Job Discussion Forums

creeper1 · Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2013 6:15 am Post subject: Life in Hong Kong for a TEFLer

....who doesn't have the right to teach in his home country.

I mean a TEFLer with a degree in an unrelated discipline.

Here on the mainland I have my own decent sized apartment all to myself and it costs between a fifth a quarter of my salary.

Demand here seems to pretty strong too. Lots of agents advertising jobs.

I've also been on the mainland long enough to pick up Mandarin. Is this basically useless with Cantonese being spoken so widespreadly?

Can your average TEFLer in China make a successful transition to HK?

Perilla · Joined: 09 Jul 2010 Posts: 792 Location: Hong Kong

sistercream · Joined: 18 Dec 2010 Posts: 497 Location: Pearl River Delta

Perilla has just about covered it.

Without QTS or even CELTA, you'll be restricted to working in language centres or private kindergartens. You'd have no problem getting a job, but you'll be stuck at the bottom of the pond unless/ until you upgrade your qualifications.

But if your heart and will are set on trying Hong Kong, there's no reason why not. Just don't expect it to be anything like mainland; there are some superficial similarities (specially if you've been working in Guangdong), but that's it. And for the sake of your own sanity, make sure you do due diligence on any prospective employer.

travelbuguk · Joined: 02 Nov 2010 Posts: 29 Location: UK

Hello,

I have been in Hong Kong for nearly two years now. When I arrived I had a few years TEFL experience and a CELTA.

When I first arrived I had no problems finding a job in a language center. It wasn't the best job in the world and the money wasn't great but it was a start.

I kept looking for other jobs and was accepted onto the EDB NET Primary scheme. In the end I decided to take a job at a Primary school (not through the NET scheme) and I love my job.

I think Hong Kong has so many opportunities if you work hard. Many friends who arrived at the same time as me, started at language centers and now work at reputable schools. Once you have a job at a school you could think about completing a PGDE course in the evenings to become qualified to teach in HK.