Editorial · September 21, 2013
English Center in Vietnam: Ten Checks Before You Enrol
English center in Vietnam choices are easier when you run ten checks first, covering the licence, the teachers, class size, levels, tests and refunds. Do them before you sign or pay anything. Each check is a plain question with a plain answer you can write down.
Check the licence and the owner
English center in Vietnam is a broad label. It covers small neighbourhood classrooms, school-run programmes and large chains. The name on the sign tells you little, so start with paper.
Check 1: ask to see the licence to operate and the name of the legal owner. Write both down. Then ask the local education office whether the centre is on its list. A centre that avoids this question has answered it.
Check 2: ask who runs the centre day to day. You want a named director you can meet, not only a sales desk.
Check the teachers
Good lessons come from good teachers. Ask for facts, and ask in writing if you can.
Check 3: ask what qualification each teacher holds. For foreign teachers, ask for a degree and a teaching certificate, not only a passport. For Vietnamese teachers, ask for their degree and their training in teaching English.
Check 4: ask how long teachers have stayed. A centre where teachers change every term cannot give a child or an adult steady progress.
Check 5: ask to watch one class. A short visit shows more than any brochure. The national scheme itself puts the recruiting and training of language teachers at the centre of better English, and that is a fair guide for you too.
Check class size and levels
Check 6: ask how many learners sit in one class. Speaking needs turns. In a room of forty, each learner speaks for a few minutes a lesson. In a room of fifteen, that time grows. Ask for the maximum, in writing, and ask what happens if the class grows past it.
Check 7: ask how the centre places new students. A sound centre tests you first, then puts you in a class that fits. It should name its levels and say what a learner can do at each one.
A common yardstick helps here. The Council of Europe describes six levels, A1 to C2, grouped as basic, independent and proficient user. Many courses and books now use these labels. Vietnam's own national scheme also calls for a single framework of six levels, with level one the lowest. Ask the centre which scale it uses and what it means in plain words.
Check what the course leads to
Check 8: ask what test, if any, the course prepares for. Be careful with promises such as a fixed score in a fixed number of weeks. Learners start from different places, and no centre controls how fast you learn.
If you need an international test result, learn the rules first. The IELTS partners say a result should be treated as showing your current English for no more than two years, because language skills fade without use. So book a test close to the time you need it, not at the start of a long course.
Also ask who sets the exam and where it takes place. Practice tests at the centre are useful, but they are not the real exam.
Check the money and the paper trail
Check 9: ask for the full fee in writing. It should say what is included, such as books, materials, tests and any registration fee. Ask what is extra.
Check 10: ask for the refund terms before you pay. Find out what you get back if you leave in week one, in the middle of the course, or if the centre cancels the class. Ask what happens if a teacher leaves. Keep a signed copy of the contract and every receipt.
Pay in steps if you can, term by term, rather than a whole year up front. If a centre pushes you to pay today for a discount that ends today, step back and take a night to think.
A short checklist to carry with you
Before you enrol, you should be able to say yes to each of these points. You saw the licence and know the owner. You know your teacher's qualification and how long teachers stay. You watched a class and know the maximum class size. You know your level and which scale the centre uses. You know what the course leads to and what it does not promise. You hold the fee list, the refund terms and a signed contract.
If two or three answers are missing, visit a second centre and compare. Ten checks take about two hours. A poor choice can cost a term of lost time and money, so the two hours are well spent.
This article is general information, not legal or financial advice. Rules and licences differ by province, so confirm details with the local education office.