Volunteer to teach English in beautiful coastal city - hai phong

United Kingdom

1

If I could give this 0 stars I would. My experience with this centre was horrific. Avoid at all costs. I was not welcomed properly and was taken to the room which was filthy and covered in mould, even my bedding was mouldy and very dirty. I was only given one meal in two days even though 3 were promised. I had no communication with the host about the actual teaching. I was locked in the building one night, unable to have dinner and having no food for nearly 24 hours as the building was still locked the next day. I felt so unsafe and scared as a solo female traveller!

over 2 years ago

Andy replied

Avoid Samantha unless you want to host a drama queen

Having hosted many volunteers but I have never met such a problematic and demanding person

She arrived at around 6 pm Saturday 11th March which was the time the center we were operating classes by local teachers while volunteers all had days off and took a trip to Cat Ba island ( Saturday to Monday)

so yes, there was no one at the place by the time she got there except a security guard ( who did not speak English but made an effort to show her the room despite the language barrier); however, we did inform her in advance about the center being empty at that time and one volunteer even reached out to her to invite her for the trip but she said she could not make it

I finished my lesson around 8 pm and went straight to the center to see her and I was the person who prepared a simple meal for her but she barely ate anything and also did not tell me why so i can make an adjustment

Sunday 12th of March ( the day local teachers also had a day off that was why it was empty

Around 1.30 pm I told her that the food was ready but she said (ok, she would come through now) but then when I returned home she did not touch a thing, and in the evening, I and other local members also had dinner for about 2 hours but we could not see around

So one meal is 2 days is not true ( i have messages to back up my point)

"I had no communication with the host about the actual teaching "

We work from Tuesday to Saturday so yeah, we did not have a chance to talk to her about lesson plans because she left on Monday afternoon

"I was locked in the building one night, unable to have dinner and having no food for nearly 24 hours as the building was still locked the next day"

Liar, the center is usually open from 9 am to 10 pm and locked up from 10 pm to 8-9 am and I actually live in the house next door but she never told me about not being able to go out because if she did, I would immediately open it for her

While it is true that we did not provide her a key immediately because volunteers all took keys with them away, she never said anything about being locked up until 10.44 am Monday ( and we rushed to make her a copy and give it to her at around 11. am.

When she said she had decided to leave the place, I did politely ask her to return the key to the table but she did not reply and eventually found the key in a trash bin


After leaving our place, i was informed by volunteers that she wanted to meet them after they returned from the trip but they all refused to meet her to avoid negativity















Canada

5

I had an incredible time volunteering at the school. Getting the opportunity to the English to local students was truly a unique experience. Made some good friends with the other volunteers and with the local teachers.

over 2 years ago

India

5

Spectacular place. Andy and his team is helpful, and are always there to guide you in case you need anything. Such a homely atmosphere. Amazing and lovely teachers. I personally had fun and amazing time. Made some life time friends. I'll definitely visit them again.

over 2 years ago

Spain

5

It was suuuuuper nice to stay here!! Andy is a great person who will provide you any help with anything you need, the room is very nice too and beds are very comfortable. You will have a lot of free time to explore Hai Phong and the places nearby, such as Cat ba or Ha long bay. They provided us some motorcycles so the experience was much more easy to enjoy. The teachers from the school are super kind and fun, I love them so much. The classes are easy to follow as you will only ask them certain questions (provided by the school) and let them answer. Super recomendable!!

over 2 years ago

United Kingdom

5

I had so much fun at the school! Andy and his family are very welcoming, I loved having both funny and complex convos with Andy while also enjoying his wife's lovely food! The teaching itself is great, it's basically having grammatically correct and detailed conversations with the students- who are all super friendly and chatty! The Teaching assistants are maybe the best part of the experience as not only do they help you out in class but they are also super eager to show you around Haiphong city and teach you about Vietnamese culture and cuisine (which is amazing in Haiphong).

over 2 years ago

Netherlands

5

We really enjoyed our two weeks at the school, we met and taught many students and we explored Hai Phong with the TAs and fellow volunteers. We were allowed to use the push bikes / motor bikes which was handy. On our days off there's enough time to explore Cat Ba or Hanoi or Ninh Binh. I can recommend the school if you fancy teaching English!!!

over 2 years ago

United Kingdom

5

Great experience with the school team. Engaging students, great teaching assistant support in a good area of Vietnam to get under the skin of the real Vietnam

over 2 years ago

India

5

Had a great time at the school and wished I could stay longer. Thanks to the amazing host Andy, you immediately feel like you are part of the school. The accommodation was comfortable and the food provided was super good. The students were enthusiastic to learn, with most of them having solid reasons to improve their English. The local TAs were great too. They helped ensure classes run smoothly and took us to local places for dinner after classes. All volunteers had a great time together, be it chilling at the local cafe, going out for drinks, or just having meals together with Andy.

over 2 years ago

India

5

Andy is a great host. Felt super welcome. His wife and kids were great as well. She cooked hearty meals for us everyday. Our accommodation was super comfortable plus we met many locals who took us to local places and had local food. The teaching itself was super fun. The students are eager to learn, we also went to the university Halloween party because of Andy. On our week offs, we explored other places in vietnam. Andy always helped us with our travelling plans for the weekend. Also, he made sure that there were always more than 2 volunteers. So i ended up making friends for life!

over 2 years ago

Australia

5

I absolutely loved my experience at the school English Center! If I had the flexibility I would have stayed longer… Andy was a really great host. He warmly welcomed me into his home and apart of the Center. Thank you to Andy's family aswell for being so accomodating and to his wife for her AMAZING cooking, I always left lunch and dinner very satisfied. But honestly I am very honoured to be apart of what Andy is doing for the students in Hai Phong. Thank you so much Andy, till next time. P.S I still want those photos from the Halloween party 😤

over 2 years ago

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