Teaching and Living off the Beaten Path in South-Central Vietnam

About the Job

Overview

Our school is six years old and has both, foreign and Vietnamese teachers. Trung Tâm Ngoại Ngữ Toàn Cầu, or the "Global English Centre" here in Quang Ngai, South-central Vietnam, was founded by the current Director Mrs. Thao to provide the youth of the region with the opportunity to study abroad. There about 1,150 students aged between 5 and 18. Every class has three or four 90-minute lessons per week, depending on the age of the students: Young students have two classes with a foreign teacher and two with a Vietnamese one, who teaches grammar using the textbook the students are using in school. By 10th grade, students have three classes per week with a foreign teacher. The classes are medium-sized at about 10-15 students. For grades 1 and 2, the foreign teachers get a Vietnamese assistant who speaks English. 
Our 22 foreign teachers are between 22 and 73. Currently, we have teachers from the Philippines, the U.S., the U.K., New Zealand, South Africa, and Germany. Late in 2015, we moved to our new school building (I’ll provide photos once you have applied).

We are looking for two proficient speakers from all over the world, ideally native speakers (one female, one male). We’d like one teacher for young students and another who is able teach IELTS-test preparation. All nationalities and qualified non-native speakers with appropriate training and excellent oral language skills will be considered. 
Applicants need at least a Bachelor’s degree to legally work as a teacher in Vietnam. Needless to say, a higher degree in the field (TESOL, Linguistics, ECE or Special Education) would be an asset. We offer a supportive work environment in which you are encouraged to be creative. Our hours are different from ordinary schools, though: We operate mostly from 15:30 to 20:40 (Mon to Fri) and 8-11:00 and 14-19:00 on weekends. You’ll be required to teach 27 hours (18 classes) distributed over six days per week. Your day off will likely be during the week, not on weekends. First Friends, Phonics, Super Minds, and the Solutions series form the backbone of our curriculum at this point. 
Our ideal candidate is a native speaker who has a college degree in a relevant field (English Language Teaching, ECE, etc.) and a TEFL/TESOL/CELTA certificate, plus some experience, but we also consider promising inexperienced applicants from outside the field. 
Our starting salary is US$ 1,300 to 1,500 per month (after taxes) for applicants with a Master’s degree (native speakers) and US$ 1,100 to 1,300 for candidates holding a Bachelor’s degree. You won’t have to pay rent (the teachers dorms are one wing of the school building), and you only need about 150 dollars per month to live well here in Quang Ngai. A thousand bucks per month puts you within the upper ten percent income bracket in the region (the average wage earner in Vietnam walks home with something between USD 120 and 180 per month). Realistically, you can save 9,000 bucks a year. There are also bonus payments on national holidays.

Applicants should have proof in hand that attests their ability to teach English as a foreign language. Contracts are typically for one year and renewable, provided satisfactory performance. Should you decide to stay with us for another year, your salary may increase by 10 to 20 per cent. Your salary might also go up during the year, provided excellent performance. 
Work compensation includes accommodation (but not utilities, which run at about 20-25 bucks per month). In other words, you’d live at the school but since classes typically don’t start until 15:30 it is rather quiet during the mornings on which you don't have to work. Should you not be comfortable with the idea of living at the school, we’ll assist you in finding a place to rent somewhere near (renting isn’t really a ‘thing’ here, however; that’s why we decided to built a dormitory for teachers since getting hotel rooms was too expensive and, with rental properties, we kept having some issues with landlords).

Here's what the position demands in a nutshell: 
Responsibilities: 
- Teaching the required hours, 
- Managing the classroom so that is conducive to learning, 
- A kind, professional demeanor (which needs to extend into town), 
- Taking part in meetings (there will be only a few), and 
- Developing curriculum and exercises conducive to students' success.

Skills and attitudes needed: 
- Ability and interest to teach English to students aged between 5 and 18, 
- Flexibility and the ability to improvise, 
- Sensitivity to students' needs, 
- Dedication to students' success, 
- Patience, a sense of humor, and a tad idealism.

To apply please submit: 
1) A concise letter of motivation in an email that addresses how your specific experiences, qualifications, and interests fit our needs. Please state your motivation to work for us and why you like the idea of coming to Quang Ngai. Please submit a letter that indicates that you have read the job ad. Both, emails with nothing but a CV attached and generic applications, will be ignored. Include two references (name, position, phone number, email address) who we could contact, too. 
2) Please attach to that email a one-page CV/resume that concisely lists relevant qualifications and experiences, 
3) an electronic copy of your degree(s) and TESOL certificate, 
4) a copy of a police clearance/background check, 
5) an electronic copy of your passport.

Please submit to: Le Thi Thao, Director, Global English Center, toancauhiring@gmail.com

Please include a phone number/Skype ID in the same email and tell us where you reside at the moment (so that we can calculate the time difference). Ideally, include a link to a video of you teaching (we know/understand it's not possible everywhere to record yourself at work). If you have committed somewhere else until sometime in the near future, please don’t hesitate to apply. We hire year ‘round.

Some additional information regarding the town and the area: 
- Quang Ngai is not ‘hip’ or a place for people who are addicted to fun; you need to be able to amuse yourself. Your colleagues would be nice, fun-loving people, however. We party and go on trips together. If you like the idea of living in the ‘real Vietnam’ (and not in some big-city expats enclave), Quang Ngai is the place to be. We’re near the beach and traffic isn’t too heavy. The air quality is alright, and the cost of living is really low. There’s isn’t much Western food here (although we do have a Jollibee and a Lotteria now), but there are some bars and two night-clubs. Quang Ngai sports lots of cute, quaint, and quiet coffee shops. 
Teaching 27 hours on six days of the week, often in the evening until 8:45, including having to teach 5 classes each on Sat and Sunday, may not sound appealing at first. However, since you rarely work before 15:30, you can sleep in and go to the beach virtually every day during the week. There are other beaches a little further away, to which you could get by bicycle (which would set you back 50 to 100 bucks) or motorcycle (250 to 400 bucks, used). 
The school is fairly new and well-equipped. We provide all the materials, housing and a proper contract including a work permit (so no visa-runs across the border and such nonsense), and you’ll make more money that you can possibly spend in Quang Ngai. The weather is hot during the summer, sure, but pretty pleasant between October and April. And during the rainy season (Oct 15 to Christmas), you’ll be very happy not to have to step out into the street to go to work.

Salary

Qualifications

Skills Required: