Filipinos teach English to Vietnamese

MANILA, Philippines – In Vietnam, Filipinos help fill the growing need for English teachers. Kim Rocafor is one of them. He shares his experience teaching in another country.

David Lozada reports.

Sundays are special days for Kim Rocafor. After attending mass in Notre Dame Cathedral, he hangs out with overseas Filipino workers in the city.

Kim is an English teacher in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

A former government employee in Quezon, 26-year-old Kim has been working in Vietnam for 4 years. He is a pioneer Filipino English teacher in a Vietnamese public school.

Due to the large number of tourists entering the country, English is slowly being favored as a second language in Vietnam.

Philippine Overseas Employment and Administration official Liberty Casco says the Vietnamese government acknowledges the need for English competency.

That’s where the Filipino teachers come in.

LIBERTY CASCO

POEA DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR 

The Filipinos have the edge in English proficiency in the sense that in the Philippines we’re educated in the English language apart from our mother tongue.

From January to April 2013, English teachers were the top in-demand job in Vietnam for Filipinos.

Benh Thanh Park is a famous recreational place for tourists and Vietnamese alike. Every afternoon, university and college students gather here to look for foreigners they can converse with. This is their way of practicing their English.

University of Economics student Chore-Chore goes to Ben Thanh Park every day to improve his communication skills. He believes English will help him land a good job.

CHORE-CHORE

ECONOMICS STUDENT

Communication skills are very important now. Every student in Vietnamese study English because they want to find a good job in their future, you know.

According to Kim, teaching English to Vietnamese students is quite a challenge.

KIM ROCAFOR

ENGLISH TEACHER

It’s hard to connect with the students because of the culture number one, and communication.

But he says the working conditions are ideal for Filipinos.

KIM ROCAFOR

ENGLISH TEACHER

I’m sending my older sister to school so she can finish her studies. She’s taking up education. Maybe after a year, she’ll be able to go here to Ho Chi Minh.

Kim says living in Vietnam has opened his eyes to the world. To him, it’s a piece of home away from home.

David Lozada, Rappler Ho Chi Minh. – Rappler.com