Job Discussion Forums

[hkteach]

Hello misu,
After my interview in late March I didn't hear anything at all from EMB until June and that was in response to an email I sent.

They replied saying that my interview report was good and that they had been dealing with the necessary paperwork and I would be advised when that was completed (although it was clear at that point that I'd been approved by EMB,pending the all-clear on my paperwork).
One example of this paperwork is accreditation of qualifications - this accreditation is one of the necessities for employment, takes several weeks and costs well over 2000HKD. Some of the delay may be attributed to the accrediting body which deals with all teachers, not just NETs so I guess there must be a backlog from time to time.

I think I got final confirmation sometime in July (after finishing my contract in an intenational school and arriving back home for the long holiday break)
As you can see, people are often left in limbo and then have a rush to pack up their lives to get to HK on as little as a month's notice. So, if you don't hear for awhile, don't despair - it's just the way the EMB (and most of the rest of HK) operates. A friend of mine thought my stories about the bureaucracy were an exaggeration until he got here and started experiencing it for himself.

[misutabiru]

Thanks again, hkteach. I also had my interview in late March, so it's likely that the time frame for all the steps in the process you mentioned will be much the same for me. Unless my interview did not go favorably after all, in which case I wish they would just tell me already!

Please excuse that outburst. Patience...

[misutabiru]

By the way, are there any other post-interviewees out there waiting for replies besides me and krumlov? Holler back.

[User N. Ame]

I did receive my job offer for PNET today. I interviewed out of the Vancouver office. So, the rest should be going out today, too.

After a few years already in Asia, I've decided not to accept PNET even before receiving today's e-mail. Not to mention, I am presently earning double (in my home country of Canada) what PNET would pay me, so I wouldn't be going to HK for the money. I do admit that the few NET "beware" stories I read here did have a very small influence on my decision. NET seems hit & miss, and I'm not prepared to give up a promising career to possibly find myself in a "miss" situation. The other thing that turns me off about NET is a possibility of working a 6-day week (Saturdays).

I wish the rest you you good luck.


PS: I'm not sure if NET keeps an alternate list. If they do, then I've at least made one NET spot available today.

[Serious_Fun]

[misutabiru]

Congratulations to both of you, and anyone else who made it. I got the good news yesterday, too.

Serious_fun, is deferral an option?

MB

[Gordon]

[11:59]

[hkteach]

Top of scale for PNETs is 49525HKD a month (36575 HKD salary + 12950 allowance) Second contracts attract a retention incentive of 5% of monthly salary and subsequent contracts offer 10%.

That isn't so great, but the low income tax makes it more attractive for many of us than the much higher salaries we might earn in our home countries.
Mind you, the exchange rate has altered so much in the past few years that what was a good package 3 or 4 years ago, is now looking pretty ordinary.

[11:59]

Obviously, for the sake of argument, I was assuming that the poster was referring to the bottom of the pay scale, viz., $17,000 HK. Add to this the allowance of $13,000 and the sum is $30,000 HK per month. If the poster was referring to the maximum (near as damn it $50,000 HK a month) then twice this amount equates to some $14,500 CAN a month. That is a tidy sum. I for one would be most interested to know what the poster does in Canada to earn this small fortune every month, as I would want to immediately relocate. That is more than full professors I know in here in HK � or even in Japan and the KSA � earn.

[hkteach]

Yes 11.59, sounds an exorbitant salary. Maybe OP is talking about double the lowest salary for NETs excluding the housing allowance.

[hkteach]

Just a question to User N. Ame and Serious_Fun why apply to the NET scheme if you a) are not prepared to give up your career in Canada? and b) are in a comfort-zone and content staying there?

This question is not meant to sound castigating..... I'm just curious as I can't imagine why anyone would subject themselves to all the preparation, the filling in of the application, acquiring and sending all the endless documentation, attending interview and then experiencing the (often long) wait-time only to decide the salary or conditions aren't as good as you already have. Seems like a total waste of time and energy to me.
And by the way, if you're not here for the money I can't imagine any other reason (as other threads suggest, it's an 'interesting' cultural experience and foreigners from big cities in their home countries often tire of the small-town attitude of HK quite quickly)

[Serious_Fun]