I’ve been teaching in Vietnam for 5 years, but not Spanish. The information in this article has been obtained through consultation to teachers of English in Vietnam.

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Can you work as a teacher of English in Vietnam?

Interview to a Spanish teacher in Vietnam

The answer is that yes, it can work as a teacher of English in Vietnam. I personally know of quite a few Spanish speakers who are engaged or have been engaged in the recent years, and many of them do not change it for anything in the world.

However, it is not an easy race, is not to reach out and kiss the holy; it takes time, effort, talent, and luck to be able to do to teach Spanish your way of life in Vietnam.

What options are there to teach English in Vietnam?

Giving private lessons private

It is possible to give private lessons to students of English in Vietnam. This option can be very lucrative if you get on well (imagine class at 6-10 students at once), and the best thing is that you could combine your private classes with other jobs.

One of the downsides is that you have to invest time in searching students. To find students, many teachers create ads in groups of Facebook English speaking as Hanoi massive or Expats in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Vietnam, in which foreign and local talk and share information of interest to you.

One last thing to consider is where you will be able to teach the classes,. Many teachers give classes in your own home, in a café, or rent a space. I don’t think that finding a good place to give class to be an effort ginormous, but yes that is a thing extra you have to ask yourself if you want to take classes on your own.

To give classes in academies of the language

This is probably the most popular option and that first occur to most people. In Vietnam there are academies that taught English both in Hanoi and in Ho Chi Minh city, and these academies employ both native speakers as of nationality is vietnamese.

The best thing about this option is that as a teacher you just have to dedicate your time to prepare and teach your classes. The worst, that are normally part-time jobs without job security is real: get hired as and when available groups. In addition, these schools also tend to be willing to handle the work permit or work visa, because you will be working for them only a few hours a week, and manage a work permit requires a lot of time and a considerable amount of money.

Finally, in these academies was usually charge between 15€/17$ and 22€/25$ for 1.5 h working lecturing to groups.

Classes of spaniards in international schools

Increasingly, international schools offer Spanish as an elective course, especially schools-british or american. This option is perfect for those who are already teachers of school or institute, as these schools they really value having experience in a similar position.

The best thing of this option is that you can work with your students throughout a year, to see them make progress and build a strong relationship with them. In addition, the salary tends to be fixed and fairly high in comparison with the prices of Vietnam as a country (from 1100€/1300$ / month). Finally, the international schools are going to be generally willing to handle the work permit, work visa or residence card, and even a health insurance.

The worst thing about this option is that still there are many schools that offer English as a subject, you enter can be difficult (require, as a minimum, have a university degree and a title of professor), and that the workload can be quite large depending on the time of the school year.

Online classes to vietnamese

Teaching online is for many people a convenient option, as it allows you to save time and money on transportation, and rental of the classroom, and is also a kind of work easy to combine with other options such as private lessons or classes in academies.

You can give online classes to particular finding students in social networks. You could also start in some business of teaching English online (that usually pay between 13€/15$ and 21€/$ 25 for 1.5 h of work), or through platforms for language learning as Italki.

My advice to future teachers in Vietnam

It is difficult to give advice, but I’m going to shoot pool and I’ll tell you what I would have liked to know before you come:

My first job turned out to be a scam.

My first tip is to engage in to secure a job before you come to may not be the best option,. For example, I got a job working full-time as an English teacher in a school in Vietnam, and, to which I arrived, everything turned out to be a scam.

The second thing that I advise is to come for at least 3 months with the attitude of “if I find a job that I like, then great ,and if not, well, excellent also, I go back after the live and experience an incredible country”. This way, you’re not going to have so pressure to find a job and, in addition, living in Vietnam is pretty cheap (in this video I tell you how much you pay in monthly expenses) and an experience of life very interesting.

How much does it cost to live in Vietnam?

The third thing is that you need to prepare everything before you come to Vietnam. For example, as a teacher of English I think you should get a degree in teaching SPANISH as a foreign language to bring your certificates of race, criminal history, etc, original, and, if possible, a certified copy to be able to manage your work permit in Vietnam. You notice that in order to legally work as a teacher is required 1) a bachelor’s degree and 2) a title of professor.

Quick questions

1. Is there a lot of demand as a teacher of English in Vietnam? The language most in demand and most sought-after in Vietnam is English, however, each time there are more people that have an interest in learning the Spanish, either because they are passionate about Latin music, because they want to travel to Spanish-speaking countries or because they need it, at work.
2. The vietnamese prefer to learn Spanish in Spain or Latin america? Many vietnamese people have the preconception that Spanish of Spain is better, simply because the language and country are called in the same way. However, there are also many vietnamese fans of soap operas or at a Latin dance that prefer to Spanish of Latin america. In conclusion, it depends a lot on the person.
3. What you need to know to speak English to teach English in Vietnam? This is not a requirement absolutely essential but highly desirable. For example, I have a close friend whose level of English is quite modest, and was giving Spanish classes in an academy of Hanoi for a long time. However, knowing how to speak English will open doors and will allow you to negotiate prices and conditions, and generally to communicate with the majority of your students without obstacles.
4. Is it legal to work in Vietnam with tourist visa? No, it is not legal. I know quite a few people who have worked in Vietnam with tourist visa out of the country to renew every 3 months and yes the risks are usually low. However, in my opinion, you might put in a situation of insecurity and uncertainty that is not advisable. For example, during the pandemic, many foreigners with tourist visas were in serious problems in order to continue living in Vietnam, and you never know when the government of Vietnam is going to get tough with foreigners living and working in an irregular situation in the country. In fact, today, the visa of 3 months of tourists are not available, so that anyone with a tourist visa could be in the country for a maximum of one month.