Non native, no uni degree English Teacher

That time passed !

Half the people teaching English, can't speak English. Nguyen Nguyen Situation

What do you guys mean? Is it possible to find a job or not? What does nguyen nguyen mean?

Yes, it's possible to find a job. White face will take you surprisingly far in Vietnam

Yes Tom its possible but not easy,  if you are willing to work in a remote area ,  where no one eles wants to  !!  The school or language center might be able to find a way around it, but as a goverment requirement  most  employers will not take you on, but i,ve met a few teachers who have found ways,  i,ve heard you can get an online American degree  not to difficult , some  dollars,  Cambodia doesn,t insist on degree , maybe to get you started, Good luck : )   Ps i dont know what Nyguyen Nyguyen means either.

I'm guessing "Nguyen Nguyen situation" = win-win situation, considering how close it sounds.

I definitely would agree a white face will take you far here in HCMC. I would also agree that it'll take luck considering your lack-of situation. But not impossible.

'Nguyen Nguyen situation' is a funny Vietnamese/English play on words!
Long explanation: Nguyễn is the most common formal name here. You should know that from the Viet Nam travel guides that you have been reading.
See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nguyen

'win win situation' is a cliché business expression.
See urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=win-win+situation

In the US anyway, Nguyen is pronounced pretty close to 'win', I assume to make it easier for locals to pronounce their Vietnamese friends names. Hence a play on word sounds.
Proper Vietnamese pronunciation of Nguyễn is actually quite different tho. You'll see.

Gobot -you are a very learned man....thank you for your input....appreciated.

I am thinking of coming to Danang/ Hoi An...have you spent time there...?

off topic JCB, sent pm

By the way - I will be in Shelford next week..

Hi...If your English is good ( accent is important too), and you have a TEFL certificate, I think that you can find work here . Bring enough resources for accommodation and living expenses to cover the first few months, take your time, enjoy the place and the people and look around...you can rent a clean room with a/c tv Internet etc for around 300 $ / month . After that food and general expenses are cheap. Best of luck...

Hi Jon,

Is an Aussie accent OK, and $300 a month accommodation as your post- is that in U.S. Dollars .
Please advise

Thanks

JCB

Hi JCB. ..Can't see any problem concerning an Aussie accent    There are many Australians travelling and working in V N. Yes, American $$$.... best of luck for the future.

There are many non-native English teachers working here in HCMC. It's fairly easy to get a job in the language centres. Without a degree you wouldn't be able to work in the public or private schools. There are many language centres in Vietnam, so I don't think you'll have any difficulty finding a job. Salary in HCMC ranges from $15 - $25, private tuition upto $35 per hour.

allthingshcmc.com

Wald0 wrote:

Yes, it's possible to find a job. White face will take you surprisingly far in Vietnam

Even if you don't want to teach English? Because I feel my resumes are being discarded at first sight. Maybe you need to be handsome, too. Or blond...

Someone told me that it was really easy for foreigners. Just lie in your resume, buy a business visa and you can work even for public schools. Also, that person said that there where lots of teachers unable to speak English. “Even you can do it”, he said. Unfortunately, that is not for me. But it seems an easy and well paid job.

December, eh?? How about some Father Christmas gigs?? Similar deal to teaching, not as much emphasis on your beard but apart from that you'd hardly notice any difference. Use the time between now and then wisely, breathe........project......HO, HO, HO!!!!.........relax. Something like that, and for the costume think cotton, not just regarding temperature but kid puke and such like, it's not all ritzy glamour and mince pies!!!!

Haha.. Where did that come from? I might try the Santa thing, I'll let u know if it worked out.

Thanks for the advice,

Much appreciated,

Tom

I'm in the same boat here, let me know if you manage to find employment

I have seen Eastern Europeans with rather pronounced accents posted by agencies to public schools.  I think they were carrying British or Australian passports so the paperwork probably fooled the authorities.  At the same time, my center was unable to place some excellent Filipino instructors who worked weekends with kids.  Ironically, Kimphan93 may have a hard time if my assumption that he is Viet Kieu is correct.

Hope it all works out for you however what is your native tongue? May help in securing work for you.
Cheers
Barry

This school always recruit E teacher:http://www.ama.edu.vn/en/

You may want to email Ms. Trang, Academic Director: [email protected]

Good Luck!

AMA are always recruiting because after awhile people realise they are not a good place to work and the rate of pay is usually low.

I now live in ho chi minh city for 15 years now my english is native. Before this i lived in sydney australia i'm not aussie my parents are vietnamese and i have went to school up to year 12 but i still don't know how to get a job as an english teacher here anyone with advice on the situation too

Dear Tom,

Ideally, one should have a degree and a TESOL certificate in order to teach in Vietnam and also to apply for the working permit. However, there are some schools that only emphasize that you have a TESOL cert but mostly Caucasians are welcomed. You could teach conversational English in these schools because most Vietnamese want to improve their speaking skills. Honestly, a formal qualification does not guarantee quality. I think at the end of the day it all depends on how good and enthusiastic you are in delivering the lesson and whether the students enjoy and learn from you. Good Luck!

Thanks plenty!!! I know some shamy schools employ caucasians only at a very low price i know this cos they have no plane ticket money and need a job hehehe i will try to look for some work in the english speaking industry thanks

I can get a job teaching English informally and have been offered an apartment, a classroom, and an office in a monastery. I can tutor all I want in the town in which I stay and have been invited to help ơut informally but paid at the local English teaching school. I have no certificate and no degree.  I am bilingual  and  the only foreigner that has staid more than a few hours in the town since 1973. It helps to be chú/bác to just about everybody.

All the schools are required to teach English and there are as yet not nearly so many teachers who speak it as there are schools.

cafengocmy wrote:

...and  the only foreigner that has staid more than a few hours in the town since 1973.

How are so many people who can't spell well and/or speak proper English teaching English? It's obviously NOT about ability; it's all about whether or not you know more than your students.

Note: "... who, since 1973, has stayed in the town more than a few hours."

Pleased be advised.
Like everywhere supply and demand rules most situations but the Labour Laws still exist. You can get a job just about anywhere such as English centers but remember the laws.

It is illegal to work without a work permit.
You can be deport for working after 3 months incountry without a work permit.
You can be fined for working without a work permit.

Yet, the various English schools continue to hire, employ both native and not native foreigners to teach English even though there is a 3 % rule stating that a VN business can only hire 3% of its entire working staff in foreign workers.

There are exceptions but those carry limitations but they are sometimes ignored.

Sooner or later you will have to pay the piper but until that time, yes there are many English speaking jobs that pay well even for a not native speaker depending on your accent.

If you have a 4 year degree you may work in that field of Prodology but again, that is ignored at time.

Things are changing and the rules of law are being implied but it takes time so employment is still available for just about anyone that appears by resemblance to be a native speaker and again that rule does not apply in all situations.

Welcome to Vietnam.

Remember to bring proof of a 4 year degree notarized and any other documents you feel relevant for employment.

Remember too you are responsible for paying tax even if you employer does not deduct taxes. Go on line and learn before you make the jump.

Vietnam is a nice place to live but it is not totally the utopia you might think. All things carry a price nothing is free in this world.

vncservice wrote:

…
It is illegal to work without a work permit.
You can be deport for working after 3 months incountry without a work permit.
You can be fined for working without a work permit.

…there is a 3 % rule stating that a VN business can only hire 3% of its entire working staff in foreign workers.

Hello. And what about a business visa? Then he can be "hired" as a freelancer, right?

The last news I read in this web was stating that there are no limits now in the number of foreigners that a company can hire.

A business visa doesnt work the same as a work permit,in fact the old business visa has since been replaced. Most language centres skirt the law by paying off officials, which is the standard in Viet Nam.

Hey... interesting thread..I, too am in the market for a teaching job of some kind.... Although I have a couple of college diplomas, I have no degree. I am a little confused about all the designations, though  TESL; TEFOL; TESOL; ETC. What would be the most valued piece of paper to bring to VN?
Also, I'm a little older---67. Will that be a huge hurdle? thanks to all!

I have my TESOL, obtained in Aussie and I did a refresher in Ho Chi Minh 2 years ago and have been flat out teaching at Language Centres and Private/Tuition English Lessons. I have been focusing on Pronunciation and two levels of Communications. I am 62 in June and I am having a ball. I am married to a VN wife though (we married in Australia) so some things are a little easier. Our son attends Aust International School which seems to get a few brownie points with the local officials. I do not have a work permit however I am making plans to do so. I have attempted once and the VN person that assisted us took our money and did a runner, bye bye $500.00..if you need to chat more email me at xxx

Cheers
Barry

I am 69 and in good health. I keep getting offers to teach English. I am not a teacher and have had bad experiences trying to do classroom stuff. I help friends' kids reading, though but not for money. I will probably help out at the monastery the same way.

Just for the correctness of information posted here:

vncservice wrote:

"....You can be deport for working after 3 months incountry without a work permit."

Not that I've heard of any school doing this, but according to the latest degree of the law on labour (Jan. 2015), the 3-months trial period is no longer in place. Instead a school will have to start the tedious work-permit process even before you ever did any work for them - besides perhaps giving a demo lesson.

Additional Notes
Facts:
- Schools violating the law by scheduling foreign teachers who haven't received their work-permit yet can be fined up to 10,000,000 vnd
- Foreigners working without work-permits risk fines of up to 40,000,000 vnd
- Foreigners found guilty of tax evasion risk fines of up to 40,000,000 vnd, plus they could be 'banned' from returning to Vietnam for a period of up to 3 years

IMO:
If you really want to tackle the 'illegal and non tax paying foreign workers issue' than I'd start by putting the responsibility on Vietnamese schools. They should be held fully accountable not only for breaking the law, but also for undermining the government's efforts - I'd start by raising the fines for schools to a level/amount that would at least make them think twice before violating the law.

Do you live in Saigon if yes what district?

My name

Hello Ms. Hong, I received a message from you but I think you sent it too early. I look forward to hearing back from you.
Cheers
Barry