22 June 24
During a weekly consultation a client asked how long I’ve been teaching English. Doing the math, it’s been more than seven years since those first lessons in Grade 11—mornings spent in university entrance exams, evenings in the classroom, back to the exam hall the next day. “You don’t choose the profession; the profession chooses you” feels accurate. I adore tourism entrepreneurship and project management, but TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is where I’ve landed.
If I could rewind high school, this is the roadmap I’d follow to make the journey shorter and less bumpy.
Grade 10: Pour everything into English fundamentals
Imagine I start Grade 10 obsessed with teaching but with zero English. Step one is obvious: study English.
- Set a goal of IELTS 6.5–7.0 within 6–12 months by choosing the right mentor and investing the hours.
- Grade 10 isn’t overloaded, so I could commit 10–12 hours a week (classes plus self-study).
- Ask the family “scholarship” to fund tuition and the first IELTS attempt, then tutor to save up for the second test, aiming for an 8.0.
That first summer is for volunteering at language centres: supporting learners, watching teachers deliver lessons, helping prep materials. If the centre takes volunteers (Thi IELTS Ltd does!), I’d jump in immediately. When someone needs basic conversation or a 5.5-level IELTS coach, I’d take the job—charge a modest fee because I’m sharing experience, not a full-fledged pro yet. Whatever class I accept, I’d own the outcomes as if they were my own results.
Grade 11: Level up and earn paid experience
Another year of study pushes the IELTS target to 8.0–8.5, enough to help most learners (few people outside teaching ever need more than 7.5).
- Summer is the time to move from volunteer to teaching assistant and add more private students.
- Rates can rise a little, but remember I still lack formal pedagogy training.
- Use the three-month break to stash 40 million VND—we’ll need it right after graduation.
Grade 12: Laser focus on the entrance exam
You only get one senior year. There’s no going back to “fix the grade.” I’d pause tutoring and throw my energy into school.
- Aim for a GPA of at least 8.0 to keep scholarship and top-university doors open.
- Guard that 40-million fund; graduation will demand it.
Graduation checklist
By the time I finish high school I’d have:
- An IELTS 8.0 certificate.
- Around six months of volunteering/assistant/tutoring experience.
- A GPA above 8.0 plus some offers from leading universities (scholarships are another conversation).
- A 40-million-VND savings pot—hands off!
That’s plenty of capital to launch into TESOL with the wind at my back. In the next piece I’ll map out the four years that follow. See you then!