Paid Vietnam TEFL Internship

I would highly recommend the Vietnam internship to anyone who wants to experience a different culture while doing a really rewarding job. The teaching aspect is amazing, the children are so friendly and you find yourself developing your skills quickly. Before doing the internship I had no teaching experience but you soon get the hang of how the system works in the public school setting. Doing the internship was great because you meet loads of like minded people and all live within 5 minutes walk of each other. Although the housing is a bit basic compared to what you're used to at home you soon get used to it and it's a unique opportunity to live in a Vietnamese neighbourhood. You can eat in local establishments for not very much money at all and try foods that you maybe wouldn't come across as a tourist.

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.

My experience with i-to-i TEFL was fantastic, communication was good and explained everything I needed to know about the internship. I was offered a discount as I already held my 140 TEFL course, and had the chance to do another 20 classroom course during orientation which was good (although not specific to the teaching we would be doing in Hanoi). ELC who run the internship were very informative and supportive whenever I had any problems. BME the education company who we worked for in Hanoi were, majority of the time, quite unorganised, I do not know if this is a Vietnam thing or just for the company, but be prepared for things not to go to plan sometimes! The overall experience was amazing, the opportunity to see Vietnam and use my TEFL with the comfort of the support from the internship is definitely worth paying for.

Overall I really enjoyed the programme because it gave me the opportunity to move abroad with a certain degree of hand holding. I had some issues with the package I purchased. I had already completed my TEFL studies which I was told was no issue and I would finish the 2 day class training once I reached Vietnam. However when I sent on my certificate I was informed that I-to-I did not work with this company and I would have to complete 120 hours of TEFL in less than a month. The companies in Vietnam can be difficult to work with and at times manipulative but the help with Visas and housing etc was useful.
The package is good if not a little pricey.