A Postcard from... Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Greetings from Ho Chi Minh City; home of 8 million people and 6 million motorbikes!

I arrived here in September 2008 ready to take on my first ESL teaching gig after completing my CELTA at Teaching House in March 2008. I took a position with ILA Vietnam, one of the largest language schools in Vietnam. It was an eye-opening experience full of good and not so good. Since it’s a large language school, 5 schools in Ho Chi Minh, it is full of resources and support. The building and classrooms are nice and professional and there is a ton of material to utilize, as well as academic advisors to consult with. It was a great place to start easing into the life of an ESL teacher. However, with the good comes the rough schedules. I started working a split schedule from day one and found it to be all-consuming as a new teacher. It was especially stressful as I was trying to sort out other things on my own such as housing, transportation, friends, and simply where I could go find food for dinner. It was all quite overwhelming at first!

After a few months of teaching at ILA I was able to network with a number of businesses in HO CHI MINH and found that there was a market for private corporate teaching. Since I had a business background with an MBA and 14 years’ experience working in corporate positions, I felt like I wanted to better utilize my background while teaching ESL. So, I took on a private teaching position at a manufacturing plant outside of Ho Chi Minh. I only teach 12 hours a week Tues-Wed-Thurs which leaves me four-day weekends to explore other hobbies and travel! I currently teach part-time, do IT consulting part-time, and do travel blogging/writing at Ottsworld.

Blending in with the locals

Vietnam provides a wealth of experiences to write about so I’ve really enjoyed having the time to pursue some other career outlets while living comfortably off of my part-time teacher salary. You can live cheaply here, as a beer is a $1, dinner is $4, and rent is approximately $350 - $450 depending how willing you are to live with roommates. You can also travel cheaply within the country. For $6 you can get to the beachside towns in a short 4-hour bus ride. Round-trip internal flights run about $70 and there is a wealth of places to see within Vietnam and nearby Cambodia.

I chose Vietnam because it is one of the few countries in SE Asia that still oozes culture; they haven’t been overwhelmingly effected with western influence yet. Don’t come here expecting it to be like Thailand; there is only a moderate infrastructure, no western chains (McD’s, Starbucks, Burger King), and few traffic rules. However, you can explore Ho Chi Minh and find the locals eating out at their mini plastic tables and chairs. They have big bowls of Pho and a host of family members running around amongst the motorbikes parked on the sidewalk. Locals’ lives spill out onto the sidewalks everywhere you look; and everywhere you try to walk. You can choose to integrate as much as you want, but I highly recommend a few Vietnamese lessons in order to get around! One of the ways I chose to integrate was to join the 6 million other people and hit the road on a motorbike. Being a part of the Ho Chi Minh traffic is iconic; terrifying and fun at the same time. Plus, once you learn to get around on your own, it opens up a whole new world to you. Vietnam is still slowly opening up its doors to Western business, which means that the market for ESL teachers and business people is abundant here. Plus, you can’t beat the food and the Vietnamese coffee! With a lot of patience for the cultural differences, an open mind, and a little networking, you can pretty much be up and running here in many different capacities!

Sherry
Teaching House CELTA Graduate, March 2008

Sherry with her students