Job Discussion Forums

[Egas]

I am considering dropping into HK for few days immediately after Chinese New year to approach schools about work. I am contracted till mid June 2004, but would like to move to HK in the second half of the year. I've been to HK several times, and really like it. I know I am already too late to apply for the NET scheme, so my thinking is that going and approaching schools directly would be a good way to go about it. Of course one of the biggest issues is whether the schools will be open next week (say, from the 29th January); or will I get there and find they are still closed for the New Year?

What do you think of the pros and cons to this approach? I don't want to go if it is a waste of time, as it will be expensive to stay in Kong Kong, even for a few days. Or are there any cheap, reasonable places to stay (besides those shudderingly awful "mansions" I once stayed at)?

I am a qualified English teacher, with a postgrad Dip. ed., and 14 years of ESL and general teaching experience. I also have some academic publications and am part-way through a PhD, but I suspect uni work would be impossible. (I have an honors degree, not a masters).

Perhaps I should add that one of ther main reasons I want to go to HK is that there are good libraries and book shops there, and that will help for my studies. It is all but impossible to find English book shops in the mainland. (and I don't want to return to Australia yet)

Any feedback would be appreciated.

[Roger]

Your hopes are one thing, and reality is quite a different matter; yet for a man with your background I would not toss all idealism overboard.

Try the English Schools Foundation; they recently ran a full-page advert in the SCMP, listing several vacancies in their many schools.

Your last hope would no doubt be one of the numerous international schools. Last resort because they are not too likely to hire either as they offer careers which often attract nationals from their own countries though for the English section they might prefer a native English teacher.

[Egas]

Thanks Roger, that is helpful. A lot more helpful than the holier-than-thou moron who emailed me with insulting remarks. What is it about Hong Kong? Why does it attract these cerebrally-challenged egomaniacs who think they are above the rest of the world?

[Scott in HK]

egas...most public schools are going to be closed until the end of january....if you are coming to apply to public schools or international schools, i would hold off a bit...in the spring some schools start advertising for net positions as they want to hire the net themselves and that is when some international schools post ads as well....it is better to be here for jobs.....

[Egas]

Thanks Scott. I'll probably get to HK early in the month.

I must say that this HK forum is rather an interesting one. With the amount of anonymous and abusive emails I have received, I can only gather than HK is full of angry retards with nothing better to do than spread their hatred around the world. One retard sent me a card which was alleged to have a virus which would shut down my CPU. In over a year writing in the China and Taiwan forums, I never received a single piece of hate mail. So much for the superiority of HK and its work force.

I'm not sure HK is such a great place to go now -although some of the emails may have been from individuals outside of HK. Anyway, I've removed my email address from this site.

[Egas]

I thought I'd share some of these very strange emails I have been receiving since starting this thread. These were all sent to my private email address, and none were signed, although there were two names on the email details section in my in box. There are at least three separate people involved (maybe four), judging from the email addresses, writing styles, and personal details. Is this typical of what happens when you ask for advice in Hong Kong - or just when you ask for help on this forum? By the way - I had no correspondence with these people at all before they sent me the emails, so they were not responding to anything I'd written to them.

I am not quite sure whether to be amused or dismayed at these. Of course I do not take them personally. But it is somewhat disturbing to think that there are people out there sitting around actually typing this stuff out and sending it to people thay don't know! One of the people claimed to know me, but I have no recollection of her (from the name on the email in box).

Well, for the amusement of the masses, here they are!

**************************************************

Mainland 'experience' does not count here in HK so there is little
point
listing 13 years' 'experience'.

W*nker -


************************************************************

What's wrong? Did some bad boy say something horribleto you and make you cry? Ahh....never mind. Run homeand tell your Mummy about it; that will make you feelbetter you stupid nonce. You pathetic excuse for aman.Anything that gets to Dave gets to me f*ckwit!

*************************************************************

What you makes you think this person who insulted you - if indeed this did in fact occur - is from HK you stupid tosser? If you are such a well-qualified experienced teacher, why have you been on the mainland?

If I - or any of my friend and family - see any CVs that could be yours (as taken from your 296 posts at Daves (yes, you have given a LOT of info, thanks)) they will be burned or simply sent back with a smily face on.

Cheers tosser!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And, no, you CAN'T bring your peasant Chinese girlfriend with you. B.T.W., your friends at work say that she takes it up the Gary Glitter. Is this true?

B.T.W. IF YOU ARE READING THIS THEN YOU NEED TO CHECK YOUR CPU!

This person then sent me a greeting card, which I opened at a net bar. It said �Thanks for letting me f*ck you up the ass!�

*********************************************************

"Experience" in China does not count. If you think you can teach at a
uni in
HK with only an MA then you are sorely mistaken and have obviously been
on
the mainland for too long. As for a PhD, that too won't make the grade.

You need (at least) Post Doctorate Research experience for that here
and a
(peer referred bibliography of academic publications) or ther post will
simply go to someone who does possess such milestones and benchmarks of
academic ability. And you, my friend, simply ain't one of them, are
you?

[dandan]

Sounds like you've woken up dear old Auntie Bertie and some of her imaginary friends again. Don't worry, we'll send someone round with her medication later.

[once again]

It does seem that you have woken someone up at least. Not all of us in HK are like that. ON the teaching at the UNI point..I know at least 3 people who are working part time on various uni courses who do not have MAs. It seems that they advertise for MA people and then employ who they can. It would be well worth checking some of the unis out.

[AndyinHK]

I think with your 14 years of experience you should be able to find an employer. The only thing is, like anywhere, there are good employers and not so good ones. Success as a NET has a lot to do with the school you get sent to and the people you work with. Ditto tutorial centres.

[Egas]

Thanks for the input. Sorry to confuse you with the mentally ill individuals who are obviously not representative of teachers in HK, nor any other intelligent life forms for that matter.

[Roger]

Interesting to note Bertrand's obvious diction in at least one of those posts!
I wish you all the luck you need to get a position in HK!

[Egas]

Bertrand/MW/anthony/San Yuan - whatever he calls himself, seems to be having a little trouble posting here these days, so gets his rocks off by sending hate mail etc. to other people's inboxes - a man in serious need of a life. But that's the last comment on the matter, as he is no doubt jerking off even as he reads this, because of the attention he's getting.

Game over.