This 1 Factor Is The Key To Getting A Job Teaching English In Vietnam
Hi, this is Alex Stevenson, Founder and Director of Ninja Teacher, where we help you start teaching English in Vietnam.
Today I want to cover the topic of why the ability to actually teach a good class is so important when it comes to securing employment as an English teacher in Vietnam.
Miranda, our Enrollment Manager, and I have been doing several discovery calls per day lately, talking to to people considering getting TEFL certified or who have already taken a TEFL and wondering what the next step is, and I often explain how the hiring process works in Vietnam in order to convey the importance of getting some practical teaching experience before going into the process.
The vast majority of schools in Vietnam only hire new teachers already in the country, which means you would typically arrive in Vietnam, take a few weeks to do interviews with schools, get job offers and select the best option for you.
The reason for that is schools want to interview you in-person and then have you do a “demo” or demonstration class to see that you are actually an effective teacher. They’ll usually have you prepare a lesson plan and then teach it to real Vietnamese students while they observe you, or it could be some staff members acting as real students. That’s why both being able to put together a good lesson plan and being able to confidently and effectively teach are crucial to getting hired. Now, I know that can all sound a little daunting but if you get the right practical training in there are plenty of job opportunities in Vietnam.
The TEFL certification is a document that is required to get a work permit to work legally in Vietnam, yes, but it’s also important for the training course to properly prepare you for that first class. Unfortunately, there are a lot of low quality online TEFL courses out there that really don’t prepare you for the demo class well at all.
That’s why we recommend looking out for the following when taking online TEFL courses, and are components which we include in our course:
1) video recordings of real classroom teaching, so you can see exactly how it’s done while learning from an experienced trainer.
2) Lesson plan submissions which you get detailed feedback from a trainer on.
3) Video recording of your teaching submitted and feedback given.
4) Weekly live sessions where you can bring activities to practice with your classmates and trainer.
Now what if you’ve already taken TEFL and you aren’t feeling confident for a demo class just yet? I highly recommend trying to get some practical teaching experience:
1) Practice at local ESL centers in your area, online with friends or even in-front of the mirror!
2) The best options by far is practical teaching experience with actual English language learners while abroad.
If you’re interested in joining us for in-person practical training and / or practice teaching with Vietnamese students consider taking our Vietnam Program or Vietnam Fast Track.