How to get an English teaching job in Vietnam in 2027
Vietnam is still one of the easier places in Asia to start an English teaching career, but the paperwork is real and the best jobs go to people who prepare early. This guide sums up what we saw while checking Vietnam job ads for our pack, plus the official rules that sit behind them. It's written for people planning a move in 2027.
Our numbers come from the 19 listings in our Vietnam pack, verified as of 2026-10-22. Job ads change fast, so treat every figure as a snapshot, not a promise. Laws change too: always confirm the current rules with your employer and the official sources linked below.
Requirements: degree, TEFL, visa and work permit
A bachelor's degree
In practice you need one. Almost every legitimate ad we checked asks for a bachelor's degree (any subject is fine at most language centres), because the employer needs it to get you a work permit. Under Decree 219/2025/ND-CP, which replaced Decree 152/2020 on 7 August 2025, a foreign "expert" needs a university degree or higher plus relevant work experience (Decree 219/2025/ND-CP, official text; summary by Dentons Luat Viet). An ad that says a college diploma is enough is a warning sign, not a shortcut.
A TEFL, TESOL or CELTA certificate
Most language centres ask for a teaching certificate of at least 120 hours; ILA, for example, lists a recognised ELT qualification of 120+ hours, with CELTA or Trinity accepted. Vietnam's rules on foreign cooperation in education also expect native-speaker language teachers to hold a degree and a suitable language-teaching certificate (Decree 86/2018/ND-CP, English translation). Bilingual and international schools go further: several in our pack want a degree in education, a PGCE or a teaching licence, plus two or more years of classroom experience. A general degree with only a TEFL is not enough for those roles.
Documents you'll be asked for
- Criminal record check, issued no more than 6 months before the work permit application (Decree 219, Article 18).
- Health certificate from a qualified clinic, issued within the last 12 months.
- Your degree and teaching certificate, usually legalised or authenticated for use in Vietnam. Ask your employer exactly which route they need before you leave home; redoing it from abroad is slow.
- A valid passport and passport photos.
Visa and work permit basics
The employer applies for the work permit, not you. Under Decree 219 the application goes to the provincial authority between 60 and 10 days before your start date, and the decision is due within 10 working days of a complete file. With the permit you can then get a work visa and a temporary residence card (TRC). Reputable employers in our pack say they sponsor or organise the work permit, visa and TRC; some only reimburse the costs after probation, and some part-time roles hire only people already in Vietnam with their own long-term visa. Read that part of each ad closely.
Typical salary ranges
These are the ranges stated in the ads we checked (gross unless the ad said NET). Many big chains just say "competitive" and give no number.
| Type of job | What the ads said |
|---|---|
| Language centres, paid in VND per hour | About 490,000 to 650,000 VND per hour (for example ILA up to about 500,000 for new teachers; DTP 490,000 to 550,000; Sakura 600,000 to 650,000). An IELTS specialist role at Language Link offered 1,000,000 VND per hour. |
| Centres paid in USD per hour | About 15 to 22 USD per hour (I Can Read 15; VUS Buon Ma Thuot 17 to 20; iSMART 18 to 22). |
| Bilingual and international schools, monthly | About 1,900 to 2,800 USD per month (Pathway 1,900 to 2,350 gross; Vinschool 2,100 to 2,500 NET; The Dewey Schools 2,600 to 2,800 for a July 2027 start, per Teaching Nomad). |
Hourly jobs depend on how many hours you actually get, so ask for the guaranteed minimum. School jobs often add housing or flight allowances and paid holidays, which can matter more than the headline number.
How hiring works, and when
- Language centre chains hire all year. ILA, Apollo English and VUS keep rolling vacancies open; ILA's official listing runs to 31 December 2026. Centre classes are mostly weekday evenings and weekends.
- Schools hire in cycles. In October 2026 we saw ads for October and November starts, the January 2027 term, and July and August 2027 intakes, with some deadlines already at the end of October. If you want a school job for the 2027 school year, start applying in the autumn or winter before.
- Where the ads are. Most listings we found were on VietnamTeachingJobs.com, plus Dave's ESL Cafe, LinkedIn, Teaching Nomad and employers' own careers pages. Facebook groups are also a big channel.
- The process. Usually a CV and photo, an online interview, sometimes a demo lesson, then an offer and paperwork. Some employers want you already in Vietnam, especially for part-time work.
- Market mood. Some teachers report softer demand in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, with fewer hours. We couldn't verify that, so build in a buffer of savings either way.
How to spot scams and bad offers
Most employers are fine, but these are the red flags we actually ran into while checking ads:
- Placement or "program" fees. A real employer doesn't charge you to get hired. The US Federal Trade Commission puts it simply: never pay for the promise of a job (FTC: Job scams).
- No employer name. "Company confidential" recruiters and unnamed schools make it impossible to check who you would work for.
- "College diploma accepted" or "no degree needed". That usually means no legal work permit.
- Half-hearted permit help, like paying only 50% of the work permit, or asking you to rent housing before the permit is even filed.
- Messy ads: salary units that don't make sense, visa text copied from another country, or private email text pasted into the ad.
- Old copies. Aggregator sites repost ads that closed a year ago. Find the original posting, ideally on the employer's own site.
- Age limits such as "21 to 45" in an ad are a compliance red flag about how the employer works.
Before you sign, look up the school's real address and website, ask to talk to a current foreign teacher, and get the salary, hours, contract length and who pays for the permit in writing.
FAQ
Do I need a degree to teach English in Vietnam?
In practice, yes. Legitimate employers need it to get your work permit, and Vietnam's work permit rules for experts require a university degree or higher. Offers that skip the degree usually mean working without a legal permit.
Is a 120-hour TEFL certificate enough?
For most language centres, a 120-hour TEFL, TESOL or CELTA plus a bachelor's degree meets the stated requirements. Bilingual and international schools often also want an education degree, a PGCE or a teaching licence, and classroom experience.
How much do English teachers earn in Vietnam?
In the ads we checked in October 2026, language centres paid about 490,000 to 650,000 VND or 15 to 22 USD per hour, and bilingual or international schools about 1,900 to 2,800 USD per month. Many chains don't publish a figure.
When do schools in Vietnam hire for 2027?
Language centre chains hire all year. Schools hire in cycles; in October 2026 there were ads for January 2027 terms and July and August 2027 intakes, so apply several months ahead.
Can non-native speakers get a job?
Some employers accept non-native speakers with a C1-level English certificate, but many ads still list passports from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or South Africa. Check each ad's requirements.
Does buying a job pack guarantee a job?
No. Our packs are curated lists of public job postings with links to the originals; you apply directly to employers. We are not a recruiter, and there is no job or visa guarantee.
Sources
- Decree 219/2025/ND-CP on foreign workers in Vietnam (official signed text, Vietnamese government portal)
- Dentons Luat Viet: Work permits for foreign employees easier than before (27 Aug 2025)
- Decree 86/2018/ND-CP on foreign cooperation and investment in education (English translation, Australian Government)
- US Federal Trade Commission: Job scams
- VietnamTeachingJobs.com (where most Vietnam listings we checked were posted)
- ESL Jobs Asia Vietnam pack research: 19 listings checked against their original postings, verified as of 2026-10-22.
This guide is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Rules and job ads change; confirm details with your employer and the official sources.