The burden of work piles up
In the education system, preschool teachers are always likened to "second mothers", shouldering the task of caring for and nurturing early-stage preschools. However, behind the smile every day when coming to class is a huge amount of work and quiet pressure that not everyone can see.
Sharing with Lao Dong reporter, Ms. Phan Bich Phuong - a teacher at Dong Dang Kindergarten (Dong Dang commune, Lang Son province) - said that the current work of preschool teachers does not stop at caring for and educating children. Teachers have to complete many types of records and books; at the same time, applying electronic records makes the work almost "double".
Ms. Phuong expressed that throughout the school year, teachers also participated in many emulation movements, professional competitions and implemented integrated programs and projects in preschool education. These activities help enrich the learning environment, but also make the workload of teachers thicker.
"Our work is quite busy and takes a lot of time. During the process of completing tasks, sometimes we have to balance between caring for and teaching children and other jobs, so the pressure also increases" - Ms. Phuong said.
She said that many teachers have to work all day at school and then take the work home, leading to no more time to take care of their families or their own children.
Similar to Ms. Phuong, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam - a teacher at Mai Lam Kindergarten (Dong Anh commune, Hanoi) - shared that the only thing that has kept her in the profession for the past 14 years is her love for children: "Without the love for children, I would have had a hard time to stick with the profession today".
According to Ms. Tam, work in class is always full of pressure. A classroom has dozens of children, from eating, sleeping, cleaning to studying, all of whom are teachers. There were almost no days off, so I had to work hard to take care of my children. "There are times when I am so tired that I feel discouraged, but then just hearing the call "am", watching the crabys playing, I get more motivated" - Ms. Tam confided.
High expectations for salary increase policy from 2026
While work always requires patience, meticulousness and love for the profession, the salary of preschool teachers is still among the lowest in the entire education sector, not really commensurate with the workload and responsibility they are taking on every day.
According to the latest information from the Ministry of Education and Training, currently, 88% of teachers are ranking salaries lower than civil servants in other sectors and fields. In particular, 100% of preschool teachers are currently ranked with the lowest salary in the administrative career salary scale system.
The modest salary makes many teachers have financial difficulties, even though they are always dedicated to their classroom and students. Many teachers have to save money to spend, even work extra to ensure family life.
When she first started her career, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam - a teacher at Mai Lam Kindergarten - only received a salary of nearly 4 million VND/month. At that time, she was young and unmarried, so she was temporarily stable with her expenses. However, when she had a small child and living expenses increased, she began to look for ways to increase her income.
"There was a time when, after class, I took advantage of selling online. Many colleagues are the same, some receive clothes tailoring, some even paint their houses in the evening to save more. Everyone tries to make ends meet with many jobs, both taking care of their families and continuing to stick with the job" - Ms. Tam shared.
Before the news of the proposed salary increase and application of a special salary coefficient from 2026, Ms. Tam could not hide her joy and hope: "When I heard that preschool teachers could soon receive a special coefficient, I was really excited. This is a worthy recognition of our silent efforts over the past time".
Sharing the same sentiment, Ms. Phan Bich Phuong shared: "I am very happy and hope this policy will be implemented soon. The education sector in general and preschool teachers in particular really deserve more attention and encouragement".
According to Ms. Phuong, improving income not only helps teachers stabilize their lives but also encourages them to continue to stick with and contribute to the profession - a profession that requires dedication, love and perseverance every day.
