Teachers Needed in Quang Ngai

 
Our school is about four years old and has both, foreign and Vietnamese, teachers. The "Global English Centre" (Toan Cau) was founded by the current principal, Mrs. Thao, to enable the citizens of Quang Ngai to have the same opportunity that she had: to study abroad.

　Currently, we have about 750 students, aged mostly between 6 and 17, plus about 20 adults. Every class has three or four 90-minute lessons per week (depending on age and need); two or three with a foreign teacher and one or two with a Vietnamese teacher, who mostly teaches grammar. The classes are relatively small at about 10-14 students each. For grades 1 and 2, a foreign teacher gets a Vietnamese assistant who speaks some English.

　Our 12 foreign teachers are between 21 and 64 years old. Currently, we have six teachers from the Philippines, four from Germany, and two from the U.S. Later this year (2015), we will move to a new school building located nearby, which will be one of the spiffiest schools in central Vietnam. Currently, the school is renting four residential houses in close proximity to conduct its business.

We are looking for native-speakers from all over the world, but we especially welcome applications from natives of the U.K., since we are using various Cambridge tests as yardsticks, and many of our 10-to-12-grade students aim to take the IELTS test. Qualified non-native speakers with appropriate training and excellent oral language skills will also be considered.

You need at least a Bachelor’s degree to work in Vietnam. Needless to say, a higher degree in the field (TESOL, Linguistics, ECE or even Special Ed) would increase your chances of employment. We offer a supportive working environment in which you are encouraged to be creative. Our working hours are different from most schools: they mostly range from 14:00 to 20:30 Monday to Friday and 8-11:00 and 14-19:00/20:30 on weekends. You’ll be required to teach up to 20 85-minute classes distributed over six days per week. Your day off will likely be during the week/not on weekends.

Our ideal candidate has a college degree in a relevant field (English Language Teaching, ECE, etc.) and/or a TEFL certificate, plus some experience, but we are willing to accept native speakers from outside the field.

Our starting salary is US$ 1,050 per month for experienced applicants with a Master’s degree (native speaker) and US$ 850 for inexperienced candidates holding a Bachelor’s degree (which may not seem much, but keep in mind that you only need about 200 dollars per month to live well here in Quang Ngai). Applicants should have proof in hand (diplomas/certificates) that attests their ability to teach English as a foreign language. If you start working here without a TESOL/TEFL certificate, the local authorities require you to finish an online course during the first six months of your stay.

Contracts are typically for one year and renewable, provided satisfactory performance. Should you decide to stay with us for another year, your salary would increase by 10-20%, depending on performance.

Work compensation also includes accommodation, either in a private home (which you would, typically, have to share with other teachers from our school) or a modest hotel. Next March (2016), we should be ready to move into our new teachers’ apartment building which is currently under construction next to the new school.

We also accept applications for internships (which will be paid substantially less, however: we will pay for the flight, but you'd make only about 200 dollars a month). The spots for interns are limited though to four per year (as per government regulations).

Responsibilities include:

- teaching the required hours,

- managing classroom well (so that is is conducive to learning),

- a kind, punctual, 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 needed:

- The ability and will to teach English to students aged between 5 and 40,

- Flexibility and ability to improvise: be flexible enough to teach should the power be off, for instance,

- Sensitivity to students' needs,

- Dedication to students' success,

- Patience and a sense of humor.

Some final notes (compiled after some hiring experience):

- Quang Ngai is not a place for people who are addicted to fun; you need to be able to amuse yourself. Your colleagues are nice, fun-loving people, however. If you like the idea of living in the ‘real Vietnam’ (and not in some expats’ enclave where the same topics and complaints are being rehashed every day), Quang Ngai is the place to be. If you can’t live without Western food, on the other hand, please look elsewhere. In other words, make sure that you’re willing to come to Quang Ngai (look up where it is).

- Please submit a concise letter of motivation (a 2-paragraph email would suffice) that addresses how your specific experiences, qualifications, and interests fit our needs. We are looking for people who want and who are able to teach Vietnamese children. Don’t just tout your advertising skills or your Business English teaching experience that you garnered when you were teaching adults at some big-name company.

- Proficient non-native speakers may apply, but keep in mind that we already have ten non-native speakers out of twelve teachers. In other words, you need to have excellent qualifications (and you will need to submit a speaking sample--see below).

- We are very unlikely to hire couples.

- Don’t apply if you “love Hoi An”. Hoi An is 100 km away, and it is pretty much the antithesis of Quang Ngai, which is a provincial town of 121,000 people that ‘closes down’ after 22:00. There are no Western style bars (but tons of nice coffee shops and one night club). There are also small places in the street where you can hang out after 10 p.m.

Here’s the final test: Imagine yourself in provincial Vietnam, teaching 30 hours six days a week, often in the evening (until 8:30). If you think this is not for you, don’t apply.

If you can see yourself doing that, however, you will be rewarded with working at a brand-new well-equipped school, free housing, a proper contract, a prospect for the future, more money that you can possibly spend in Quang Ngai, a bunch of fun colleagues, the chance to sleep til 10:30 on five days a week, warm weather year ‘round, a beach 25 minutes away, a bucolic countryside, decent food, and appreciation rivaling that of a rock stars.

Your application needs to include:

- an email stating your motivation to work for us and why you like the idea of coming to Quang Ngai,

- your resume and electronic copies of your degree(s, attached to this very email),

To ToanCauHiring@gmail.com My name is Sven Mueller.

Please include a phone number and tell us where you reside at the moment. Ideally, include a link to a video of you teaching. Alternatively, you could also submit a 5-minute recording of you reading a small variety of material (one paragraph from literature, a portion of a children’s book, a poem, and one academic paragraph, etc.). For non-native speakers, submitting this speaking sample is a requirement.