Meet the Teacher: Mr Williams

For this week's 'Meet the Teacher' our Year 12 students, Jamie and Ji Min speak to Head of Mathematics, Mr Williams. Mr Williams joined BIS HCMC in August 2017 from Dorset in the UK. He has previous experience in international teaching in a variety of countries including Jakarta, Ecuador and Costa Rica. As he starts his second term at BIS HCMC, let’s find out how he’s settling in...

Can you tell us a little bit about your past working experiences?

When I graduated university I worked as an Accountant in the National Health Service in England. After that I became a Teacher and I taught in the UK for a few years before moving to Costa Rica. Following this, I moved to Phuket, then to a British school in Ecuador, then onto Jakarta, before moving back to the UK. I then decided I wanted another adventure so here I am!

What made you come to Vietnam out of all the other Asian countries?

I brought a SEAMC team from Jakarta about 4 or 5 years ago and I really liked the school and City here, so when a Head of Department job came up I thought, why not?

So are you enjoying your life here?

I really love it. I think Vietnam is everything I would have hoped for because we’ve lived in two Asian countries before, so we sort of know what to expect but I think Vietnam and Vietnamese people have been really friendly and welcoming. There is a lot of nice things to do in the City, there is a lot of nice food.

Are there any activities you do in your free time here in Vietnam?

I’ve been very busy since I have been here. Things that I like to do include swimming, cycling, cooking, eating, reading and travelling. I’m looking forward to visiting areas around Saigon.

Which areas in Vietnam have you visited so far?

We’ve been to Vietnam before, and visited Hoi An, which was lovely. I am really looking forward to going up to Sapa for trekking and visiting the Mekong Delta in March. But anywhere is interesting to go to!

Do you feel like students in BIS HCMC are different to students in other countries that you’ve taught in before?

It is quite similar to the British school in Jakarta; students are very mathematically motivated, but students here are even more self motivated. I think when students come into school they want to get the most out of each lesson, which is extremely important, because their results directly reflect what they come in with.

Our final question...Do you agree with pineapple on pizza?

NO. It’s amazing that you asked that! I didn’t say anything when a teacher ordered a Hawaiian pizza this morning because I was trying to be polite.

Jamie and Ji Min, Year 12 students