HOW TO CHOOSE A LANGUAGE SERVICE PROVIDER

English communication skills are as important as ever in Vietnam due to the ever changing business environment and primarily foreign investment in Vietnam. Effective communication ensures business is conducted efficiently and relationships are stronger and geared for the long term

Let me stick to the adult training market here in HCMC (but indeed also applicable to the whole of Vietnam) and see how one can choose a professional, honest and dedicated Business English Service Provider. There are a growing number of service providers in HCMC catering to the needs of companies who require their staff to be better versed and equipped when it comes to English communication. Some of these companies are Vietnamese owned, others are foreign owned or with Vietnamese partnerships. All should have the same goal; developing and improving the English skills of their clients for the 21st century business environment. But is that really the case or is it simply a “cash for service” program and moving on to the next client (victim?)?

The language market is very competitive in Vietnam

Here are some key things that you should do before choosing a language service provider:

1- Ask the Founder/CEO/Owner for their CV and details about their experience. You are the client. You are within your rights to ask for this information. I personally have seen it too many times in Vietnam, where there are businesses which “sell their services/product” very well and successfully. But it is backed by “inconsistencies, half truths or no truth at all“. As a client, you are in control and must feel empowered to ask such basic information. We all want people to be honest with their history/experience so we can better assess them right?

2- Ask for a professional and non personal reference (if possible) and preferable someone they have worked under or alongside. Just as employers ask for a reference and CV from a potential employee, a client should also request this information and ensure that what is provided is honest and the truth. This is what we do when we hire someone, and so it is no different when you choose a provider in Vietnam. In fact, it is essential to sift through the many service providers and find one which reflects core values such as “integrity, honesty and trust“.

3- Scrutinise diligently and ask anything you want. Nothing is off the table when you are hiring someone for a service! Everyone has a degree nowadays so we need to understand more about that. Again, through experience, I have seen many foreigners with degrees but from institutions which have no “weight” and are unknown. The only thing that makes a “foreign degree” noticeable in Vietnam is just that, it is foreign and it is assumed that it has “qualities”. This is not the case as one can clearly see when it comes to employment for someone from an unknown university versus one that is established/reputable (Cambridge, Oxford, MIT, Harvard etc.). Here in Vietnam, I have met people who claim to have a degree from Harvard University in the US but what it really means is that they have an “online certificate” for a non accredited semester course such as “Business & Ethics” or “ Effective Communication“. The irony!

4-Foreign Service Providers. Experience is vital and that is something to analyse. Again you may see CV’s with 10 years experience in Vietnam yet the person is 30 years old. What does that mean? They finished their degree 2 years early, obtained a job, moved to Vietnam and have all this experience? The numbers don’t add up do they?

In conclusion, the search for a professional and reliable language service provider can be quite frustrating. You want an agency that can deliver quality content and will meet your specific needs. These and more such criteria will help you find a service provider for your project among the overwhelming number of companies in the market. As you will discover, it is not all about the price when it comes to professional English Communication services.