Videos of teaching

Your profile shows clearly that you have no education in teaching or any experience 
If you think it's suitable for you then you can start as a Native Speaker but not Native Teacher.
'Teaching job' may be easy for you but Teaching profession is different!
Tailor or bartender can be a Teacher if they learn well before teach.
Please don't choose teaching because of you don't have any other job to do here !

I have learned English from many teachers and I think that it would be hard for you to teach students who are at very low level when you have no experience. Better chose students who used to learn English before but having problems with listening and speaking. They will understand when you talk clearly and slowly. In case they can not understand you, write your words down, if it's active student, he/she will look up the dictionary and easy to understand. Nowadays, every smartphone can install a English- Vietnamese Dictionary. You also should have English-Vietnamese and Vietnamese- English Dictionary (on phone, laptop, a book,...)

I used to teach maths, English, even Vietnamese for foreigners and I realize that the most important thing to become a good teacher is not only how much you know, it's how you encourage your students to help them get the result by themselves. The key is to recognize exactly your student's level and help them believe that they are smart and competent t enough to do it better.

Do you know what called "Effortless English"?,  people here are excited by that method, Some teachers here are using that method for teaching and it's work. So you can study more about that method to see if you can do it

About teaching English for people who can not understand any words in English, it's hard but it's possible. You can inbox me, I will teach you some Vietnamese as an example and you can do the same with English.

I was touched when I read your story on other posts and I just want to help.

Nhi wrote:

I have learned English from many teachers and I think that it would be hard for you to teach students who are at very low level when you have no experience. Better chose students who used to learn English before but having problems with listening and speaking. They will understand when you talk clearly and slowly. In case they can not understand you, write your words down, if it's active student, he/she will look up the dictionary and easy to understand. Nowadays, every smartphone can install a English- Vietnamese Dictionary. You also should have English-Vietnamese and Vietnamese- English Dictionary (on phone, laptop, a book,...)

I used to teach maths, English, even Vietnamese for foreigners and I realize that the most important thing to become a good teacher is not only how much you know, it's how you encourage your students to help them get the result by themselves. The key is to recognize exactly your student's level and help them believe that they are smart and competent t enough to do it better.

Do you know what called "Effortless English"?,  people here are excited by that method, Some teachers here are using that method for teaching and it's work. So you can study more about that method to see if you can do it

About teaching English for people who can not understand any words in English, it's hard but it's possible. You can inbox me, I will teach you some Vietnamese as an example and you can do the same with English.

I was touched when I read your story on other posts and I just want to help.

thanks for all your help and i will certainly look into Effortless English, but like i said I'm just interested in see'ing some videos of teachers in the class room to get a feel for what its like teaching in Vietnam...

in regards to my story, thanks, i really didn't want it to seem like a sob story and regardless next year i will go to Vietnam with the money i can save and give it my best shot it would be nice to have multiple options before i go there so even though i don't believe i'm teacher material i'm exploring all options.

charmavietnam wrote:

Your profile shows clearly that you have no education in teaching or any experience 
If you think it's suitable for you then you can start as a Native Speaker but not Native Teacher.
'Teaching job' may be easy for you but Teaching profession is different!
Tailor or bartender can be a Teacher if they learn well before teach.
Please don't choose teaching because of you don't have any other job to do here !

if i don't think i could benefit a student in anyway i wouldn't think of teaching English.

Maybe you can do a tefl course in Oz before heading across to VN, that way you will be able to do a few practice sessions and have some feedback, that should help with your confidence to be a bit better prepared also

TEACHERS have DEGREES; INSTRUCTORS have LESSER QUALIFICATIONS.

That's why UNIVERSITIES and BETTER language schools look for DEGREES.

videos for you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5GFKM_w_xEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHE0jPIxiOU

I don't know why students come classes like that. For me, I will chose another way to learn. So boring and waiting the time. But can not find better videos.

Don't take any notice of those " Teaching " video's they are all crap,, amazing how the young students seem to understand exactly what the " Teacher " says, and asks of them??? ( And how well behaved they are?? ) Even teenagers will never be able to understand every word.
  In fact I have a Foreign Teacher in my school, ( BA in English, many years experience,), today even he was caught out, with an adult VN English test paper,, in a gap-fill exercise , he didn't know the correct words to choose from the word choice, in several of the questions..
You don't need any experience teaching 4  - 5yr olds, ( just earmuffs, and some rope to tie them to their chairs ), use Flashcards, or  even pictures, with VN's, drum in the Vowel sounds, including the letter Y., Alphabet charts, etc, not much to translate, as many can't even speak Viet properly at that age.
  It always has to be a game with kids that age, you really are tricking them into learning.( they have very , very short attention spans ).

bluenz wrote:

Don't take any notice of those " Teaching " video's they are all crap,, amazing how the young students seem to understand exactly what the " Teacher " says, and asks of them??? ( And how well behaved they are?? ) Even teenagers will never be able to understand every word.
  In fact I have a Foreign Teacher in my school, ( BA in English, many years experience,), today even he was caught out, with an adult VN English test paper,, in a gap-fill exercise , he didn't know the correct words to choose from the word choice, in several of the questions..
You don't need any experience teaching 4  - 5yr olds, ( just earmuffs, and some rope to tie them to their chairs ), use Flashcards, or  even pictures, with VN's, drum in the Vowel sounds, including the letter Y., Alphabet charts, etc, not much to translate, as many can't even speak Viet properly at that age.
  It always has to be a game with kids that age, you really are tricking them into learning.( they have very , very short attention spans ).

from what i understand you don't really get to pick and choose who you teach, especially as someone without a degree, teaching little kids would be really fun , singing the alphabet song i could also bring in a projector for sounding out words of commonly used items and animals, there's tons of ways to teach children in a fun manner.

from what i understand you don't really get to pick and choose who you teach, especially as someone without a degree, teaching little kids would be really fun , singing the alphabet song i could also bring in a projector for sounding out words of commonly used items and animals, there's tons of ways to teach children in a fun manner.

Many of these small under the radar schools, ( that don't ask for Teachers with Degrees ), only have very young kids for students, sometimes they may have adult classes in Communicative English, ( where talking is only necessary, you WILL get asked for the definitions of many words, I don't know why they bother sometimes, as soon as you have offered your definition, they usually get straight onto their S/Phones, I'm so tempted to say, " if you don't believe , then don't ask me ", but most of the time my definition is much simpler than the dictionary, I try and use layman terms,  words they will see in everyday,use.

bluenz wrote:

from what i understand you don't really get to pick and choose who you teach, especially as someone without a degree, teaching little kids would be really fun , singing the alphabet song i could also bring in a projector for sounding out words of commonly used items and animals, there's tons of ways to teach children in a fun manner.

Many of these small under the radar schools, ( that don't ask for Teachers with Degrees ), only have very young kids for students, sometimes they may have adult classes in Communicative English, ( where talking is only necessary, you WILL get asked for the definitions of many words, I don't know why they bother sometimes, as soon as you have offered your definition, they usually get straight onto their S/Phones, I'm so tempted to say, " if you don't believe , then don't ask me ", but most of the time my definition is much simpler than the dictionary, I try and use layman terms,  words they will see in everyday,use.

yeah id imagine sticking to layman terms would be best to avoid confusing the students, is it hard to find these small schools?, the major English Centre won't have anything to do with someone without a degree right?, do these small schools openly seek foreigners through some sort of message board/paper...

DylanG wrote:

bluenz wrote:

from what i understand you don't really get to pick and choose who you teach, especially as someone without a degree, teaching little kids would be really fun , singing the alphabet song i could also bring in a projector for sounding out words of commonly used items and animals, there's tons of ways to teach children in a fun manner.

Many of these small under the radar schools, ( that don't ask for Teachers with Degrees ), only have very young kids for students, sometimes they may have adult classes in Communicative English, ( where talking is only necessary, you WILL get asked for the definitions of many words, I don't know why they bother sometimes, as soon as you have offered your definition, they usually get straight onto their S/Phones, I'm so tempted to say, " if you don't believe , then don't ask me ", but most of the time my definition is much simpler than the dictionary, I try and use layman terms,  words they will see in everyday,use.

yeah id imagine sticking to layman terms would be best to avoid confusing the students, is it hard to find these small schools?, the major English Centre won't have anything to do with someone without a degree right?, do these small schools openly seek foreigners through some sort of message board/paper...

I would imagine the many posts wanting Native Speakers on similar threads to this one, are mostly unregistered small schools, possibly in smaller cities/towns. Pay is minimal, but I know of a bloke in Da Nang,  he only had an online TEFL, and no experience, but recently landed a job paying $10 ph, ( that is pretty good for around here ), but these are usually only 4  --8 hours a week. ( Weekends , or nights )

bluenz wrote:

DylanG wrote:

bluenz wrote:

from what i understand you don't really get to pick and choose who you teach, especially as someone without a degree, teaching little kids would be really fun , singing the alphabet song i could also bring in a projector for sounding out words of commonly used items and animals, there's tons of ways to teach children in a fun manner.

Many of these small under the radar schools, ( that don't ask for Teachers with Degrees ), only have very young kids for students, sometimes they may have adult classes in Communicative English, ( where talking is only necessary, you WILL get asked for the definitions of many words, I don't know why they bother sometimes, as soon as you have offered your definition, they usually get straight onto their S/Phones, I'm so tempted to say, " if you don't believe , then don't ask me ", but most of the time my definition is much simpler than the dictionary, I try and use layman terms,  words they will see in everyday,use.

yeah id imagine sticking to layman terms would be best to avoid confusing the students, is it hard to find these small schools?, the major English Centre won't have anything to do with someone without a degree right?, do these small schools openly seek foreigners through some sort of message board/paper...

I would imagine the many posts wanting Native Speakers on similar threads to this one, are mostly unregistered small schools, possibly in smaller cities/towns. Pay is minimal, but I know of a bloke in Da Nang,  he only had an online TEFL, and no experience, but recently landed a job paying $10 ph, ( that is pretty good for around here ), but these are usually only 4  --8 hours a week. ( Weekends , or nights )

mhmm it seems a little rough if i was to live off this wage, 4-8 hours a week, 10 an hour
160-320 a month, i mean considering how little work you're doing like 16-32 hours a month its not bad but yeah...

" mhmm it seems a little rough if i was to live off this wage, 4-8 hours a week, 10 an hour
160-320 a month, i mean considering how little work you're doing like 16-32 hours a month its not bad but yeah.."
     You have to remember the av monthly salary is probably only around $150, ( Minimum is about $100 )., a University Graduate only gets about $150 --$200 a month, many experienced VN teachers only get $200 --$400 pm, for about 32 hours. That's why most of them teach from home as well.
  The VN English teachers at my new school, only get $4.50 for a 2 hr session, and only work part time.  Most Native English teachers make more in an hour, than some part timers do in a day. ( Although I'd love to get $10 ph, but I have to sacrifice that to work legally, at the moment ).
  A builder in VN, only gets $10, for a 8 --10 hour day. ( 3 cooked meals a day, usually provided though ).

bluenz wrote:

" mhmm it seems a little rough if i was to live off this wage, 4-8 hours a week, 10 an hour
160-320 a month, i mean considering how little work you're doing like 16-32 hours a month its not bad but yeah.."
     You have to remember the av monthly salary is probably only around $150, ( Minimum is about $100 )., a University Graduate only gets about $150 --$200 a month, many experienced VN teachers only get $200 --$400 pm, for about 32 hours. That's why most of them teach from home as well.
  The VN English teachers at my new school, only get $4.50 for a 2 hr session, and only work part time.  Most Native English teachers make more in an hour, than some part timers do in a day. ( Although I'd love to get $10 ph, but I have to sacrifice that to work legally, at the moment ).
  A builder in VN, only gets $10, for a 8 --10 hour day. ( 3 cooked meals a day, usually provided though ).

how much are you earning per hour?, as someone whos working legally id imagine your rates would be a lot higher, ^ you don't actually have to answer that question i know some people consider it rude .

" how much are you earning per hour?, as someone whos working legally id imagine your rates would be a lot higher, ^ you don't actually have to answer that question i know some people consider it rude "

VN's will ask much more direct questions.

The schools around here are cheapskates, ( they actually asked the VN teachers at my new school to take a pay cut, then I appeared on the scene, imagine how they must have felt? )
They charge $102 pm, per student, for 3 x 2 hr weekly lessons. ( but only 1 lesson is with a Native Speaker ),
They originally offered me only $6 ph, but my Manager, ( wife ), refused this, asking for $10 ph, but they came back at $7.50 ph, I'm only working there, as a foot in the door type situation, ( they couldn't organise a root in a brothel, to be honest, today I was given the class book , 2 minutes before class, many times I've been told the wrong page for the lesson  ). ( Classes range from 7 --16,  all different age classes ).
The Non Native white faced Foreign teacher there, gets $1000 pm, and free hotel , ( $250 pm ), they don't have to pay me for any accommodation.
Another school here pays around $1000 pm as well, they work 32 hrs a week. So its a little less than $10 ph.

My other school only charges $25 pm , for 2 x 2 hr lessons pw, (   1 hr with Native Speaker ) she is supposed to pay me $7.50 per student, pm, ( sometimes over 30 students ), but when the parents " forget " to pay, she seems to think its ok, if I don't get paid, but I'd been working there for 14 months without a Work Permit.

bluenz wrote:

" how much are you earning per hour?, as someone whos working legally id imagine your rates would be a lot higher, ^ you don't actually have to answer that question i know some people consider it rude "

VN's will ask much more direct questions.

The schools around here are cheapskates, ( they actually asked the VN teachers at my new school to take a pay cut, then I appeared on the scene, imagine how they must have felt? )
They charge $102 pm, per student, for 3 x 2 hr weekly lessons. ( but only 1 lesson is with a Native Speaker ),
They originally offered me only $6 ph, but my Manager, ( wife ), refused this, asking for $10 ph, but they came back at $7.50 ph, I'm only working there, as a foot in the door type situation, ( they couldn't organise a root in a brothel, to be honest, today I was given the class book , 2 minutes before class, many times I've been told the wrong page for the lesson  ). ( Classes range from 7 --16,  all different age classes ).
The Non Native white faced Foreign teacher there, gets $1000 pm, and free hotel , ( $250 pm ), they don't have to pay me for any accommodation.
Another school here pays around $1000 pm as well, they work 32 hrs a week. So its a little less than $10 ph.

My other school only charges $25 pm , for 2 x 2 hr lessons pw, (   1 hr with Native Speaker ) she is supposed to pay me $7.50 per student, pm, ( sometimes over 30 students ), but when the parents " forget " to pay, she seems to think its ok, if I don't get paid, but I'd been working there for 14 months without a Work Permit.

yeah i was under the impression, $1000 a month was the minimum and up to $2500-3000 for some extremely experienced teachers, so.... 30 students 7.50, $225 a month, you managed okay with this salary?, my only big concern is the money i have to put away at least $50 a month for my visa renewal constantly until i obtain something like vec

" yeah i was under the impression, $1000 a month was the minimum and up to $2500-3000 for some extremely experienced teachers, so.... 30 students 7.50, $225 a month, you managed okay with this salary?, my only big concern is the money i have to put away at least $50 a month for my visa renewal constantly until i obtain something like vec"

I used to be able to survive on $150 pm, I don't drink or smoke anymore, and I wasn't paying any rent, ( until now, I pay $90 pm for a 3 b'r house, while my own house in TK, sits empty, but my life was going on the line every time I drove home, especially at night, sometimes 7--9 times a week ), I also rarely eat out, or frequent coffee shops.

I used to live very comfortably off my bank interest, but that was when it was 14%, tax free, ( now only 8% ).

Jaitch wrote:

TEACHERS have DEGREES; INSTRUCTORS have LESSER QUALIFICATIONS.

That's why UNIVERSITIES and BETTER language schools look for DEGREES.

One of my maths teachers had a degree - but she couldn't teach.
One of my music teachers had a degree - but she couldn't teach.

Quite how does a degree prove you can teach, or you have a clue about anything at all?
I know a woman here, armed with her masters in English, but she can hardly speak a word.
I have to be honest - it says a grand total of not a lot, but does give an indication of ability to plagiarize a thesis.

Okay, I'm pushing the boat out more than a little, but you can't assume someone can't teach (or do any job) because they don't have a degree.

bluenz wrote:

" yeah i was under the impression, $1000 a month was the minimum and up to $2500-3000 for some extremely experienced teachers, so.... 30 students 7.50, $225 a month, you managed okay with this salary?, my only big concern is the money i have to put away at least $50 a month for my visa renewal constantly until i obtain something like vec"

I used to be able to survive on $150 pm, I don't drink or smoke anymore, and I wasn't paying any rent, ( until now, I pay $90 pm for a 3 b'r house, while my own house in TK, sits empty, but my life was going on the line every time I drove home, especially at night, sometimes 7--9 times a week ), I also rarely eat out, or frequent coffee shops.

I used to live very comfortably off my bank interest, but that was when it was 14%, tax free, ( now only 8% ).

i extremely admire you , so many people straight say, YOU CAN'T LIVE OFF A VIETNAMESE WAGE, and when they said that i just assumed it was because of visa costs, and maybe the fact ill be charged more as a foreigner while shopping for food and such. also if its possible i find work in Vietnam other then starting my own business, the money i would have had to invest in my business i could chuck in the bank purely for the interest, now i don't have much knowledge on this but say 30 grand give or take, should roughly get me $150 per month right?

mas fred wrote:

Jaitch wrote:

TEACHERS have DEGREES; INSTRUCTORS have LESSER QUALIFICATIONS.

That's why UNIVERSITIES and BETTER language schools look for DEGREES.

One of my maths teachers had a degree - but she couldn't teach.
One of my music teachers had a degree - but she couldn't teach.

Quite how does a degree prove you can teach, or you have a clue about anything at all?
I know a woman here, armed with her masters in English, but she can hardly speak a word.
I have to be honest - it says a grand total of not a lot, but does give an indication of ability to plagiarize a thesis.

Okay, I'm pushing the boat out more than a little, but you can't assume someone can't teach (or do any job) because they don't have a degree.

i agree when it comes to a degree other then teaching, but if you have a teaching degree i'm sure you're able to uphold some standard.

DylanG wrote:

bluenz wrote:

" yeah i was under the impression, $1000 a month was the minimum and up to $2500-3000 for some extremely experienced teachers, so.... 30 students 7.50, $225 a month, you managed okay with this salary?, my only big concern is the money i have to put away at least $50 a month for my visa renewal constantly until i obtain something like vec"

I used to be able to survive on $150 pm, I don't drink or smoke anymore, and I wasn't paying any rent, ( until now, I pay $90 pm for a 3 b'r house, while my own house in TK, sits empty, but my life was going on the line every time I drove home, especially at night, sometimes 7--9 times a week ), I also rarely eat out, or frequent coffee shops.

I used to live very comfortably off my bank interest, but that was when it was 14%, tax free, ( now only 8% ).

i extremely admire you , so many people straight say, YOU CAN'T LIVE OFF A VIETNAMESE WAGE, and when they said that i just assumed it was because of visa costs, and maybe the fact ill be charged more as a foreigner while shopping for food and such. also if its possible i find work in Vietnam other then starting my own business, the money i would have had to invest in my business i could chuck in the bank purely for the interest, now i don't have much knowledge on this but say 30 grand give or take, should roughly get me $150 per month right?

Something like that, but if your investment is under a certain amount, most Banks are only paying around 6%, and things are increasing in price constantly, ( don't believe the inflation rate ).
Starting your own business will be another nightmare in itself. ( I've looked into ).

Hey how's it going Dylan G. I didn't respond to your other thread partly due to time constraints (I suffered a minor injury yesterday and am currently taking a couple of days off to let it heal as advised by the doctor) and partly because you seemed to have little desire or confidence to teach English.

First of all I noticed that you were reluctant to teach English because of the Work Permit requirements. You should note that those requirements apply equally to any of the other jobs you were talking about as well and I think you'd stick out like a sore thumb working as a bartender or in another service sector job...

Nobody can tell you definitively that if you come here and teach English without a WP that there won't ever be any negative repercussions from that. I really think those regulations weren't made with native English teachers in mind (but were more likely meant to target workers from neighboring countries working jobs where they are in competition with native Vietnamese citizens) and reports of English teachers being deported or being refused visa renewals have been very few and very far between but it has happened before.

The $7.50/hr. figure that Bluenz mentioned would be extremely low where I live. The lowest hourly pay I have heard for a native English speaker working in a classroom teaching job would be around $12.00/hr. However I notice that Bluenz states that he rents a 3 bedroom house for $90 a month so I'm guessing that the cost of living in his area is lower as well (though here too it is pretty cheap, much lower than HCMC).

You should be aware that many if not most schools will offer you as little as they think you will accept and if you come here and display the kind of lack of confidence you have expressed in these threads they will likely offer you very little.

A school recently offered me $10/hr. to teach children's classes and $12/hr. to teach adult classes. My salary at that school is $14 (300.000vnd) per hour because I explained nicely that for various reasons that was my minimum salary requirement for that job. I believe that their original offer was made partly due to the fact that my supervisor is aware that I do one-on-one speaking with students for $10/hr. at another center, but that school is a 5 minute walk from where I live, I have nothing to prepare and I do that job because I really enjoy it as many of my local friends study there (it's one-on-one speaking so you really have a chance to get to know the students and thus is a great way to make new friends).

As far as what you said about not having much choice in who you teach that is absolutely wrong. Don't take any job you don't feel you will be happy with or don't feel qualified to do. I did the one-on-one teaching job for 6 months before setting foot inside a classroom full of students (usually about a dozen give or take, I prefer smaller class sizes because I have more time to go around the room and give the students individualized attention on their pronunciation) because I wanted to gain confidence in my abilities and  knew that I would be comfortable conversing with one person (I have always been shy about public speaking but now I can teach in classrooms without feeling any nervousness whatsoever even if it is my first day and I am being evaluated for salary etc. by staff).

I think you got it backwards with your thinking that it would be better to teach adults who already have a reasonably good grasp of English rather than kids/other beginners. First of all the kids classes are easy to get because many ESL teachers don't want to do them either because they find the lessons boring, the kids unruly or both. To teach higher level IELTS classes you will probably need more education than what you are going to receive before you come here.

The way you teach English to beginners is that when you give instructions you speak slowly and enunciate clearly for those who can understand and then your Vietnamese Teacher's Aide repeats what you said in Vietnamese for those who can't (I have a TA in every class I teach).

I will say something about the whole degree issue and how some like to talk of native English speakers who are "unqualified" to teach. First of all there is a great deal of snobbishness within the teaching English as a second language community regarding degrees, degree types, years teaching experience, schools, salary, CELTA vs TESOL/TEFL etc. I don't spend any time worrying about this and truthfully spend little time interacting with other foreign teachers as almost all of my friends are Vietnamese. While I do think that it is in the best interests of society as a whole to have as many people receiving a quality college education as possible (and I do think the college courses I took in subjects like sociology, psychology, logic and critical thinking etc. have helped me to become a more thoughtful and well rounded person) I don't think my college education contributed much, if at all, to my ability to teach English as a second language.

I know everyone wants to believe that their jobs are very complicated and require a high skill set but teaching ESL at a basic level is something that lends itself to a limited amount of training that is specific to the job. It does not require years of training. I think it does require a fair amount of patience and enthusiasm for the job and in this way I think a newer teacher can actually be an asset as I get the impression that many people become burned out with this type of work (though I enjoy it now, I know it's not something that I personally would want to spend 10-20+ years of my life doing).

I think one of the most important things, and I think this is especially true of young learners who as Bluenz pointed out have shorter attention spans, is that the teacher can lead classes which the students find engaging and enjoyable. If your young students aren't enjoying the class they probably aren't going to learn anything either.

My viewpoint may be somewhat colored by the fact that my best foreign language teacher (Spanish) was a junior high school drop out and my worst my Japanese 102 teacher in college who had an advanced degree (she had a tendency to become noticeably exasperated when students gave a wrong answer or made a grammatical error, she went straight by the book and from an effective teaching standpoint could have easily been replaced with just about any native Japanese teacher who also spoke English and had a bit more patience, this is also a major problem here in Vietnam where many university professors are arrogant and condescending so that the students - who are mostly taught to memorize what the teacher writes on the board, shut up and listen, never think outside the box - are reluctant to ask questions when they do not understand something).

You have plenty of time to get your TESOL before you arrive. If you can do it in person great but if not I think online is okay. Maybe you can try practicing with your friends. It's good that you're asking questions because there is really a lot you can learn about teaching here that you won't be taught in the TESOL course. In any case it will be an important thing to have if you do have to submit CVs.

I teach at four local schools and online via Skype and have never submitted a CV to anyone (though I have provided documentation and contact info for my main employer). I received my first job by responding to an ad and subsequent ones through personal contacts. The way it works is that many of your TAs will be teaching at other schools as well and they will let you know if their other schools are looking for foreign teachers and will refer you to their other employer(s).

Of course this may only work where demand is high...where do you want to live? I could have sworn that your other thread said that you were looking for work "anywhere" in Vietnam but don't you want to live where that pretty girl in your profile pic does? Or is she willing to relocate with you? Many ESL teachers like to huddle up around Saigon where they can drink their lives away with other expats. If you are willing to live elsewhere (preferably in a city with many universities) you may find that demand for native speakers who want to teach exceeds the supply.

Good luck!

In keeping with the spirit of the thread...here ya go Dylan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj8e770Qq10

Well said...long, but well said mate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2d0ukAbTU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS64PyzfoIo

Nam_ wrote:

Hey how's it going Dylan G. I didn't respond to your other thread partly due to time constraints (I suffered a minor injury yesterday and am currently taking a couple of days off to let it heal as advised by the doctor) and partly because you seemed to have little desire or confidence to teach English.

First of all I noticed that you were reluctant to teach English because of the Work Permit requirements. You should note that those requirements apply equally to any of the other jobs you were talking about as well and I think you'd stick out like a sore thumb working as a bartender or in another service sector job...

Nobody can tell you definitively that if you come here and teach English without a WP that there won't ever be any negative repercussions from that. I really think those regulations weren't made with native English teachers in mind (but were more likely meant to target workers from neighboring countries working jobs where they are in competition with native Vietnamese citizens) and reports of English teachers being deported or being refused visa renewals have been very few and very far between but it has happened before.

The $7.50/hr. figure that Bluenz mentioned would be extremely low where I live. The lowest hourly pay I have heard for a native English speaker working in a classroom teaching job would be around $12.00/hr. However I notice that Bluenz states that he rents a 3 bedroom house for $90 a month so I'm guessing that the cost of living in his area is lower as well (though here too it is pretty cheap, much lower than HCMC).

You should be aware that many if not most schools will offer you as little as they think you will accept and if you come here and display the kind of lack of confidence you have expressed in these threads they will likely offer you very little.

A school recently offered me $10/hr. to teach children's classes and $12/hr. to teach adult classes. My salary at that school is $14 (300.000vnd) per hour because I explained nicely that for various reasons that was my minimum salary requirement for that job. I believe that their original offer was made partly due to the fact that my supervisor is aware that I do one-on-one speaking with students for $10/hr. at another center, but that school is a 5 minute walk from where I live, I have nothing to prepare and I do that job because I really enjoy it as many of my local friends study there (it's one-on-one speaking so you really have a chance to get to know the students and thus is a great way to make new friends).

As far as what you said about not having much choice in who you teach that is absolutely wrong. Don't take any job you don't feel you will be happy with or don't feel qualified to do. I did the one-on-one teaching job for 6 months before setting foot inside a classroom full of students (usually about a dozen give or take, I prefer smaller class sizes because I have more time to go around the room and give the students individualized attention on their pronunciation) because I wanted to gain confidence in my abilities and  knew that I would be comfortable conversing with one person (I have always been shy about public speaking but now I can teach in classrooms without feeling any nervousness whatsoever even if it is my first day and I am being evaluated for salary etc. by staff).

I think you got it backwards with your thinking that it would be better to teach adults who already have a reasonably good grasp of English rather than kids/other beginners. First of all the kids classes are easy to get because many ESL teachers don't want to do them either because they find the lessons boring, the kids unruly or both. To teach higher level IELTS classes you will probably need more education than what you are going to receive before you come here.

The way you teach English to beginners is that when you give instructions you speak slowly and enunciate clearly for those who can understand and then your Vietnamese Teacher's Aide repeats what you said in Vietnamese for those who can't (I have a TA in every class I teach).

I will say something about the whole degree issue and how some like to talk of native English speakers who are "unqualified" to teach. First of all there is a great deal of snobbishness within the teaching English as a second language community regarding degrees, degree types, years teaching experience, schools, salary, CELTA vs TESOL/TEFL etc. I don't spend any time worrying about this and truthfully spend little time interacting with other foreign teachers as almost all of my friends are Vietnamese. While I do think that it is in the best interests of society as a whole to have as many people receiving a quality college education as possible (and I do think the college courses I took in subjects like sociology, psychology, logic and critical thinking etc. have helped me to become a more thoughtful and well rounded person) I don't think my college education contributed much, if at all, to my ability to teach English as a second language.

I know everyone wants to believe that their jobs are very complicated and require a high skill set but teaching ESL at a basic level is something that lends itself to a limited amount of training that is specific to the job. It does not require years of training. I think it does require a fair amount of patience and enthusiasm for the job and in this way I think a newer teacher can actually be an asset as I get the impression that many people become burned out with this type of work (though I enjoy it now, I know it's not something that I personally would want to spend 10-20+ years of my life doing).

I think one of the most important things, and I think this is especially true of young learners who as Bluenz pointed out have shorter attention spans, is that the teacher can lead classes which the students find engaging and enjoyable. If your young students aren't enjoying the class they probably aren't going to learn anything either.

My viewpoint may be somewhat colored by the fact that my best foreign language teacher (Spanish) was a junior high school drop out and my worst my Japanese 102 teacher in college who had an advanced degree (she had a tendency to become noticeably exasperated when students gave a wrong answer or made a grammatical error, she went straight by the book and from an effective teaching standpoint could have easily been replaced with just about any native Japanese teacher who also spoke English and had a bit more patience, this is also a major problem here in Vietnam where many university professors are arrogant and condescending so that the students - who are mostly taught to memorize what the teacher writes on the board, shut up and listen, never think outside the box - are reluctant to ask questions when they do not understand something).

You have plenty of time to get your TESOL before you arrive. If you can do it in person great but if not I think online is okay. Maybe you can try practicing with your friends. It's good that you're asking questions because there is really a lot you can learn about teaching here that you won't be taught in the TESOL course. In any case it will be an important thing to have if you do have to submit CVs.

I teach at four local schools and online via Skype and have never submitted a CV to anyone (though I have provided documentation and contact info for my main employer). I received my first job by responding to an ad and subsequent ones through personal contacts. The way it works is that many of your TAs will be teaching at other schools as well and they will let you know if their other schools are looking for foreign teachers and will refer you to their other employer(s).

Of course this may only work where demand is high...where do you want to live? I could have sworn that your other thread said that you were looking for work "anywhere" in Vietnam but don't you want to live where that pretty girl in your profile pic does? Or is she willing to relocate with you? Many ESL teachers like to huddle up around Saigon where they can drink their lives away with other expats. If you are willing to live elsewhere (preferably in a city with many universities) you may find that demand for native speakers who want to teach exceeds the supply.

Good luck!

this was a great post , it covered many questions i could have had and much more, and even a little back story on how you feel about qualifications etc, anyway.... yeah i completely agree if you have seen above i written that i would love to teach little kids the basic's, i don't mind them not being able to speak English the only thing that makes me feel awkward is teaching someone who is teenager/adult with no understanding of the language, i mean do i adjust my lesson to be more about basics, as if i was teaching children or.. what


also yeah id love to find work in Hoi-An/DA Nang, to be with her but if for god knows what reason i can't find a single bit of work, im not going to pack up my bags and leave Vietnam, I'm going to search other areas i can work in... I'm determined  to make Vietnam my new home.

and you never had to show a single CV to get a job???? how does it generally look like when applying for a teaching position at a place?

" I have nothing to prepare", what did you mean by this?

DylanG wrote:

also yeah id love to find work in Hoi-An/DA Nang, to be with her but if for god knows what reason i can't find a single bit of work, im not going to pack up my bags and leave Vietnam, I'm going to search other areas i can work in... I'm determined  to make Vietnam my new home.

and you never had to show a single CV to get a job???? how does it generally look like when applying for a teaching position at a place?

" I have nothing to prepare", what did you mean by this?

I apologize it was another poster who said he was looking for teaching work anywhere in Vietnam. I don't know anything about Hoi-An/Da Nang but I'm sure there are schools in those cities...

I obtained my first job by replying to an ad online while I was in the states preparing to return to Vietnam (I first came to Vietnam to assess my desire to live here long term, spent 8 months in HCMC and did not work at any job as I have a small income source from the USA). The ad said that it was a one-on-one speaking job for native English speakers. I responded to the ad via email with some basic info about myself and a photo (my avatar picture is not one of myself BTW but of actor John C. Reilly AKA Steve Brule from 'Check It Out!'). When I returned to Vietnam a few weeks later I met the person I spoke with face-to-face and was officially given the job.

I obtained my second job when I befriended a student at the first who is a former recruiter for a company which hires teachers to teach at local elementary schools. Without my prompting he set up a meeting with a friend of his who is still working as a recruiter there. I obtained another job via text messages I received from someone who had previously been my TA in one of the classes, she has a position at another school where she is now my supervisor. I received another referral from a TA at that school as well (and was set up with a face-to-face interview). I acquired my most recent job (well my first class will be this following weekend) when I went to another language center to inquire about Japanese lessons as I've been thinking about getting back into studying the language again but have a hard time doing it on my own. Someone told me that they have a native Japanese teacher there (they don't, they have a Vietnamese Japanese language teacher and she doesn't speak English). While I was there I was asked if I'd like to teach at their school.

What I said about having nothing to prepare applies to the one-on-one speaking job only. Because I don't know in advance what subjects the students will want to speak about there is nothing to prepare. I just ask them a lot of questions (and when they first meet you they will have many questions for you as well as they like to get to know the teachers, it's very informal and they can speak about any topic they desire, some bring books with topics provided by the school, some use IELTS practice tests, some just like to chat) and take notes based on their responses and at the end we go over the notes (grammatical errors they made, words they need more practice pronouncing etc.).

The reason why I mentioned it is because jobs which pay hourly here usually only pay you for the time you spend in class not the time you spend preparing lessons which is part of the reason I wanted at least $14/hr. (take home) to do classroom teaching (salaries here are generally around $12-$17/hr., in Saigon a little higher but the cost of living there is higher as well).

For my classroom teaching jobs there really isn't a lot to prepare tbh because we are provided with the same books the students have and they already contain lesson plans etc. and the TAs prepare videos and whatnot. But I do look over the lessons and decide how we will do the exercises (as a class? Call on students individually and have them answer in front of the class? Break them down into groups or pairs?) and I do the exercises myself beforehand so that when I am going around the room I can quickly compare what the students have written to my answers to make sure they got them right. Also as a teacher here you will need to know some games and fun activities which can be incorporated into the lesson as well. But this isn't too difficult as you can reuse them often and the students really enjoy many of these activities.

Basically I think you just need one job to get your foot in the door. You could start looking for jobs in Hoi-An/Da Nang online before you arrive but a lot of jobs don't advertise but rather seek candidates through word of mouth so once you're there and making contacts many new opportunities may open up.

Good luck!

Don't rely on having a TA in your class, I don't, although when I " tried " out at my new school, I had a TA in each of the 4 classes,( this school charges 2.140 mil VND ,  pm for 3 x 2 hr weekly lessons, but only 1 lesson with a Native Speaker, and before me , this teacher was Dutch ), but sometimes TA's can be frustrating, unless they sit there and only speak Viet WHEN you ask them,  if they keep speaking Viet, when you ask the students a  question, they will just sit there and wait for a translation from the TA.( Thank god for Mr Google, and as I said before, I like it when the students correct him ). ),
I have a TA, ( an 18 high school student ), in my other school, for 1 of the 4 classes, but if I used some rope, ( to tie the three 4 yr olds to their chairs ), I wouldn't need him either,. ( even colouring in pictures only holds their attention for several minutes ).  Maybe some Ritalin is required? But I've found most of these unruly kids are being brought up by their Grandparents, while their parents work in HCMC.
As Nam also does , I charge a lot less for one on one, than the shit money the school pays me, ( also as I posted , the pay rate of $10 ph, includes free accommodation, the other Foreign teacher at my new school has a $250 pm hotel bill that the school pays,  The other big language schools up here also do that , that's where I am being presently ripped off, I live here, and probably always will, while these other teachers are only visitors ).
But next year this will definitely change, I'm constantly being asked by VN teachers who work from home, to come and teach in their classes, ( and during the weekdays, even better , plus I can teach what I think is better suited for them, not just 2 new letters every week for the Beginners ).
  Any sort of TEFL cert is definitely an advantage, but they WILL want to see you perform in class first. ( Although some small schools seem to be happy with the " white " face only ).

charmavietnam wrote:

Your profile shows clearly that you have no education in teaching or any experience 
If you think it's suitable for you then you can start as a Native Speaker but not Native Teacher.
'Teaching job' may be easy for you but Teaching profession is different!
Tailor or bartender can be a Teacher if they learn well before teach.
Please don't choose teaching because of you don't have any other job to do here !

I hope that you are not an English teacher.

Nam_ wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2d0ukAbTU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS64PyzfoIo

^^^ in this video the children seem'd more advanced at English then i would assume at there age.

these videos are fantastic, what are the chances of me having access to 1 of these interactive boards.

DylanG wrote:

Nam_ wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2d0ukAbTU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS64PyzfoIo

^^^ in this video the children seem'd more advanced at English then i would assume at there age.

these videos are fantastic, what are the chances of me having access to 1 of these interactive boards.

In VN, the English speaking ability of students of all ages, can vary so much, especially if their parents can speak some English, ( and spend the time with them ), I have asked a few students, ( with real American twangs ), where did they learn English, they say from their parents. Of course having elder siblings is an advantage as well.

Hello there. I'm chris. I'm teaching in Ho Chi Minh city. You will find, unless you are teaching, what is known in my school as a PK class, grade 1 students, 4-6 years old, who only know some abc and a few words. Most students from this grade upwards, they know enough English for you to be able to teach them. You will also have a foreign teacher in the class with you. If you don't, then maybe you don't want to work at that school. It's very hard at first, but stick with it and you'll reap the rewards after a while, believe me. You have to learn how to express yourself with your body language as well. Watch many many you tube videos before you start. Experience only comes with practice. Hope this helps.

I am a very experienced teacher and teacher trainer and university lecturer. I would suggest, first, that before you begin teaching others, here, that you work on your own English, first. ("Is there any good videos?" - no, this is improper English. You should say, "Are there any good videos?". Please reconsider your interest in teaching in Vietnam; there are already more than enough inexperienced travelers, pretending to be teachers.

Dr. G.

I hate to be the awakening here. Many people here have been very considerate and I seem to be the bearer of bad news... well here it goes.

It seems ludicrous to ask about a teaching job if you haven't experienced teaching before; Teachers don't just pop up anywhere in the world and teach without any formal training. If it is babysitting job you are looking for, then yes, you will find work. Not great pay though.

To teach you should have a good knowledge of English grammar and its rules. This is what you will re-learn in a TEFL certificate course; all good schools require a certificate. Teaching writing skills is essential to your students wanting to pass the Ielts or Toefl tests. Also, teaching listening skills, reading, and writing needs patience and a corrective style that is kind, considerate, and clear. When you teach at the University level you will teach pronunciation, so you better brush up on your knowledge of the IPA (International Phonics Alphabet). This helps students look up words on their own in a dictionary and pronounce words correctly by just looking them up.

Teaching is an art. To start the class, a Warm-up is a great way to wake up your students and start the class on an upbeat. You'll find this gets the students ready to absorb what you are ready to teach.

If you want the kind of pay you are reading about, that is, $1200 – $2000 a month, expect to provide proof of a Bachelor degree in any subject, 120 hour Tefl certificate, a current criminal background check, and a visa that has a couple of years before expiration. The average weekly full time schedule is about 25-30 hours a week. This is classroom hours. Not hours spent correcting papers or planning your lessons for each class.

The backpacker teacher is disappearing. The laws have changed and schools are required to teach English to primary students. If you intend to make a decent living teaching, it can happen by being hired by a good school. The international schools are best. They are on a higher level and the teachers are also at that level.

Vietnamese parents, like most people in the world, want the most for their money. International parents are typically, highly educated, and they send their children to the better schools.

My experience working in Vietnam has been teaching Grammar school children at all levels, working at a University teaching pronunciation, I gave entrepreneurs business seminars and provided private tutoring for teachers and nurses.

If it is a teaching job you wish to pursue… Good luck. I have seen Teachers who lack any skills in a classroom. And I know what they are paid. Expect the pay to equal the skill.

e2bobbie wrote:

A lot of Caca 0909755021 I'm in nha trang if you need a job or talk about things call

Sweet.
Nice Mobiphone number.
Share it all. Got a private email?
What's your address?
Your full name for linking up on fakebook?
Don't be shy,share it all.
Or share your videos of teaching English


Royalty free pic of a 1976 900SS

Anyone can get a job teaching English. Sad but true. Sad for the students who think they are getting quality education. Horrible that schools advertise Native English speaker but.neglect to also advertise the foreigner hasn't  the slightest idea of writing a decent sentence and reads all his novels by watching the movie when it comes out. My.opinion is that these days will end and the Viet people will soon realize to investigate deeper into the qualuty of education they are getting for their hard earned money. If only having the abilty to speak English qualifies someone to teach,then why shouldn't every foreign worker making minimum wage come to vietnam and  teach...

I remember a professor i had in law school saying, "Never put anything in writing you don't want to relive in a court room."  Advertising a phone number about a job could be miscontrued to mean something the government wants to see credentials, maybe you can clarify what job position you offer.

    wow
   

    -@Quintan Barnes

An old thread, but likely to be of interest to a number.

In my limited experience, many people looking for teaching jobs abroad are thinking of extended holidays for themselves .... but give no thought to the poor little sods who are wasting cash on a rubbish education with a dumbo teacher.