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So, you’ve decided to teach English in Vietnam. What a great choice! Now comes the next big decision: Should you take an in-class TESOL course in Vietnam or an online one before leaving home? Let’s break it down with observations from the coalface teaching English in Vietnam, a bit of humor, some hard truths, and a cautionary tale or two.
In-Class TESOL Course: Real Deal
Hands-On Experience: An in-class course provides real, hands-on teaching experience. It’s like learning to swim by jumping in a swimming pool rather than just reading about it or watching a video on YouTube. You get to practice with actual students in a real school environment, receive immediate feedback, and refine your teaching techniques ‘there and then.’ I did the in-class TESOL course at AVSE-TESOL in Ho Chi Minh City before securing my first teaching job in Vietnam. With my hand on my heart, it set me up positively for everything I’ve subsequently achieved in Vietnam. It was worth every penny.
Experienced Mentors: You’ll have access to professional mentors – seasoned campaigners – who can guide you through issues related to teaching English in Vietnam. It’s like having a personal trainer versus ‘shadow boxing’ in front of the mirror in your bedroom. True, you can get fit doing your own thing, but having a pro by your side makes a world of difference. There’s a lot to say about surrounding yourself with people who know a thing or two about the life-changing experience you’re embarking upon.
Networking Opportunities: Being in a real school environment while completing a TESOL course allows you to connect with like-minded souls and establish life-long professional and personal relationships. These connections can lead to job opportunities and support when it’s most needed down the road. It’s akin to joining a club where all the members share the same goal: pursuing teaching jobs in Vietnam. From my TESOL course at AVSE-TESOL seven years ago, I’ve maintained contact with five classmates, and there have been two marriages. This is not uncommon with in-class TESOL training.
Online TESOL Course: Pitfalls
Lack of Practical Experience: Most online courses lack a practical teaching component, or it’s concocted. What do I mean by concocted? The teaching practice occurs online with a small group of people (often staff of the TESOL provider) role-playing ESL students. The lack of a meaningful, practical component with an online TESOL course is akin to learning to drive a car using a simulator—helpful, but not quite the same as being on the road. Without actual classroom experience, you will flounder when confronted with a classroom full of rowdy Vietnamese ESL students who’d rather be in another place.
Isolation: Some people love doing online study programmes, but they’re not everyone’s ‘cup of tea.’ The mere thought of doing an online TESOL course sends shivers down my spine. I’d miss the camaraderie and support of fellow students, trainers, and administration staff. It would be like working from home during the pandemic; I’d get the job done while pining for a bit of face-to-face interaction. Teaching English in Vietnam is multifaceted. In part, at least, it’s a ‘people sport.’ If you accept this premise, it makes sense to surround yourself with people in an actual school environment from day one of your training.
Quality Concerns: Not all online courses are created equal. There is a handful of government-regulated programmes online that offer valid ESL teaching qualifications, for example, AVSE-TESOL (Australia), the International TEFL Academy (United States), the TEFL Academy (United Kingdom), and UK TEFL (United Kingdom). Still, many dodgy programmes have highly questionable (private) accreditation or, in some instances, zero accreditation. I have seen 120-hour online TESOL programmes that can be completed in 30 minutes and online programmes where all the answers to assessment tasks are freely available online. There are even online TESOL courses accredited by the provider’s mum (or similar).
Online TESOL training is one of those industries where thorough due diligence is essential.
Real-Life Wake-Up Calls
Let’s talk about Emma Robinson – a lovely young ‘Brit’ who chose a cheap, online TESOL course because it suited her busy schedule and tight budget. Emma breezed through the 120-hour course in 75 minutes, received a certificate and managed to have her certificate notarised and legalised for teaching English in Vietnam. Emma had every reason to believe she was fully prepared for her teaching jobs abroad adventure. Wrong! She wasn’t! Potential employers were unimpressed by the 1. lack of a practical teaching component in Emma’s course, 2. obvious shortcomings with the theoretical content; and 3. ‘accreditation’ from a random Limited Liability Company rather than from a government body.
One of the observers at a ‘demo’ class that Emma delivered at the VATC school in Ho Chi Minh City noted that “it was like trying to perform an appendectomy on a fee-paying customer after watching ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ on the ‘telly’—totally unprepared.” Yes, the comment was unkind, but even Emma says it was probably true. Emma eventually took the same in-class TESOL course at AVSE in Ho Chi Minh City that I had taken eighteen months earlier. The administration staff at AVSE-TESOL placed Emma at an English language school in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, where I was working. She has been a good friend ever since.
Then there’s Jack Mount – a mature-aged Scottish chap. Jack opted for an online course that promised the world and delivered nothing. The marketing consisted of catchy lines like ‘Do our free online TESOL / TEFL certification and start teaching English in Vietnam.’ The so-called ‘free’ course wasn’t free at all. When it came time for Jack to be issued his certificate, he was shocked to receive a ‘postage bill’ that more or less equalled what he would have paid for an online TESOL course offered by a government-regulated body – a valid teaching qualification. I won’t share Jack’s specific response to his online course provider. It’s enough to say that Jack expressed his opinion in ‘colourful’ language that you’d hope doesn’t make its way to a classroom.
Jack subsequently did an online UK government-regulated TEFL certification programme. With support from the provider of that programme, Jack secured a decent job teaching English in Ho Chi Minh City within days of his arrival in Vietnam. The job came with all the core requirements for an ESL teacher in Vietnam – Work Permit and visa support, sensible hours, market pay rate, professional development opportunities, and more. In a nutshell, Jack landed on his feet despite the initial setback.
Verdict: In-Class Wins
If you’re serious about carving out a career teaching English in Vietnam, in my opinion, investing in government-regulated, in-class TESOL / TEFL certification is the way to go. The ‘hands-on’ teaching experience, mentor support, and networking opportunities that are pillars of in-class TESOL training will set you up for success teaching abroad, whether it’s in Vietnam or another exotic destination. While online study programmes are convenient, they often lack theoretical knowledge, necessary practical experience, and, importantly, government-regulated accreditation.
While I have firmly pinned my name to the in-class mast, I’d encourage you to conduct thorough due diligence before you lock into a TESOL course, regardless of the study mode.
About the writer: Mick Garnet has been teaching English in Ho Chi Minh City since 2017. He holds a degree in Business Studies from Curtin University in Australia, and government-regulated TESOL certification from AVSE-TESOL in Vietnam.
