Recruiting Filipino Teachers to teach English: Different ideas

Although through a partner company. Before the official hiring teacher, representatives of the Department of Education and Training. The Department of Home Affairs will come to the Philippines to discuss and interview each teacher directly to choose “- that is the answer by Mr. Le Hong Son. Director of HCMC Department of Education and Training. About recruiting 100 Filipino teachers. This incident is causing a stir in public opinion. 

Information about HCM City recruiting 100 Filipino teachers to Vietnam to teach English at high schools has created mixed opinions.

 

Actually, this is not a new problem. Many years ago, a number of primary, junior high and high schools in the city had contracted with foreign teachers to teach English to students. Like Le Quy Don Secondary School, District 3 currently contracts with two English teachers (through a foreign language center) with a fee of 25 USD / hour of teaching (60 minutes). In the lessons of foreign teachers. Vietnamese English teachers have time for both studies and supervise whether they teach the right program. How to communicate with students and manage their students at the same time. In addition, foreign teachers also have the duty to participate in English professional group activities with Vietnamese teachers. Every two weeks and group activities once a week.

Similarly, Ky Dong Primary School contracts with an English teacher to teach students 1 intensive English lesson per week. Students pay an additional 70,000 VND / month/ student to take one more lesson with an English teacher. Teachers only go to class, after class, they do not have professional activities with the school.

Preeminent way?

 

English teaching job in Vietnam
English teaching job in Vietnam
Source: Internet

According to Mr. Le Hong Son – Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training: “The policy of recruiting 100 Filipino teachers is within the framework of the project“ Universalizing and improving English proficiency for general and professional students into HCM City in the period of 2011-2020 “to create a language environment, improve listening and speaking English skills for teachers and students. The fact that schools self-sign contracts are usually through foreign language centers sometimes contracts with unknown teachers … Meanwhile, the recruitment of these 100 teachers has a clear legal basis, all the teachers have got a university degree in the formal system and a certificate in teaching English ”.

Parent’s opinion

However, many parents were wondering: Why not recruit native teachers like the UK, Australia, Canada … but recruit Filipino teachers? Mr. Le Hong Son said: “The Department has surveyed and Australian teachers require remuneration of USD 5,000/ month, British teachers have USD 10,000/ month, while Filipino teachers only request USD 2,000 / month. In the Philippines, English is one of the two official languages, it is used not only in everyday communication but also in the administrative language (English is the language of communication in public places, in the types of administrative documents). Most Philippine schools and universities teach entirely in English. In addition, Ho Chi Minh City has signed cooperation agreements with the Philippines in a number of fields, including education. The representatives of the Department of Education and Training together with the representatives of the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Finance … had a study and evaluation mission in August and September 2012 before making the above decision.

Filipino English teaching job in Vietnam

Mr. Son also admitted: “Of course, in any country, there will be good teachers and vice versa. Therefore, although through a partner company, before the official recruitment, the representatives of the Department of Education and Training and the Department of Home Affairs will come to the Philippines to have a meeting and interview each teacher directly to choose “.

The principal of an international school in Ho Chi Minh City commented: “Having learned a language is a must, it is best to study with a native speaker. For Filipinos, English is a second language, not a native language, the pronunciation is definitely not as good as English and Australian. Recruiting Filipino teachers to teach elementary students should be considered. Because students of this age are like white papers, I am afraid they will say later like Filipinos, not English. ”

Agreeing with the opinion, a parent named Bui Song Cuong analyzed: “Students learn directly with native speakers (American, English, Australian) to hear the correct pronunciation. So that they can say it correctly and they feel confident when communicating. With the experience of studying and working in foreign companies, I find that Filipinos also pronounce English just like our Vietnamese, of course, they speak more fluently because in their country they use English more than us,  but that doesn’t mean they sound exactly like native speakers. ”

Only pilot

Teacher Vu Van Xuan – Head of the foreign language school Le Quy Don Secondary School, District 3 – wondered: “Vietnamese teachers are weak in their listening and speaking skills so many are not up to the European reference framework. Therefore, when we recruit foreign teachers. The first factor to consider is whether they meet this standard. Maybe they speak English more fluently than us but are not qualified is not good. As far as I know, in Asia, only Korea, and Taiwan now have 100% English teachers meeting the European reference framework.”

Sharing the same opinion. An English teacher in District 1 said: “We feel sorry when reading information about recruiting Filipino teachers with a salary of 2,000 USD/ month. Some Vietnamese teachers come back from study abroad. They have good pronunciation not less than native speakers. So why don’t we value these people? Paying only US $ 1,000 will attract many good people ”. In addition, according to elementary school principals. Why the city does not create a democratic. Objective recruiting environment: standards of qualifications, teaching capacity, salary, related documents. that teachers need to meet … Candidates who meet the conditions, agree to the salary of 2,000 USD, they will apply. Who knows, there will be many British, American, Australian, Canadian … participating in recruitment, not limited to Filipinos.

Improving the capacity of using English

 

Regarding this issue, Mr. Le Hong Son informed: “In the project” Universalizing and improving the capacity of using English for general and professional students in Ho Chi Minh City for the period of 2011-2020 “, the City People’s Committee has approved the policy to implement the preferential regimes for English teachers such as: receive the allowance like professional school teachers, the preferential allowance increased to 70% (currently only 30%), vocational training periodically abroad. The policy is already in place, currently the planning – finance department and the staff – staffing department is reviewing to implement this regime in 2013. Improving some policies is work to be done slowly but can not be done. do it overnight. “

Also according to Mr. Son: “The recruitment of foreign teachers is only a pilot and only implemented in a certain period of time in the context of teachers and students in our country who are weak in English listening and speaking skills. This approach is to stimulate Vietnamese teachers to improve their qualifications and have access to foreign teachers for integration. In a certain period of time, we have to pay like that so that they can do it, without any discrimination between domestic or foreign teachers. ”

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