Looking to move to Saigon as an English teacher

Hello, my name is Chad and I am from Canada looking to move to Saigon to become an English teacher. I recently traveled to Vietnam and fell in love with the country so much so that I want to move there and become an English teacher, I've always had a passion for teaching even though my career back home is far from it so I know that the drive and motivation to be a teacher is there. I do plan to get a TEFL certificate.

One of my problems is that I do not have a bachelor's degree so I will not be able to obtain a work permit. What kind of jobs will I be able to find without a work permit? Am I able to find full time work or will I have to pick up multiple part time jobs? Will I be able to find any work at all? Another question I have is - how much does someone in my position make on average? I'm only asking because I need to figure out if ill be able to put some money away and save. Obviously someone who has a degree and a work permit gets paid much better then someone in my position.

Any and all advice will be appreciated. Thanks :)

You cannot legally work here.
You need a bachelor's and a teaching cert..

You have no experience hence no idea of what skills this job requires. Let alone actually in possession of the skills or knowledge required.

The kind of job you're qualified for is as an entertaining diversion for children with the lowest paying, most disreputable, fly by night operators.

That's the upside.

Are you young or old, fit or fat,  attractive?
What is a demonstrative pronoun?
Can you identify an active statement and change it to the passive on the fly?
How many tenses does the English language have, aspects?
What is an auxiliary verb, a gerund, a participle?
What is the simple present? When, why, how do we use it?

That's just a brief sampling of what you need to know to teach English at a pretty basic level. But then how do you communicate this info to someone who doesn't speak English and you aren't fluent in Vietnamese?

How many children's games do you know? Do you have experience entertaining 10 to 50 6 year olds for half an hour or longer? Actually teaching them something and being able to verify this within 35 to 45 minutes, 3 to 7 times a day, day after day? 

How would you react if/when you walk into a classroom and everyone is ignoring you? A disrespectful child? A child's hug? A professional Vietnamese teacher's challenge or query? Do you have any idea what I'm talking about?

How do you feel about taking good money from a family that earns a subsistence wage for a service that you cannot perform?


My advice to you is to look for a job you're qualified for. Jobs in Vietnam aren't limited to academic teaching but I think you might still need a bachelor's. Go that route.

Vietnamworks is an example of a Vietnamese site that has job opportunities in many fields. Is Workopolis still around?

Get some training or certification or on the job experience if you need it. Atkinson college in Toronto is for adults to work towards degrees. Maybe there is a place like that near you if you don't live in TO.

Good luck.

demonstrative pronoun
active statement and change it to the passive on the fly
How many tenses does the English language have,
What is an auxiliary verb, a gerund, a participle?
What is the simple present? When, why, how do we use it?


OP, you can safely ignore all of the above.

Oh my..LOL, somebody got a stick in their posterior.

Teach Speaking (Pronunciation), Listening, Reading and Writing.

Most, if not all, kids are learning English grammar "rules" in their regular school (by a Vietnamese teacher). Their pronunciation however (along with their listening), sucks.

Become a private tutor, get some biz cards made (or don't). Eat on the street, pass a card or talk to the owner, be cheaper than "The Centers" and they will beat a path to your door.