The International Schools Review Forum

I can't seem to find any reviews on this school but was wondering if anyone had any information and/or have taught at this school? How does it compare to other international schools in Vietnam and E. Asia?
Thank You!

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Thanks so much for this info..I continue to have good vibes coming from this school. We would love the challenges that living in Vietnam has and just really want to find a school that has students who want to learn.
Thanks again!

Ichiro,

I appreciate the info on the Hanoi school. Would you mind providing the same for the school you were at in Saigon? I know there are two there; which were you at and how did you like it? Were they non- or for-profit schools?

I've never taught at a "top tier" school in 25 years of teaching, but am looking for a place where I'd be respected as a professional. Vietnam and Cambodia are high on my list for next year.

Thanks!

Greetings.

There are several international schools in Saigon. Here are the ones I'm familiar with. The first group are the better ones - at least as far as packages and facilities are concerned. I'm at one of these schools and based on my conversations with teachers at 7 of the nine below, I've been able to come up with the list. Siagon is an amazing city. My wife, 20 month old daughter and I are loving every minute of it. :

Saigon South International School
International School Ho Chi Minh City
British International School Vietnam
ACG International School

American School of Vietnam
Renaissance International School
ABC International School
Australian International School
Saigon Pearl International School

Thanks calciodirigore. That is a post that should be cut and paste for future reference.

Within those two groups are they in any particular order. Is the Pearl one the worst or did you just happen to type that last?

International School Saigon Pearl or ISSP is a brand new school. It just opened this year and since they started taking enrollment in june we started with 20 students and now have almost 100.

The Head of School came from Saigon South International School and brought along many of that staff. She is an excellent administrator. I am teaching at this school now and although we are new and having some bumps in the road with starting up a school I really enjoy the rest of the faculty and staff here.

I definitely would not put us at the bottom of all the International School in Saigon!

Hello.

Sorry about that. I did not mean offence. The schools in the top bunch are more or less in order. The schools below that are really in no particular order. Too soon to tell for some...

As for schools in the top bunch, I won't go into which one is "better." I will say that one is very US style, one is very British, one a mix of everything but leaning toward British with a rather poor campus, and one very Asian with a very nice new campus. Whichever one considers itself to be the best is really of no interest to me.

As far as packages, Saigon South has the best deal in town, but you have to live pretty far away from most of the action. ACG and BIS are tied for second, and not very far behind top spot. ISHMC is last, but again, not by much. Cost of living in this town is pretty cheap. Even if you go somewhat posh, you're still looking at some sweet deals.

I think in the end a lack of a competitive market for the last 15 or so years has hurt the established schools here (BIS and ISHMC). They tend to live more on the fact that they've been around since "the beginning" than actual academics or programs in general. They certainly aren't bad or unpleasant places to be. What I find interesting is how some of the newer schools have reached the same level as the more established two in a very short period of time.

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Thanks, Ichiro. Vietnam sounds like a fascinating place with all the things I love: history, culture, food, and from what I hear some pretty good diving.

Hello Ichiro.

Sorry for the confusion. What I meant is that Thao Dien (area where most BIS, ACG, AIS and ISHMC teachers live) has been set up quite nicely for some time with plenty to do for expat families and teachers. Dist. 7 is nice, but I think it lacks a bit of the character of Thao Dien. I know that Thao Dien is light years from the real Saigon, but it's still a bit more "real" than Phu My Hung.

Also, regardless of traffic, flooding, or the phases of the moon, Dist 1 is only ever "15 minutes" from Thao Dien.

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Any updates on these schools? The UN school in Hanoi has a ton of positions open (could this be a red flag?), but they say they require IB trained teachers. How strict are they with this? Will they provide training?

Saigon Pearl has a nice website, but there are no reviews on ISR.