Teach English in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City is the quintessential epitome of a modern day tale of two cities. Ravaged by war for almost two decades, Ho Chi Minh has come roaring back with a vengeance. Consequently, this has spurred a significant need for English teachers in the city and to a largely extent the country as a whole.

If you’re looking for a job in Ho Chi Minh City, you’re in luck as there are many jobs centered in the major metropolis. Not only that, pay for the teachers is quite enticing, so be sure to check out the programs!

Ho Chi Minh is a bustling city that provides a wide range of options for anyone looking to teach. This provides the flexibility to find the program that is ideally suited for you! Whether that means teaching an entire classroom or tutoring students on a one-on-one environment, you can have what you prefer!

International Schools:

There is no better option to teach abroad in Vietnam than teaching at an international school. Schools like APU or AIS offer benefits to English teachers that are going to be very difficult to beat. For this reason, it should no be no surprise that these jobs are the hardest to obtain. You should start applying and interviewing to these schools well before you leave for Vietnam.

Private Tutoring:

For those who are prefer a more flexible and low-key setting, private tutoring is the way to go. Many parents are eager to see their children learn English and are willing to pay tutors to give their kids a leg up. In addition, the city has a large number of foreign nationals who value English very highly and want to hire tutors for their children.

Before you head off to Vietnam, you should plan out virtually every aspect of your trip before hand. It is crucial to know exactly how much you’re going to be spending, where the local hospitals are and what to expect in general. Below are some aspects of your trip to help get you started.

When to Look for Jobs:

Part of the reason why Ho Chi Minh City has seen such an explosion of growth in foreign teachers is the fact that people are able to get a job at virtually any time of the year. This flexibility has attracted herds of foreign teachers who are experiencing a great new adventure and you can be one of them!

Salary & Cost of Living:

This is an aspect of the trip is particularly attractive. The cost of living in Ho Chi Minh City (and Vietnam in general) is very, very low. One can expect to have expenses run right under a thousand dollars a month, a budget that will allow you to live quite comfortably. In addition, the salary for teachers is pretty high in comparison, with teachers often pulling in over $20 an hour or $1800 a month. This means you’ll be able to save a significant amount of money during your stay in Vietnam. Or, of course, it means you’ll also have lots of money to splurge!

Health and Safety of Teachers:

The quality of care provided private hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City is on par with Western hospitals. However, with that being said, many expats still choose to fly to nearby Singapore for more serious issues. People with respiratory problems or asthma should know that the city has a tremendous amount of pollution. This is in part due to the constant traffic and nearby factories but either way, you could run into problems.

Ho Chi Minh City is one of, if not the busiest city in Vietnam. This means that there are going to be a significant number of people who will try and take advantage of you while you are out and about. These people include scammers (tour guides, taxi drivers, etc.) and then there are the out and out thieves. It’s just important to be alert and vigilant, which will go a long way for you.

Contributed by Raj Patel