Sponsoring foreign teachers from overseas, is it advisable?

Today VTJ we will give some views as well as advice on the issue of sponsoring foreign teachers upon entry to Vietnam, to help HR figure out an effective recruitment plan for the coming new school year.

In the midst of the stressful situation of the Covid epidemic, plus the recently announced Decree 152 on the issue of work permits for foreigners, it becomes more difficult than ever to recruit foreign teachers for teaching English in Vietnam. Due to the shortage of qualified teachers, many employers are gradually adapting by bringing teachers from outside the country to work for their educational institutions.

1. Sponsoring foreign teachers from overseas

A foreign employee who comes to Vietnam as an expert or a skilled worker will need to be sponsored by an agency/organization in Vietnam to legally and permanently reside and work in Vietnam.

The sponsor or the employer will support to guarantee the application and provide specific job positions through previous candidate screening rounds so that the person can come to Vietnam and start working.

To sponsor a foreign worker, the employer needs to have legal documents including 

– A business license, Center operation license / School establishment license

– The Certificate of appointment of Center Director/Principal, etc. 

To qualify for the guarantee, along with the requirements for foreigners, specifically for the position of Teacher to apply for a specialist visa to Vietnam.

If centers and schools support the visa application process, teacher guarantee, part of the cost (if any) for the needed procedures will make it easier for teachers to enter the country. This also creates initiative for the employer side as they are entitled to asking for a certain level of commitment from teachers who enjoy the sponsorship. As a matter of fact, this will too increase the ability of teachers to stay with that employer for a considerably long guaranteed period of time.

2.The benefits of sponsoring foreign teachers

– The ability to assure the teacher’s quality

– Higher chance of finding a qualified candidate thanks to the abundant resources of well-trained teachers from overseas.

In addition, before carrying out the procedures to bring back teachers, employers can conduct online/demo interviews in advance to accurately assess the teacher’s ability, as well as their attitude and working style.

Most of the teachers who want to work in Vietnam or look for sponsorship from employers usually have a positive and enthusiastic attitude. This is simply because the decision of coming to Vietnam for a teaching position is made by the personal wishes of teachers, so being provided with immigration support and employment means a lot to any of them.

2.1 Teacher’s commitment to the job

A person who has never lived (or only visited a couple of times) in an Asian country like these native teachers will need a lot of help from an employer. It can be said that the organization or agency that sponsors them to enter Vietnam is considered their first and only “relative”, before they can connect with any other individuals there. This also helps to reduce the possibility of “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” kind of action, and avoid situations where the employee asks to resign shortly only a few months or even weeks after their departure… which often occurs in the process of recruiting foreign teachers in Vietnam.

2.2. Better sense of responsibility

As mentioned above, the fact that teachers agree to work and live in Vietnam comes from their own desires, so teachers who are brought from abroad will have a better sense of respect and appreciation for the opportunities they are given.

Of course, there will still be a few exceptions, but one thing employers need to do well is to show foreign teachers that they are serious and professional in the process of handling work. This is a very effective method of screening candidates because once the recruiter leaves an “easy” impression in the eyes of the employees, they might not consider your company as a professional. If the recruitment process is not strict, transparent and professional enough, it is easy for foreign candidates to have a bad impression and cause adverse effects, making all your efforts to recruit talents from overseas go down the drain.

2.3. Easy to negotiate salary and expenses

Foreign teachers, especially native teachers in Vietnam, often have a lot of options, so they often demand a lot of benefits as well as remuneration that is most of the time not commensurate with their qualifications. Sponsoring foreign teachers from overseas can solve both of the above problems. Teachers are abroad partly because they depend on consumers for entry procedures and document processing, partly because they have not been well aware of the current situation of the recruitment market in Vietnam. Moreover, their qualifications also need to be seriously invested and evaluated carefully before their entry. So it can be said that the two biggest problems in recruiting foreign teachers above have been partly solved with this solution.

3. Drawbacks of sponsoring foreign teachers from overseas

One thing is for sure, bringing teachers from abroad also comes with many considerable downsides due to the complexity at the initial stage of the recruitment process.

According to the sharing from other employers who have been using this option to recruit talent for their schools, sponsoring foreign teachers requires more effort and time to complete. These challenges include:

– Centers/Schools need to ensure that they are eligible to sponsor foreign teachers for teaching

– Employers should have a good understanding of legal issues, state regulations on employing foreign workers, and related procedures. – Even when using external agency services, it is advisable to have a good grasp of that knowledge.

– The time to conduct the legal procedures can last from a few weeks to 2.3 months depending on the situation of documents provided by the teacher & the status of the application review in each period of the Department of Labor & Immigration Department.

– The immigration regulations of the state currently have restrictions on flights from overseas during the Covid-19 epidemic situation

– Long quarantine period (21 days) with many types of additional costs

– Paperwork procedure expenses

However, if employers manage to come through the immigration and isolation stages as well as the document review process smoothly, this solution will help develop the whole picture of the educational system in Vietnam in a sustainable way. It will not only helps remain a good source of the qualified foreign teacher workforce but also enhance the prestige and reputation of an institution, along with other positive effects in management and students.