Job Discussion Forums

[johnco]

G'day,

I am in Melbourne and have been appointed to work for a big
educational
provider in Hong Kong.I am curious to know if any of you have taught in South Korea or Japan.How would you compare you current working and living experience in Hong Kong as compared to Korea or Japan?

Is Hong Kong welcoming to Aussies or otherwise? And is it easy to acclimatize to Hong Kong? I ask these questions because I
have worked in South korea and it took me months to wrap my brain around the acculturation process ie overcoming culture shock,rules of behaviour and communication differences.

I am aware of Hong Kong's past imperial ties with Britain,but will probably get a better picture of current living and working experiences from expatriates in Hong Kong today.

Thanks in advance.

[munasa]

I spent five years in Korea and loved it, but acknowledge that it was at that time (the 80s and early 90s) difficult to adjust to being there. I've now been in HK for 3 years -- it is the easiest overseas place I've ever had to adjust to. Very open to foreigners (nobody shouting "Meeguk saram, I love you!" or "White person, white person!"), English is spoken in a lot of places, so it's easy to find anything you need. Many expats I know have good friendships with local Chinese -- lots more than expat-Korean friendships. Having said that, there are plenty of unhappy expats here, but my experience has been great.
On a return trip to Korea during my second year here, I saw that Korea's advantage over HK is its strong culture (which is also its disadvantage for 'outsiders'), and I loved being back there. However, HK has much to offer and many of us are happy here. My Chinese friends and colleagues respect Australians -- many of them have been downunder and some have Aussie passports.
There are rules of behaviour here, but they are much more relaxed than Korea's rules. I think it's very easy to adapt and fit in in HK. But read other people's posts, Hong Kong isn't everyone's 'cup of tea'.

[Honky Nick]

G'day,

I'm also from Melbourne. I spent a year in Japan and have been in Honkers for nearly two. I love both places but for totally different reasons. As munasa said, it's heaps easier to fit in to Hong Kong and being a foreigner doesn't mean you stand out in any way. People tend to acclimatize fairly quickly.

There is a huge cultural difference, but it's not something that's easy to put your finger on. A lot of people have problems with the working culture, as their ideas and expectations are totally different to what you find in Australia. There's plenty of stuff on that already written in the forum, though.

What's the name of the educational provider you'll be working for? I think it's always good to get others' opinions on companies, especially in HK. Maybe someone on the forum has already worked for them and can offer some advice.

Anyway, good luck with it all,

Nick

[johnco]

Hey Nick,

I have been appointed to work for the Vocational Training Council.It is the equivalent of Victoria's TAFE system.Getting info from this site or any other site about the VTC is like squeezing blood out of a stone.I posted a query already about the VTC,if you scroll through this current page,but nobody has answered.It appears the confidentiality agreements to voice opinions about the VTC are stringent,but that does not ring emergency bells because the VTC staff have been very thorough and professional.I do not think I will end up in a hell hole as was the case in the Korean education system of teaching

I am confident this job in Hong Kong will work out well.If reports from expatriates are correct about HK's international charm,then I am sure I will adapt to it faster than was the case in Korea.Korea has a closed door policy in terms of international relations as compared to say Hong Kong or Singapore.My basic research tells me Hong Kong has a liberal-international attitude.I could be wrong and I may be hit hard by culture shock.

[BCinHK]

Johnco,

The lack of response to your questions is likely from lack of experience and/or knowledge of VTC.

Here's the little I know:
- VTC has 14 institutes across HK
- the students have left secondary school after Form 3, Form 5 or Form 7
- they are studying: Applied Science; Business Administration; Child Education and Community Services; Construction; Design; Printing, Textiles and Clothing; Hotel, Service and Tourism Studies; Information Technology; Electrical and Electronic Engineering; or Mechanical, Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering
- VTC decided to have a program/scheme similar to the EMB NET scheme to start in September 2007
- 2 Native-speaking English Teachers will be hired for each campus
- the teachers are paid a set salary ($23k? $26K? / month)
- unlike the EMB NET scheme where a Special Allowance is paid to NETs, the VTC will provide a furnished flat (1500 HK square feet) which is shared with another VTC NET. (from my understanding the flats are all in one location, so may or may not be near your institute)

The only reason I know this little bit is because several months ago an acquaintance who teaches at VTC asked me to proofread the script for the video they were preparing for the new teachers.

Hope this helps.

[johnco]

Thank you for the info BC,

You are poignantly correct in everything your statement said.It sure helps to have an insider opinion on the matter.I had a very good idea about how VTC operates;or what its curriculum is loosely based on as there are many similarities to it with Australia's TAFE system ie,English is taught contextually for vocational purposes

What you have told me is that most teachers recruited for the VTC are in a way guinea pigs for the teaching scheme despite it being comparable to the NET scheme.I am looking forward to a new experience.

Thanks again

John.

[11:59]

Well, if HK has a "liberal international attitude" then it's news to me. With the exception of the Mainland, HK is the most racially and culturally homogeneous land I have ever experienced. The 150,000 or so Filipino maids in the territory alone make up some 40% of the non-Chinese population of the SAR, and as regards the other 60% the general opinion seems to be that Mainlanders are backward, smelly, thieving scum; Indians are smelly, thieving, lazy scum; Filipinos are backward, smelly, lazy, dark-skinned, loud scum (who are further down the evolutionary scale); the Nepalese are backward, smelly, lazy, drug-dealing scum; and all Westerners are seedy, over-paid louts, at least to judge from what my local, HK Chinese colleagues say.

[door3344]