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Isa121090
Joined: 04 Sep 2017
Posts: 4
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 Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 12:58 pm Post subject: Any non-natives teaching in HK? |
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Hi,
Wondering if there are any non-native teachers currently teaching in HK.
I'm a qualified Primary teacher with 2 years of experience as an ESL teacher in Spain. I've spoken English since the age of 5 as my step-father is British (I'm basically Spanish/English bilingual), however I've lived in spain most of my life and I hold a Spanish passport, which seems to be the reason I'm unable to get a job.
Moved to the UK 4 years ago and just got my Cambridge CELTA with a B grade.
I've been applying for jobs for over a month now, first in Singapore until I gave up, and now trying in HK. The funny thing is, schools/recruiters do contact me and even seem to be quite impressed with my CV, however as soon as they realise I have a Spanish passport I don't hear from them again. It is quite frustrating to be honest.
Any thoughts or maybe tips on where to look for jobs?
Much appreciated, thanks! |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 1:29 pm Post subject: |
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| Isa121090 wrote: |
I'm a qualified Primary teacher with 2 years of experience as an ESL teacher in Spain.
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However as soon as they realise I have a Spanish passport I don't hear from them again. It is quite frustrating to be honest.
Any thoughts or maybe tips on where to look for jobs? |
Generally, visa and/or labor regulations specify nationality for certain jobs. That tends to be worldwide. Employers might have a preference or requirement as well.
You should always indicate your nationality on your CV when applying for jobs outside your home country. That said, you might have better success marketing yourself as a Spanish language teacher, especially if your degree and k-12 teaching qualification are from a Spanish university. You'd have to scout the Internet to see if such positions exist in your target countries. |
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Isa121090
Joined: 04 Sep 2017
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 1:41 pm Post subject: |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| Isa121090 wrote: |
I'm a qualified Primary teacher with 2 years of experience as an ESL teacher in Spain.
...
However as soon as they realise I have a Spanish passport I don't hear from them again. It is quite frustrating to be honest.
Any thoughts or maybe tips on where to look for jobs? |
Generally, visa and/or labor regulations specify nationality for certain jobs. That tends to be worldwide.
You should always indicate your nationality on your CV when applying for jobs outside your home country. That said, you might have better success marketing yourself as a Spanish language teacher, especially if your degree and k-12 teaching qualification are from a Spanish university. You'd have to scout the Internet to see if such positions exist in your target countries. |
I always indicate my nationality on my CV. It doesn't seem to be a problem in terms of recruiters contacting and interviewing me but it is when it comes to offer me a position
While I understand it might be easier for me to teach Spanish, I do find it quite unfair as I'm competent enough to teach English and I truly enjoy doing it. It really is what I want to do and that's why I've undertaken my CELTA and I'm trying so hard to find a job in an industry where there should be opportunities for non-native speakers too.
Thank you for your advice anyway  |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 2:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Isa121090 wrote: |
| While I understand it might be easier for me to teach Spanish, I do find it quite unfair as I'm competent enough to teach English and I truly enjoy doing it. It really is what I want to do and that's why I've undertaken my CELTA and I'm trying so hard to find a job in an industry where there should be opportunities for non-native speakers too. |
Your frustration is shared by many non-native English speakers trying to get TEFL work outside their home countries. However, governments set rules and employers have requirements. There's no "should be" in this industry.
Have you looked into teaching English in Mexico, Central America, or South America? I suggest heading to those forums if you're open to those regions. |
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bograt
Joined: 12 Nov 2014
Posts: 331
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| Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 12:35 am Post subject: |
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| Yes there are. I used to work at the British Council in Hk and they had 11 different nationalities working there. Russians, Ukranians, an Italian I think. Obviously local laws allow it. |
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Kowloon
Joined: 11 Jan 2016
Posts: 133
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| Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 5:38 am Post subject: |
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Yeah HK is more enlightened than most when it comes to this. The British Council is your best bet I think. Huge centres with dozens and dozens of teachers, they often drop the 'post CELTA two years exp." down to 1 year. Very rare to see them do that elsewhere.
However, HK is HK, no? Waking up in the morning and going to work is waking up and going to work, no? Surely doing it for a better pay and conditions at the Spanish International school would be preferable to simply demanding you must teach ESL and nothing else. Worth checking them out at least.
http://www.spis.com.hk/ |
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TeacherTim
Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 89
Location: Deep undercover
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| Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 2:14 am Post subject: Re: Any non-natives teaching in HK? |
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| Isa121090 wrote: |
Hi,
Wondering if there are any non-native teachers currently teaching in HK.
Any thoughts or maybe tips on where to look for jobs?
Much appreciated, thanks! |
This might seem a bit obvious but are you using an agency?
Headstart/English For Asia are examples of agencies who place ELTAs in primary/secondary schools. Last year my school had applicants from Chile, Poland and Sweden. In the end we hired a Brit, but agencies will give you more options. Another point though, I'm not sure any of the above applicants would have been legally allowed to work in HK even if we'd hired them. It might be worth you checking with HK Immigration to see if your passport is actually blocking you from getting hired in a legal sense. Anyway, don't get too disheartened if you don't get anything here. There are, I'm sure, plenty of schools across Asia that would love to have you. |
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Isa121090
Joined: 04 Sep 2017
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2017 10:35 am Post subject: |
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Thanks everyone for your advice 
Currently waiting on the outcome of my Visa application and should be moving to HK very soon! |
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