Cost of hiring and paying salaries for foreign teachers

This article will give employers (recruiters) an overview of the hiring price as well as the average payment for a foreign teacher to work at an educational institution. Besides, we will also give detailed information about the benefits and limitations of two forms of using foreign teacher services: 1. Recruiting as a full-time teacher or 2. Hiring expats from local suppliers.

Average salary of a foreign teacher in Vietnam:

During this uncertain time, many foreigners decide to leave Vietnam for various reasons. Some people return home because they are tired of the continuous unannounced separation situation, or because of the increasingly harsh changes in the regulations on documents to work legally in Vietnam. Because of this problem, the source of quality foreign teachers has become scarcer than ever:

Average salary before Covid:

Public Schools: $15-21 per hour

Private language centers: $1,200-$1,800 per month

Universities: $100-$2,200 per month

International/Bilingual School: $25-$30 per hour

Average salary at the moment (early 3rd quarter of 2021):

Public Schools: $20-$25 per hour

Private language centers: $1200-$2000 per month

Universities: $2000-$2500 per month

International/bilingual school: from $30 per hour

1. Public Schools: $20- $25 per hour

The teachers will teach many lessons according to the timetable of the classes according to the regulations and arrangements of the school. Therefore, teachers will teach about 20-25 hours per week or 80-100 hours a month, which may be higher than in foreign language centers.

Teachers are usually arranged to teach in the morning to afternoon and on weekends. Most teachers will always want a fixed schedule, but the timetable of classes in public schools is always changing, so teachers are often required to work on a flexible teaching schedule during the day.

Usually, public schools are linked with an intermediary center, which supplies native teachers, contracts and pays based on the number of hours taught by native teachers. This is simply because English lessons with native teachers of public schools are often not part of the main training program, but are more like supplementary lessons for students’ communication skills.

In addition, the process of setting up a salary regime, benefit package, evaluation records, as well as guaranteeing documents for foreign teachers requires a strong understanding of the law and professional issues. Instead of hiring as full-time employees, most public schools hire outside teachers.

2. Private language center: $1500-$2000 per month

The salary of teaching English that language centers usually pay for expats teachers falls in the range of $1500-$2000 per month. This is the average for a new teacher with a TEFL or CELTA degree, or about $15/hour. Teachers with more than 2 years of experience can consider paying $2000/month.

The work schedule of teachers in English centers will be in the evenings and focus more on weekends, in stark contrast to the schedule at public schools. A permanent full-time teacher can claim benefits such as:

– Premium medical insurance

– Paid leave

– Guarantee work permit (work permit) and temporary residence card (TRC)

– Travel and accommodation allowance

– Lunch allowance, KPI allowance.

To compete with other consumers, many centers also offer double and triple benefit packages for teachers who have been with them for more than 6 months or 1 year at the center, including children’s tuition discounts, giving out travel and resort vouchers at resorts, 5-star hotels…

3. College: $2000 – $2500/month

College teachers typically work less than five days a week, with weekends and evenings off, as well as time off when students take a break between semesters, during the Tet holiday in February, and between regular school years. is in the summer. Universities typically pay between $22 and $25 per hour for qualified teachers (1-2 years of experience, teaching degrees, work permits, and other permits that are valid).

In addition, guaranteeing these types of documents will often be the practice at large universities, because the requirements for native teachers are higher than in other places. The higher the competency requirements (IELTS degree, master’s degree, bachelor’s degree in the right field, etc.), come with benefits that not all educational institutions can offer to attract talents.

4. International School: $30/hour or more

For an international school lecturer in Vietnam, the salary to be paid can be up to $3000 a month (before tax).

Visas and work permits will be handled by the university and accompanied by a large bonus in many ways for excellent individuals every year.

However, often teachers at international schools are required to be in the office during the school week even when they are not in class. Qualified teachers for this position will be in high demand, must have a Master’s Degree and TESOL/TEFL/CELTA certificates to teach math, science, physics, English, etc. Of course, working with that is a very preferential treatment, because it is very difficult to find a native teacher who meets all the strict conditions in terms of qualifications and personality, especially with the current situation. in Vietnam.

Price to hire foreign teachers in Vietnam

Due to the lack of information resources to support the establishment of salary and bonus regimes, benefits and handling of specialized documents for native teachers, many educational institutions choose to hire teachers from foreign teacher suppliers.

However, apart from the pros such as saving time and effort in training staff on paperwork processes, hiring teachers from a supplier has a major weakness that is expensive. 

Compare the two forms of teacher recruitment:

Here is a detailed comparison of these two types of employment:

Based on this article, VTJ hopes to help recruiters visualize the recruitment market for foreign teachers in Vietnam, thereby building a suitable recruitment plan for their educational institution.