Private schools can be classified into schools introduced as international schools that follow foreign curricula with tuition over VND25 million a month and good facilities; schools built on land allocated by municipal authorities (30-40 schools); or schools with the campus on rented land.

Nguyen Cong So, headmaster of Le Van Thiem High School in Hanoi, said the monthly pay of teachers depends on the school group.

Le Van Thiem High School is built on land allocated by the city. It has been operating for  30 years and has 1,700 students. The pay for teachers is based on service length and work results, as well as changes in education quality.

At private schools, the progress of students measures teachers’ capability. Also, students give assessments about teachers and offer suggestions at the end of the academic year. The average pay is VND150,000-200,000 per teaching period. The monitor teachers can receive VND4million more a month.

In general, one teacher at a school has a maximum of five classes. As such, the average income of teachers is VND15-25 million a month.

Asked about other income sources, So said the school strictly prohibits teachers from giving private tutoring lessons to 10th graders, because the students need to choose subjects based on their career orientation.

Teachers are allowed to give extra lessons to 11th and 12th graders, no more than two shifts a week, and must not collect more than VND60,000 a shift. The regulation is set to protect students’ benefits.

Nguyen Thu Ha, a teacher at a private school in Nam Tu Liem district in Hanoi, said she earns over VND20 million a month. She is the monitor teacher of two classes, for which she receives VND7 million a month, and works as deputy secretary of the school’s youth union, for which she receives VND2 million. In addition, she has 50 teaching periods a month.

Nguyen Quang Tung, headmaster of Lomonosov Secondary and High School, said the school pays teachers based on the number of teaching periods. With VND250,000 per teaching period and 100 periods a month, a teacher can earn VND25 million a month on average. If they are a monitor teacher, they earn VND5 million more. The highest pay, VND42 million, was given to a teacher in September 2024.

Hoang Thanh