Average salary for English teacher with no degree

Hi all,

I've got my first interview at an English center in Ho Chi Minh City later this week and I have no idea what is a fair number to start at when negotiating salary.

I have essentially zero experience, and no degree, but I have a TEFL certificate (not CELTA).

Thanks in advance.


Edit: Added my location (HCMC)

I guess that also depends where you stay.. smaller cities I hear pay less, maybe HCMC will also pay less than Hanoi, but not sure.. around 17-24$

I was thinking of starting closer to 300k to 350k per hour.  Would I be lowballing myself at those numbers?

"I have little experience, and no degree, but I have a TEFL certificate (not CELTA)"



With a bachelor degree and a TEFL certificate (no experience) will begin with the salary of 17$.

If you do not have at least a 'BA/BS  degree' they are not supposed even hire you.  For the center to get you a work permit, you are required to have at minimum a degree.  Without a 'work permit' you are actually working 'illegally'.  You are not even supposed to be working according to the Labor Department and the Immigration Department.  Many have in the past hired those without proper doc's and only for a couple months, so they can tell the local police they are 'still working on the paperwork'.  I would think more like 10 to 12 dollars an hour...225,000 to 270,000 VND if you are hired.
I've lived and taught here since 2004, so I am not talking out my backside when I say the above.  For the past 4 years I've taught out of my residence with permission from the Ministry of Education and Dept. of Labor...no longer at centers or universities.  Good Luck.

If you work without proper papers you are subject to arrest and immediate deportation at the whim of the police.

As Anthony64 said above, your chances of getting hired by a legit operation without a degree in something are negligible.

There are plenty of qualified people out there, so most places don't need to hire the unqualified.

10 to 12 USD sounds a bit low for HCMC even for a 'not fully qualified' teacher. It is probably what language schools in smaller cities around the country pay.
Just guessing, but would say that somewhere around 50% of all the foreign teachers in Vietnam do so without a work permit.

You SHOULD have a university degree; however, some individuals, sometimes, slip through the cracks with SOME organizations in the HCMC area; so you may get lucky.

The 'top' average salary will be between $18-20 and this has NOT changed in the 8 years that I've been teaching in Vietnam even though inflation rates have risen. Some organizations will pay less but none will pay more unless you have exceptional experience and qualifications and then only salaries will not be much higher per hr.

I know someone who hasn't got a degree or TEFL and is teaching and they earn c400,000 per hour. So that should be what you're aiming for.

This article in the latest edition of AsiaLife magazine may give you some pointers:
https://www.asialifemagazine.com/vietna … n-vietnam/

Keep in mind, someone in your position, will most likely be get getting 4 to 15 hours per week. Too many people see the hourly salaries and equate that to a forty hour work week.