Having experienced multiple Couchsurfing experiences of all kinds, I was truly surprised to learn of this new alternative teaching opportunity. I came to meet my Couchsurfing host Lee expecting a regular Couchsurfing experience, and realized upon entering the building that it was actually an english teaching community. For helping to teach by telling inspiring stories from 6.30pm – 8.30pm, I got the chance to live for free in a beautiful room (which was actually an online shoe-selling business during the day) that had wifi, a kitchen in the room next to it, and a clean shower. Pretty awesome wouldn\u2019t you say!? <\/span><\/p>\n The past days have taught me a whole lot about English teaching opportunities in Hanoi, so I will share this valuable insight further down in this post, after telling you my full story about how Couchsurfing can lead to teaching english in Hanoi. Feel free to jump to the information on teaching english in Hanoi if that is what interests you most! <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n We arrive at 6AM in Hanoi, and get off the sleeper bus all tired and groggy. Both our phones are dead – naturally – so we first have to find a way to get a bit of juice to find directions. After we finally get over the hurdle, we decide to take a taxi through the bustling streets of Hanoi. We arrive at Lee\u2019s, who brings us up to his house, which is actually also the english teaching headquarters. This is the moment when we realize that we will need to help with teaching english. The headquarters is where all the lessons are given, and where all the marketing and business development is done. Half of the people are still sleeping, while the other half are already up and working next to those that are sleeping in the other teaching room. Have you ever seen a startup in action? I thought I had but this was next level!<\/span><\/p>\n Beautiful teaching ambiance at English For You<\/p><\/div>\n We really start to crash as sleeper buses ironically rarely let you sleep, so we go into the other teaching class and lay down on a nice and (very) firm bamboo mattress to sleep on. Boy did I sleep like a baby in this wonderfully air conditioned english-teaching haven!<\/span><\/p>\n Emie working on bamboo mattress in Hanoi<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n By 9AM everyone is working on their laptops, trying to bring in new sales through facebook ads, personal outreach, and strategic planning for future company growth. Everyone is between 24 and 28 years old, so the environment feels much more like a startup environment than that of an english school. <\/span><\/p>\n Working hard during the day with the locals<\/p><\/div>\n This is probably why I liked it so much as it gave me so much time to work on my business and write additional articles for alternative ways. Over the next 7 days, we spoke with countless students, having simple conversations with them to help them improve their conversational skills. Every night we would go out and eat great foods, such as Banh Da Cua! Most of these food I am certain I would have never tried if it wasn’t for them offering us to try new local specialties. The quality of food in Hanoi is out of this world!<\/span><\/p>\n Trying crab meat soup (banh da cua) with lee<\/p><\/div>\n I am 100% sure that most english teaching experiences will not be like this one. However I still wanted to share my own personal experience to give you an idea of the scope of different experiences and opportunities that are available for you out there, simply in the English teaching field. So go out there and explore all your incredible alternatives!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are so many services that exist to teach English in Hanoi and all over Vietnam.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you are interested in teaching in Hanoi, I invite you to read <\/span>My Big Fat Travel Adventure\u2019s post about her teaching experience in Vietnam<\/span><\/a>. I found the article really entertaining and educational!<\/span><\/p>\n For in-depth information on teaching english abroad and other great opportunities working abroad, I invite you to find some of the highest quality information on the web through Dave’s Travel Corner<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Although this will depend a lot on your certifications and level experience, there are general guidelines to give you an idea of the price.<\/span><\/p>\n Volunteer<\/strong> – Free food and accommodation with occasional free outings on weekends<\/span><\/p>\n Beginner level<\/strong> – 1K-2K per month.<\/span><\/p>\n Certified with no experience<\/strong> – You can expect to make up to 2K USD per month if you find the right gig. If not, then you can expect to make more liked 1500 USD a month.<\/span><\/p>\n Certified with experience<\/strong> – Demand is extremely high for certified teachers that already have good experience. You shouldn\u2019t accept anything under 2K, and push for around 3K with accommodation and even food.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alternative Ways Tip:<\/strong> I think that a good rule of thumb is that if you plan on teaching English full time, invest the $300 on an online course to teach English. My girlfriend did it and she receives\u00a0about 3 new opportunities everyday by email.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Really depends on what you compare it to, and also depends on the gig you land. If your boss is awesome, generally the experience will be awesome. So make sure you meet your boss before taking the job (Skyping with him\/her a few times should do the trick).<\/span><\/p>\n If you compare it to teaching in Central or South America, I would say you should expect to work much less hours than you would teaching english in these regions of the world. You will probably have 2-3 1.5 hour classes, 6 days per week. <\/span><\/p>\n In China you can expect even less hours than in Vietnam, with at least 1 month of paid vacation. China and South Korea generally offer the best overall conditions.\u00a0<\/span>Each place is a bit different, and for more detailed info on comparing different regions of the world, I invite you to read<\/span> Nomadic Matt\u2019s article on some of the best places to teach English<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0If you have ever taught\u00a0english abroad please share your story and advice in the comments!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Until next time,<\/span><\/p>\n Joaquim Miro<\/span><\/p>\n The Alternative Ways<\/span><\/p>\n The Alternative Ways<\/a> aims to become the #1 guide to alternative travel experiences. What\u2019s Alternative Travel? Traveling becomes alternative as soon as you leave your comfort zone and experience awesomeness. Our mission is to give you the necessary tools and inspiration to step out of this comfort zone and travel, so you may find your true way. If you enjoyed this article we invite you to like our facebook page<\/a>\u00a0and subscribe to our monthly newsletter.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How Couchsurfing led to Teaching English in Hanoi Having experienced multiple Couchsurfing experiences of all kinds, I was truly surprised to learn of this new alternative teaching opportunity. I came to meet my Couchsurfing host Lee expecting a regular Couchsurfing experience, and realized upon entering the building that it was actually an english teaching […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":363,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,72],"tags":[74,75,73],"yoast_head":"\nLiving in an English Teaching Community in Hanoi Vietnam<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"Teaching](\"https:\/\/thealternativeways.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Beautiful-teaching-ambiance-1024x768.jpg\")
![\"bamboo](\"https:\/\/thealternativeways.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/bamboo-mattress-1024x758.jpg\")
![\"alternative](\"https:\/\/thealternativeways.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/mabring-1024x758.jpg\")
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Teaching English in Hanoi<\/b><\/h1>\n
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How much should you expect to make<\/b><\/h2>\n
Pricing breakdown<\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n
How is it teaching English in Hanoi?<\/b><\/h2>\n