Job Discussion Forums

[housecat]

[quote="Honky Nick"]Hi housecat,

Yes, you can apply to the NET scheme with just a BA and TOEFL certificate. It just means you can't progress past a certain point on the payscale. Take a look at the Education Bureau's NET scheme website for more info: http://www.edb.gov.hk/index.aspx?nodeID=262&langno=1

Nick[/quote]

I'm goint to that link just after this question, but is the TOEFL cert needed? I don't have that. I work now scorring those exams, but I don't have a TOEFEL certificate.

[housecat]

Ah, well now, that list is not at all clear. I'm guessing this is me?

Category 2 (to be appointed at GM rank)

(i) a bachelor�s degree in English Language or English Literature or English Studies or Linguistics# or a Modern Language#; OR a Bachelor in Education degree (major in English or a Modern Language#, but not primary education specialist) obtained after 3 years� full-time study from a Hong Kong university or equivalent; and

(ii) a Post-graduate Diploma in Education majoring in English or equivalent; and

(iii) at least 1 year�s post-graduate experience of teaching English (preferably as a second or foreign language) at secondary level or above

But I thought that Master's degrees didn't count?

Just read it again. Yes. Clear as mud.

Okay, small edit for further quesiton--

The salary scale of GM is from around HK$21,830 to HK$45,970 (*approx. US$2,805 to 5,907) per month (12 months a year). Candidates with a PGDE or equivalent (not TEFL/TESL) qualifications will enter at HK$24,050 (approx. *US$3,091) per month. Those without a local PGDE or equivalent will not be permitted to proceed beyond a salary bar which is at present set at HK$21,830 (approx. *US$2,805) per month. The pay point of the salary bar is under review and any revision will be announced by the Education Bureau in due course.

Seems there can be flexibility-- to some extent?

[Honky Nick]

Whether or not that description applies to you depends on if your MA is considered equivalent to a Post-graduate Diploma in Education. It may be recognised, but if it isn't, I think you would enter under this category:

[housecat]

Okay, thanks, you are being very helpful. So, the base salary is 21,830 or so and the housing allowance is another 12,950, and together that's roughly US$4000? Can I guess that cost of living is ROUGHLY half to two thirds that?

And .... how long might this all take? If I wanted to come over in Jan. or Early Feb., could it be done? I realize that CNY is about the third week in Jan., but other than that, what kind of lead time do I need? Sounds as if all that document checking could take some time. Is it good to go first or apply from here?

[Honky Nick]

It's a notoriously long application process. The one thing I recommend is being proactive. By all means, apply to the Education Bureau, but also contact schools by yourself. It does take a while to get all the paperwork through, so the sooner you start, the better. There may be some jobs that come up between now and the end of the academic year, but most jobs will begin in August 2009.

If you apply from the US, you are at the mercy of the Education Bureau; they may find a school for you in a timely fashion - they may not. You may be able to obtain a list of schools looking for teachers from the EDB. Otherwise, you can check out the job advertisements in the online edition of the South China Morning Post. This website has a wealth of information on all things NET: www.hkpnets.org

I'd say your assumption was about right with regard to savings. As a NET, I imagine you'd be able to save a third of your salary without too much trouble. It depends on your lifestyle, I suppose. I have friends who earn as little as $12,000 and can get by (in a sharehouse). Others budget on spending $20,000 per month as a couple and live fairly comfortably, and I know others who probably spend double that.

[housecat]

Hmm. Well a lead time of 8 to 9 months is fairly prohibitive. But it does seem like a very good program and I like Hong Kong. What about teaching at a private school that might not be on the net scheme unitl something opened up? Any idea what that pays? Are those your friends in the sharehouse?

[Honky Nick]

I'm not sure about private schools. I think some international schools may take you on as a teaching assistant or perhaps as a full-time teacher, but I'm just guessing, really. Maybe others have experience with this.

There are still a fair few jobs being advertised on the South China Morning Post website. Perhaps you could send out your resume and see how you go. One thing, though - use this website's search function to research any company or school you're thinking of applying to. It's always good to read about others' experiences and advice.

[housecat]

Thanks very much to everyone. You've all been very helpful, even through the difficult communication a few times. I'm much better prepared and know what to look for and some of where to look. You've all been great and I'm sure I'll have more questions later!

With Grace,

Housecat

[Marcoregano]

I'd say your chances of finding a job on the NET programme before the start of the next school year (September) are remote - that's when the vast majority of NET jobs kick off. But, if you were in HK and a vacancy came up (due to someone leaving their school suddenly, for example), and if the EMB were aware of your presence, then you might stand a chance. Meanwhile, private school openings are always a possibility, but the pay is variable. Still, I'd be surprised if you couldn't at least break even.

Regarding whether or not your Masters gives you QTS, as Honky points out, you need to square that with the EMB. I have an MEd (from an Aussie university) that I know for sure does not give me QTS (and nor would any Masters prog from the UK) - but yours may well be different.

[anninhk]

Just to add my two-penny worth!
You mentioned in your original post that you have a dependant - a child of 6. Unless that child can speak Cantonese you are looking at having to probably put them into some form of International School for their education and so you will have to factor that into your calculations.
It is quite expensive to send children to school here.

[Jason Goren]

Yes, as I said in an earlier post above, education here can be more expensive than Eton. For an indication of just how elitist international and 'private/independent' schools here are (and how expensive they can be) take a butchers at pp.43-44 of the following report:

http://www.amcham.org.hk/pr/International%20Schools%20Study.pdf

It's a bit out of date now, but only in the sense that, if anything, debentures have only increased. You will have to look at schools' individual websites to ascertain monthly tuition fees. As I said before, these fees range from around $8,000 HK to around $15,000 HK a month per child. Some people have three or four kids in international schools here and so are paying around $60,000 or $70,000 HK a month for their tuition fees alone..... How the other half live!

Take a look at the price of the corporate debenture for the Chinese International School. It's some $1,800,000 HK! Even the private (i.e., non-corporate) debenture for the Hong Kong International School is $500,000!

[kowlooner]

Actually, divorce rates in HK are pretty high. Last year there were about 32,000 first-time marriages and 18,000 divorces. The year before, 17k and 33k respectively, and the year before that 15k and 28k respectively. If you go back to the early 90's, the divorce to marriage ratio was under 20%. And there were about 72,000 single parents out there as of 2006.

I doubt HKers have a serious problem with divorcees and single parents. Divorce is pretty common, though folks do tend to be a bit reserved talking about it. Not that much different from anywhere else, actually. The single parents I know, and I know quite a few, don't seem to experience any prejudice. Clearly, the issue of hiring of single parents is equally not a problem. Who knows, it might actually be an advantage as potential employers could see you as more serious and likely to work hard! Just a thought.

As an aside, I don't think I can recall any incidence on the MTR of people moving away from Indians or blacks while holding their noses. Maybe I've just been lucky.

The education for your child will, as noted above several times, be an issue. It is expensive, as noted, and schools do have waiting lists. However, there are a number of private "international" schools with places available, probably for a reason, and these could be more affordable. It would probably be a good idea to contact these schools before you come to find out about placement, rather than seeking advice from this forum. I can't comment on enrollment in a local government school, but there are EMI and CMI (English vs. Chinese medium of instruction) schools. The EMI schools are more highly coveted, so places are limited. Besides which, even in EMI schools English is not always the language used. You'll have to go with an international school, in all likelihood. ESF (English School Foundation) fees are about $55,000 / year for elementary and $85,000 / year for secondary.

I can't comment on how your teaching certification would be accepted here, but I'm not sure if folks on the forum here know thatin the US each state has its own licensing requirements and these may or may not be accepted in other states. That is a function of the US federalist political system, in that each state has the power to pass its own laws, raise its own taxes, etc. That's why there's no national certification system. I'm pretty sure that those at the EMB would recognize this considering they regularly handle applications from the likes of HKIS. That you're a licensed teacher in Arkansas meant you had to do student teaching as well as take all the theory coursework. I doubt the EMB would reject your credentials, and I doubt you'd be limited on the pay scale. Are you only looking at the NET program? I don't think you mentioned that. Have a look at the international schools. You might enjoy them more anyway.

Best of luck!

[dandan]

Everyone has their own experience and personally I have never visited the country Jason describes in his posts.

I have lived in Hong Kong for 12 years though.