How To Start Teaching English in Vietnam in 2023 (The Most Important Factors)
Maybe you’ve been watching lots of travel videos and want to travel and see the world.
Maybe you’re tired of your job or just want to do something fun and exciting.
Perhaps you want to push your comfort zone a bit or you’ve dreamed of living abroad in a foreign country.
If so, you may have come across the idea of teaching English in Vietnam and seen it’s a great way to live abroad, earn a good income and make a difference and you’re considering making 2023 the year you go ahead with it.
Today I’m going to cover how to achieve this goal.
First, I want to cover what I believe is hands down the most important factor that will contribute to your success with achieving this goal, then we’ll go over some of the practical details of how to do it.
And it starts with asking yourself one simple question.
The Most Important Question To Ask Yourself
I recently came across a psychological concept called the question-behavior effect. Researchers found that if you write down (with pen and paper) a direct question to yourself about whether or not you’re going to do something, and you’re only allowed to answer with a yes or no answer, then when you write down that answer in the affirmative you are significantly more likely to follow through with that thing.
So you can go ahead and write this down “Am I going to start teaching English in Vietnam this year?” and then right down the answer: yes or no.
What I like about this deceptively simple exercise, and I think the power of why it works, is there’s no way to make add conditions, make excuses or justifications. You have to give a yes or no answer. That very simple confirmation to yourself can be extremely powerful in helping you move forward with that goal.
So the point I’m getting at here is you need to make the commitment, to yourself, that this is a journey you’re going to go on and that 2023 is the year you’re going to make it happen.
There are always factors in your life that can hold you back from achieving your goals. And some of these are important enough that you may decide that this isn’t the right time for you, and that’s okay. That’s where personal reflection and your values come in to play and it is important to be honest with yourself.
However, if moving abroad to live in a new country is something that excites you and that you want to do, the single biggest factor that will ensure it will happen is to make the commitment that this is the year you’re going to do it.
The practical details, the steps you need to make it happen, they’re unimportant in the grand scheme of things. You’ll take care of those when you get to them.
When obstacles and roadblocks arise you’ll have that commitment to fall back on, to push you through, when someone who hasn’t made those commitments like you have might give up, you’ll be able to overcome those obstacles and achieve your goal.
And if you find intrinsic motivation isn’t enough for you, just pull the trigger – sign up for a teach abroad program and book your plane ticket, then you’ll be surprised how much a financial commitment will motivate you to make it happen!
The Practical Details
So you’ve decided you want to go ahead with it and made a commitment to yourself. What next?
What about all the practical details of how to start teaching abroad?
The good news is there’s a step by step path to begin teaching English in Vietnam.
So it’s not an issue of figuring out how to do it, as there is a process you can follow, not necessarily easy, there are a lot of steps that need to take and it involves a effort and dedication, but there’s a clear cut path towards your goal which you can follow.
So let’s focus on what are perhaps the most important factors during this process to achieving your goal.
Save Up
The first thing is to save up to cover your start-up costs.
Yes, we are talking about being hired in a job that pays you but, unlike being hired at a job in your home country, there are associated costs which you have to consider because you’re also moving to a new country and entering into a new career.
These include things such as your document authentication, visas, your flight ticket, a teaching certification, your living expenses while you’re teaching before your first salary, your apartment deposit etc.
Most schools will not cover the majority of these costs, with the exception of your visa and work permit costs. While you can recoup these start up costs over time due to the good salaries and affordable cost of living, you do need to make sure you’ve saved up enough to cover these upfront.
You can download a full list of all the start-up costs to consider and our latest estimate of the total cost in our free Vietnam start-up guide.
So what does that mean for you? Well, you need to save up that money to make this happen.
Whether that’s putting away a few hundred dollars a month for the the next few months to reach your target, selling your car, cutting down on your spending on unnecessary items or comforts, getting a second job, or maybe even moving in with family for a little while. It may take pushing yourself a bit but you can save a few thousand dollars given the effort and a reasonable amount of time.
Set a timeframe, set a savings goal, execute, then on to the next step.
Choosing The Right TEFL Certification Program
The next most important factor is choosing the right teaching certification program.
To teach English in Vietnam a bachelor’s degree (in any subject) and a teaching certification such as a TEFL / TESOL is required by the Vietnamese government to legally work in the country so getting a TEFL certification is a must for teaching English in Vietnam.
So what do you need to consider when choosing a TEFL course?
The single biggest factor that will determine your success in securing job is the quality of the course.
Employers in Vietnam absolutely can determine the ability of first-time ESL teachers based on the TEFL qualification they’ve taken. Whether that’s by reputation of the company, looking up what the course includes, or even your answers in interviews.
A school’s goal, and their prerogative, is to hire the best possible teacher they can out of the given applicants for a position.
These schools do not have the resources to train teachers from scratch, and that’s why they will always choose the teachers with better quality training over those who have taken a low quality course.
As we’ve discussed previously, the current job market is good for English teachers, but if you’re a first time teacher, you need to demonstrate that you have the knowledge and teaching ability in order to be hired by a good school, and schools do know what to look for to hire candidates like this.
You’re already investing a significant amount to make the move, and I highly recommend you don’t try save a few bucks in this area, only to end up losing a job to another applicant who took a better quality course.
You want to take a course that actually prepares you with the knowledge and skillset to be a good teacher so that you can get a job at a reputable school that will have professional management, offer a good salary, sponsor you to legally work in the country and offer other benefits.
Here are some features of a course that employers look for and that you should aim for when choosing a course:
- In-classroom training or, alternatively, recorded classroom-based online video sessions
- Live online or in-person sessions
- Well qualified and experienced trainers
- Gives your practical experience with real ESL learners
- Observed teaching practice
- In-country support
- Feedback on your lesson plans
- In-country presence in the country you want to teach in
- A team that knows the local market
- Reputation among employers
- Job placement assistance included
If you’ve put in the work with your TEFL then finding a job at a good school isn’t the hard part. Taking a high quality TEFL course is the way to get a good job.
In addition to the importance of a quality course, you also want to take a course that will build your confidence in yourself as a teacher and so you can make a difference and give your students better futures.
With this you’ll be ready to get your first job and have the best possible job options for you available.
So to summarize, you want to make the commitment, save up to cover the start-up costs and choose the right TEFL certification.
If you’re interested in learning more about the TEFL programs we offer, you can do so here.