5 Challenges for English Teachers in Vietnamese Public Schools

One of the most common English teaching gigs in Vietnam is working in Vietnamese public schools. And, if you talk to any teacher who’s taken the gig they’ll have plenty of stories to share. As for me, I started teaching in Ho Chi Minh city primary and secondary schools more than a decade ago. I’ve also gotten to manage, train, and observe my own team of teachers and also work with teachers from other companies. Through all that, I’ve identified what I think are the five biggest challenges EFL teachers face while teaching English in Vietnamese public schools. In this post I’ll share my ideas for how you can best deal with these difficulties.

1. Many Large, Mixed Level Classes

Probably the biggest challenge to teaching in Vietnamese public schools is the number, size, and mix of students in your classes. Most classes have around 45 students in them. You’ll also likely teach from four to up to seven or eight different classes every day. Each class is held for just one 30 to 70 minute lesson each week. That means, potentially, you could see over 300 students each day and more than 1,000 in a week if you’re teaching a full-time schedule.

Obviously, that means your ability to get to know each student will be severely limited. The best you might do with a packed schedule is to get familiar with each class’s dynamics. You’ll also build a good general idea of many, but not all of your students over a school year.

On top of that, most Vietnamese public schools – especially primary schools (G1-G5) – keep their students grouped in their original classes for English lessons. That means they’ll all be at the same age but not the same level. Therefore, you’re likely to have a wide mix of abilities in your classes. You’ll have students who attend extra English classes outside of school and students who only get to learn English at public school in the same classes. It’s not uncommon to have a wide range of ability levels in a single classroom, along with at least several discouraged students on the bottom end.

Finally, not all public schools are the same and not all classes at each school are the same. Some schools clearly have more resources and students who’ve gotten more opportunities than other schools. Even within each school, each class is ranked by performance. That can mean that classes at one school may, on average, be far more advanced than their textbook while students at another school might need help with the most basic parts. Your syllabus might say two classes are learning the same unit, but there’s a strong possibility they’ll need very different lesson plans.

How to Succeed

First, don’t lose hope! You can still have a great teaching experience even if you don’t know each and every one of your students’ names.

Supplementary English Teacher: At the public schools you aren’t your students’ main English teacher. You’re just a supplementary teacher. You’re there to help the local Vietnamese English teacher. She (or he) knows all of the students and their needs. You’re there to provide an authentic English model for them to listen to. You’re also there to give your students lots of opportunities to practice their skills – especially their listening and speaking skills.

Get Everyone Involved: On that note, there are lots of games and activities you can organize that are effective even for large, mixed-level classes. Just make sure to provide support and scaffolding on the board for lower-level students.

You might be tempted to stick to activities that only involve one or two students at a time. This seems to limit the chances for chaos. Avoid that temptation! It might feel safe in the short term, but it’s dangerous in the long term. Your students will get restless and become demotivated when they don’t get to participate and practice their English. Instead, you want to get as many students involved at a time so everyone gets to have fun and learn.

Take Photos & Notes: Finally, it’s always good practice – whether you have small classes or large – to take notes about your students and classes. This is true for public school classes, too! Stand at the front of the class and photograph everyone sitting at their seats. They’ll likely be in the same chairs all year long. You can assign letters and numbers to the columns and rows and then take notes on a couple individuals after classes. Even just one or two points can be really helpful in the long term. You can also note down general things such as what games or activities each class seems to like, or other points that will help you build rapport.

2. Inconsistent TA Support

Another common challenge that EFL teachers have in Vietnamese public schools is the quality of Teaching Assistants. Your experience will likely be all over the place and that’s for one big reason. That is, each public school will have its own unique deal with the company that hires you to teach English there.

Some companies provide their own teaching assistants whose main job is to help you succeed in class. All lot of these are university students or recent grads. I’ve met many who were fluent in English, experienced, well-trained, and eager to help. This isn’t always the case, though.

Other times, the public school provides the “teaching assistant.” This might be one of school’s Vietnamese English teachers doing double-duty. Or, it might even be the Vietnamese homeroom teacher who doesn’t speak more than a few words of English. In many cases these people are busy with many other responsibilities.

In all cases, you will have to navigate the tricky waters of establishing working relationships with each of your TAs and finding a workable balance. Some TAs will be happy to talk with you, make plans, and effectively execute what you want from them. Others will choose to sit in the back and mark papers. They’ll only look up and shout when the kids get too noisy. Some others might try to take over your class, give instructions for you, or discipline your students for you – whether you want them to or not. Others will even disappear for significant stretches of class time. These relationships won’t always be easy or stress free.

How to Succeed

Be Respectful: First, you want to remember that in many cases these people are career education professionals. They went to university to become teachers, and they have degrees in education. And, they have likely already been at that school for many years before you walked in. You also want to remember that if they’ve been working for more than a couple years then they have worked with many, many foreign English teachers – and not all of those experiences were positive for them. It’s always a good idea to approach them with some humility and respect. They can be a big resource if you can get along with them. Try chatting with them a bit before and after classes. Even invite them to coffee during a break (or bring some in hand) as a way to get the ball rolling.

Clear Communication: On top of that, try your best to communicate with them. For example, if they’re busy and often going in and out of the classroom, let them know before class starts when and how you’ll need them. Then, they can work on other things while helping you when you need it the most. Also, try to treat them like a partner or a teammate by setting up a gameplan early on. It’s a lot easier for them to help you when your expectations and the lesson plan are clear. That’s a lot better than expecting them to remain in a passive position and try to figure out what you want and need.

Become Independent: Finally, it’s also totally possible to successfully work with a class of 45 kids without the active help of a TA. With a little practice and the right techniques you can get your students to behave and practice English effectively. In later years I found it best as a goal to manage my classes on my own and use a TA in only special, planned circumstances. That way I had control over everything I needed and I could rely on things I could control. If you’re new you’ll probably need some time to get to this level, but it’s a good aim to work for.

3. Hot, Noisy, Crowded Classrooms and Limited Resources

Another major difficulty that English teachers have in Vietnamese public schools is with the classrooms themselves. In many to most cases you will teach students in their home classroom. This is the classic Vietnamese classroom with about 45 desks packed in tight rows with little room for movement. It’s also very common to not have any air conditioning in classrooms. Instead, you’ll have fans and open windows. I’ve worked in quite a few classrooms with busy streets just outside the open windows. Throughout each lesson we heard honking, trucks braking, and engines running.

On top of that, most classrooms don’t provide many resources for you. You’ll either get a chalkboard or a whiteboard (make sure to bring your own markers just in case). There’s often a TV or projector that should be working, but no guarantees. Some schools still use CD players and you can pick them up at an office (no guarantees, though). Besides that…you can use whatever you can carry with you to the school.

This isn’t always the case. A lot of Vietnamese public schools have a dedicated English classroom. These often have air conditioning, more flexible seating arrangements, and even working smartboards. As there’s only one room per school, though, you may only get to use that room for some classes at the school. The rest of the time other teachers will be using the classroom.

Finally, these days many schools have installed smartboards in each of their classrooms. That said, in my experience, they don’t always work well. I’ve observed more than a few lessons where a teacher’s lesson plan was thrown off course by a faulty connection or some other issue. I really recommend that you make sure to keep a back up plan in mind if you’re planning to use any technology that you don’t own and manage.

How to Succeed

Embrace the Adventure!: You’re getting to experience a real slice of normal Vietnamese life. It’s not going to be like back home. And, when you’re working in Vietnamese public schools you’re often working with students who have limited resources and opportunities to study with a foreign English teacher. The challenge comes with the territory, .

Dress for Success: Next, choose your work clothing carefully. Light materials and fashions that are breathable really help. Just remember that school dress codes are still pretty conservative; avoid showing tattoos or too much skin. At a lot of schools showing shoulders and knees is still unacceptable.

Audio Upgrade: Also, some teachers like to use portable speaker and microphone sets to project their voices. You can get these for cheap online, or some TAs will let you borrow theirs. Otherwise, practice projecting your voice as needed so everyone can hear you when needed (but don’t shout through the whole lesson). It’s also a good idea to warm up your voice at the start of the day so you don’t lose it.

Focus with Activity: One effect of noisy classrooms is children often struggle to sit and focus. In those cases, I usually incorporate more movement, song, chants, and pair/small group games into my lessons. I find these all help students overcome the base noise level of the classroom and focus better over the lesson.

As for moving around, you often won’t be able to get students to line up or move around easily as a class. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t lots of ways to get students to use their bodies or talk with each other. Check out these articles for game and activity ideas.

Finally, you don’t need a ton of tech and resources to have great lessons with your students! Whatever you need, like Blu Tack, whiteboards, or scratch paper can be provided by your company or purchased for cheap.

4. Driving Around to Multiple Locations & Dealing With Traffic

Another difficult aspect of teaching in Vietnamese public schools is actually just getting to them! A lot of times they’re located quite far outside the city or from where you live. It’s not uncommon at all to commute 30 to 45 minutes (sometimes more) to a school to teach.

On top of that, you’re driving during the morning rush with all the parents trying to get their students to school. Or, in the afternoon, you’ll often join the start of rush hour on your way home (or to your evening classes). You’re also likely to spend more than a few commutes in a rain poncho under heavy rain. Vietnamese traffic comes as a real shock for many teachers when they first arrive in the country.

And, quite often you might work at two different schools in the same day; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. You may also work at 3, 4, or even 5 different schools in one week. That can be a lot to juggle, especially if you’re fresh into Vietnam and don’t know your way around your new city.

How to Succeed

Check Twice, Drive Once: The first key to succeeding is to know where you’re going. Vietnamese addresses can be tricky. After 10 years in Vietnam I still have trouble finding some schools, even with Google maps. Things have definitely improved over the years, but you can still get weird results when you input a school name or even an address. I suggest double-checking and comparing locations with your company before heading out.

Leave Early: One other key to surviving is to give yourself some extra time to get to each school, especially the first few times. It’s very easy to make a wrong turn or get stuck in traffic and then arrive late or stressed out. Also, some “roads” on Google are actually glorified alleys – with the added bonus of fruit, meat, and vegetable sellers on both sides and shoppers everywhere. Rain storms (they’re pretty intense here) will also slow you and everyone else down. Seriously, I know of several teachers who were in a rush to classes and ended up having accidents. Nobody wants to spend a week in a Vietnamese hospital, so leave a little early and drive carefully!

Ride Apps: Finally, there are two realistic options for getting around the city on a regular basis. The first option is to use a local ride app such as Grab and Be. These are also really convenient. They’re a far better option than what was available when I first arrived here. Back then, we all had to roam around to find a xe ôm driver and then haggle with him and hope he knew where we were going. However, as with all ride apps, wait times for rides can get long during peak hours or rain storms. Give yourself extra time for the driver to arrive and invest in your own helmet.

Drive: The other option is to buy or rent a motorbike to get around. You can get a decent one for pretty cheap and gas won’t break the bank. Just make sure to bring your home-country driver’s license. Then, invest some time in getting it converted to a Vietnamese motorbike license. You’ll have to take a practical test for this, but it’s worth it in case you get pulled over or in an accident. I also recommend making use of the ride app for the first couple months you are here. While you’re on the back of a bike pay close attention to what your driver does. There are lots of local driving habits you’ll need to get used to so you can safely drive here.

5. Last Minute Lesson Content Changes

This last issue is especially frustrating for a lot of teachers and the stories are often the same. The teacher has a syllabus from their company that says they should teach, for example, Unit 5 Lesson 2 of Family and Friends Grade 2. The teacher arrives at their class only to be told that the students already did that unit. Instead, they need you to teach Unit 6 Lesson 1. This throws the teacher’s whole lesson plan out the window. And, on top of that, they don’t even have flashcards, a PowerPoint stack, or materials for that unit with them!

Not. Fun. Especially for a new teacher.

How to Succeed

This is probably the trickiest difficulty in Vietnamese public schools to give advice for. A lot will depend on who you’re working with and who you’re working for.

Double Check: The first thing you’ll want to do, if possible, is check that you actually read your syllabus correctly. It wouldn’t be the first time a teacher misread a syllabus and prepared the wrong material. I know I did that a couple times my first year!

Get them Speaking: If you read your syllabus right, my first piece of advice is to remember the general goal of using foreign English teachers in the schools. For a lot of classes, you’re not there to tell them “Do exercise 3 on page 54.” Instead, your goal is to give your students exposure to native (or native-like) English speakers. Your job is to give them lots of opportunities to practice their listening and speaking skills. You’re there to adapt content from the book so students can get more confident with it. And, even if students have already “done” a unit in the book, that doesn’t mean they’ve mastered the language in it. There’s always more students can do if you provide the right activities. They can always recycle, review, and remix old content with current content.

Basically, if your students have already practiced the vocabulary and grammar – that’s great! Now it’s time to get them to use it in speaking activities with each other. There are lots of low prep, simple options you can organize with a few minutes and some courage. Check these out:

So, if you’re feeling brave, try gently talking with the TA or teacher. Say that you’ll focus on getting your students to practice using the language and get more confident with it. I’ve had a few TAs accept this and we went on to have great lessons.

Check Back: My second piece of advice is to communicate with your company and report the issue. You really want to do this if it happens more than once with the same class. Sometimes schools and companies start using different versions of the same syllabus and dates get confused. Other times the public school teacher is just plain ignoring their syllabus. They’ll need to be reminded to get back on track. It’s best to leave those conversations for people in the head office. I really don’t recommend getting into an argument with a Vietnamese teacher at their school.

Go with the Flow: Finally, my last bit of advice is to be flexible. If the TA insists that you teach the unit that they want then just go along with it for the day. Afterwards, you can always compare notes to see what upcoming lessons will be and move from there.

There are still things you can do with just a whiteboard or a chalkboard and little to no preparation. For example, if you don’t have flashcards then dust off your drawing skills to elicit target vocabulary.

Miming is another great option that just needs a couple quick moments of thinking on your feet.

There are also tons of chants, activities, and games you can organize with little to no materials besides some slips of paper. That’s why, as a teacher, I always carry a packet filled with half and quarter-cut sheets of A4 paper. I keep these just in case I have a last minute cover or lesson change.

Cố Lên! (Try your best!)

Teaching in Vietnamese public schools is definitely an adventure filled with challenges. That said, challenges are meant to be overcome! All you’ll need is a little experience and a positive attitude and soon you’ll be able to have tons of fun teaching English to classes of 45 children here in Vietnam.

What other difficulties did I miss? What suggestions do you have for succeeding in Vietnamese public school classes? Share your ideas in the comment section below!