paid under the table or in all likelihood you wouldn't be getting paid as much as other employers. With a certification you are definitely able to work in a more secure setting and probably a lot more helpful with the work environment.
Qualifications revolve around teaching experience in general. I never taught English, but paces will see you have a passion to teach and now you have classroom management. Most (if not all) of the time you will perform a mock class to show you can prepare lesson plans and organize specific topics.
As with the hours. I've worked 26 hours on average and ma living very well. With going out on occasion into the city, eating out, and other expenses, I still find myself saving a majority of my money. Moving to an international school will be differnet because I'll have close to twice the amount of hours, but a higher pay with other benefits.
You might be able to find a TESOL online certification course from a site abroad. My TESOL cert I found through Groupon for $70 (orig. $1000 "they say"). Here's a link that may or may not work: GROUPON TESOL
Dear Mr. Bruce Menzies,
I am Giang - program officer - from Asia Pacific College System. We have totally 6 braches in VietNam. We are looking for a fulltime highschool teacher to work in Nha Trang. I would like to give you job description as follows:
Job Description:
Teaching International Academic Curriculum and Activities in an English as a Second Language Environment for primary students are from 12 to 15 years old.
Working time: From Monday to Friday (morning; 7h30 - 11h00, afternoon: 1h20 - 4h15), including 17 teaching hours according to the schedule arranged by the school and the rest of working time is used for lesson preparing and school activities.
Gross monthly salary: Negotiation
Start working date: On Monday, 10 August, 2015.
Contract will be signed after probationary periods (one month)
If you want to know futher information, please feel free to contact me at 0934 189 330 or at email [email protected]
Yours sincerely,
Ms.Giang
Awesome.
Thank you.
You's my Addy
Bruce
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