Where one is celebrated as a teacher at a German school

Being a teacher is more than a job. For many people, this work is a vocation that they fulfill with a lot of passion.

For us, it was special to receive such warm, thoughtful gifts from our parents this year.
We thank you for working daily with your children and for letting us share in their development.

Stress, lack of esteem, disrespect and ‘helicopter parents’ are buzzwords that are often associated with the teaching profession today, at least in the daily press.
If you were a guest at the International German School HCMC (IGS) in Vietnam last week, you must have felt like you were in a parallel universe. Teaching is traditionally one of the most respected professions in Vietnam; Education enjoys a very high priority.

Teacher’s Day is celebrated in the Socialist Republic on 20 November. Many students come to school on this day with bouquets for their teachers. Parents, too, often express their personal gratitude for the educational work that teachers have done.

The teachers at the IGS were also surprised by the representatives of the parents’ council. They had prepared small packages with a healthy snack before the weekly teachers’ meeting, which they lovingly presented. “Never before have I received such appreciation as a teacher,” says Ms. M., who decided to go to Vietnam after completing her degree and gaining professional experience.

On the evening of the official Vietnamese Teachers’ Day, Consul General Dr. Josefine Wallat, and husband Chris Moore, invited all educators of the German educational institutions in Ho Chi Minh City to a stylishly-prepared reception. The Consul General thanked the teachers of the German School, the Goethe Institute, the Vietnamese-German University, the German Department of the National University and the Pasch Institiute for their hard work, and took a lot of time to personally talk to all guests at the function.
Unlike the production of products in a factory, the results of education are often only visible years later. This is in the nature of things. Often, in the case of education, things are only noticeable as written between the lines, but which have a lasting effect on the lives of students.
Numerous graduates of German schools abroad hold important positions in their homeland after studying in Germany and build cultural and economic bridges between the countries in which they have studied and lived.
Vietnam and Germany have a long-standing friendly relationship, which is currently gaining momentum due to the economic boom in Vietnam.

For many colleagues at the International German School HCMC in Vietnam, it is a very exciting experience to witness this rapid development in such a diverse country.