Teaching English in Laos

The following is based on conversations with teachers who are friends of mine. It is accurate to the best of my knowledge but you're encouraged to do your own research if you're interested in teaching here. My friends are caucasian native speakers. This article only applies to Vientiane; I'd imagine condtions and pay are worse in other parts of Laos. I can not give you advice regarding specific schools or how to find a job. I may update this article with a list of schools to avoid.

The first option is to teach at one of the 2-3 international schools here. You'll have a steady job with 9 to 5-type hours and a decent paycheck, at least for Laos. Unfortunately, you essentially have to be qualified to be a teacher in your home country: 4-year college degree, TEFL certificate, references, etc. Your job is really no different than a schoolteacher in your home country so I don't think this requires further explanation. You will not make enough to save any money--if you want that, teach in Korea or somewhere else with good pay and a low cost of living.

The second option is to teach at an institute. They may call themselves schools or colleges, but they are really just institutes where most of the people are going to English class a few hour per week. I'm making this distinction because there are a number of differences between these and regular schools. The main one is that your goal is not to improve students' English, it is to get them to like you so they re-enroll. One consequence of this is that even if they are talking on the phone or otherwise misbehaving, you can't discipline or yell at them. If you do, they'll complain and you'll eventually be fired. I'm going to use bullet points to explain the other downsides of teaching in an institute:


•Probably 90% of the English classes in Vientiane are taught Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5-7 PM. It is much more difficult to find work teaching at other times.

•Most students miss a significant number of classes and many come late to class. You will never change this. You can spend hours planning lessons and thinking of creative examples, but it won't matter when 2/3 of the kids don't show up.

•It's not unusual for a school to promise you a class and then cancel it at the last minute because there aren't enough students. You don't really have a job until you're actually in the classroom teaching for money.

•There are often 2-3 weeks between semesters. This can wreak havoc on your budget if you don't plan for the downtime.

•You will frequently have a day or week off for Lao holidays or Christmas. Again, if you don't know about these, your paycheck will be much smaller than you planned for.

As a white native speaker, you should be making $10-12/hr. Only take a lower-paying job if you really need the money. If you do this you should be actively looking for a better job. You will probably need to work at several schools to make ends meet.

Any current or past teachers are welcome to contact me with information or corrections. I'd especially be interested in teaching outside Vientiane.