Job Discussion Forums

[chaz47]

I'll be finishing my most recent contract in Korea in the spring of 2008. I'm looking for options in other countries. Yesterday I found this link:

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/publications/magazine/0401/teach_english_hong_kong.shtml

Is this for real? Are these US dollars?

I really want to learn Chinese characters and live in a clean environment where I can actually pay my bills down back home. China is out of the question in this regard, but Hong Kong would be a dream come true.

Anyway, I'll have 2.5 years of experience (to teach in Korea you need a BA, so yes, I have an undergraduate degree from a US university). I should be finishing in March of 2008. I would like to take a few months off to visit my family and possibly get a TEFL/CELTA, hopefully one that's not too expensive.

What sorts of jobs would I be eligible for?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[hkteach]

"I really want to learn Chinese characters and live in a clean environment.........."
I haven't followed the link you posted because the comment above stopped me in my tracks........
HK a clean environment??? whatever else HK is or isn't, one thing's for sure.......... IT AINT CLEAN! the pollution here is often so thick you can't see the sun.
My apartment has a "seaview" and I pay extra for that but I think I've been shafted. In the past two weeks I haven't been able to see much at all except haze and smog.
If it's clean you're after, try Singapore!

[kowlooner]

Perhaps, HK Teach, you should follow the link. The article in question is clearly several years old, talking as it does about the SARS outbreak being "now contained" and the Asian Financial Crisis "from which Hong Kong has never fully recovered." Property prices and the HK stock market might suggest otherwise (though perhaps we - and the rest of the world - might soon be heading in the other direction).

Still, you're right to warn the poster of the dangers of expecting a clean environment. But for the money question, the figures are about right (perhaps a little on the soft side), and yes one can save money. But, as is the case anywhere, it depends on one's ability to not squander those dollars.

Chaz, HK isn't cheap, but neither is Korea (from what I've heard). Housing is the major expense here, while food and transport are comparatively low cost. Taxes are low, bar bills are high (depending on your choice of venue).

As for "clean" living: you have to pay for it in either time or money.

Job prospects: reasonable to good. And not necessarily just in teaching. But make some contacts before making a move. HK without a job prospect (like anywhere else) can be painful.

You're close enough. Why not take a trip over here and see what you think of it while getting some interviews out of the way?