An excellent introduction to teaching and living in Vietnam

i-to-i’s Vietnam internship is a great introduction to working and living in Hanoi. I’ve no complaints from sign-up to pairing with their in-country partner, ELC, and the included 120-hour TEFL course is bolstered with 20 hours of classroom training.

Vietnam also offers the best rates of pay and the cheapest living costs, so you make back the fee and leave the internship with a nice travel package.

I had every weekend free and used these to either explore Vietnam’s capital or travel the country; Hanoi is a great base.

Accommodation is basic but fine - and mostly importantly free including all bills. Electricity is the most expensive commodity here and there are no hidden fees. There is a bit of variation between the shared houses, some are better than others, but that's the same anywhere with any kind of student accommodation, and once you finish the internship, rent is super cheap in Hanoi.

BME is the English centre we worked for, teaching in public schools around Hanoi. They ferry you door to door by car taxi, a frustrating mode of transport in my opinion, and are at times unreliable, but they do try to make the experience a good one for you, something which is quite clear by the large community of teachers who either still work for BME (myself included) or still live in Hanoi. I bump into people all the time who started on this programme who are a great support network. BME pay on time every month and make sure that every teacher is working and living there legally: this means visas, work permits, foreigner residency, etc.

Life and work in Vietnam is not going to be the same as what you’ve experienced before. Communication lapses and miscommunication via language and cultural barriers are rife, but you will learn to adapt, teach, work and succeed in any and every environment.