Foreign teachers are the “brand” of many private and international schools in Vietnam, but hiring them lawfully requires passing two parallel layers of conditions: professional qualifications for teachers under the Law on Education 2019 and work permit conditions under Decree 219/2025/ND-CP (effective 07/8/2025, replacing Decree 152/2020/ND-CP). Missing either layer can lead to sanctions.
This article systematizes the professional conditions and work permit procedures when private schools hire foreign teachers.
1. Layer 1 — Teacher professional conditions (Law on Education 2019)
Under Article 72 of the Law on Education 2019, the standard training qualification for primary, lower-secondary and upper-secondary teachers is a bachelors degree in teacher training or higher. Where a subject lacks teachers with pedagogical degrees, teachers must hold a bachelors degree in a relevant specialty plus a pedagogical training certificate.
Applied to foreign teachers, recruitment typically encounters two cases:
- Teachers graduated in education (e.g. a Bachelors in English Language Teaching): directly meeting the standard;
- Teachers graduated in other specialties (e.g. English linguistics, science degrees): need a supplementary pedagogical training certificate or a recognized teaching-methodology certificate (such as TESOL, TEFL or CELTA for English teachers).
Teachers must also meet the teacher standards in Article 67: good moral character; professional standards for the job position; and health fit for the profession.
2. Layer 2 — Work permits under Decree 219/2025/ND-CP
Foreign teachers at private schools are usually granted work permits as experts. Under Clause 3, Article 3 of Decree 219/2025/ND-CP, an expert is a person with a university degree or higher and at least 2 years of relevant experience for the intended position.
Notable changes from the old rules (Decree 152/2020 required 3 years of experience):
- The experience requirement drops from 3 years to 2 years — significantly widening the candidate pool for schools;
- For priority sectors (finance, science, technology, innovation, national digital transformation, etc.), only 1 year of experience is required;
- A new interconnected online process: simultaneous submission of the work permit dossier and the judicial record card dossier on the National Public Service Portal (Clause 3, Article 6).
Other general conditions: at least 18 years old with full civil capacity, suitable health, not subject to entry bans, and a clean judicial record.
3. Who issues work permits? What is the procedure?
Under Article 4 of Decree 219/2025/ND-CP, the provincial Peoples Committee (where the school is headquartered) issues, re-issues, extends and revokes work permits. A private schools procedure includes:
- Step 1: explain the demand for foreign workers — proving the position cannot be filled by qualified Vietnamese;
- Step 2: submit the work permit dossier (degrees, experience confirmations, health certificate, judicial record, etc.);
- Step 3: after the teacher is granted the permit, the school signs the labor contract and reports on foreign labor use as required.
A work permit lasts at most 02 years and may be extended only once (Article 29) — continued employment beyond that requires a fresh application.
4. Short-term visiting teachers
Foreign teachers entering Vietnam to work under 90 days in a year (e.g. summer courses, specialized workshops) fall into one of the 15 cases not subject to work permits (Article 7). However, the school must still obtain official confirmation of work-permit exemption — this does not mean teachers may work freely without any procedure.
5. Frequently asked questions
Q: Must a foreign English teacher hold a pedagogical degree?
A: Not necessarily — a bachelors in a relevant specialty (e.g. English linguistics) plus a pedagogical or recognized teaching-methodology certificate suffices. But a proper pedagogical degree in the subject is always the safest option.
Q: What penalties apply for using foreign teachers without work permits?
A: This is an administrative violation in the labor sector, subject to heavy fines for both the employer and the worker; in serious cases, the foreign worker may be deported.
Q: Is Decree 152/2020/ND-CP still in force?
A: No. Decree 152/2020/ND-CP (and amending Decree 70/2023/ND-CP) has been fully replaced by Decree 219/2025/ND-CP since 07/8/2025.
Is your school hiring foreign teachers and needs a legal review of the dossiers? Contact us for advice.
This article was prepared by the FLAW AI Legal Council. Content is pending QA Council review before submission for approval; information is for reference only and does not replace legal advice for your specific case.