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Fantastic 4.54rating (29)
  • Quality Education

Teach Conversational English in Schools

location
4 - 24 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+
Verified

Highlights

  • Teach conversational English in Hanoi primary and secondary schools, colleges and community classes
  • In the community classes you lead the room yourself, with a suggested curriculum and a local intern on hand to translate
  • Around 20 teaching hours a week, always alongside a Vietnamese teacher who works closely with volunteers

Highlights

  • Teach conversational English in Hanoi primary and secondary schools, colleges and community classes
  • In the community classes you lead the room yourself, with a suggested curriculum and a local intern on hand to translate
  • Around 20 teaching hours a week, always alongside a Vietnamese teacher who works closely with volunteers
  • Three meals a day, six days a week, cooked fresh at the volunteer house by local cooks
  • Halong Bay, Sapa and Ninh Binh are all weekend trips from Hanoi
    • You don't have to pay anything yet

    Especially good for

    Age 18+
    Singles
    Couples
    Groups
    50+

    About the program

    Teach conversational English in Hanoi schools, colleges and community classes, where students from the provinces come to the capital to study.

    Vietnam has moved from an agrarian economy to a service economy inside a generation, and the bottleneck now is English. The government put English into the national curriculum in 2010 and funding for schools has risen sharply. What is still missing is anyone for students to actually practise on.

    Where

    About the program

    Vietnam has moved from an agrarian economy to a service economy inside a generation, and the bottleneck now is English. The government put English into the national curriculum in 2010 and funding for schools has risen sharply. What is still missing is anyone for students to actually practise on.

    Where you could be placed

    Primary and secondary schools, colleges, and community classes across Hanoi.

    Community classes are the most interesting of these. They exist for students who have come to Hanoi from the provinces to study, grouped by age and English level, usually 10 to 20 to a class. Two classes a day, two hours each with a ten-minute break, focused squarely on speaking and confidence rather than grammar.

    In a community class you lead the room yourself, sometimes with another volunteer. You get a suggested curriculum and you are welcome to design your own materials around it, and there is a local intern in the room to translate when you need it. For a lot of volunteers this is the first time they have run a class on their own, and it is the thing they talk about afterwards.

    What the work involves

    • Working alongside the teaching staff and leading sessions on pronunciation and conversation
    • Bringing your own ideas in — the classes are yours to make interesting
    • Building listening and speaking skills, with the teachers as well as the students; guide them when they ask
    • Spotting the students who are struggling and giving them the attention a class of 20 does not allow, then tracking whether it works
    • Games, activities and interactive learning rather than textbook drilling
    • Helping organise cultural exchange events where relevant

    Hours — Normally about 20 hours a week of teaching. There is always a Vietnamese teacher working closely with you, so you are supported rather than dropped in.

    Why English specifically

    Vietnam's economy leans heavily on tourism and services. For a family in an underserved district of Hanoi, a child who speaks confident English has options their parents did not. That is not an abstraction here; it is why the parents send them.

    Who it suits

    Anyone 18 or over who is fluent in spoken and written English. Prior teaching experience is not required. It suits gap-year travellers, university and high-school students, and anyone who wants real international teaching experience on a CV. A clean criminal background check is mandatory. Volunteers of all nationalities, religions and backgrounds are welcome.

    Typical day

    Your first week runs to a fixed pattern:

    • Wednesday — Arrival at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN). The coordinator meets you and takes you to the volunteer house.
    • Thursday — Orientation: safety, Vietnamese culture, language, getting around, and what to do with your time here.
    • Friday — ...

    Typical day

    Your first week runs to a fixed pattern:

    • Wednesday — Arrival at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN). The coordinator meets you and takes you to the volunteer house.
    • Thursday — Orientation: safety, Vietnamese culture, language, getting around, and what to do with your time here.
    • Friday — Introduction at your school. You meet the staff and see the classrooms.
    • Saturday — Guided day tour of Hanoi, included.
    • Sunday — Free, to explore and plan your first lessons.

    Monday to Friday — teaching

    The timetable follows the school, not the other way round. Lessons usually start at 8:30am; at some schools it is 10am. Community classes run two sessions a day of two hours each.

    • Breakfast at the volunteer house before you leave
    • Teaching — around four hours a day, roughly 20 hours a week
    • Lunch at the house or at the project
    • Preparation — the gaps between classes are for planning, and worth using
    • Evening — Dinner at the house with the other volunteers, then the markets or the Old Quarter

    Evenings and weekends — Free.

    🚩 The programme ends on a WEDNESDAY of your final week and you leave the accommodation that day. Book your flight home accordingly.

    Timetables shift with the school and with local circumstances. Flexibility is expected, and so is turning up prepared.

    Free-time activities

    Your first Saturday is a guided day tour of Hanoi, included. After that, weekends are yours — and northern Vietnam is a very good place to have them.

    Halong Bay — Limestone karsts rising out of green water, three hours away. Do the overnight boat rather than the day trip if you can.

    Sapa — Rice ...

    Free-time activities

    Your first Saturday is a guided day tour of Hanoi, included. After that, weekends are yours — and northern Vietnam is a very good place to have them.

    Halong Bay — Limestone karsts rising out of green water, three hours away. Do the overnight boat rather than the day trip if you can.

    Sapa — Rice terraces and mountain villages, with homestays run by Hmong and Dao families. Overnight train or sleeper bus.

    Ninh Binh — Halong Bay's scenery on dry land, and close enough for a single day.

    Hanoi itself — The Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake, the Temple of Literature, the Museum of Ethnology, water puppet theatre, and the street food, which is reason enough on its own. Bun cha, banh cuon, egg coffee.

    Further afield — Da Nang, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City are all cheap flights. Most volunteers leave a few days at the end of the programme to head south.

    Evenings are for the markets and eateries near the house, or the bus into the Old Quarter with everyone else.

    Requirements

    Requirements

    Minimum Age: 18 years

    In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

    Education Requirements

    at High school level

    Criminal Background Check

    required

    Required Documents

    Criminal background check, CV/resume, copy of passport and proof of travel and medical insurance.

    Nationality Restrictions

    No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

    Other Skills

    You must be fluent in spoken and written English. Prior teaching experience is not required — a Vietnamese teacher works closely with you throughout. TEFL training, teaching experience or work with young people is welcome but not a condition. You must be fit and healthy. Vietnamese is not needed.

    Time Commitment

    Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 08:30 - 16:00

    What's Included

    What's Included

    On-site Services

    What the fee covers

    • Accommodation in the volunteer house for your whole stay
    • Three meals a day, six days a week, cooked fresh at the house by local cooks
    • Airport pickup at Noi Bai International
    • Orientation, and a guided day tour of Hanoi on your first Saturday
    • Your school placement, with a coordinator introducing you on day one
    • Comprehensive pre-departure information
    • 24/7 in-country support and local coordinators
    • Certificate of participation on request

    What it does not cover

    • Daily transport to your school
    • The return airport drop — a ride-hailing app from the house is cheap and simple
    • Saturday meals
    • International flights, visa fees and vaccinations
    • Travel and medical insurance (available through us at extra cost, and mandatory)
    • Personal spending and weekend travel

    Note: there is no private room upgrade at the Hanoi volunteer house. Everyone shares.

    Airport Pickup at Noi Bai International Airport

    Pickup is included on arrival. The return drop is not.

    🚩 Arrive on a WEDNESDAY at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) — that is the programme start day. The coordinator meets you and takes you to the volunteer house. Full details arrive in your pre-departure guidebook once you book.

    🚩 The programme also ENDS on a Wednesday and you leave the accommodation that day. Book both flights around those two Wednesdays.

    🚩 The return airport drop is not included. Email us or ask your coordinator — or do what most volunteers do and book a Grab or taxi from the house.

    Noi Bai has direct connections across Asia and to several European hubs, so most volunteers arrive without a domestic transfer.

    Accommodation

    You stay at the volunteer house, in a quiet, friendly neighbourhood about 45 minutes by bus from Hanoi's Old Quarter.

    Same-gender shared rooms, all air-conditioned. Shared bathrooms with western-style toilets and showers.

    What is there:

    • Fully equipped kitchen
    • A lounge to work on lesson plans or do nothing in
    • Free drinking water, 24/7
    • Wi-Fi in parts of the house, including the communal area
    • A locker for each volunteer, plus wardrobes

    The local team's office is on the ground floor of the house. That matters more than it sounds — when a class goes badly or you need a hand, someone is downstairs rather than across the city.

    ATMs, supermarkets, launderettes and chemists are all within walking distance.

    🚩 There is no private room option here. If you need one, this is not the right placement.

    Food & Beverages

    Three meals a day are included, every day except Saturday — and they are cooked fresh at the house by local cooks rather than bought in.

    Breakfast — Toast, eggs, fruit, coffee and tea, before you head out to school.

    Lunch — At the volunteer house, or at your project where the placement provides it.

    Dinner — Proper Vietnamese home cooking: pork, fish, beef or chicken with tofu or egg, several vegetable dishes, rice and a soup.

    Saturdays are your own, which is the day most volunteers go into the Old Quarter and eat their way through it. Bun cha, pho, banh mi, egg coffee.

    Free drinking water is available at the house 24/7.

    Vegetarian and other dietary requirements — Put it on your application form so the cooks know before you arrive.

    Internet Access

    Good access at the project site
    You don't have to pay anything yet

    What's NOT included?

    What's NOT included?

    Flight Tickets

    The nearest airport is Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) in Hanoi. We assist you to find cheap flights to Vietnam. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

    Travel Insurance

    Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Vietnam provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

    Vaccines

    If you are intending to volunteer in Vietnam you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Vietnam. VACCINE CHECKER

    Details on arrival

    🚩 Arrival is a WEDNESDAY, at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN). Programmes start on the Wednesday you select, so book your flight for that day.

    🚩 The programme also ends on a Wednesday and you leave the accommodation that morning. Plan the outbound flight around it.

    Arrival pickup is included. The coordinator meets you at the airport and takes you to the volunteer house.

    🚩 The return airport drop is not included. Email us or speak to your coordinator; most volunteers simply book a Grab or taxi from the house.

    🚩 Daily transport to your school is not included. The volunteer house is around 45 minutes by bus from the Old Quarter — budget for local transport across a long placement.

    Documents — A clean criminal background check is mandatory before your placement, along with your CV and a passport copy.

    Visa — Vietnam's entry rules vary by nationality and change fairly often; some passports get visa-free entry, others need an e-visa arranged in advance. Check your own position early, particularly for stays over 30 days, and ask us if you are not sure. Visa fees are not included.

    Insurance — Travel and medical insurance is mandatory, and can be bought through us at extra cost.

    What to wear — Vietnamese schools are formal. Dress smartly and modestly — shoulders and knees covered, no shorts or flip-flops in the classroom. Teachers are respected here and are expected to look the part.

    Also bring — Rainwear for the summer, and a proper warm layer if you are coming between December and February; Hanoi gets cold and damp and the buildings are not heated.

    When to come — Weekly Wednesday starts, year-round. Vietnamese schools break for Tet, the Lunar New Year, usually in late January or February — ask us before booking dates around it. October and November are the pleasantest months to teach in.

    Availability
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

    Program Fees

    $256 per week 4 - 24 weeks Age 18 - 50+

    Payment methods

    Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

    NO CREDIT CARD FEES

    Duration

    4 - 24 weeks

    Deposit

    Reserve your spot with just a few clicks and a small, secure deposit. You can pay by credit card, PayPal, or other convenient methods.

    Final Payment

    You’ll agree on the final payment method with your local organization during the application process. This final payment is only due closer to the start of your trip.

    You don't have to pay anything yet
    4.5
    Top Pick
    One of the top picks on Volunteer World, according to travelers

    Location

    Asia > South East Asia > Vietnam > Hanoi

    Meet your project coordinator

    Sahil
    29
    reviews
    4.54
    Fantastic
    2007
    Founded

    Verified

      Below average response rate
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    Volunteer Abroad  >  Education  >  English Teaching in Vietnam
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    Travel dates

    1. - 1. Jan 1

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