Privacy page

Last updated:31/7/26 

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1. Who we are 

VNTeachers is a teacher recruitment and placement service connecting suitable candidates with schools, language centres and other education providers, primarily in Vietnam. 

Email: contact@vnteachers.co.uk 

Website: www.vnteachers.co.uk 

In this policy, “VNTeachers”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to the company identified above. 

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2. Information we collect 

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect: 

• Your name, date of birth and contact information 

• Your nationality, current location and right-to-work information 

• Your CV, employment history and references 

• Education, qualifications, TEFL certificates and teaching experience 

• Passport or identity-document information 

• Criminal-record checks, police certificates or DBS information 

• Visa, work-permit and immigration information 

• Interview notes and suitability assessments 

• Salary expectations, preferred locations and availability 

• Communications between you and VNTeachers 

• Information supplied by referees, schools or recruitment partners 

• Technical website information, including IP address, browser type and cookie data 

• Health, disability or other information you voluntarily provide when requesting support or reasonable adjustments 

We ask candidates to provide only information that is relevant to their application. Please do not send unnecessary sensitive information. 

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3. How we collect information 

We may receive information: 

• Directly from you through our website, email, forms, interviews or messages 

• From referees you authorise us to contact 

• From schools, education providers and recruitment partners 

• From publicly available professional sources, such as LinkedIn 

• Through website hosting, analytics and cookie technologies 

If you provide another person’s information, such as a referee’s contact details, you must have permission to provide it. 

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4. How we use your information 

We may use personal information to: 

• Assess your suitability for teaching positions 

• Verify your qualifications, experience and identity 

• Match you with appropriate schools and education providers 

• Present your application to a school after discussing the opportunity with you 

• Arrange interviews and communicate application updates 

• Conduct or facilitate reference, safeguarding and background checks 

• Assist with documentation required for employment, visas or work permits 

• Provide placement and relocation support 

• Maintain records of placements and communications 

• Improve our recruitment services and website 

• Prevent fraud and protect candidates, schools and VNTeachers 

• Comply with legal, regulatory and safeguarding obligations 

• Establish, exercise or defend legal claims 

We will not make a decision producing significant legal effects solely through automated processing. 

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5. Our lawful bases 

Depending on the circumstances, we process personal information because: 

• It is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into an agreement or to perform an agreement with you 

• It is necessary for our legitimate interests in operating a recruitment business, assessing candidates, communicating with schools and protecting our services 

• It is necessary to comply with a legal obligation 

• You have provided consent where consent is appropriate 

• It is necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims 

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider whether our interests are proportionate and whether your rights override those interests. 

You may withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawal will not affect processing that took place before consent was withdrawn. 

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6. Criminal-record information 

Criminal-record checks and police certificates contain criminal-offence data and receive additional protection under UK law. 

We only collect or use this information where it is necessary and proportionate for safeguarding, suitability assessment or meeting the requirements of a particular role, school or relevant authority. We must identify both a general lawful basis and an additional legal condition permitting us to process criminal-offence data. 

Where an applicable legal condition cannot be established, we will seek your explicit consent before processing the information. However, consent alone will not make unnecessary or disproportionate processing lawful. 

Access is restricted to authorised individuals. Wherever practical, we record the outcome of a check rather than retaining the complete certificate. 

We will maintain any internal policy document required by the Data Protection Act 2018 for our processing of criminal-offence or special-category information. 

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7. Passport and identity documents 

We use passport and identity information only where reasonably required to: 

• Confirm identity and nationality 

• Assess eligibility for a role 

• Support employment, visa or work-permit processes 

• Meet a school’s documented compliance requirements 

• Prevent fraud 

We will not publish these documents or use them for unrelated purposes. 

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8. Sharing your information 

We may share relevant information with: 

• Schools, language centres and other prospective employers 

• Authorised VNTeachers staff and contractors 

• Referees and background-check providers 

• Professional advisers, including lawyers, accountants and insurers 

• Website, email, database and secure file-storage providers 

• Immigration, regulatory, safeguarding or law-enforcement authorities where legally required 

• Other service providers necessary to manage your application or placement 

We will normally discuss a specific opportunity with you before sending your identifiable candidate profile to a school. 

We will not sell your personal information. 

Schools and other prospective employers may act as independent data controllers. Their use of your information will be governed by their own privacy notices. 

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9. International transfers 

VNTeachers primarily recruits teachers for positions in Vietnam. This means your information may be shared with prospective employers, service providers or authorities outside the United Kingdom. 

Some countries may not provide the same level of legal protection as the UK. Before making a restricted international transfer, we will use an appropriate legal mechanism where required, such as: 

• UK adequacy regulations 

• The UK International Data Transfer Agreement 

• The UK Addendum to approved standard contractual clauses 

• Another permitted safeguard or applicable legal exception 

We will only transfer information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose. You may contact us for information about the safeguards used for a particular transfer. 

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10. How long we retain information 

We retain information only for as long as reasonably necessary. Our intended retention periods are: 

Information 

Intended retention 

General enquiries with no application 

Up to 12 months 

Unsuccessful or withdrawn applications 

Up to 12 months after the process ends 

Candidate profiles kept for future opportunities 

Up to 24 months, subject to periodic review 

Placement and contractual records 

Up to 6 years after the relevant relationship ends 

Passport copies and full criminal-record documents 

Only as long as needed for verification or placement, normally no longer than 6 months after completion 

Basic record that a required check was completed 

For as long as necessary to demonstrate compliance 

Website and security records 

According to the relevant service’s retention settings and operational need 

We may retain information longer when required by law, necessary for safeguarding, or reasonably needed to establish or defend legal claims. 

Where possible, information will be securely deleted, anonymised or reduced once the complete document is no longer required. 

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11. Security 

We use reasonable technical and organisational safeguards, which may include: 

• Restricted, role-based access 

• Password-protected systems and multi-factor authentication 

• Secure cloud storage and transmission methods 

• Staff confidentiality requirements 

• Secure deletion and retention procedures 

• Extra access restrictions for passports and criminal-record documents 

No internet-based system is completely secure. If you believe information has been sent to us insecurely or your information may have been compromised, contact us immediately. 

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12. Your rights 

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to: 

• Request access to your personal information 

• Have inaccurate information corrected 

• Request deletion of information 

• Restrict how information is used 

• Object to certain processing 

• Receive certain information in a portable format 

• Withdraw consent 

• Challenge certain automated decisions 

• Complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office 

Some rights are subject to legal limitations and may not apply in every situation. 

To exercise a right, email contact@vnteachers.co.uk. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request. 

You may also complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office through ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/. 

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13. Cookies 

Our website may use necessary cookies to operate correctly. With your permission, it may also use analytics or marketing cookies. 

Where legally required, optional cookies will not be placed until you provide consent. You can change your cookie choices through our website’s cookie controls. 

Further details should be provided in a separate Cookie Policy or within the cookie settings displayed on the website. 

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14. Children 

Our recruitment service is intended for adults aged 18 or over. We do not knowingly accept applications from children. 

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15. External websites 

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We do not control those websites and are not responsible for their privacy practices. 

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16. Changes to this policy 

We may update this policy when our services, suppliers or legal obligations change. The current version will be published on our website with its latest revision date. 

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17. Contact us 

Questions concerning this policy or our use of personal information should be sent to: 

Email: contact@vnteachers.co.uk