Work in Vietnam? Find a job in Vietnam with or without a degree
Vietnam is a country which attracts many expats and investors due to the great economic growth is has been experiencing in recent years. It is a dream country for expatriates looking for a good job. However, this Vietnamese paradise is not within everyone’s reach. It is not so easy to get a job when you are a foreigner because of the standards and costs that come with hiring a foreigner. In this article, we will tell you more about how to find work in this country, the possible offers and the conditions to be fulfilled.
What is the main type of employment in Vietnam ?
Many expats are looking to work in Vietnam as English teachers but let me give you a deep overview about the different types of jobs you can find as a foreign expatriates. Many expats who dream of living and working in Vietnam are looking for non-teaching jobs.
But there is a lack of information about those topics. For instance, what about the hotel job in Vietnam for foreigners, are they popular if you do not have a diploma ? And also what are the main job websites such as expat.com, vietnamworks.com or other specific sites for young skilled worker with or without a diploma ? Let me cover all those subjects.
What is the employment Market for Foreigners in Vietnam ?
Despite the fact that Vietnam is a country with an almost negligible unemployment rate, foreigners find it hard to find a job. This is due to the laws that the Vietnamese government have when it comes to hiring foreigners making it hard for expatriates to enter the labor market.
For a foreigner to have a chance of finding a job, the company hiring them must prove that he is more qualified a than Vietnamese candidate. The ability to speak foreign languages and an impressive international career are also often required to fill a position that would be held by a Vietnamesec citizen. Low-paying jobs that do not require special skills are routinely occupied by Vietnamese.
What to do to find work in Vietnam when you are a Foreigner?
Expats have various options for settling in Vietnam. It is possible to get hired for local jobs, expatriate contracts, or international voluntary contracts in small and medium-size businesses. As for your educational level, it usually does not matter. Whether you studied at a university or stopped schooling earlier, you can still find a multitude of positions in Vietnam with its high growth rate. It is, therefore, possible to find a job with or without a diploma in Vietnam, but of course, you may still face some difficulties and we will discuss this in a bit. So if you are French, English, American, Korean, Japanese, you should be able to find companies or organisations that need your kind of profiles. Here in this article we are covering all the non-teaching jobs in Vietnam. If you are more interested by working for a school, you may find relevant information on our page dedicated to find a job as an english teacher in Vietnam. Also, regarding to the employment of students who are looking for experience, we provide you a full overall picture of finding an internship in Vietnam that will focus more for non and just non or recently-graduated students.
Working in Vietnam with a local contract: what are the top sectors?
The Local Employment Contract is one of the contracts you can get in a Vietnamese company as a foreigner. These contracts are only signed with foreigners who are the most qualified for the job. The industries foreigners are usually recruited for are in the IT, consulting, insurance, business, call centers, manufacturing and health sectors.
This video, although designed to illustrate the promising business opportunities to set up a business, also presents 5 promising sectors of activity that actively hiring foreign workers in Vietnam.
Aside from this, another top job for foreigners is to be an English teacher. This position usually comes with a very attractive salary. You just need to have a good level of English comprehension. The hospitality and food industries are also open to foreigners in local employment. Unfortunately, in these fields, a foreigner can be hired only if he is fluent in Vietnamese. If this does not suit you, do not worry because expatriate contracts and international volunteering in companies are also available to you.
Contracts for Expatriates: With or Without Diploma?
Vietnam is a country open to large corporations and multinational companies that have established themselves. Since they already have a name in their field, it is easier for them to hire foreign technical employees. Because of this, it is usual for these companies to offer expatriate contracts. Competition at this level is tough as these companies are looking for the best in their fields. It is possible to be hired on an expatriate contract in various fields such as tourism, finance, banking, and oil (petroleum).
If you are qualified, you should also check companies who are originally from your country since these would sometimes have preference or agreement with your government to prioritize nationals. For example, the French institutions like the Institute of Cultural Exchanges with France recruits qualified French teachers. Find the appropriate companies that will help you to find a job within a few weeks of research and meeting the right people. Our key advice to help you finding a job within weeks of arrival would be to join some event or, meet up to get introduced to the local and foreign community living in the city you are staying in.
International Volunteering in Companies
Young people under the age of 28 can benefit from an international volunteering contract. This offer is popular in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and it allows volunteers to be paid up to 1500 euros per month. This amount is definitely more than enough to live well in Vietnam and even save money. In addition, the company you volunteer for may also offer other benefits such as paying for transportation or covering medical insurance. Young people with sought-after skills who want to prove themselves are eligible for these offers.
Now that you know the types of hiring contracts that are waiting for you in Vietnam, it is high time that you know how to be informed of these offers.
How to Know about Job Offers for Vietnam?
You do not have to go to Vietnam and apply directly before you start looking for your job. We recommend that you have a clear idea of your job before you go all the way there. To do this, you can check job sites such as Vietnamworks and Monster. You may also find offers on social networking sites like Facebook where you can join groups dedicated to Vietnam. Linkedin and Viadeo are professional social networks that are also very useful for finding a job. Those who are interested in an international corporate volunteering contract can click on this link to view the offers.
In case you are already in Vietnam, you can become friends with expatriates in order to be informed of job offers within the community.
Conditions For Working in Vietnam as a Foreigner
As it is in all countries of the world, before working in Vietnam, foreigners must have a visa and a work permit. The validity period of the work permit is twelve months. You must apply if your stay exceeds three months and you want to work. The work permit can be renewed once, for those who want to settle in Vietnam for a long time.
However, you should note that Vietnam grants work permit and visa exemptions to a certain category of people who are more likely to find a job. The experts, managers, technicians, and any profile with a university degree with three years of professional experience are part of it.
7 days to find a job in Vietnam
Finding work in Vietnam is often tricky. We don’t know how to deal the language gap, find and contact companies from overseas or when we don’t have a profesionnal network, and how to value a foreign diploma or any experience abroad.
Some expatriates will also have practical questions such as:
- Do I have to do my resume in Vietnamese?
- Where can I find the list of companies that are currently recruiting expatriates in a specific industry?
- How to maximize the chances of getting a job interview and be able to show to the recruiter my motivation?
So many challenges that cannot be covered in single article. The purpose of this training is to give you a proven method to apply from a headhunter expat based in Vietnam. With this step-by-step roadmap, you know what to do, implement effective actions to finally efficiently get a job interview that will lead to a job offer in Vietnam.
Click next link to discover the training “7 days to Find a Job in Vietnam”
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