Looking for work in HCMC

Unless your on the ground here , finding a teaching job is going to be very difficult . Even more so that you are not a Native English speaker
It certainly would not hurt your chances , to get an online certificate like TEFL

In all honesty, you will need a TEFL in order to even stand a ghost of a chance obtaining a teaching position. Sadly, discrimination is flourishing in Vietnam, so be prepared for a struggle if you intend to teach.

Thank you very much both for your information. I guess I should get TEFL certification first then. Can I also ask how important it is if certificate is online or not? Is that a big difference for employers?
My primary goal would still be in area I studied (chemical or pharmaceutical industry) , but considering that absolutely no one answers my job applications, teaching seems as an more optimistic option. Guess I didn't chose the best country for a foreigner without much experience to get a job, but cant fight love

Honestly, someone else can probably give you a better answer to this question. I did my TEFL the expensive way via the university since it went pretty much hand & hand  with my BA in English; however, I have heard some touting the affordability of the online version, saying it works just as well.

Well I did some thinking about all this an last few days and I think I will go for live course. Mainly because it will be better for me, gaining some real experience, meeting some people in this line of business, maybe making some connections. Plus I will be more motivated then if I sit in front of my computer all the time.
So I looked a bit and found this Apollo, where you can get CELTA certification. Anybody has some experience with them or how CELTA compares to other options? Feel free to suggest something else.

Oh and one more question. I know people have problems with this Visa runs every three months. Does anyone has experience how things change for me if I get married to Vietnamese woman? Asking because I will get married in August next year

You don't have to do a visa run every three months . If you come in on a 3 month , you can extend 2 times without leaving the country , so 9 months all up

Hello Luka,

Getting only 2 replies from over 200 job applications sent is not unusual here, so be prepared for issues regarding replies to enquiries and punctuality.   

Is there any way you can work online within your own field of work.?  You said you were an analyst.  How much of your working day is spent looking at a screen.?

With skype, email , conference calling facilities etc  is it possible to get some work in your current field.?   

Because only 1 day a week on a good foreign salary goes a long way here.  The median salary for a local in Vietnam is about $140 a MONTH.   

Good luck

Hi Luka,

If you look at my last thread you will see the similarities to your current thread.

The comments from regular posters like Yogi, Happy,Drutter and others are all accurate and informative.

A TEFL course certainly would be a plus on your CV.

But more importantly, follow your heart, come on over with enough money to live a couple of months and enough for a return flight if things don't work out.

Take your time to acclimatise,  look around for work and get to know a few people.

Let your fiance help you.

Your written English, ( excepting a couple of minor faults) , is as good, if not better than, many foreign " teachers "  ;  the word " fluent " sometimes makes me grimace as much as the word " solution " in a copywriter's text !

Where would you be based ? You will obviously have more outlets for your talents in the big cities.

Just go for it !

Best of luck.

PS. I don't know the visa requirements for Slovenia, but if they are comparable to those of European ex pats then there is little hassle to extend 3 month visas , and if married to a VN lady ( like myself ) , you can apply for visa exemption. There are several threads on this subject. ..

Does the pharmaceutical company that you work for have a division in Vietnam?  If so you might want to ask about a posting.  Both the pay and the perks would be a lot better than if you were hired on locally.  I had a local neighbor and friend who worked for a large German chemical firm.  He told me that all staff meetings were in English.    Even investigation of other multi-national pharmaceutical firms from the European end would probably be more fruitful than trying to hire on from the VN side.  Either way the pay would be better than teaching.

@Yogi007:
Unfortunately I cant work online, I work as laboratory analyst.

@Jon Allsop:
I would be based in Tan Phu district of HCMC.

@THIGV:
My company is not present on Vietnamese market, they had some ideas but as far as I know nothing happened with that. I think there are many interesting companies for me in HCMC, but not being there and lacking some serious experience (5+ years) hurts my chances too much.

Guess now I will have to decide which course I want to take and slowly start preparing all necessary papers. I am deciding between Apollo and ILA (both CELTA) at the moment. Want something that will give me good basis for teaching and improve my weakest areas.

Thank you all for help.

Luka27 wrote:

I am deciding between Apollo and ILA (both CELTA) at the moment. Want something that will give me good basis for teaching and improve my weakest areas.

Risking  getting into the usual ****storm about CELTA vs. others, I will say that I think you are making a good choice to get a CELTA certificate.  This is because regardless of intrinsic value it seems to be held in higher regard by potential employers in Vietnam and might help you overcome potential resistance to the fact that you are not a born native speaker.   In order to even take the class you must show that you are at least C1 on the CEFR. 

Coincidentally, I worked with a Slovenian.  He had his own export business and worked only part time at my center.  I believe he was a good teacher based on the way children interacted with him outside of class.

I am a Ghanaian with a BA English. I am an English teacher with three years experience. I have TEFL. please is it possible to get a teaching job here