Vietnam
I, Ondřej Žváček [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons
The Vietnamese Government is very focused on improving the quality of English language teaching across the country. Unlike a number of countries in South-East Asia – Indonesia, the Philippines and Cambodia for example – the days of the ‘backpacker’ foreign English ‘teacher’ have largely finished in Vietnam with more hoops to jump through to be eligible to work. Over the past year or so, there’s been a noticeable exodus of backpacker ‘teachers’.
With backpacker ‘teachers’ leaving in droves, there is huge demand for foreign English language teachers in Vietnam who meet the requirements to be eligible to work, laid-down by the government. Specifically, if you wish to legally work as an English language teacher in Vietnam for a period exceeding 3 months, you need to produce the following:
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By: James Whiteman
By Gilad Rom from Israel (China Beach) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
If you can bear to tear yourself away from Saigon or Hanoi’s
bia hoi, delectable street food and always vibrant culture, for just a few days, you will find Vietnam has even more to offer. Here are a four of my personal favourite short breaks from my time there:
China Beach and Hoi An
There are few finer ways to escape Saigon’s heaving streets than a few days R&R on picture-postcard China Beach, a legendary former American GI hangout. Follow this by wondering around the charming pedestrianized streets of nearby Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with wonderfully well preserved architecture. A tailored outfit or three may help you further unwind.
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By Daniel Cariello (BA Hons English Literature)
By Petr Ruzicka from Prague, CZ (Treti Budha) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Are you looking at teaching English in a foreign country but having trouble deciding between the myriad of choices? Are you interested in experiencing different cultures and learning about a country with a rich and interesting history? Then maybe Vietnam is the country for you. Vietnam is a country of contrasts; while the strong influence of it’s colonial past and it’s heritage are clearly visible, it’s main cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh are becoming increasingly urbanised and modern thus offering travellers the best of both worlds.
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