PLACEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Can Tho University
Situated in the heart of the bustling Mekong Delta, Can Tho is seeking two ESL teachers. At this university – one of Vietnam’s best – you’ll teach classes in speaking and listening, as well as in American culture and society. Students here are at a fairly advanced level, so that you will be able to introduce engaging topics for discussion and written assignments. You may also help faculty in the College of Education polish their English language skills and assist students in writing their senior theses. You’ll spend between 12 and 16 hours in class each week, with some classes being team-taught with Vietnamese teachers. Classes have between 15 and 24 students.
Outside of class, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to get involved in student activities, such as playing soccer and basketball, taking part in a university-wide talent show, learning from your students how to cook Vietnamese food, and going on a spring camping trip. Students often invite their foreign teachers to visit their homes for weddings, birthdays, and other celebrations.
Salary for this position (including bonuses) is approximately $120 per month — more than adequate to live on. During Tet, in January/February, you’ll have a month’s vacation. If you want to learn Vietnamese, you can sign up for a two-month course at the university. Currently there are several teachers from the U.S. and other countries on staff.
Can Tho is a dynamic commercial city of over 1 million, known for its floating market, outdoor cafes, and great restaurants. The city is located approximately four hours by car from Ho Chi Minh City, in case you develop a hankering for big-city life.
Tra Vinh University
A rapidly growing university (currently with some 20,000 students) with four campuses, including a medical college, TVU is about five hours from Ho Chi Minh City, in the provincial capital of Tra Vinh (pop. 60,000). The main campus, where foreign teachers live in a new, well-appointed guesthouse, is a sprawling complex in a rural setting only a mile from downtown. Teachers may teach at the Schools of Economics, Law, and Engineering, as well as at the off-campus TVU Lab School. Classes chiefly deal with listening and speaking skills, for both English majors and non-majors. Average class size is 30. The teaching load is 17 hours per week. In addition they oversee a weekly English Speaking Club. The monthly salary is about $200.
Accommodations include wireless access, cable TV, A/C, washing machine, refrigerator, and cooking facilities. In addition to housing, the university provides a bicycle and regular bus service to Ho Chi Minh City.
Tra Vinh is a friendly and open place. This is a great place to leave one’s own culture behind and immerse in Vietnamese life. The city has a bustling market, numerous, shops, and restaurants. Tra Vinh is also a center for Khmer culture in Vietnam—known for its many pagodas and outstanding architecture as well as for its many cafes and restaurants along the Mekong River.
An Giang University
An Giang University is a modern university located in Long Xuyen City (pop. 380,000) on the Hau Giang River in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City is an easily accessible bus ride from Long Xuyen City, taking around 4 hours, while Can Tho is around 2 hours south of LX. AGU has an enrollment of approximately 12,000 students, and 8 different faculties totaling about 800 lecturers and staff. The Faculty of Foreign Languages, as well as the University in general, receives a number of foreign lecturers, volunteers, researchers, and students each year.
AGU provides foreign teachers with excellent facilities, including a well-equipped and furnished guesthouse, with shared kitchen and dining facilities, a washing machine, cleaning services, and a small library. Each teacher has a single room with WiFi, cable TV, a shower, air conditioning, and other amenities, including a bicycle. The guesthouse is located in the University dormitory area, making it a nice and comfortable place to come back to, away from the hustle and bustle of the city streets.
The teaching load, including office hours and administrative responsibilities, is around 15-18 hours a week, with a salary of about $300-$400 per month. Teachers take part in extracurricular activities, such as an English-speaking club, and also have the opportunity study Vietnamese, and even conduct short workshops and presentations related to various topics such as culture, area of study, etc.
Whether it’s participating in cultural performances, hanging out with students in coffee shops, going out into the countryside, or visiting one of the seven mountains in the province, there is something for everyone in Long Xuyen!
Tien Giang University
Located in the heart of My Tho (pop. 200,000)– provincial capital and the gateway to the Mekong Delta — Tien Giang University seeks foreign teachers to give classes to English majors in speaking and listening skills. Teachers also work with non-English majors to improve basic communication skills at other branches of the university. Private language centers in My Tho are also eager to employ native speakers of English, with evening classes providing a supplementary income source. University salaries average about $115 per month. Housing is provided on the main campus, in well-appointed guesthouse suites.
Ba Ria Teachers Training College
This college is situated near the coastal city of Vung Tau, in the charming and relatively cool city of Bà Rịa (pop. 150,000). It is located some 90 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City. BTTC serves some 2,000 full time students training to be public-school teachers, including 200 English majors. Foreign teachers generally teach 12 hours per week, focusing on listerning and speaking skills. Average enrollment is 30 students. Teachers combine on-campus classes with visits to nearby sites in the province where students are preparing for careers (such as tour guide) that require a good command of English. Foreign teachers receive a salary of approximately $200/month and are offered two hours a week of Vietnamese language instruction. Rooms in the guesthouse room include a hot plate, pans and other utensils, cable TV, and Internet access via campus WiFi.