TEFL Courses & Certification in Hanoi, Vietnam

My trip to Asia was my first, and it provided an incredible opportunity to immerse myself in a completely different culture. I embraced the people, traditions, language, food, and way of life, gaining a much deeper appreciation for the diversity of the world around me. Meeting new people and building meaningful connections was one of the highlights of the experience, and I made friendships that I will cherish for years to come. This journey represented a significant period of personal growth. I stepped well outside of my comfort zone and challenged myself in ways I never thought possible. I became more confident in making my own decisions independently, embraced new experiences without hesitation, and enjoyed the freedom to focus on my own personal development. For the first time in many years, I was able to concentrate solely on myself without the day-to-day responsibilities I have towards my family, which allowed me to grow in confidence and independence. One of my biggest achievements was travelling halfway around the world despite my fear of flying. As someone who has always disliked flying, this was a challenge in itself, but overcoming that fear gave me a tremendous sense of accomplishment and proved that I am capable of far more than I sometimes believe. I truly experienced things I would never have dreamed of and created memories that will stay with me forever. None of this would have been quite the same without Hayley, Arron and Thuy, who were absolutely fantastic throughout the entire experience. Their support, encouragement, friendship and guidance played a huge role in making the trip so special and memorable. I will never, ever forget my time there. It was a life-changing experience that enabled me to grow both personally and professionally, gave me friendships and memories to treasure, and showed me what is possible when I am willing to embrace new challenges and opportunities. Bring on my next adventure ( although I am unsure my husband and family will agree this time )

Amazing experience, great opportunity to travel and explore a new culture and helps get you out your comfort zone. Its also very rewarding helping children abroad learn English and seeing how happy and grateful they were.

I’ve just finished the programme 🎉😭 Time flew 💨 so quickly! I’m quite gutted because I really enjoyed my stay there and now feel “home sick!” I took part in Thailand from 4th June 2026 to 18th June 2026. The staff are fantastic; Morgan, Aaron, George, and Leyu have all been incredibly welcoming and supportive. You can genuinely tell they love what they do and I can’t thank them enough for going above and beyond to help me and the other students. The other students also been amazing, creating a warm, friendly, and supportive atmosphere from day one, especially Max! The programme has been very well planned so far and I’ve already learned so much about Thailand. Teaching was absolutely freaking amazing!!! I probably enjoyed it more than the kids hahah 🤪 the kids did enjoy it too 😁 The kids and staff were a ⭐ you can tell the Thai teachers had passion for teaching.

have taken English teaching courses in the past, which gives me a good point of comparison. No other course I’ve done is as good as this one! The materials are very thorough, covering all kinds of topics (all of which I deemed to be necessary). It covers everything from what motivates adults to learn, to how children thrive, to cultural clashes and international exams. They also provide you with lots of resources to use in your future lessons (websites, warm ups, concept check activities). And the fact that they advise you on one particular type of lesson planning makes it all the easier for you, so you don’t waste days planning a single lesson. While in Vietnam, the support was incredible. I can’t believe how much I’ve learned in such a short time. The classes I’ve observed proved kids love to learn English with this model in mind. And teaching with such good guidance became a memory I’ll never forget. I’m truly grateful and would highly recommend this course.

As a family of four—my husband, our two children aged 21 and 15, and myself—we left South Africa to build a new future in Cambodia as teachers. Determined to qualify, we enrolled in AVSE’s intensive one-month TESOL course in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, normally completed in six months. Our trainer, Michael Walsh, made the experience both rewarding and enjoyable. His thorough, engaging, and supportive teaching style kept us motivated through the demanding workload. We also benefited greatly from the expert advice of Peter Goudge, AVSE’s Managing Director. His guidance and encouragement were instrumental from enrollment to post-course planning, helping us navigate this life-changing move with confidence. Miss Mary and Miss Jing provided invaluable help with visas for both Vietnam and Cambodia, removing the stress of complex paperwork so we could focus on our studies. The journey has had its challenges, but it has been life-changing. With our TESOL certifications complete, we are now teaching in Cambodia—growing as educators, building a new life, and becoming a stronger, more united family in the process.

I would definitely recommend this course to people wanting to gain there TESOL certification. AVSE met my needs and much more, through the experience of Trainers/Teachers allowed me to learn so much. I found we were advised from the get go on what we needed to do regarding workload and how to manage that. AVSE provided a conducive environment to learning. Thanks so much AVSE!

Completing the TESOL course with AVSE was one of the best decisions I’ve made. From the very beginning, the team was incredibly supportive — not just in delivering a well-structured and practical curriculum, but also in making sure we felt equipped, confident, and cared for throughout the process. The trainers were knowledgeable, patient, and deeply passionate about teaching. They created a space where I could grow, ask questions, make mistakes, and try again. Beyond the classroom theory, the course gave me hands-on teaching experience and real-world tools that I know I’ll carry with me throughout my teaching career. As someone taking a bold step into a new chapter of life and work in Southeast Asia, AVSE didn’t just prepare me to teach English — they laid a strong, holistic foundation for my professional journey. Their guidance, encouragement, and belief in their students have been invaluable, and I leave this experience not only with a qualification but with a sense of clarity, purpose, and direction. I’m truly grateful to the AVSE team for their unwavering support and for helping me begin this exciting journey.

The Gotoco Thailand 6 week programme was an amazing experience! Alongside completing a TEFL course, you have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience teaching at a school and also have free time to travel around the country! It was such a unique experience which allows you to see a new country through a different lens than a typical tourist, providing the opportunity for personal and professional growth. It was also a great chance to meet other like-minded people in your cohort as well as meet new friends from a different country. I was personally placed at a school near the Cambodian border so had the opportunity to visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia during one of the weekends - a once in a lifetime opportunity! During the 6 weeks of teaching, I loved having the opportunity to visit local and national landmarks. At my placement school, the teacher who was the main point of contact, Kru Lek, ensured that we were able to see local landmarks and immerse ourselves in the culture, not just of Thailand but of the local region, Sisaket. Overall, I felt that, through the programme, I got to have new experiences and learn about a new culture as well as about myself in a way that I haven't been able to do before. I also think the programme helped me to grow in confidence and become more comfortable as a leader, be it as a teacher or just in a group setting in general. I think that the programme helped me to improve my communication skills and ability to work and travel independently. I also appreciate that Gotoco facilitates wider participation, allowing people from a range of backgrounds to have an experience that would not otherwise be available to them. I would highly recommend it!

If you are considering teaching and living abroad, I cannot recommend gotoco enough! Gotoco offers a wide range of programmes in different cities across Vietnam, so there is something for everyone. As for my placement, I volunteered as a kindergarten teacher in Ho Chi Minh City. This placement has helped me gain new skills, qualifications, friends and all while living in a new country. The placement enabled me to connect with the kids, local people and culture in a way that is not possible through short and rushed trips. I have been the kind to cram as much as possible in a small trip but this experience made me aware of more impactful ways of travelling and connecting with people and cultures. This programme has made me see that there is a host of opportunities around the world, beyond the conventional career routes. So for me, Gotoco has been more than a teaching and TEFL placement and I hope more young people could benefit from opportunities such as this.

AVSE-TESOL was not the English language teacher training center closest to where I lived in Ho Chi Minh City. Nevertheless, after completing some market research, I chose AVSE-TESOL because of its strong reputation for its English language teacher training program and quality student reviews. In hindsight, AVSE-TESOL turned out to be an excellent choice! Together with a group of other potential English teachers, over a period of one month I went through 150 hours of study/training, including classroom instruction, written work, practical teaching, and classroom observation. I had the pleasure of being taught by several capable instructors, all of whom were knowledgeable, enthusiastic about what they were teaching, proactive in generating student involvement, and supportive when students found themselves on new and unfamiliar ground such as public speaking or teacher scenario playing. Less than a month after I had completed my studies and had earned my Certificate IV in TESOL, AVSE-TESOL was instrumental in helping me find a teaching position. Six years later, I am still teaching at the same school. For those interested in entering the world of teaching English in Vietnam or Cambodia, without hesitation I recommend AVSE-TESOL.

I had such a great time overseas with Gotoco. I spent summer of 2024 with them in Thailand and would highly recommend the experience. They have great staff, great support and it’s really organised. It was such a wonderful opportunity to travel!

My experience with Gotoco can only be described as once in a lifetime! From start to finish the programme exceed my expectations in so many ways. My top three highlights are meeting other gotoco participants and making friends for life, being truly immersed into Thai culture through the experiences and people our school host introduced us to and finally meeting and supporting the kindest children to grow with their English speaking.

I had a great experience during my teaching placement in Surin northern Thailand. Because of its more isolated rural location I was truly able to immerse myself in Thai culture as it is not a tourist heavy area. The area I was living in was affordable and had access to all the amenities that I required. In addition, my accommodation was a 10 minute walk from the school I worked at. The teaching placement most importantly gave me quality real life teaching experience, something that many other TEFL online courses cannot provide.

My experience on this program has been incredibly rewarding. Teaching children and developing new teaching methods helped me grow professionally, and gaining my TESOL qualification gave me the confidence to apply for future teaching jobs. I loved connecting with the local community and exploring new places on weekends. The program made me more independent and improved my ability to interact with people from all backgrounds, including students, teachers, and school leaders.

It was a pleasure to participate; I had a unique and wonderful experience. The entire experience was thoroughly enjoyable, and I have nothing but positive feedback. I believe it's a great opportunity, and the company is excellent. They consistently deliver on their promises, although it does require patience. Everything takes time, so it's not suitable for those lacking patience. I also believe they offer one of the most significant opportunities for you to be outside your comfort zone, in such a postive environment

I really loved my experience in Poland teaching abroad, it is one of the best things I've done in my life. The programme allowed me to experience genuine friendships, encouraged me to solo travel and grew my confidence massively. I met so many different people and worked with a wide age range of children. The cultural programme was organised and allowed free time for exploring with my friends. Pros: Experiencing a different culture, Funded, Solo travel, Lasting friendships. Cons: There was a long period of time from submitting my TESOL work to receiving the qualification itself and communication from the team about this was poor.

I loved everything, that I had to do with the course. I don’t regret a thing and, I love the guidance I received. I had the best trainer. He is really good at what he does and, he shouldn’t stop. The staff at AVSE-Ho Chi Mihn City are really polite, caring and they made sure that, I had everything I needed.

This program is rigorous but you learn so much in just one month, as well as a wealth of first-hand experience. The staff was experienced and friendly and I made some great friends. Highly recommend the course to anyone who wants to travel and teach!

AVSE is a good choice for TESOL course. The instructor and the AVSE staff is very friendly and supportive.AVSE staff is very helpful while taking teaching practice classes.In future i would like to recommend AVSE to other people.

Mick, Mary and Merinda are all highlights of the program. They kept things running smoothly and were a joy to work with! I feel ready to be a teacher because of them! The program was very informative, I feel informed.