United States
US
Daniel Owen
Teach Enrich Empower
There's a Lifestyle for Everyone
Before teaching I’d been working in sales for the best part of 12 months at a start-up based in London. It was going well and I was enjoying the hustle and bustle of the environment I was in. However, thanks to a takeover, one Monday morning my team and I found out that, well, there was no longer a team.
Bummer.
I quickly weighed up my options and found I had two choices: spend 2-4 months looking for a new job, going through the interview processes etc etc…or… I had some friends who were travelling around Asia at the time and who had decided to lay their hat in Hanoi, Vietnam. Monday evening, I sat down with my flat-mates, told them about my choices and after speaking to them, as well as my friends and family, I made up my mind. By Thursday afternoon that week I’d booked my TEFL training at The TEFL Academy.
After one month relaxing in Thailand, I flew into Vietnam to start my new adventure. Finding a job in Vietnam is pretty easy, finding a job at just one place with set teaching hours is a little more difficult. After a few interviews at centres and schools where the fit just wasn’t right, I found a private school where the schedule was fixed and the staff were, and still are, lovely.
The long and the short of it is that teaching is great, even if it takes A LOT of energy. I teach Grades 2-6, which makes them between the ages of 6-13. This can of course vary and you can choose to teach who you like, when you like. Being an English teacher abroad leaves you with that much more control over your life.
If you’re like me you’ll want the regularity of a school position. If you want to be freelance you can find evening work at language centres and to relax in the day. If you want to work for only a few hours a week, you can do that too. That’s the beauty of teaching; there’s a life style for everyone.
“I flew into Vietnam to start my new adventure.”
During the last 10 months here I’ve managed to visit Hong Kong, Manila, Singapore and BKK a few times for weekend trips. The salary for English teachers in Vietnam compared to the cost of living is pretty great and even with those trips and a few other splurges, I’ve managed to save enough money for a three-month adventure during the summer break.
For those thinking of teaching in Vietnam, do it. Vietnam is one crazy place… but crazy in a good way. I’m currently writing this sat in the school playground whilst the school sleeps at lunchtime; that’s right, we have nap-time… nap-time is so under-rated in the UK!
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