Any native English speaker who walks off the street can get a teaching job

October 4, 2022 | 08:47 pm PT
Any native English speaker who walks off the street can get a teaching job
Parents attend a meeting with an English language center to settle disputes over tuition fees in HCMC's Go Vap District, October 24, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Manh Tung
Lack of background checks and poor payment at some centers are damaging the reputation of foreign language education industry in Vietnam, readers commented.

"It's a cash business, unqualified tutors are hired & paid under the table at discounted rates & no tax is paid by anyone. To get real qualified teachers, on work permits & TRCs is a task & expense the schools aren't prepared to do. And, decent qualified teachers are not attracted by rates of pay offered. So in a lot of cases, its simply backpackers & any native English speaker who walks off the street can get a job at discounted rates. Sure, there are legitimate schools out there, but the stench of the underground operators has stifled the industry. Clean it up, get it right. Do the parents of kids in Vietnam want their kids taught by drunks, bankrupt truck drivers & carnival barkers???"
swander77

"In an industry that is ethical and provides good service a raise of salaries and conditions for employees rise with the demand. But, in the education industry, namely in language schools that is not the case. I live in Vietnam, and often go for interviews to different kinds of schools. Not that I need the job, because I work remotely and I just go there for fun. I can't find the words to describe my experience dealing with language schools in Ho Chi Minh City. But what scares me, is that anyone can get hired. Anyone from the street and that person is not checked in any way. No background checks, and no one even reads the CV. 8/10 schools don't even want or ask to see an ID. Imagine now who is working with your children?"
rysard.kijevic

"They need to clean up the whole 'ESL industry' here first and actually make the language centers legitimate, end cash in hand payments and actually give foreign teachers proper work permits and visas."
inboxcjb

"Local employers haven't helped the situation any better... Wages are now less competitive than China and Korea, even when you adjust for cost of living. Let's not also forget about work ethics and changing the contract after work has started. Many foreigners are being overworked, which means a lower hourly wage. It's time to expose the mismanagement and sometimes even abuse these employers put on both foreign and local workers."
Ethelmanjonathan

The opinions expressed here are personal and do not necessarily match VnExpress's viewpoints. Send your opinions here.
 
 
go to top