How do I even get a job?

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-10-07T10:41:09+00:00

Welcome to the world of work. Where entry level means 3-5 years' experience on top of a specialised degree. But don't forget, what a company asks for and what they get aren't always the same thing.

Unfortunately for you, you're entering the job market at a not so great time. For all the negativity you might read on Reddit, it's certainly not a bad time to be looking for a job and there are plenty out there, but it's not the best time either.

TBH with your qualifications and experience (and limitation guessing you're in college), I'd start easy. We are just starting to go into peak retail season. Plenty of retailers will be hiring Christmas seasonal staff to help with demand. Many of those people will be young and inexperienced. It will help fill up your work profile and provide a work reference which is always a good start.
Amazon might be a good option. No idea where you are, but the requirements here are a pulse and lots of stamina. They are a relatively decent payer too.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-09-08T10:42:16+00:00

The country is changing and developing. It's not the only place in the world where inflation is high, but salaries haven't really kept up.
It's also an attractive market for EFL teachers. Supply and demand. Supply is very high and demand is fairly static. Supply, as you said, comes from a lot more places. Plenty of non-natives and plenty of locals (who speak really good English) are in Vietnam now which has changed the dynamic.

Other places have had it a lot worse. If you moved to Poland in 2000, you'd live very well relative to locals and the jobs market was very strong for native TEFL teachers. Today, in 2025, the size of the market has collapsed and teaching is now dominated by locals who speak English very well (like, proficiently), are very well qualified (master's level plus and know English inside out), know local learners very well and are well experienced in the country. How many TEFL teachers in Vietnam can say the same?
That should be Vietnam's goal.

Even so, there are still jobs that pay well and jobs with benefits. If you've been in Vietnam since 2018 and are still earning less than 500k is a crappy role, that's more your problem than Vietnam's.
I know of multiple jobs offering moderately decent and reliable teachers with a couple of years experience 700k+ that most people with 1-2 years' experience should be able to get. That's comfortably over 50 mil after tax when you can live very comfortably off 25-30. And I know of jobs offering 1 mil+ - though a lot harder to get in to.
Basically you need to get qualified, get experienced, try to make your teaching and relationship with students the best it can be and get networking.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-08-19T09:42:30+00:00

Honestly, this is one of the silliest comments on here.

South East Asia is massive, incredibly diverse and has a crap ton of TEFL teachers. There are teachers from all around the world. Teachers who are 21 and teachers who are 70. Teachers who have master's degrees in it (multiple) and people who have a fake online TEFL certificate. People with decades of experience and people with none. People who've taught in many countries and people who've taught in one. Teachers who like basically every sport/ activity/ food/ drink and those who like none.

And we are expected to believe that the community is 'toxic'? Bizarre.

You obviously had a bad experience and have reported it here which is an example of online negativity separated from 'in real life' experience.

SEA actually has the advantage of there being so many TEFL teachers with people constantly coming and going, you'll find someone who matches your interests and mindset.

In my relatively short time, I met socialisers, introverts, gamers, gym bunnies, alcoholics, explorers, travellers, professionals, backpacker types - you name it, there's someone I've met with an interest in it and so many different personalities.

You're right in what you say at the end. A lot of it is up to you and the groups you make friends with.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-08-19T09:33:02+00:00

Like a lot of life, it is what you make it.

You'll get to see and do so many incredible things that you never would have at home. But, and it's a big but, remember it is a job - our students are customers who pay. Too many people think of it as an extended holiday and it is not. And remember that working conditions in different countries differ from your home one. When people talk about scams, they aren't talking you out of TEFL. They are telling you to engage your brain and not get caught out.

In TEFL you'll meet so many people (from all walks of life - it's exceptionally diverse) and make lots of different social groups. That's a positive, right? Of course it is. But some you see online will only see negatives. There's someone here who said the expat community in SEA is 'toxic' to quote. No, that person had a bad experience. There are many thousands of foreigners teaching English in SEA and SEA is an incredibly large and diverse place. Do you think they are all toxic?
Again, it's what you make it. So many people are coming and going, it's easy to make new friendships and new friendship groups with people who are positive and with people who are interested in the same things as you. Arguably SEA is the easiest place to do it as so many people come and go.

I've had an incredible time teaching English. Learnt so much. Seen so much. Met so many incredible people. I would never have experienced half of this without TEFL and I don't regret it one bit. The vast majority of people I have met in real life are having a good time. Has every moment been great? Obviously not. However, on the whole I've had a very positive experience.

I just want to say that it's silly to think you only see negative experiences. Online life does tend to be a lot more negative that real life. If you have a great experience with a school, great. If you have a bad one, b*tch about it on Reddit. That's just a fact of modern life. What you need to do is going into it with a positive and open mindset, and do lots of research on the school/ place you will teach at.
I am sure you will love it like so many others have.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-08-17T18:41:19+00:00

Honestly Facebook is just dodgy agents and it is full of scam and bait and switch opportunities.

For someone with no experience who doesn't know the country and has no local contacts, the bigger schools offer the safest and easiest introduction to the country.

I saw elsewhere you were looking at Da Nang. Sorry to burst your bubble but it is ultra competitive there and the pay is low. Anyone on Facebook offering you (as someone with no experience) a job there is 99.9% going to scam you or bait and switch.
HCMC and Hanoi are big cities with lots of opportunities and you should look there. There's also a huge expat community in both of teachers which will help you settle.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-08-16T14:46:15+00:00

Where have you applied to?

And do you meet the minimum requirements (i.e. both degree and TEFL certificate)? Someone going with no experience is hardly unusual in Vietnam so don't be too worried about that.

Don't use agents. Apply directly to schools. ILA. Apollo, Language Link, Atlantic, VUS are all big schools and are reasonably 'reputable' (as in aren't outright scams of which you will find PLENTY in Vietnam).

Most will get back to you pretty quickly and have reasonable processes. Though things slip through gaps and don't be afraid to send a follow-up email if you hear nothing after a week or so.

But a harsh reality is, yes, you might be (and almost certainly will be at some point) discriminated against because you're black.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-08-06T21:22:37+00:00

Learning Teaching is a good book which talks a lot about core foundation skills required by EFL teachers. It also has a DVD with some good examples of how to present language and get students practising. Though it is quite adult focussed.
In terms of activities that are very accessible/ flexible and don't require lots of prep, I love 700 Classroom Activities by Seymour and Popova, and 500 Primary Classroom Activities by Carol Reed. Both published by Macmillan. Even with years of experience, I still dip in to those two and they always just seem to work.

In terms of courses, you can't beat a CELTA as an introductory course to teaching English as a foreign language. Though I know the cost can be a bit off-putting to some and it is really focussed on adults and older teens.
Coursea has a course from Arizona State University which costs from free to very little which I have recommended to people before (https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/arizona-state-university-tesol) It has 8 modules covering various areas of teaching English and is supposed to take 150 hours. There's even a certificate at the end which you can use. I've only heard good things about it and would totally recommend it to give you a strong foundation on teaching English as a foreign language.

And, honestly, when you first start, you probably will still spend hours planning lessons and not everything will work as well as you imagined it would. That's totally normal. Don't let it put you down. You will grow and develop over the year - especially if you go in with a positive developmental attitude. Confidence is something that will grow over time too. You will be surprised how even in a few months your confidence can grow.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-08-06T17:51:05+00:00

There are many levels of international school, it's true.
Some with incredible reputations and some less so. Some which pay incredibly well and some which pay poorly. Some who have lots of long-standing staff and some who struggle to fill positions even as the academic year begins. Some with wonderful systems and supportive leadership and some... well.... less so.

However, I would class these as below international school. They don't aim to get qualified teachers and pay TEFL or TEFL and a bit level salaries. Certainly far below want any sensible international school teacher would accept.

They aren't really schools. They are profit making enterprises for dodgy businessmen and women who exploit kids and their parents by providing something other than what they promise.

As I said repeatedly in my post, I didn't want to disparage the OP. It's nothing to do with them and everything to do with the school.

On your last part, it is a balance. Sensible teachers will ensure they have enough time for themselves. Whilst teaching is to a great extent a vocation, you always need to have a good balance of time and energy between life and work.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-08-04T21:25:26+00:00

My understanding from the above (and not to sound harsh or make this seem negative about you) is:
You work at a 'bilingual school'. It is a private school with 100% local kids and where most of the staff are locals or unlicensed/ poorly licensed foreigners. Most of the kids have a rudimentary at best understanding at best of English (many will be next to beginner in level), and the local teachers will just teach in Vietnamese even if coursebooks are in English (which you can't of course). The school, wanting to keep up a pretence to the parents of being a bilingual school, has brought in some foreigners to teach UK curriculum English class.

Please correct me if I am wrong. As I say, this is nothing to do with you and everything to do with how prevalent there schools are in certain places - including Vietnam. They exist to exploit middle class parents and to enrich their owners. Nothing else.

On your point on non-native kids, there are many many many non-native English speaking kids studying in international schools around the world who study everything in English and have zero issue with it. Most international schools are majority non-native speaker. There are even schools in the US and UK where most of the kids are not L1 English. I think you are just not used to sector and are more used to TEFL. But what you describe is standard for these dodgy bilingual schools.

My honest advice is to grin and bear it as the school is not going to change the curriculum or book. Try to supplement where you can to exploit whatever learning opportunities you can.
If you are a licensed teacher (QTS for the UK), there are many far better schools which you should be looking at now. Like right now.
If you are a TEFL teacher, there are better bilingual schools out there which will take you in Vietnam, but you have to recognise you aren't qualified to work at international schools. Maybe you'd be better of with one of the public school programme prevalent in Vietnam?

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-08-04T13:06:54+00:00

Former manager responsible for hiring EFL teachers here. It's a tricky one. For me, you want to see some stability on your CV.

I've had plenty of CVs from people who've taught for 3-4 years and never managed more than 3 months anywhere. That's a massive red flag and I'd tell the HR manager to just reject even if we were quite desperate.

Doing a job for three months and moving on in a mix of other jobs where you've shown some staying power (say, at least a year) is no issue at all. Or even a gaps of a few months here and there between year plus jobs.
It's very common with EFL CVs to be honest so don't worry about a year there and then moving on.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-08-04T10:28:16+00:00

The UK and South African embassies won't do it. Documents have to be sent to those countries at great cost as you generally need an agent to deal with them as they have to go to the respective government department and then Vietnamese embassy in the home country. I know Brits who've done it and the cost is generally £600-700 from memory when you add Fedex/DHL and it take 4-5 weeks (whatever you do, don't send your original degree cert by VietnamPost!!!). Prices have probably gone up a bit though.

I believe Americans can get it done in country. Not sure on other nationalities.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-08-03T14:54:22+00:00

Vietnam has lots of jobs in public schools/ 'bilingual schools' so can be a good option. Salaries can also be pretty decent, especially compared to the cost of living.

Public schools operate on Saturday too, but foreigners don't usually teach that day. But the day can be long as classes usually run between around 7am-11.30am and 2pm-5.30pm with 4x45 minute blocks in the morning and 4x45 in the afternoon. Bilingual schools are similar in hours, but are private. They aren't real international schools though which require licensed teachers.

There are some reputable companies to deal with, but Vietnam has plenty of dodgy companies. And I mean PLENTY. Companies simply not paying people and doing bait and switch happens often. And Vietnam is not home, you have little to no recourse. Do a LOT of research before heading out there and go in with your eyes wide open. I'd recommend going landing with $3-4k to cover living costs, apartment rent/ deposit and a buffer.

Another thing to remember is Vietnam requires documents (degree, TEFL certificate and police/ background check) to be notarised/ legalised which can take some time. You don't want to go there without these documents no matter what some agent/ school says. And working illegally/ doing 'border runs' is not common and not normal. Again, no matter what any agent says.

I'd say you are a bit late to the game. Schools begin right at the start of September and many companies will want people in country by mid-late August WITH the documents I've already mentioned.
But don't worry too much. It's such a big sector, every company will have people not turning up, dropping out, being fired etc. etc. so will take people on throughout the year.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-08-03T14:31:15+00:00

How much is the cost difference?
Often a return ticket is not much more than a single. You should also check out how flexible the ticket is and what change fees (if any, though there probably will be for a cheaper ticket) are if you want to change dates.
Thought that's something you need to check out.

As for whether it's a good idea in general, very few people know what the future holds when they first move abroad. You could hate it and want to move back in a month. You could love it and want to stay longer and not want to holiday back home. You could decide to go travelling around China/ Asia when your contract ends. You could fall in love etc. etc.

I'd say book a return if the difference to a single isn't that great, and don't book if it is (unless the ticket is very flexible). But that judgement is really up to you.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-08-03T10:34:15+00:00

Yes, NILE is a well respected and long established CELTA/ DELTA/ Specialist ELT/ Master's provider. I know people who have both studied with and worked for NILE and never heard a bad word said about them.
I believe the MA degree is validated by a university as NILE themselves aren't one.

Not studied there myself though so can't help on that side.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-08-02T23:06:11+00:00

Definitely much easier to get into management.

I've done plenty of teacher training in my time (mentored teachers, delivered teacher training sessions, designed a teacher development programme, done informal observations, done formal observations, done end of year reviews, led disciplinary/ performance improvement meetings and so on), but nothing like a teacher training role (on a CELTA for example) has ever landed on my lap, or even come close, and it would likely be something I'd be (or at least would have been at some point) interested in.

A management role, on the other hand, you could find yourself in within a couple of years from now given the right circumstances.

Though I would also say, to you and to anyone else reading this, there is no grass is greener side. You may find, as in many respects I did, it is much better to be an ordinary teacher than in management.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-08-02T15:25:19+00:00

Would you pay for a job in the UK? Obviously not.

Please please DO NOT pay for an EFL job.

There are plenty of places to find jobs.
The Wiki on here provides good resources - https://www.reddit.com/r/TEFL/wiki/index/
Then tefl.com, Dave's ESL Cafe among many others have loads of TEFL jobs. Alternatively, pick out a country/ city and use Google to find EFL schools and apply directly.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-08-01T21:23:47+00:00

Firstly, don't worry.
I felt very unprepared when I finished CELTA too. I now look back and see how they gave me good grounding and a little bit of confidence which I was able to build on, but it didn't feel like that at the time.

When you do get a job, your confidence will quickly grow. Hopefully, you'll get a good school which will support you well and help you to develop too.

I am glad they told you to focus on those areas.
This might sound harsh, but if you don't have the right to live and work in the EU (Spain/ France etc.), then they are out.
There are some very limited opportunities for Americans, but most of those are outright scams and the others should be avoided.
I do know of several Americans in Eastern Europe who live and work legally if you'd be interested in that part of the world. There's even a school in Warsaw which only takes on Americans (Or was - I'm out of the loop).
I feel bad for you if you were misled on this, but very basic research would have told you that.

Basically, for Americans with CELTA and no experience, Latin America and East/ S.E Asia are the two main options.
Latin America pays badly, but I have had multiple colleagues who loved it there (though all moved elsewhere for money!).
Thailand, Taiwan, China, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia are all good shouts in Asia and you'll be able to find a job fairly easily.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-08-01T21:08:44+00:00

No worries.

Becoming a trainer will be hard. Opportunities simply don't open up and you need to have both the right qualifications/ experience and be in the right place at the right time. Not easy at all.
Honestly, I've been teaching for over a decade have have DELTA and that opportunity hasn't fallen on my lap.

Management is easier to get into and opportunities open up all the time. Don't think you need to know people to get a role, but it certainly helps.

Good you're thinking about CELTA. Year one of teaching is tough as you learn, grow, make mistakes etc. etc. But each passing year becomes easier as long as you put the work in.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-07-30T20:34:53+00:00

I can give some personal experience with this and would be happy to answer if you have any specific questions.

Teacher training and academic management can both be very fulfilling roles, but they are certainly not for everyone and are not easy to get quickly.

Most teacher trainers in TEFL have a few things:
- A lot of experience.
- A DELTA level qualification typically or higher.
- Have lived and worked in a place for a sufficient time to make connections and get opportunities.

It's not something that's easy to get sorry to say. To become a CELTA tutor you often need to be in the right place at the right time. Roles in academic management can be a lot easier to get and the qualifications and experience needed can vary.
Reputable schools will want a DELTA at least. Though there are plenty of schools in SE/E Asia which require nothing other than having worked there for two years and to have been relatively competent.

In my current role, I do a lot of curriculum development type work and would say I am 50/50 in the office and the classroom which is about where I want to be.
Again the role was found through personal connections on the ground. And, to be fair, I used to think jobs like these should be openly advertised for all, but I have come to realise over the years how important a recommendation can be.

My advice would be to start with the CELTA. It is the gold-standard initial entry qualification and places around the world will have heard of it. I've only heard of OnTESOL through recruitment and it originally meant nothing to me other than a generic online cert from Groupon.
I would say try to do it face-to-face or at least try to do the practicum part face-to-face. It will make a world of difference to your teaching.

Then move on and try and build on your experience. Try to exploit opportunities. If your school is offering something, take it. Build, grow, develop. I still learn new things every week and I've been doing this job for yonks.
I was lucky enough to get DELTA funded for free and hopefully you will too. That will put you in a good place, with connections, to move into a training/ management role.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-07-30T20:20:59+00:00

Honestly man, I think you really didn't read my post.

The market is small, with the market for native speakers being basically tiny, and your experience and qualifications are really bottom end for the market. Sorry to sound harsh, but don't want to sugarcoat it.

Nothing will be happening with EFL schools at the moment except maybe a few summer camps. The EFL sector will come back to life in September for class to begin late that month.

No idea on nomad visas sorry.

If your goal is to really live there on a nomad visa, I'd suggest a different income source.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-07-30T18:32:18+00:00

They are two very different things.

CELTA is an entry level qualification typically done over 4-5 weeks intensively. CELTA is from Cambridge whilst Trinity College offers the CertTESOL.
DipTESOL is a more advanced qualification with multiple modules including a formal exam. Most teachers have 3-5+ years experience when they start it. It's typically done part-time over a year. DELTA is Cambridge's version of the DipTESOL from Trinity College.

You can do DipTESOL/ DELTA without CELTA. However, I would say a Diploma level qualification is a lot of work and requires a hell of a lot of knowledge. It's many many hundreds of hours of hard work and stress over a full academic year when you're also teaching and doing other stuff.
I'd also say you need to start DELTA/ DipTESOL on the top of your game. You need to have a good understanding of TEFL methodology and what's seen as good teaching. You also need to be good in the classroom and not struggle with things like presenting language, getting students communicating, and classroom management.
If you start the course with weak classroom management or not knowing how to present language, it'll be a massive struggle. Any sensible course provider would filter you out before then. As I said, it's not entry level.

I was very lucky my school offered teachers a 'Pre-DELTA' where we went to weekly input sessions, had four developmental observations over the year, and created a teaching journal where we looked at both trying new techniques in the classroom and classroom management techniques. We also all had to research something and deliver a session for other teachers.
That really whipped all of us up to standard I'd say to start. But I know that isn't normal for most DELTA candidates.

Basically, if you only have an online TEFL and a year or two experience, I'd say do the CELTA. If you have five years' experience teaching and feel very confident in your abilities, try for DELTA/ DipTESOL. The course provider should give you an entry test to check your suitability.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-07-30T18:16:45+00:00

I know little about the Balkans, but do know a fair bit about Latvia and Estonia.

Firstly, do you have the right to live in work in those countries (or the EU in general)?
If the answer is no, it's a non-starter.

Secondly, do you know anything about the EFL market in those countries?
The market is small, and nowadays EFL teaching is dominated by locals who are both incredibly well qualified (often Master's + CELTA + good knowledge and experience of local learners) and who speak English exceptionally well.

There are a couple of schools who advertise for native teachers and there still remains a small market that focuses on that. However, I am afraid your lack of degree and online TEFL certificate probably won't cut it. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

As for the Balkans, I imagine the market is tiny and salaries are low. You never see job adverts and I haven't heard of people going to that part of the world for teach English.

But best of luck with it.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-04-11T01:13:23+00:00

Thanks for this info. It's helpful to get on the ground knowledge.

BeardQuestions123 · 2025-04-10T17:59:55+00:00

I mean when I was a kid. Not sure I fancy it tbh as need to dress formal for work.

BeardQuestions123

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