Teaching English in Asia usually means choosing between Vietnam and Thailand’s private-school markets, which pay modestly but stretch a long way, and South Korea, which pays similarly but wraps flights, housing and a structured contract into the deal. Almost every mainstream route across the region shares one hard requirement Irish graduates sometimes overlook: a bachelor’s degree, needed for the legal work permit or visa in each of these three countries.

Key takeaways

• Vietnam, Thailand and South Korea all legally require a bachelor’s degree for a foreign teacher’s work permit or visa; none has a reliable no-degree route for mainstream jobs.
• South Korea offers the most structured contracts, typically including flights, housing and a completion bonus on top of pay; Vietnam and Thailand pay in a similar range but usually without those extras built in.
• Vietnam’s cost of living is the lowest of the three, which means even modest pay allows for meaningful savings.
• South Korea is the only one of the three with a clear, government-run placement programme (EPIK) that Irish citizens qualify for by nationality.
• Thailand’s process includes an extra step most people don’t expect: a teacher’s licence from the Teachers’ Council of Thailand, on top of the work permit itself.
• All three countries expect a recognised TEFL certificate of at least 120 hours alongside the degree; it is not optional anywhere in this comparison.

How do Vietnam, Thailand and South Korea actually compare?

All three countries share the same non-negotiable foundation: a bachelor’s degree and a TEFL certificate of at least 120 hours. Where they differ is in structure and extras. South Korea’s EPIK programme and most hagwon contracts include flights, housing and a completion bonus as standard, which changes the real value of the salary considerably compared with a bare monthly figure. Vietnam and Thailand’s private-school and language-centre jobs generally pay a salary without those extras, but both have a low enough cost of living that the money still stretches into real, regular savings for most teachers. Thailand adds an extra licensing step, a teacher’s licence from the Teachers’ Council of Thailand, that neither Vietnam nor South Korea requires in the same form.

Figures are typical ranges reported by teachers, schools and government programmes and will vary by employer, city and experience.

Which country actually suits which kind of teacher?

South Korea suits teachers who want the most predictable, fully structured first contract, with EPIK in particular offering standardised pay, set holidays and a government-run application process that Irish citizens qualify for by nationality. Vietnam suits teachers most focused on building savings quickly, since its language-centre sector is enormous and its cost of living is the lowest of the three, though the degree requirement is applied strictly and without the workarounds that circulate for some other destinations. Thailand suits teachers drawn to a slower pace of life or Chiang Mai’s smaller, calmer market specifically, with the trade-off being an extra licensing step most first-timers don’t anticipate.

Do you need a degree to teach English anywhere in Asia?

For all three countries covered here, yes, without a reliable exception. This surprises some graduates who have heard that a degree isn’t always necessary to teach English abroad, and it can be true in a handful of other markets, but Vietnam, Thailand and South Korea have each tightened or maintained strict degree requirements as part of their work permit and visa systems. Assuming otherwise, or relying on an agency that claims a workaround, is a genuine legal and financial risk rather than a reliable shortcut.