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Feel free to post the message.  If it comes in handy to someone, that's
great.  I suspect that I will be leaving aol soon and will be switching to
Sprint.  My new email address will be vdorsturm@earthlink.com.  Best
regards.  ROB
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Teaching in Vietnam


                                                           
I will attempt to respond as concisely as possible to your posting despite
my tendency to go on a great length when recounting my Vietnam teaching
experiences. You asked about the culture, work conditions, friendliness of
the people, and qualifications. Although I have never taught in Thailand, I
have spent significant time in Vietnam, most of it teaching ESL, and can
give you my insights. I will leave Thailand to someone else. 

I first visited Vietnam in 1995 for a three week vacation to visit a close
friend who had uplifted herself from the comfort of America to embark on a
teaching adventure. She had no prior teaching experience but coordinated her
assignment with someone in San Jose who was a partner in a language
institute located in Saigon. Upon arriving in Vietnam, I was immediately
impressed by how friendly the Vietnamese were toward me. 

I had assumed that as an American I would be disliked (indeed, I had
initially told people I was Canadian to avoid possible conflicts). How wrong
I was. My friend was very busy so I ended up unexpectedly spending most of
my time acquainting myself with Saigon by myself. During my three week
visit, I toured made many Vietnamese friends and returned to America with
many wonderful stories, photographs and even an invitation to attend the
wedding of two of my new found friends. Upon arriving in America, I found
myself much more aware of American indifference and insensitivity toward
visitors. I took a leave of absence from my employer for six months
beginning in January 1996, in order to return to Vietnam. Although I had
taught an evening seminar at a local college, I had absolutely no experience
in ESL let alone any ESL academic credentials. Nevertheless, I did have
enthusiasm and had coordinated a job with the San Jose contact who had
arranged for my friend's teaching experience. I got a greatly reduced
airline ticket from a consolidator I found in the Sunday newspaper. The
prices had ranged greatly. I obtained a tourist visa from the embassy in NY
(tourist visas can also be obtained in SF and Wash. DC -- business and
teacher visas may also be available). Two days before my departure date I
learned that my "offer"  had been rescinded because I did not have a TOEFL
certificate. Having already obtained my leave of absence and ended the
rental lease on my apartment, I left for Vietnam without employment. The
cost of living in Vietnam is very inexpensive; I figured that I could get by
while looking for employment. 

                   As it turned out, I found a teaching job within a week. 
If you are interested in Saigon, there are a number of language centers. The
International English School, Lotus, America 2000 (I think that's its name),
and at least one other school are all located in Saigon. In addition, it is
not all that difficult to obtain private lessons for foreigners (especially
Koreans) if that is appealing to you. I returned to America in July because
my leave of absence had expired but requested and received an additional six
months because I felt that I had not yet accomplishing everything I had
intended. Although concededly, after one year in Vietnam, I was definitely
ready to come home, I have no regrets about my decision to teach in Vietnam
and had a fantastic experience. 

                   Culture- There is a book called "Culture Shock" Vietnam
that does a good job of giving a cultural overview of Vietnam. There is also
a book by Karin Muller called Hitchhiking Vietnam that I just finished and
thought was excellent. I found Vietnam's greatest attitribute to be its
people and culture. I have many vivid memories.... being taken indoors while
bicycling during a rainstorm by Vietnamese families offering me the comfort
of a roof and hot tea; traveling on numerous class trips organized by
students from the schools at which I taught; getting lost in the busy Saigon
streets only to be led by the hand by Vietnamese natives who had noticed my
plight, etc. The people were extremely friendly and the culture is worth
learning about. There is virtually no violent crime (although petty crime
definitely exists). Their is great respect for the aged, for the family and
for cooperative efforts. The Vietnamese work hard (both men and women) but
play hard as well. In Vietnam, the teacher is respected almost as greatly as
one's parents -- Teacher Day is a major event and celebration. 

                   Working Conditions - With the exception of one school
(the name I cannot recall but it is on Tran Hung Dao Street and was NOT the
International English School), I have not heard bad things about any of the
schools. A college degree is expected (if not required) but ESL
certification is not (except for the Lotus School). I found that enthusiasm
for teaching and the students was far more important in getting employment
and the respect of the students. At least in 1996, the demand for teachers
greatly exceeded the supply of teachers that could commit to at least six
months of employment. 

                   Consequently, finding employment upon arriving in Vietnam
was not too difficult. I taught only in Universities (in exchange for
Vietnamese lessons) or "private" language centers and never had any problems
with the administration, getting paid, or any other difficulties.  (I worked
for A Day in America (since closed) and the International English School
(still alive and well)). For the most part, my fellow teachers were
dedicated and genuinely interested in their students. Although by American
standards the pay may not be great, the 8-15 dollars an hour allows a native
English speaker to earn by teaching in one day what an average Vietnamese
worker grosses in a month. Unless you truly live the high life, making ends
meet while working part-time is not difficult. (I worked between 12 and 25
hours a week). 

                   Hopefully, this helps with your decision-making; good
luck to you regardless of which country you choose. ROB