Salaries
The general starting salary is USD 960 per month
for the minimum of 80 hours teaching. An average
teacher, however, teaches more than the basic minimum
and therefore average salaries are usually in the
region of USD 1,100.
Teachers with previous experience at Saxoncourt
/ Shane schools start on a higher rate, as are teachers
with advanced qualifications, such as the DELTA
or a PGCE.
So as to provide financial security for new teachers,
for the first six months of the contract an ‘hour
bank’ system operates like this:
| |
Month
1 |
Month
2 |
Month
3 |
| Hours worked |
76 |
82 |
82 |
| Hours paid |
80 |
80 |
80 |
| Hours bank |
-4 |
+2 |
+2 |
| Total hours bank |
-4 |
-2 |
0 |
At the end of this 6-month ‘hour bank’
period any hours worked in excess of the monthly
average will be paid as overtime, and any deficit
hours will be forfeited by the company.
In subsequent contracts teachers will be paid for
the actual hours worked, regardless of if they are
more or less than 80
Deductions
Tax
At present teachers’ salaries are untaxed.
Insurance
Teachers may either arrange their own health insurance
prior to departing for Vietnam, or be placed on
the company insurance policy for the duration
of their contract period. The current rate for
this is USD 66 per month.
Visa
The cost of processing the teacher’s necessary
paperwork (usually about USD 100) is inititally
deducted from the teacher’s salary. However,
this is then reimbursed at the end of the contract
period.
Cost of living
The cost of living in Vietnam is staggeringly
low, even in a metropolis such as Ho Chi Minh
City. Travelling around the country, eating local
food and drinking in local bars are all very affordable.
A healthy and filling traditional meal, with a
couple of beers, could cost as little as USD 2.
Furthermore, those teachers who develop a taste
for Vietnamese draft lager (bia tuoi) can enjoy
it for about seven British pence a glass! Of course,
those teachers who prefer to indulge in a more
western lifestyle (using taxis rather than motorcycle-taxis
(xe oms) or renting one’s own motorbike
or bicycle; eating in western-style restaurants
etc.) can expect to spend a little more, but even
the cost of these are remarkably low.
Accommodation
Accommodation in Ho Chi Minh City is still very
reasonable, although levels of rent are steadily
rising as more and more expatriates are lured
to the city. Most teachers will initially stay
in very reasonably priced guesthouses, which offer
air-con, cable TV and breakfast for under USD
200 a month.
However, once they have made some acquaintances,
they will usually share a house. A fully-furnished
4-bedroom house, with kitchen, living room, rooftop
terrace, en-suite bathrooms etc should cost about
USD 400-500 per month, split by however many tenants
there are. Such accommodation is of a much higher
standard than is available to teachers in most
other countries in the region.
Welfare
Newly-arriving teachers will be met at the airport,
offered advice on confusing matters such as Vietnamese
money, helped to open a bank account, and given
help finding both short and long-term housing.
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