The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) issued Circular No. 59/2026/TT-BGDDT dated July 15, 2026, regulating full-time contract teachers after retirement and visiting lecturers (Circular No. 59).
Circular No. 59 takes effect from September 1, 2026, replacing the provisions of Circular No. 44/2011/TT-BGDĐT and Circular No. 11/2013/TT-BGDĐT, in order to concretize the provisions of the Law on Teachers, the Law on Education, the Law on Vocational Education and the Law on Higher Education; and at the same time create a unified legal corridor for educational institutions to effectively use a team of experienced teachers, contributing to improving the quality of education and training.
The Circular stipulates that from September 1st, retired teachers can teach as official teachers.
Conditions for retired teachers to teach full-time
To be signed a full-time contract after retirement, teachers must have good qualities and professional ethics; not within the period of being disciplined according to the provisions of law; not within the period of being prosecuted for criminal liability or being serving other penalties.
Teachers need to meet health standards to work, be certified by a competent health authority and be in accordance with labor laws for elderly workers.
The Circular also stipulates that retired teachers must meet the standards of training level and professional capacity according to the requirements of the job position; have the ability to apply digital technology to teaching to meet the requirements of innovation of the education program or training program.
Along with that, retired teachers must meet other conditions according to the requirements of educational institutions suitable to the professional requirements of the job position.
Salary, allowances, rights and responsibilities of full-time contract teachers after retirement
Working hours and rest hours of full-time contract teachers after retirement are implemented according to the agreement in the labor contract based on compliance with the provisions of labor law and applying the working regime of teachers issued by the Minister of Education and Training.
Educational institutions and teachers are proactively and flexibly agreed upon on the form, working hours and rest hours; ensuring compliance with age and health to maximize the capacity and teaching experience, scientific research of teachers and comply with the provisions of labor law for elderly workers.
According to the circular, salaries, allowances and other benefits of full-time contract teachers when retiring are implemented according to the agreement in the labor contract and according to the provisions of law.
The payment of allowance items (such as seniority, professional benefits or other specific supports) is carried out on the basis of agreements between the parties in the labor contract to recognize the professional qualifications, practical experience and contributions of teachers to the educational institution.
The deduction and payment of personal income tax are carried out in accordance with the provisions of current tax and financial laws.
