Week 11: The Irony of Viet Kieu's Teaching English in Vietnam
Many Viet Kieu's (Vietnamese from overseas) that move to Vietnam face an ironic situation when looking for work as an English teacher. Although many Viet Kieu's have great English, or even perfect English from living abroad since birth, many schools have trouble accepting Viet Kieu's to teach English. They would actually prefer a Western-looking (blonde hair, blue eyes) teacher who speaks worse English and has no qualifications or experience, than a Vietnamese-Australian/American/British, who speaks perfect English AND has qualifications and experience.
Today I heard a story about two friends who applied for the same job. One was Viet Kieu with experience teaching English, and the other was an American with blonde hair. The school told the Viet Kieu to go home, and hired the American. It's also commonly known that Viet Kieu teachers get paid significantly less than if they looked like a Westerner.
This creates a challenge for Viet Kieu's looking for a stable job as an English teacher in Vietnam. How much does holding a college degree, or having experience, affect a Viet Kieu's job prospects? It depends on the institution or school where you are applying. As a whole though, it is very difficult for Viet Kieu's to secure a well-paying job at an established institution teaching English.
The alternatives? One option is to tutor students that attend international schools. More on that subject next time ;)
Today I heard a story about two friends who applied for the same job. One was Viet Kieu with experience teaching English, and the other was an American with blonde hair. The school told the Viet Kieu to go home, and hired the American. It's also commonly known that Viet Kieu teachers get paid significantly less than if they looked like a Westerner.
This creates a challenge for Viet Kieu's looking for a stable job as an English teacher in Vietnam. How much does holding a college degree, or having experience, affect a Viet Kieu's job prospects? It depends on the institution or school where you are applying. As a whole though, it is very difficult for Viet Kieu's to secure a well-paying job at an established institution teaching English.
The alternatives? One option is to tutor students that attend international schools. More on that subject next time ;)
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