Info from an Asian American teacher.

[tamdoankc]

Hello,

I haven't posted for awhile but I've been reading about all the inquiries from Viet-Americans wanting to teach english in Vietnam.

I have been teaching in HCMC for about 7 months now. It took me about a full month of searching to finally land a job. I feel I got pretty lucky (right time-right place). There's a lot of reverse descrimination in hiring so it takes a lot of persistence. Schools prefer caucasians over asians no matter what the qualifications are. Schools will tell you asian teachers aren't 'marketable'. In a way it's partially true. Students think only white people know how to speak and teach English. Sometimes (very rarely), I will get attitude from a student because he/she didn't get a white teacher that day. I had one student say that I couldn't be from America because I wasn't white. Also, don't think knowing how to speak both English and Vietnamese is an advantage. Some people don't think you can be fluent in both. Sometimes I have to pretend not to understand Vietnamese. Sounds odd but true.

Those are just some of the obstacles you might face. I feel that I have to work twice as hard as a foreign teacher in order to get the same kindof respect. It can be difficult at times but I love to teach so much. I have worked hard to reverse how people feel about asian teachers and now I have become one of the most respected teachers in my school.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Tam

[quoc_viet03]

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAA ROCK IT MY FELLOW ASIAN!!!!

I am also an American-born Vietnamese looking for teaching jobs in ho chi minh city. people have flatly told me about the reverse racism... i.e. "most schools won't hire asians, because students prefer caucasions". i don't expect to get hired for quite some time.

do you make enough to save? how much can you send back to the states each month?

like you said, work twice as hard and things will be ok. if you're up for meeting up for some pho anytime man, drop me an email at silentriot77 at hotmail dot com, it'd be cool if i could get some pointers from you.

[tamdoankc]

I've heard different things from different people. I live with 5 other teachers who all work at different schools. Some with bank accounts in VN and some without. Some tell me banks won't allow you to wire money unless you have proof of where it came from. One told me the bank wouldn't allow them to deposit their money unless they had a pay stub. It's probably smart to have an account though since most schools pay in bricks of VN dong. You can make descent money. I love my job but I don't see it as a wise career move.

[DaveJavu]

Congrats! Hard work definitely pays! At least that's what people tell me.

[quoc_viet03]

hey tam... do you see yourself working here indefinitely (or for a very long time)? is it feasible, on what you make?

[tamdoankc]

Well, my teaching contract expired and I was fully expecting my school to resign me and hopefully give me a pay increase. My last day, I left on really good terms hoping that I could come back and teach again in the near future or if I couldn't find another school. Every class I've taught I've given 100% and I really show that I care that my students are learning. I get along supremely well with the staff and students so they were quite sad to see me go. A few days ago I went back hoping to get a couple of classes to hold me over between jobs. The lady in charge told me it was ok BUT she would have to cut my pay. The reason they didn't resign me initially was because they couldn't afford me. This is total bs because i was getting paid less than all the other teachers and they were still hiring foreign teachers at a higher pay. The lady kept making excusing and basically said it was because I was Asian and students/parents prefer whites. To me they prefer whites because the schools make the students believe white teachers are the best. She even admitted that I was a better teacher. I almost don't want to teach anymore.

[L i f e b i d e]

Hi all,

Sorry if I'm out of place here
I not Vietnamese but I do have some dealings with Vietnamese and happens that I have a long time friend who's a partner in one of the more established schools in Vietnam.
He's also running the school and it's branches acting as the Executive Director, I hope I can get in touch with him and see if I can get any inroad for you guys if any of you are interested.
No promises, as I only ever heard him mentioned that they employs locals, especially those who are educated overseas.
This friend of mine will visit Vietnam and stay in Vietnam for two weeks on a forthnightly basis, as such it's difficult for me to get in touch with he as even when he's back here, he's got other business to attend to.
But I will try to get hold of him and have a chat with him to see if anything can be arranged.
Hope to have some good news for you guys soon!

[DaveJavu]

Vietnamese language schools usually hire "locals" to teach grammar and writing. They get paid about 1/6 the salary of foreigners. I doubt that Tam wants to be treated as a local hire since he's American.

Sorry about your experience, Tam....trailblazing is a bitch! But your ultimate victory will be that much sweeter.

[myth626]

Vietnamese language schools usually hire "locals" to teach grammar and writing. They get paid about 1/6 the salary of foreigners.

:> Is this the fact that Vietnamese language schools recruit Vietnamese E teachers for these skills? In that case, can U show me which one for my application? Thank you.

[MissLT]

I've been to Vietnam and back more times than I can remember. I'm working on my TEFL certificate right now, and plan on leaving for Vietnam in August. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to find a job if you're a Vietnamese American. I've only heard positive things about finding a job and teaching there. I hope I don't get shot down too badly.

Good luck.