United States
US
Taylor Knight
Teach Enrich Empower
Living My Dream Life in Vietnam
My spontaneous decision to move to Asia and teach English as a foreign language was definitely one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
I had previously heard from some good friends about their amazing experiences teaching abroad, and I was extremely eager to find out more. It all sounded too good to be true, so my plan was to give it a go for just 3 months. Shortly after arriving I taught my first class and haven’t looked back since. I went on to cancel my return flight, and I’ve been living and loving teaching in Hanoi, Vietnam for a year now.
My first time teaching a lesson wasn’t at all what I had expected. To gain some experience I did a cover (substitute) lesson for a friend who couldn’t make it into work that day. After a 45-minute drive on the back of a motorbike through farms and rice fields I found myself at the entrance to the English language center. I was handed a rough lesson plan, some flashcards and guided to the classroom. My anxiety disappeared as soon as I saw the smiles on the children’s faces and the teaching itself came naturally. It was pleasantly surprising to feel how rewarding it is to leave the classroom knowing you are making a difference in so many children’s lives.
‘Build a life you don’t need a vacation from.’
As cliché as it might sound, time really does fly when you’re having fun! I went on to teach English fulltime at a local public primary school for Grades 1 to 5 until the end of the Vietnamese school year. I worked from Monday to Friday teaching 35-minute lessons from 8am till 4pm with a 3-hour lunch break in between. I really enjoyed it and was sad to leave after forming an awesome relationship with my students and teaching assistants.
During the school holidays I was lucky to find a job at Everest School Summer Camp 2019 in Hanoi. (Which is not actually camping with tents, but more like ‘fun school’.) My days consisted of fun English lessons with many games, Science lessons spent conducting experiments, as well as Art & Craft lessons with kids aged 5 till 17 years old. Summer camp is always fun.
I’m currently employed at an English language center which is a beautiful 30-minute bike ride away, crossing a bridge over the Red River. I only work in the evenings, teaching two 1.5 hour classes higher level English and Science. It’s safe to say that I’m kind of living my dream life having such a laid back schedule with time to really enjoy each day without much stress.
Not only have I fallen in love with the culture and lifestyle here but it has also allowed me the opportunity to explore and travel to the most beautiful places in my free time, meet and make friends with incredible like-minded people, eat the local cuisines, learn new languages, learn to ride a motorbike and so much more!
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