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Employers take time to look for teachers teaching bilingual academic programs in international schools |
Every year, the demand for recruiting bilingual teachers for educational programs implementing both Vietnamese and English languages simultaneously in big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is quite high but recruiters have taken time to look for suitable teachers.
According to Associate Professor Nguyen Dong Hai, an expert in the field of bilingual teacher training, in the past 5 years, the proportion of Vietnamese teachers participating in teaching bilingual programs has been increasing but has not yet captured the market share in bilingual training because teachers are required to not only have high foreign language certificates such as IELTS, TOEIC, TOEFL but also specialized knowledge and pedagogical capacity to meet teaching requirements.
Educationists have pointed out that teachers need 1-2 years of training to have deep and broad professional skills while it only takes 6 months to 1 year to improve foreign language requirements. Therefore, this is a great opportunity for Vietnamese teachers in all majors to participate.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen who has helped the operation of many private school systems in Ho Chi Minh City, said that currently, more Vietnamese parents can afford to pay an amount of VND150 million-VND200 million (US$6,148-US$8,197) per year for their children's education. This tuition fee is much lower than international academic program tuition but is consistent with bilingual programs being taught in international schools or bilingual schools in Vietnam.
Being a recruiter for international schools, this expert highly appreciated Vietnamese teachers’ potential, especially young teachers with many advantages in foreign language skills and access to foreign training programs. However, international schools’ long-term strategy in teacher recruitment is to recruit teachers who can teach international programs, not just Vietnamese subjects in international academic programs.
In addition to the foreign language barrier, many Vietnamese teachers today do not meet the requirements for innovative thinking when teaching international programs. During the interview process, candidates were refused when handling pedagogical situations due to their lack of confidence. Moreover, some teachers failed in interviews because they lack openness, and respect for students' personal abilities because they are influenced by traditional teaching approaches.
According to Ms. Thu Huyen, some teachers with good professional qualifications and foreign language skills do not meet the teaching requirements of international schools.
