My TEFL Heaven Journey in Vietnam by Gayane Tonoyan

My name is Gayane Tonoyan and my teach abroad journey started this April. After having worked for eight years in one of the largest international banks, I made the most radical change decision in my life and decided to quit my job to go and explore Asia. I had always wanted to travel and actually live in Asia for a while and I somehow felt that life was passing by me while I was sitting at my office day in and day out…

When I first had the idea to travel to Asia, I had all sorts of fears and worries – what would I do there? Would I be able to find a job? Is it worth it to leave a successful career to go traveling? These questions were keeping me away from actually making that big leap, until one day I accidentally ran into the TEFL Heaven’s website. When I first read about this opportunity I really couldn’t believe it was that simple – you get a teaching certification, you work as you travel, and you earn quite good money for that as well! I applied immediately not to let any more fears and worries distract me from my big adventure! The TEFL Heaven team made the whole process as easy as possible – I had the most relaxed interview I have had in my life, a couple of emails back and forth, and here I was buying my tickets to fly to Vietnam! 

This was a decision I made on impulse, relying solely on intuition and letting go of all controls, future career plans and worries. I was traveling with a one way ticket for the first time in my life – and traveling to a country I knew almost nothing about! I started that journey with an almost physical realization of how good it felt to slow down from the rush and pressure of the office job and take life easy.

So, here I am now in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, three weeks into the TESOL course and one more week to go before I start my actual employment.

Ho Chi Minh City, an Asian megapolis, is probably the best place to start exploring Vietnam. This
city is bursting with energy and contrasts – insane traffic with motorbikes flooding the streets, modern business centers with sky scrapers and never ending chaos of shabby suburbs, street life with cafes and restaurants on every step, and, most importantly, very friendly local people who go out of their way to help foreigners with anything they can.

So, what is the life of a TEFL teacher like in Asia? To put it short, your life becomes an experiment from the moment your plane lands.

You experiment every day – you learn new things, you meet new people, you try new foods, you take new roads (and get lost of course… :)), you feel the vibe of life and get
dizzy from being part of the whirlpool of new colors, new tastes, sounds and emotions!

After being in this experiment for almost one month now, I cannot stop recommending teaching abroad to friends – after all, if you like traveling, what can be better than traveling while you can also earn decent money in a fun and exciting job?

As I continue my adventure of teaching abroad, I will keep you posted on the process and will be very happy to see you inspired to embark on your own TEFL journey!