Job Discussion Forums

Ariadne · Joined: 16 Jul 2004 Posts: 960

Kevin, this is another 'my friend' tale, but maybe it will add to your info base a little. One friend has a room/studio at a residential hotel. She has all the basics.. bed, bath, micro, fridge, tv.. plus maid service a few times a week including linens and towels. The hotel has a gym and pool. There are restaurants accessible without going outside. She finds it very comfortable and convenient. I don't know exactly what she pays, but it is less than her housing allowance. Another friend rents the top floor of a house. It's small, but she has a bedroom, kitchen, bath, and a living room. Also a big roof terrace/patio. She's farther out but loves the 'village' feel of it. She pays less rent than her housing allowance.

More second hand info, but.. the hours are quite demanding in HK compared to, say, a university in China. As others have mentioned, the bureaucracy and micro management can make a person crazy. New ideas or even suggestions are not always welcomed by the teachers or administration. My friends who have taught in China and HK feel they have much less freedom in HK in regards to materials and methods. They love the good money but I don't think they love their jobs.

By now you've had the interview. How did it go?

.

11:59 · Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 11:49 am Post subject:

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

The lowest salary offered is around $16,000HKD + living allowance of 13,000, so close to 30,000. I would guess that is for someone with the barest credentials and/or experience. I would never want to assume, but I'd guess I would be offered a little more.

Housing is tricky indeed: Live somewhere close by but pay premium "in city" rents or live out in the 'burbs somewhere at a lower cost but commute for X amount of hours each day? I have looked online for those managed apartments and I found a couple for less than 13 thou (but not much less!) and others for well over. I figueed that kind of accomodation would be okay for a couple of months while figuring things out.

I have decided to go to the interview offered near the end of March assuming I can get all the stacks of paperwork together that they want. It's not that I would necessarily take the job if offered, but then I would have choices and that's the most important. Really, to repeat, my school here is not a bad school and they do pay me well so there is a lot of incentive to staying. But it's like I said before, it's not the school, it's the day to day living in China. From what I'm reading, HK can be just as grueling and impersonable. I have about 4 weeks to mull things over and, shoot, they may not even offer me a job once I've interviewed!

Thanks for all the words everyone. This thread is not a closed book, so keep the advice and input coming!

11:59 · Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 1:13 pm Post subject:

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

I just thought I'd update all of you, esp. those who may be interested in going to Hong Kong one day to teach for the NET program.

1. Found the advertisement at Dave's or somewhere and thought I'd apply. I printed off the job application and filled it out. However, due to the miniscule space they left for education background and employment history, I referred to my attached resume. I sent this along with said resume, a copy of my diploma, a copy of my passport, and a copy of my US teaching certificate. My reference letters were going to get to me too late for application deadline, but I was assured I could pass those along later.

2. After they received my application, they needed me to fill out all the spaces - - a reference to my resume wasn't good enough (something about the two documents going to two different departments - - I couldn't quite get the gist of it). So, I printed off another, filled it out more thoroughly, scanned it to disc and emailed it as an attachment, along with scanned copies of my now-received letters of reference.

3. Congrats! I was set up with a job interview, date and time. I was sent a "proforma" document that essentially is me saying I'll be there when they asked me to. Also, I was advised of all the documentation I was going to need to bring:

11:59 · Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2007 11:00 am Post subject:

Wow! That will show them, won't it? I wouldn't be surprised if they waived all the requirements just to keep you interested!

Seriously though, are you sure you're not cutting off your nose to spite your face? The process may seem a little pedantic, but it's no different from any other governmental educational system anywhere else in the First World. I don't know where you come from but it would be the same in your home state schooling system. Besides, it's in your interest to get all the documentation together as they need it to place you on the pay scale accurately. After all, you would want all your experience taken into account and to be rewarded for it all financially, wouldn't you? Talking of pay, how else do you think you get yourself into a post with a minimum starting salary of $30,000 HK per month (and which goes right up to around $60,000 or $65,000 per month)? How else would they prevent a mass of fakers, frauds and phoneys trying to get into the system? Remember also that you only have to play the(ir) game once; it's not as if you have to go through it everyday! Also try to bear in mind that on the NET scheme you get about 3 months holiday a year, fully paid. If you were to start on $30,000 HK per month that equates to some $90,000 HK a year for pretty much sweet FA. I know people in China and elsewhere who have to work very hard yet who don't earn that amount in a year; you'd get it just for sunning yourself on a beach in Thailand, or whatever turns your fancy.

Anyway, maybe it's all for the best. If you cannot handle a little bit of administration then believe me you would most likely be unable to handle the idiotic day to day stresses of the typical Hong Kong workplace which have been well documented elsewhere! And if you find the above requirements to be excessive, then don't ever bother applying for a school teaching position in Singapore (where you can often be expected to account for every single day � if not every single waking moment � of your adult life)!

Good luck for the future!

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

No, I did all they requested of me. They seemed to have "lost" the paperwork I did send them (well , the electronic version of it anyway) as well as the person contacting me couldn't seem to make clear what it was, exactly, that she wanted of me (that extra application info that I had already submitted). I don't mind beauracracy if it's organized and well laid out. But if I'm getting this much run around by a simple application process, then I can imagine the chaos that could be surrounding a position like this down the line. You're right, a high-paying position should make sure their applicants are of a higher quality, but when their lack of organization shines through like this, then the red flags come out in my mind. And that's a headache I don't need nor want.

(PS: Thanks again on all the good advice/info about HK - - until this snafu I was really planning on at least going down for the interview.)

Horizontal Hero · Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2007 3:06 pm Post subject:

HK can be a bureaucratic nightmare! You shoud see what they want for the actual NET scheme (I'm not sure who you applied to here - haven't read all the posts in full). I had to resend some docs three times.

As for the 30 000 a month spending, that includes rent for me in HK, rent for my wife in Beijing (she's mainland scum so is not allowed a dependent's visa Twisted Evil

), air fares, food and utilities, paying off a few things on the credit card etc. Believe me, I don't live an extravagant lifestyle, nor does my wife.