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8 | Eight Easy Steps To Great Teaching Job In Vietnam Step one: paperwork | 9

STEP ONE: VISA

Some nationalities can enter Vietnam without a visa. It’s best to assume
PAPERWORK that your nationality is not one of them. Assume you need a visa to enter

Vietnam and seek guidance from the Vietnamese Embassy closest to
where you live on what’s the best visa for your particular circumstances.
Once you have advice from the Vietnamese Embassy about the most
appropriate visa, it would be worth running the idea by a few teachers

f you’re anything like me, when the word ‘paperwork’ is mentioned, the who are on the ground in Vietnam. There might be quirky factors that the
‘shutters come down’. Who can be bothered? I get it. Paperwork is tedious Embassy doesn’t know about.
Iand reeks of boredom, but getting your documents in order before leaving
your home country to live and work in Vietnam is essential. Vietnamese
officials love paperwork. They also love red stamps (occasionally blue, QUALIFICATIONS
depending on the document). If your paperwork (or stamp) doesn’t meet
the requirements, there’s a good chance your teaching abroad adventure If you hold a university or college degree - or some other qualification -
will fall in a heap before it starts. you need to bring the original document with you. Moreover, documents
of this kind must be notarised in your home country as being genuine
and correct. While some foreign embassies in Vietnam are prepared to
There are six crucial pieces of paperwork that you need to sort out notarise documents, this is not universal. So, it’s best to do it before you
before leaving your home country: 1. your passport; 2. a visa to enter leave home. There’s a division of government in every country that takes
Vietnam; 3. your qualifications (if any); 4. a background check; 5. an English care of notarising documents for use abroad. It’s simply a matter of finding
proficiency test (if you’re a non-native English speaker); and 6. medical out who takes care of this process in your country.
insurance. Of course, not all the paperwork I’ve mentioned comes with a
legal requirement, medical insurance, for example, but it’s best to cover all
your bases. Why? The risk factor is too great.

PASSPORT

Your passport must have at least six months remaining before the expiry
date – and it must be in ‘shipshape’ condition. If your passport is due
to expire within the next six months or during the time that you plan to
be abroad, you’ll need to renew it before you depart. Torn pages, water
damage and suchlike are also good reasons to renew your passport before
you head off.