Job Discussion Forums

limbo · Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Posts: 8

Well, this certainly turned into an incredibly useless conversation which did nothing to answer my initial question. Thank you to everyone else who attempted to answer in a mature, diplomatic manner. I really do appreciate your advice, and agree that by asking about both university and kindergarten positions in the same post I left myself vulnerable to attacks by people such as ludwig.

Ludwig - your assumptions and inability to read my posts continues to astound me. How exactly did you get the idea that I had never left my home country? I believe I did mention that I had lived for 3 years in England, have already spend 6 months living in Hong Kong as a student, have studied at Oxford in addition to the 3 years spent in England, and spent 1 year travelling around Europe visiting the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Amsterdam, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia. Furthermore, I spent 2 months travelling around China and camped out overnight on the Great Wall. So yet again, you have been erroneous in your assumptions.

I regret having wasted my time posting on this board, and if all of the teachers in Hong Kong are as negative and arrogant as you, I think I will look into teaching in Japan or Korea[/quote]

AndyinHK · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Posts: 98

Limbo,

Here you go... this sounds like it might be a good fit for you.

Other Openings
Language Center
Assistant Instructor (Assessment)
The Hong Kong University Of Science And Technology
香港科技大學
CT: 9002103-01#04
Posted on 09/07/2004
The University invites applications for the following post:

Language Center
Assistant Instructor (Assessment)
To assess and give feedback on written and oral assignments of courses offered by the School of Business and Management, to organize and run workshops on writing skills, and to participate in other professional duties as required. Applicants should have (i) a relevant first degree; (ii) a relevant postgraduate qualification; or at least 3 years' relevant post-degree teaching experience at appropriate level. Computer knowledge will be an advantage but not essential.

(HK$21,931 p.m.)

(Duration: 1 Sept 04 - 31 May 05)

Medical benefits and paid leave will be provided.

Application Procedure

Application forms are obtainable

by downloading from the University's homepage (http://www.ust.hk); or
by fax (852) 2358 0700 or e-mail ([email protected]); or
from the Information Center in Room G027 of the University; or
by writing to the Personnel Office, HKUST, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, enclosing a stamped self-addressed envelope.
Completed application forms should be returned in duplicate to the Personnel Office on or before Sat, 24 July 2004. We thank applicants for their interest, but advise that only shortlisted candidates will be notified of the result of the application.

Hope it works out.

jenny-pnet · Joined: 16 Apr 2003 Posts: 59

Good luck Limbo. There's actually lots of nice people in Hong Kong. And if nothing else you can at least work as an ELTA (English Language Teaching Assistant) - although I think the wage is poor, especially for someone with your qualifications. But could be good for the experience, nevertheless.
Some responses on this forum can be unnecessarily cutting.

Horizontal Hero · Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 9:21 am Post subject:

I'm about to start as a NET, and I can assure you that I will be getting nowhere near 50 000, even though I have 15 years of teaching experience (by their calculations, I have only five years of experience). The reason is that they have so many ways to cut out your experience (e.g. it was the wrong age, or it was technically "training" or some such BS, that in the end they really shaft you). I never had any such problem with having my experience deleted in other countries. It seems the HK govt. is doing everything to cut back costs.

Horizontal Hero · Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 9:48 am Post subject:

30% cut??? Does that mean a 30% cut in pay for me too? I certainly hope not. Otherwise why bother working in HK? I was earning more money elsewhere actually. I know the contract states clearly that there is a reveiw coming up, but I don't think it is very ethical to sign up people then immediately cut their pay by a large amount. And I sure as hell hope they don't want me to re-do any of my paperwork that I got from my schools. I had to do all of them twice already because of a technicality, and a third time would be totally ridiculous for my previous schools. Actually, if it came to that, I'd probably just quit.

I shouldn't be greedy of course. But I just found out that the teacher I'm replacing was earning US$2000 a month more than I will be, and she is a lot less experienced than me.

Sheikhdown · Joined: 29 Feb 2004 Posts: 17 Location: none

It is most obvious that Ludvig is a pompous ass! So you got degrees! That don't impress me much! Go to the Middle East; they give them away to everyone who resides in most of the "universities" in the Middle East! Even
Saddam Hussein had a doctorate! Yeah, right!

Ludwig · Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2004 5:31 pm Post subject:

Ludwig · Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2004 5:36 pm Post subject:

Ludwig · Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2004 5:58 pm Post subject:

Mark-O · Posted: Sat Jul 24, 2004 6:43 am Post subject:

once again · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Posts: 815

I can appreciate you being busy, Hong Konger, but then you must appreciate, as a former editor and journalist, that those figures mean nothing. Perhaps you could try again?

Horizontal Hero · Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2004 9:07 am Post subject:

Well Ludwig, the problem had nothing to do with time of qualification - I got my PGDE 15 years ago. They just got all stroppy about age groups. It just so happens that I have taught every conceivable age group, from pre-schoolers to university level. That experince was actually valued elsewhere, and helped me to make a strong contribution to ESL programmes in K-12 schools. But not the NET programme. Only if it is the precise age group you will teach in HK is the experince considered valid. The irony is that my school in HK will have me teaching mostly 12-13 year olds; and most the experience I have had with that age group was not counted by the NET dudes, as they said it was irrelevant.

Anyway, what's done is done. Soon I'll be one of the highest qualified and reasonably well experienced (according to my criteria) teachers in NET, whilst being towards the bottom end of the pay scale. I'll have my PhD finished soon, and they don't count that either, nor all the management experience I have.

Having said that I am looking forward to beginning to teach in HK, and am grateful for the opportunity to work in a great city (I really like HK). It's just a pitty the EMB don't value me as much as my new school does.

Ludwig · Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2004 3:51 pm Post subject: