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Vietnam has long been a backpacking mecca for people from all across the globe and there’s a lot to love: intriguing and unique cultures, amazing food, some of the best scenery in the region and if you’ve got a year to spare and you have a degree, Vietnam is also a great place to teach English. While teaching in Thailand may be more popular as it offers a wider range of placement locations and the opportunity to teach for just a few months rather than a full year, Vietnam appeals to those looking to earn a decent salary and make a life of working abroad even if it’s just for 12 months.
And as with most teach abroad programs, you’re going to need to budget for things like flights, accommodation, living expenses, visas, program fees and of course your essential teach abroad certificate: the TESOL. So like we did with our Teach English in Thailand program, we’ve broken it down for you to show how much, and for how long, you need to save up to be able to afford this incredible adventure.
How much does it all cost?
How much it will cost in total for you to teach English in Vietnam, broken down by currency for country of origin. Program fees are in USD, other currencies are approximates based on exchange rates for November 2016. Flight costs are approximate based on cheapest available flights at time of publication.
Interested in Teaching English in Vietnam? We’ll send you more info!
Or learn more about our Teach English in Vietnam program
What’s included in the program fees?
Your program fees give you guaranteed job placement, a 120 hour in-class TESOL course at the regional training centre in Hua Hin, Thailand, airport pickup, local sim card, Vietnamese cultural orientation and assistance with finding accommodation in Vietnam, help with opening a local bank account and access to online teaching resources to help you with planning lessons. It also comes with great pre-departure support to help you understand everything you need to make the trip possible, assistance with your visa application and round-the-clock support once you’re over in South East Asia to help answer any questions or guide you out of a tricky situation.
Have we left anything out? One thing not included here is travel insurance and we highly recommend you get some. The cost will depend on your provider in your home country, but shop around and be aware of the benefits included in each option. We recommend choosing a policy which offers medical assistance like rescue and repatriation and pays for your medical costs up-front rather than one that refunds you when you get home. Also, there may be some more expensive stuff you’d like to budget for like a new camera or day trips during your first few months.
It’s really important to remember with our programs that you don’t have to pay everything up-front. We require a $300 deposit which secures you a spot on the program of your choosing and gets you access to our comprehensive pre-departure support. The rest of the program fees are only due 6 weeks prior to departing for your TESOL training course and job placement to follow, giving you plenty of time to save, save, save!
Also, remember that you’ll start earning money from the end of your first month in Vietnam (monthly salaries range from 1200 to 1700 USD per month) so you’ll quickly start saving, especially if you live a little more conservatively during your first couple of months.
How much to save up
How much you need to save up per month for teaching in Vietnam, depending on how long you save for and where in the world you live.
Getting to Ho Chi Minh City
Our placements are throughout Vietnam with the majority being in provincial towns around Ho Chi Minh City (also known as Saigon), which is in the South of Vietnam and is the largest city in the country. There is a chance you could be placed in HCMC, but just be prepared that you are more likely to be placed in a smaller town. Because training is done in Thailand you’ll need a ticket to Bangkok and then another one way between Bangkok and HCMC though too. Here’s a quick breakdown of those flight costs, the prices are based on cheapest one way tickets from the cities listed below including the ticket between Bangkok and HCMC. Prices include taxes and must be used merely as a guide as pricing will very much depend on availability and when you book the flights.
- From New York: from ± USD 460
- From Los Angeles: from ± USD 300
- From Toronto: from ± CAD 660
- From Vancouver: from ± CAD 680
- From London: from ± GBP 315
- From Dublin: from ± EUR 465
- From Johannesburg: from ± ZAR 5800
- From Sydney: from ± AUD 470
- From Perth: from ± AUD 220
- From Auckland: from ± NZD 550
Living Expenses
The table above mentions living expenses and in that we’ve included quite a range of stuff. Transport costs have been included there for your stay in Thailand during training and while you’re in Vietnam. Accommodation for your month in Thailand plus one month’s rent in Vietnam along with a one month deposit is also included. We threw in a $300 entertainment budget based on going out a bit during your training but not during your first month in Vietnam, plus we included 60 days of food at $6.60 a day and a miscellaneous budget for things you didn’t think of at $200.
How much will I earn while teaching in Vietnam?
So this is where things get super exciting. You’ve flown halfway across the world and are enriching the lives of kids on a daily basis, no doubt making a lasting impact and making sure they’re set for awesome futures. Now it’s time to enrich your wallet too and make those travel dreams come true! Salaries at TravelBud’s job placements in Vietnam range from $1200 to $1700 a month and we averaged that out in the below table to $1550 per month. We take into account living expenses like rent, food, transport and entertainment to help you get a better idea of how much you will make over how long a time of working. Oh, and there’s bonus pay for when you complete your 12 month contract!
How much you could save while working in Vietnam. Amounts may fluctuate depending on where you’re placed, so use these as a guide.
Interested in Teaching English in Vietnam? We’ll send you more info!
Or learn more about our Teach English in Vietnam program
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