English Education Teaching

Job Description
Viet Nam is a vibrant country filled with natural wonders, welcoming people, and dynamic opportunity. Its rich culture, delicious cuisine, and beautiful landscape offer Volunteers a tremendous backdrop to make a historic impact as part of the fifth cohort to serve in the country.

The Peace Corps is excited to partner with Viet Nam's Ministry of Education and Training to implement the English Education Program. The program supports Viet Nam's national priority of English proficiency for its high school students and emerging workforce, as well as strengthening teachers' English proficiency and capacity to teach English. The objective of this project is the acquisition of English language skills by students and teachers, with emphasis on strengthening speaking ability and comprehension. There is particular interest in the communicative authenticity and cultural exchange that Peace Corps Volunteers offer.

Volunteers will be assigned to high schools and live in smaller villages on the outskirts of Ha Noi and/or Ho Chi Minh City districts that have been jointly selected by the Peace Corps and the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training. Vietnamese national curricula are followed to prepare students for high-stakes national exams. Volunteers will co-teach and co-plan English classes with their Vietnamese counterparts. In addition to classroom co-teaching, Volunteers may have the opportunity to provide English language practice by implementing extracurricular activities, school events, after-school clubs, and summer activities.

Like Peace Corps Volunteers around the world, Volunteers can look forward to learning a new language, developing effective classroom teaching skills, navigating unfamiliar work and living environments, adjusting to local cultural norms, pursuing opportunities for intercultural exchange, and forging friendships with neighbors and colleagues. However, Volunteers in this program have a significant additional responsibility: continuing to establish the reputation and credibility of the Peace Corps in Viet Nam. Initial cohorts must navigate greater levels of ambiguity than Volunteers in more established Peace Corps programs. This fifth cohort will continue to help the Peace Corps and its Vietnamese partners understand what it means to be a Volunteer in Viet Nam in order to build a stronger program. Individuals selected must demonstrate high levels of self-awareness, flexibility, emotional maturity, humility, initiative, and an ability to maintain one's health and well-being, as well as the ability to work well with various stakeholders, including community members, school faculty, and Peace Corps staff.

To establish credibility in the school community, Volunteers must be willing to abide by the same rules, norms, and standards that the Ministry and local leadership convey to Vietnamese teachers regarding behavior and appearance. Volunteers are expected to be prepared and punctual for co-teaching responsibilities, to attend required faculty meetings, assemblies, and events, and to adhere to the local school calendar and its holiday schedule.

By the end of their in-country pre-service training, Trainees will need to demonstrate competence in the Peace Corps Core Expectations, Vietnamese language, classroom teaching, and progress in their adjustment to living according to the norms of Vietnamese communities in order to be sworn in as Peace Corps Volunteers.

Required Skills
Competitive candidates will have:

• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any discipline and a strong desire to teach English

Desired Skills
Additional skills that may make you a more competitive candidate:

30 hours of English, foreign language, or literacy tutoring experience with primary, middle or high school students or adults.

Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in English, Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), English as a Second Language (ESL), Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL), foreign language, or Applied Linguistics.

Master of Education (M.Ed.) with graduate or undergraduate concentration in English, TEFL, TESOL, ESL, TESL, or foreign language.

Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education with concentration in English, TEFL, TESOL, ESL, TESL, or foreign language.

Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any discipline with secondary education state certification in English, TEFL, TESOL, ESL, TESL, or foreign language.

Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in English, TEFL, TESOL, ESL and TESL, or foreign language with 6 months classroom teaching experience at the secondary level (middle or high school) in English, TEFL, TESOL, ESL, TESL, or foreign language.

Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any discipline with 1 academic classroom teaching experience at the secondary level in English, TEFL, TESOL, ESL and TESL, or foreign language.

Experience with professional development for teachers, curriculum development, and educational materials development.

Experience planning and organizing activities for children and young adults (e.g., youth camps/clubs).

Living Conditions
During pre-service training (the first 10 weeks in country), Volunteers will live in small groups with a Vietnamese Language and Cultural Facilitator in independent housing in the city of Ha Noi. When Volunteers move to their permanent community, they will live on school grounds in individual accommodations that are vetted to meet Peace Corps' safety and security standards. School living accommodations will provide Volunteers with a safe, private room that includes basic furniture, bathroom, and kitchen facilities. Bathroom and kitchen facilities may be shared or private depending on the school. Volunteers should be ready to adapt to a wide range of living conditions, but electricity, running water, and indoor plumbing are available. Volunteers will have access to local markets and transportation to Ha Noi or Ho Chi Minh City. Wireless internet access is readily available in most places, though the connection speed and consistency can be of varying quality.

Schools and communities are committed to making Volunteers feel welcome. You can expect school officials and teachers to be actively involved in your day-to-day life to ensure you are safe and healthy. These teachers and school leaders will likely be very interested in how you are spending your time, what you enjoy eating, your interests, and hobbies. As this is a newer program, government officials will also likely be curious about your work, language development, and community integration. More broadly, Volunteers in Viet Nam should not presume privacy regarding their internet usage as the government of Viet Nam routinely monitors all social media.

Regardless of where in the world they serve, Peace Corps Volunteers are often the subject of curiosity and/or unwanted attention regarding both visible and non-visible aspects of their identity – e.g., skin and hair color or texture, height and weight, race, ethnicity, national origin, religious beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, ability, and other aspects. A Volunteer's colleagues and community members may not be used to interacting with foreigners and may have preconceptions about Americans. With the support of Peace Corps staff, Volunteers will become adept at managing this type of attention. As a Volunteer and their community get used to living and working together, the level of this type of attention may fluctuate.

The Peace Corps is committed to creating a supportive environment for staff and Volunteers. During pre-service training, staff will provide Volunteers with information and support on how Volunteers' lived experiences may impact their service in relation to integration, safety, and other topics. Peace Corps Viet Nam staff continues to gather information specific to what Volunteers may experience and welcomes discussions at any time.

Language Skills Additional Information
Volunteers will receive intensive training in Vietnamese throughout pre-service training. Language training will focus on northern or southern Vietnamese dialect depending on site placements. Volunteers are expected to continue developing language skills during service through self-study and/or tutoring as use of local language assists with daily living and relationship building.

Vietnamese is considered a difficult language for English speakers to speak and comprehend, partly because it is a tonal language, where a single word can have multiple meanings depending on the pitch used. A desire to study and learn Vietnamese is essential, as Volunteers will work in areas where there is little English language spoken. Vietnamese is a Category IV language on the Foreign Service Institute's language difficulty ranking, which ranks languages from easier (Category I) to more difficult (Category V) to learn for those with English as their native language.

Language Requirements Information
There are no pre-requisite language requirements for this position.

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