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If you want to teach Asia, you have many choices – the main ones being Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. First, it’s a good idea to work in a developed or developing country. In developed countries like Japan and Korea, the students are studying English to go abroad for higher education or to improve their opportunities for advancement in the job market. In developing countries like China and Vietnam, the students are studying English to get a good-paying job in a multinational company or the tourism industry.
I was a teacher in Vietnam from 1998 to 2004. It was my first job after graduating from a TESOL training program (I went to Transworld in San Francisco). Vietnam was in the midst of its doi moi policy of opening up to the world and I witnessed the country’s 10% per year economic growth as well as the transformational changes from a poor, primarily agrarian society to a bustling consumer culture. For example, sales of motorbikes went from 1 million per year to 3 million per year with the arrival of cheap imports from China. Now everyone could have a new motorbike instead of an old, used one for the same price. Of course, as prosperity has continued into 2008, everyone wants a car instead of motorbike causing traffic, parking and pollution problems beyond comprehension.
I taught at many schools in Ho Chi Minh City. The pay was good and the cost of living was low, so that was not an issue. I never wanted a contract so I was free to move about at will. Of course, I always met my commitments to start and finish particular classes or semesters at each school. As a result, I came to realize there was a relationship between tuition and type of student. I learned to choose a school based on the type of students they attracted. If they offered fancy classrooms with lots of technology like Cleverlearn, they charged more for tuition and attracted the “poor little rich kids” that could afford it. If they were meeting in old buildings not air conditioned but charged the lowest rates, they attracted the students from the poorest families. In time, I came to appreciate most the students from middle-class families who had to struggle to send their kids for English classes, or working adults paying for their own classes to get ahead. Schools like SEAMEO and SITC come to mind. These were the students who attended class regularly, did their homework, participated in class exercises and appreciated my efforts the most. They were also the most uninhibited and fun in class. In return, I always put the extra prep time and my heart into each lesson and was genuinely rewarded when it succeeded.
I also taught Business English on-site at some interesting companies, such as East-West Seed Company. The students there were all young adult graduates of agricultural school, “aggies”, who developed hybridized seeds. The company would drive me in the air- conditioned company car out to the farm/plant where I would conduct classes in the conference room. I’m sure I was the entertainment for the week for these students stuck out in the countryside, but I learned a lot about the Vietnamese people (and growing hybridized seeds!) in the process.
Vietnam is a great place to live and work. The people are friendly and the students are very respectful and willing to work hard with whatever you give them. It’s also a particularly good place for new teachers to gain experience as the students are very forgiving of your mistakes. |
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From 4 People
