4-Week TEFL Course in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The course is Australian government accredited under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), giving graduates a Certificate IV in TESOL. This certification is equivalent to CELTA and the Trinity CertTESOL.

The course costs $1,657. You’ll pay a deposit of $550 when you enrol and the balance directly to the partner centre approximately two weeks before the start of the course.

Please note:
These prices may be lower if you see an offer listed on our site or have a discount code.

Included in the price of the course are:
– Pre-course support – visa, insurance and documentation advice
– The 4-week, Australian Government accredited course
– 8 hours of teaching practice
– 6 hours observing experienced teachers
– Expert tuition from certified vocational trainers
– Help finding very well-priced accommodation to suit your needs – most within walking distance
– Access to the partner centre Student Learning Portal
– Welcome dinner and drinks
– Job support from the partner centre and from School of TEFL
– Online grammar course

This is an intensive, university-level course that requires dedication and hard work! It’s not a ‘shortcut’ TEFL course. However, with your commitment, you’ll emerge from it well-prepared and highly motivated to start your teaching journey.

Yes, you’ll teach actual local ESL students for 8 hours.

Yes, the course trains you how to teach both adults and young learners. You’ll learn core teaching skills applicable to all age groups, along with specific strategies for teaching young learners.

In the first 3 weeks of the course you will be assessed on your 8 hours of teaching practice, and on your reflections of observing experienced teachers. The assessment of teaching practice includes the production of detailed lesson plans.

In the fourth week, you’ll be assessed on a portfolio of teaching and testing resources, a short research project and a completed workbook, amongst other things. There is no final exam.

Our partner centre employs qualified assessors working under strict Australian Government compliance standards to ensure that you are ready to teach as soon as you’ve completed the course.

The course is suitable for motivated individuals of all ages and backgrounds who want to teach English in Vietnam, around the world or online.

The course tends to get fully booked up to two or three months in advance, so it’s best to book as early as you can.

There is an average of 16 trainees on each course.

You’ll need a laptop. If you don’t have one, our partner centre can hire one for you on request for the duration of the course, for a very reasonable fee and a refundable deposit.

When teaching or observing classes, you need to wear professional, business clothing (no jeans, shorts, flip-flops or t-shirts). When not teaching or observing, you can wear casual clothes.

You don’t need to prepare in any way. However, we would recommend taking our add-on Grammar Course (free when you enrol). You’ll learn grammar on the course, but this will give you a head start.

If you want to read about English teaching before the course, Learning Teaching by Jim Scrivener and The Practice of English Language Teaching by Jeremy Harmer are both good options. Again, this is optional, as you’ll learn all you need to know about the theory and practice of teaching on the course itself, but some trainees find it helpful to be familiar with some of the terms and concepts before starting the course.

No – TEFL courses show you how to teach without needing to know the language of your students. If you go on to teach in an English speaking country, you’ll probably have classes of mixed nationality/first language, so using the students’ first language isn’t an option anyway!

Our partner centre offers practical job search support, including help with creating a CV tailored to the local job market, mock interviews, and guidance on employment conditions and agreements. You’ll also be referred to partner schools in their network when relevant opportunities arise. Throughout the course, you’ll take part in sessions focused on job preparation and have access to the partner centre’s knowledgeable team for advice.

In addition to the support offered by the partner centre, School of TEFL provides continued career guidance. Before, during, and after the course, we’re here to offer advice on CVs, job applications, interview techniques, and developing your TEFL career. You’re always welcome to reach out by email or phone for personalised support – we’re here to help whenever you need us.

Our partner centre can help with the following:
– Airport pickup and accommodation check in
– Arranging Vietnamese language lessons
– Laptop hire
– Accommodation for extra nights
– Motorbike or bicycle hire
– Tour and flight bookings
– Laundry services
– Visa extensions
– Local SIM cards
– Help opening a local bank account

Please feel free to ask if you need help with anything else as well – the partner centre team will do their best to assist you or point you in the right direction wherever they can!

To teach English in Vietnam, you must:
– be 18 years of age
– have a Bachelor’s degree, with your certificate notarised in your home country
– have a government accredited TEFL qualification
– pass a basic health check as part of the process to obtain a work permit
– have a passport valid for at least 12 months
– produce a clean background check within the last six months, notarised in your home country

To enter Vietnam, you need a tourist visa. A tourist e-visa costs $25 and is valid for 90 days, which covers the duration of the TEFL course and, in most cases, the transition time needed to secure a work permit from an employer, and the related 2-year visa, afterward.

In rare cases where the work permit and long-term visa aren’t ready within 90 days, you may need to briefly leave the country to renew your tourist visa. For example, some teachers take a dedicated visa renewal bus from Ho Chi Minh City to the Cambodian border and back. The process typically takes half a day and costs around $115, including the visa fee.

Once you secure a job, your employer may sponsor your work permit and assist with the process of obtaining a related long-term visa, typically valid for up to two years

Our partner centre provides guidance and support during the visa process, helping you understand the necessary steps and prepare documentation, and you can read our more detailed information about visas here.

You should bring your notarised degree certificate and background check with you. If you’re a non-native speaker, you’ll also need your notarised TOEFL/IELTS certificate.

Please see our information about background checks for more info.

Yes. To teach English in Vietnam as a non-native speaker, you must be able to show that you have a certified English level of C1 or higher, an IELTS score of 6.5, or equivalent.

Most full-time English teaching jobs require 20 to 30 classroom teaching hours per week. This can be during the day, in the evenings and at weekends, with at least one day off per week, depending on the employer. Paid holiday and sick leave also depend on the employer. Teaching contracts can be up to 2 years (renewable) and you’ll typically need to commit for a minimum of 3 months.

The majority of job opportunities are in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi and the surrounding areas, in privately owned English language schools, government schools and tertiary institutions. Private tutoring and teaching onsite at businesses are also common. There are also plenty of opportunities in smaller, regional cities and in more rural locations.

A typical salary for foreign ESL teachers is between $1700 and $2000 net per month, or $17 to $20 net per hour.

Many teachers find that the relatively low cost of living in Vietnam allows them to save a good portion of their income, depending on lifestyle and spending habits.