Where to Complete a TESOL Course in Vietnam
If you dream of teaching English in Vietnam and want to know where to complete your TESOL course, you’ve landed in the right spot. I did the Australian Government-accredited TESOL course at AVSE-TESOL in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City. I loved the place, and you will, too. There are countless TESOL providers in Vietnam, two or three of which are genuinely good, a handful mediocre (at best), but regrettably, the vast majority are pretty ordinary. Let’s drill down on the type of TESOL programmes you’ll find in Vietnam.
Quick-Fix Providers
You’ll find a slew of providers offering short TESOL courses with the promise of turning you into a professional English language educator within three days (or less). While these courses are cheap, fast, and convenient, they offer limited practical teaching opportunities, none at all in some cases – and lack government accreditation. Government accreditation is pivotal. It’s central to validity. Without government accreditation, what’s on offer is akin to a short personal development course rather than a legitimate, internationally recognised teaching qualification.
Frank, one of my classmates at AVSE-TESOL, initially chose a quick-fix TESOL programme because he’s a native English speaker, and he heard that any random certificate is enough to work as an ESL teacher in Vietnam. Wrong! At his first, second, and third interviews for English teaching jobs in Ho Chi Minh City, Frank learned that schools are on top of what makes a TESOL certificate valid. Frank’s fourth job interview did materialise into a low-paid teaching job. However, the realisation that he knew next to nothing about putting a lesson plan together and managing a class of 45 rambunctious students set in quickly. Fortuitously, the ‘penny dropped’ and Frank enrolled in the same in-class TESOL course as me, at AVSE in Ho Chi Minh City. Frank and I still keep in touch. He’s now in his seventh-year teaching in Vietnam.
Local Language Centres
Post-pandemic, quite a few privately owned English Language Centres in Vietnam have added TESOL training to their offerings. It’s seen as a ‘cash cow’—the wrong reason to set up a TESOL training business, in my opinion.
There are pros and cons connected with doing your teacher training certification at a local language centre. The ‘pros’ include an actual school environment from day one, real ESL students engaged in ongoing English language programmes, and, almost certainly, immediate job placement once you’ve finished the TESOL course. ‘Cons’ include certification with dubious validity, focused on the needs of the language centre rather than outcomes for trainee ESL teachers (and ESL students), and, importantly, those who deliver TESOL courses in local language centres rarely hold specialist vocational training qualifications. Moreover, any profit-driven vocational training programme will almost certainly have shortcomings.
Online Programmes
The popularity and acceptance of online study programmes, TESOL and otherwise, have increased since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, when a good number of us were required to remain ‘in doors’ for extended periods. Online programmes offer the flexibility to learn from anywhere, which people appreciate, especially those juggling multiple commitments.
There are decent online TESOL programmes in the marketplace, but plenty of ‘shockers’ exist.
AVSE-TESOL offers an online version of their Australian Government-accredited course, with a face-to-face teaching practicum in Ho Chi Minh City or Phnom Penh. Despite what you might read in Facebook posts and similar, online TESOL certification is recognised and accepted by schools in Vietnam provided it: 1. is a product of a government-regulated TESOL programme and therefore a valid ESL teaching qualification, and 2. includes a face-to-face teaching practicum of at least 12 hours.
Why do the TESOL Course at AVSE in Vietnam
Earlier in this post, I fessed up and made it abundantly clear that I love AVSE-TESOL. I understand that my love of what AVSE-TESOL offers in Vietnam is an insufficient reason for you to follow in my footsteps. Allow me to go further. Here are five factual reasons why you should choose the TESOL course at AVSE-TESOL over other options that are out there:
- Australian Government accreditation
- The right mix of knowledge and skills
- Specialist trainers
- Supportive learning environment
- Personal success stories
- Australian Government Accredited:Â The TESOL programme at AVSE-TESOL in Ho Chi Minh City is within the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) jurisdiction. It’s a government-regulated programme and hence, a valid qualification. AVSE has permission from the Australian Government to deliver this AQF qualification offshore, specifically in Vietnam and Cambodia. Equally important, AVSE has authority from the Vietnamese and Cambodian Governments to deliver this Australian qualification in their respective countries.
- Right mix of Knowledge and Skills: The TESOL programme at AVSE is not a tick-and-flick course where you obtain certification that attests to 150 hours of study, but in reality, you complete it in half a day. What AVSE-TESOL Offers is genuinely hard work and requires your full attention for the better part of a month. The AVSE TESOL course delivers an appropriate mix of necessary ‘teaching theory’ – the knowledge aspect of teaching and learning and real-world classroom experience – the skills dimension. Among other subject areas, the knowledge component of what AVSE offers includes lesson planning, classroom management, how to teach grammar, international tests, and assessments. Teaching practice with actual Vietnamese students engaged in ongoing ESL study programmes (minimum of 12 hours) – in actual school environments – is the centerpiece of the skills work in the AVSE TESOL course.
- Specialist Trainers:Â More than being an experienced teacher is required to deliver a TESOL programme within the AQF. TESOL trainers must hold specialist Vocational Education and Training (VET) certification, a separate qualification within the AQF. “Why is this necessary”? I hear you ask. The answer is straightforward. Teaching and training are different activities that demand a different skill set. Recognition that teaching and training are different is a distinguishing factor in a highly competitive marketplace. From my observations in Vietnam, AVSE is the only TESOL provider that requires those who deliver training to hold specialist, government-regulated training certification. Â
- Supportive Learning Environment: AVSE has been on the ground in Vietnam and Cambodia for 15+ years. More than 50% of the people employed at AVSE in August 2024 have worked there for over a decade – the gold standard for staff retention. I love the place, and staff retention at AVSE shows that I’m not alone. Don’t get me wrong, they make mistakes, but when errors occur, they take action. Here is a shout-out to the Reception and Administration staff at AVSE in Ho Chi Minh City. These people help foreigners like me to find affordable accommodation during the in-class TESOL course, organise observation and teaching practice classes at AVSE’s language centre and partner schools, ensure that TESOL trainees have a job to go to at the end of the course – and much more. Â
- Alumni Success Stories: Graduates of the TESOL programme at AVSE teach all over Vietnam and beyond, landing fantastic jobs and making a real difference in lives of their students. Over the past few years in Vietnam, I have worked at three schools with AVSE graduates. Graduates of the TESOL programme at AVSE have also found their way to senior management positions in some of the leading language schools in Vietnam – and even international schools in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Here are three inspiring stories from my TESOL classmates:
Maria’s Journey: Corporate high-flyer to ESL teacher: Maria was working a high-stress finance job in New York when she decided it was time for a change. She enrolled in the TESOL course at AVSE in Ho Chi Minh City and found her true calling. After completing the course, Maria moved to Da Nang and began teaching at a local language centre. Her ability to connect with students is top-notch. Moreover, her brilliant reputation for incorporating innovative teaching methods into lessons has made her one of the most sought-after teachers in the region. Nowadays, mentoring new TESOL graduates is close to the top of Maria’s ‘Things I like to do’ list. She’s passionate about sharing her knowledge on all things related to teaching English in Vietnam. New York’s loss is Vietnam’s gain.
Tom’s Adventure: Backpacker to influential ESL educator: After earning his PGCE at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, Tom was backpacking in Southeast Asia when he heard about the Australian Government-accredited TESOL course in Vietnam at AVSE from a random chap in a bar. He made inquiries, visited AVSE in Ho Chi Minh City, and eventually signed up. With TESOL certification from AVSE in one pocket, his PGCE in another, and an engaging disposition, Tom secured a teaching position at a prestigious private school in Hanoi – with a helping hand from AVSE’s Admin staff – see my ‘shout out’ above under the ‘Supportive Learning Environment’ heading. Tom is now the Head of English at a university in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Linh’s Mission: ESL student to ESL teacher: Linh, a ’20 something’ Vietnamese girl, has always wanted to secure a job as a Vietnamese English teacher. She started her journey as an ESL student at AVSE’s language school in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City, as a 9-year-old. Word has it, her English teacher was Peter Goudge, the Managing Director (and founder of AVSE-TESOL). Linh moved through the ‘Cambridge’ classes at AVSE – Starters, Movers, Flyers, KET, PET, and the like before majoring in English at Hoa Sen University in Ho Chi Minh City. She then achieved IELTS 8.5, completed the TESOL programme at AVSE, and worked as an ESL teacher for the past few years. Linh’s message to other Vietnamese people thinking about a career as an ESL teacher is short and sweet: grab the opportunity with both hands and run with it.
Crux
If you’re serious about teaching English in Vietnam, take the best TESOL course available. AVSE-TESOL offers a top-tier, government-accredited TESOL programme to prepare you for a successful and rewarding career teaching English abroad and in your home country. Those other options look appealing on paper but lack depth, government accreditation, and practical experience. Your future students will thank you for your wise choice, and you’ll have the confidence and credentials to thrive as an ESL educator.
About the author: Pierre Mareeb completed the TESOL course at AVSE in Ho Chi Minh City in 2017 and has been teaching English in Vietnam ever since. Originally from France, Pierre lives in Vinh Long Province (Mekong Delta) with his Vietnamese wife and two young children.
