Job Discussion Forums

[delian]

Hello out there,

I guess we're all going to be receiving these vague offers soon. I just got my first this morning, but I'm really not sure what to make of it at all.
My offer came from the LOK SIN TONG LEUNG CHIK WAI MEMORIAL SCHOOL (a subsidized secondary school of 1000 kids). They say they are a medium-banded school (band 2 of 3). The kids are from Form 1 to Form 7 (about 12 to 19 years old).

First question: does anyone know where this school is? Anything about this school? Supposedly they have 2 NET teachers, I'd be filling the vacancy when one of them left in August.


Next comes the more confusing part (I quote from the email):

"You may have 36 lessons (35 minutes each) for every seven- day cycle. The school hours are from 8am to 4 pm . You are also expected to stay after school regularly to conduct extra-curricular activities. You are supposed to help running oral acitivities, choral speaking , debate, drama and other English club activities.
With regard to teaching, you have to teach 2 to 3 full classes for Form 1 or Form 2, plus some oral classes for Form 4 and Form 6. "

Huh? Am I supposed to be working 7 days week? I know that the teaching-loads are heavy, but is that possible?

Anyway, I haven't really started responding yet. I thought I'd ask here first, then try to go in with some ideas of what to say.

My thanks from Montreal.

[Scott in HK]

You are not working a seven day week....your school year is broken up into seven day cycles....which means with 36 periods a cycle you should have about 5 periods a day in the classroom....most schools have 8 period days so it means you should have about 3 periods a day for prep and other things...

Sorry, I don't know anything about school. I would recommend that you talk to the nets who are there. They would offer you the best information.

[delian]

Thanks Scott in HK,

I did a search for the school on Google after I posted, and it seems that the school is located in/on Tsing Yi (Island?). Any opinions or information on Tsing Yi?
The reason I'm asking is that I originally wanted to try to live AWAY from concrete downtown HK. Preferably somewhere like Lamma or Lantau Island. When I look at a map of where this Tsing-Yi Island is, it seems like I may be spending a lot of time commuting if I live on Lamma or Lantau. Is this true? From my understanding of the map it seems like Tsing Yi is this little island on the way to the airport and Lantau Island. Am I right? Any suggestions welcomed!

[sypanda5]

hi delian,
i was originally assigned to schools in Tsing Yi as well, but then was reassigned becuase the student enrollment at my schools was not high enough?! (don't understand..)

ANYWAYS, i've now been assigned to schools in Tsuen Wan...which is to my understanding, relatively close to Tsing Yi. MAYBE if you read the link about Tseun Wan, that may help?! I don't know....sorry...

[well-travelled]

Delian -

A few thoughts about your recent posting - for what they're worth, as individuals have different expectations and needs.

Yes, Tsing Yi is between Lantau & Kowloon/HK Island. So you could live on Lantau, but since the new airport was developed, the parts of Lantau along the trainline are perhaps as high-rise and urban as most other places in HK. I could be wrong here - I don't live in HK anymore - but to get away from the concrete, while possible, is problematic.

As for the school & your timetable - well, it seems to me, at least on the surface, to be a reasonable option for a new NET teacher. Most local HK teachers of English teach three full classes, so for you to be asked to teach two full classes and do oral classes for the upper-secondary exam classes is fair. Three full classes plus the oral exam classes, however, is not - so you need to seek clarification there.

In terms of your deployment as an expat teacher, I believe that this balance between full classes & oral classes is as good as it gets. Many NET teachers in the past have been asked to do oral classes with 30+ different classes, the idea being, I guess, that as many students as possible have access to the NET teachers oral expertise. Of course, it doesn't work like that and the majority of NET teachers in that situation have become quickly disillusioned.

Your particular timetable allows you to get to know and build up a relationship with students in a couple of (lower-secondary) classes, and also allows you to interact with the exam classes to a certain extent. Although it depends on the school, most students are polite and motivated, and in spite of the large classes (40 students), it can be very fulfilling as a teacher to see the progress the students make. (Conversely, a bad school with bad students can be hell!!)

As for the extra-curricular activites, that's all par for the course - the local teachers are involved in those as well. Again, they are good ways of getting to know and relating to your students.

well-travelled

[Scott in HK]

If you want to live on Lamma, and you don't mind the commute, then go for it. A lot of NETs live on Lamma and the ones that I know have said the commute is worth spending weekends on Lamma.

You do have to worry about catching the last ferry home at night...but once you get home...your nightlife can continue...

The ferry drops you off fairly near the hong kong station where you can take a quick trip to Tsing Yi...if your school is near the MTR station then it might not be that bad of a commute.