Teach English Abroad In Vietnam

Requirements and Qualifications

• Degree

  Bachelor Degree Required.

• TEFL Certification

  A minimum 120 hours accredited TEFL/TESOL/CELTA certification approved and internationally accredited.

• Tattoos

  Minor, visible tattoos are possible on this program, but must be disclosed at signup and handled on a case-by-case basis.

• Age Requirements

  Eligible age range is from 21 to 55 years old.
  
  Those 56 - 59 years of age can be screened and accepted on a case-by-case basis.

• Medical and Mental Health Considerations

  Medical test required? 
  Required for a work permit.
  
  Medical Disqualifiers
  Speech impediment
  Autism
  Epilepsy
  Bipolar 
  HIV
  Dyslexia
  Walking with cane
  Legally blind or deaf
  Chronic dizziness
  TB
  Manic Depressive
  Schizophrenia
  
  Conditions Require Discussion with us before Approval
  Anxiety
  Depression
  Cancer
    
  Notes
  
  If taking any medication for mental health, you must have a doctor’s note. 

• Dependents and Pets Policy

  Dependents Vietnam
  No dependents (spouse/partner/children) can be accommodated on this program.
  
  Pets Vietnam: 
  It is possible to bring pets on the program; however, we discourage participants from traveling with a pet. 
  
  Note: If choosing to do so, the participant must bear all responsibility, logistics, and costs. We cannot arrange or manage your entry into the country with a pet, nor can we guarantee pet support at your placement. Moreover, bringing a pet may limit your placement and accommodation options, as finding suitable accommodations could become more challenging. It might also significantly increase your start-up costs.

• Religious Attire and Garments

  Not possible for this program.

• Background Check

  Clean background checks. Minor offences can be reviewed for acceptance on a case-by-case basis.

• Language And Country Of Citizenship

  This program is only open citizens (passport holders) from the following 7 nationalities: 
  USA
  Canada
  vUK
  Ireland
  Australia
  New Zealand
  **South Africa 
  
  Non-native speakers 
  However, on a case-by-case basis, Non-native English speakers can be screened and accepted, but only from Europe due to immigration restrictions. They must have at least a C1 level of English to be placed in a paid teaching job. Must see an intro video at signup to confirm eligibility.
  
  **Note: as of March 2025 South Africans have been paused for this program.

• Contract Length

  12 Months (renewable) (language center).
  9-months (renewable) (public school).

• Teaching Placement Locations

  Top locations are: Ho Chi Minh; Hanoi; Binh Duong; Bien Hoa & Hai Phong.
  
  Preferences are requested, but placement location is NOT guaranteed.

• Working Hours

  Private Language Centers: 15 - 25 hours per week.
  Working 5 days per week, but maybe not consecutive. Weekends are NOT off.
  
  Public Schools: 20 - 25 hours per week, 
  Saturdays and Sundays are off each week (no weekend work).

• Class Size

  Private Language Centers: around 15 students per class; Public schools: There are typically 40 - 50 students per class.

• Hiring Seasons

  Only Blackout start date is February. Can come any other time of year.
  
  Private Language centers operate throughout the year. The public school year runs from September to May. The peak hiring time is in August for both school types.

• Visa Support

  Tourist Visa or Business Visa:
  
  Tourist Visa: In-country TESOL participants: Applicants apply for a Tourist Visa and do a visa trip after the TESOL finishes. Takes approximately one week and is usually done in Thailand. We will coordinate.
  
  Business Visa: Placement Program: The School applies for the Business Visa on behalf of the teacher, who collects their visa sticker at the Vietnam embassy in their home country, or on arrival. The business visa will later be changed to a work permit by immigration in Vietnam.

• Housing And Startup Costs

  Housing Onsite TESOL -  Shared room and included.
  
  Housing during Orientation week if you already have TEFL or you've taken the TEFL Plus course: Included in shared room.
  
  
  Housing once at Placement - $200 - $500/month. Normally first month rent and a deposit equaling one month rent required. 
  
  --------------------------------
  Placement Program Startup Costs - $1,500 to get teachers through to their first paycheck
  In-Class TESOL + Placement Startup Costs -  $2,000 to get teachers through to their first paycheck
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  Health Insurance -  We require all participants to be covered for travel insurance for at least their first 3 months in Vietnam. Language centers will cover teachers for insurance purposes after they receive a work permit, but some schools have better insurance than others so we recommend considering travel insurance as a supplement if you are not happy with the coverage provided by your school.
  --------------------------------
  
  Accommodation Assistance: After accepting a placement, teachers receive an accommodation guide with links to Facebook pages for housing groups to review and real estate agent contact information. Schools may also help support by offering where past teachers have stayed, if they have this information.

• Culture And Language Course

  One Week Culture, Language Orientation: In-class one-week culture and language program upon arrival in country, including:
  
  -Temple visit 
  -Cu Chi Tunnel Tour 
  -Museum visit 
  -Vietnamese cooking class 
  -Welcome dinner
  -Practicum experience
  -Language classes

• Visa Type And Visa Trip

  In-class TESOL in Vietnam + Placement in Vietnam:
  1. Arrive on a Three-month tourist visa and complete the TESOL course. 
  2. After TESOL is completed, do a visa trip (might be directly after the course or closer to when the tourist visa expires). The school will create the visa paperwork* and send it to the teacher via email when they are outside of Vietnam. This is a requirement.
  
  Visa trip length - estimated between 10 -14 days
  Estimated cost - $500
  
  *Depending on the school, they will either:
  1. Produce visa on arrival paperwork; the teacher prints off and brings with them to the Vietnam airport and applies for the visa there
  2. Produces visa paperwork where the teacher applies to a local Vietnamese embassy in whatever country they are in (either a home country or neighboring south east asian country) and applies for the visa there. Can come to Vietnam when visa is in hand. 
  
  Placement Program:
  1. Teachers placed prior to arrival in Vietnam will receive school paperwork to apply for a business visa. No visa trip required if they enter on a business visa.
  2. If a teacher is not pre-placed before coming to Vietnam, they will arrive on a 3 month tourist visa and complete the orientation week, then complete a visa trip as above. 
  
  In-class TESOL Course in Thailand + Placement in Vietnam:
  1. Arrive to Thailand on visa exemption or tourist visa.
  2. Once the teacher has been placed and finishes the TESOL, they will remain in Thailand until the Vietnam school creates visa paperwork and sends to the teacher. Teacher must be outside of Vietnam to receive the paperwork. 

• Other Important FAQs

  1) What are living expenses per day?
  25 dollars a day, including accommodations, food and local transport. Of course, this is dependent on factors such as how often a teacher eats local foods, goes out, and accommodation choices. It can be both lower and higher than $25. 

  
  2) Travelling costs around there?
  Many teachers rent scooters after their course and it is relatively inexpensive (we don’t allow scooter rental during the TESOL course.)  We also discourage teachers from renting scooters as they are quite dangerous. Teachers in the major cities also often Grab Taxi (Vietnam’s uber). 

  
  3) Transportation from accommodation to work?
  Not provided by schools, though some schools will provide a travel stipend.  Most people rent scooters. 

  
  4) How safe is it around there?
  Extremely safe.  Like anywhere else it is recommended that you remain alert; however, Vietnam, and Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi in particular, is a relatively safe place for both men and women to be alone. 

  
  5) What are the age groups you will be teaching?
  Mixed ages but mainly children. 

  
  6) Working hours? And days per week?
  Approximately 18-20 teaching hours per week, these will mainly be evenings and weekends if placed at a language center. 

  
  7) After contract can you still travel in the country or do you need to be out?
  You can stay as long as you like as long as you have a job and you maintain a legal visa status. It is important to check with your school on how long you have. Most schools cancel work permits and visas within a month of a teacher leaving. 

  
  8) Can one renew working contract and visa without leaving the country?
  Yes

  
  9) How long is the working visa valid for?
  Working visas are usually good for one year.  

  
  10) Language orientation? How will we understand Vietnamese?
  As part of your orientation, you will have some Vietnamese language lessons.  

  
  12) Medical services and insurance?
  Insurance coverage differs between schools. Some schools and contracts provide it whilst others do not. Some schools require that the teacher pass probation first before becoming eligible for paid insurance but they also offer the teacher to buy their own insurance through the same provider.

  
  13) What is phone and Internet connectivity like?
  Really good and cheap and there are many places to assist you with this process. 

  
  14) Dress code for teaching?
   Smart. Typically collar shirts for men and conservative dress for women.

  
  15) How difficult is the TESOL course? Can one fail?
  Yes, one can fail. But if we see that an applicant is not doing well, we will spend more time with the applicant to make sure they pass. We have had people fail or be kicked off of the course, but that is typically caused by other things like drinking, fighting, not from lack of competence to complete the course successfully. However, a decent level of competence is necessary as a teacher may be required to do a demo lesson before finalizing their contract.

  
  17) Packing essentials? Sleeping bag, towels?
  People can get everything in Vietnam, and it’s very cheap. Some of the accommodations do not have bedding, but this can be bought in Vietnam. Please note that clothes sizes tend to be small so if you wear larger sized clothing you will want to bring as much clothing as you can.

   
  18) Any serious laws they are very strict on?
  Vietnam is a communist country and while economic freedom is widespread, political freedoms are greatly curtailed and there is no legal opposition to the ruling communist party. Drug laws are also very strict. 

  
  19) What is the level of English and behavior of students?
  This will vary from student to student, however, there is typically beginner knowledge of English throughout the country. You should expect to teach students of all ages (though they will mostly be children). Vietnamese students are generally well behaved, at least compared with children in the West.

  
  20) What curriculum will they follow at school?
  Your school will provide and train you on their specific curriculum. The schools have specific curriculums and curriculum support.

  
  21) Do your colleagues speak English?
  Yes.

  
  22) What are the chances of schools deducting security money? And how does this work? 
  This is very rare and unlikely to happen. However, many schools pay teachers on the end of the first week of the following month. That provides a small bit of security for the school if you leave abruptly without notice.

  
  24) Do you get paid overtime?
  Yes, in most cases.

  
  25) What are the chances of getting a salary increase?
  Quite high for your second contract but your salary is typically fixed for your contract duration. But there might be opportunities for overtime work.

  
  26) What are the chances of teaching English in neighbor countries?
  Very good, XploreAsia can arrange this for you, if you complete your initial contract in Vietnam.

  
  27) Is all paperwork and books supplied by the school?
  Yes as a general rule

  
  28) When are the school holidays?
  As Language centers are open year-round, if working at a language center you will not share the usual school holidays.  Instead, participants may take vacation leave and take public holidays. However, all language centers do close for the Tet Holiday which usually last for 7-10 days at the beginning of February. 

  
  30) Can a participant choose part or full time?
  Yes, but if part-time they often will not receive the same benefits or inclusions in a contract

   
  31) Is religion a big issue?
  No.

  
  32) What happens if you lose your job? Can you get a new one?
  If you are fired, XploreaAsia will no longer help with placement; however, with your TESOL certificate you can usually find work by using job posting websites. If you are let go due to some other reason unrelated to performance, conduct or attendance, XploreAsia will continue to assist. 

  
  33) Can you drink tap water?
  It is recommended not to drink the tap water, as there can be bacteria our bodies are unfamiliar with because we come from the West.  Bottled water is cheap and it’s safer to go buy a bottle. But if you happen to get a mouth full brushing your teeth, etc., no need for concern.