Job Discussion Forums

[MTR2012]

Hello guys!

I�m new to this forum so please bear with me I have a few questions regarding employment in Hong Kong, specifically teaching English, but first a little background: I�m 23 years old and from the UK, I�ve been to HK to study Cantonese at the Chinese University of Hong Kong for 5 months. I don�t have a degree although I have studied at college for 3 years doing fitness, health & exercise, from this I have NQ, HNC and HND (Higher national diploma) which could enable me to go straight into the 3rd or 4th year of university. Working in HK is something I�ve always wanted to do and I believe I�d have a better chance teaching English than going into the fitness industry.
Currently I�m doing my 120 hour TEFL course and my question is:

� Would this be enough for me to find employment? Be it private institutions or state schools.
� What would the basic pay and hours per week be?

When studying in HK I lived on a shoe string budget so I don�t expect to earn a lot, live in a big house or buy the latest gadget every week. I have no debts to pay and my loving family could provide a small sum of money to help me start up living in HK. I�m happy living in a small apartment, much like the one I lived in during my studies which I could basically jump from one end to the other! Earning enough money to pay the rent and feed myself is all I need, no need for fancy meals every week or buying the latest gadget.

I would appreciate any response, thank you very much!

MTR

[kowlooner]

Without a degree, you'll have to be able to give a potential employer a lot of other reasons to consider you, even with a Tefl cert. And though you've got 3 years of university under your belt, it's not in a subject even remotely connected to English, so some employers will (rightly) wonder whether your English skills (grammar, especially if you have to do anything with teaching writing) are up to par. You could have loads of Tefl certs and this would still be an issue.

The plain fact is, Tefl certs don't provide to an employer any guarantee of subject knowledge. They are a testament only to being familiar with basic concepts and teaching practices. They are no guarantee of quality.

So, what other reasons do you have to give an employer to hire you? That's where market pricing comes in, and if you're going to try to break into the generic ESL market, you're going to be at the bottom unfortunately, at least until you prove your worth. Look at other threads for lively debates on this issue! Figure somewhere from $10-15k. Maybe less. Or could be more. It's pretty hard to give you a figure you could rely on. For sure, your thriftiness will come in handy!

But there's another challenge anyway. Immigration. An employer is going to have to figure out how to justify your employment on terms other than "he comes cheap." Your cert will help there, but I think it will be difficult without the degree. Perhaps others could comment on this.

Don't mean to be a downer here, but you've got your work cut out for you! To sum up an answer to your questions, yes, it's enough to find employment (assuming the immigration dept. cooperates), but it's going to be a challenge and the pay will not be attractive at the beginning. This is especially so if you're going the generic teaching route. On the other hand, if you can somehow package your unique skills and experiences in an interesting way and target relevant employers with that skill set, you may have a better chance. Frankly, you'd probably enjoy it more, too. See if you can figure a way to combine ESL with fitness and perhaps you can find a niche.

Good luck!

[MTR2012]

Thank you kowlooner. The information you have given will be a great help. I figure the best thing for me to do is try and see what comes of it, at least then I'll know.

Thanks again.

MTR

[Serious_Fun]

[marksy]

Hi MTR,

Kowlooner makes some good suggestions.

Serious Fun, I'm not sure where to begin with your reply. What was the point in that? Do you feel better now? That's time gone you spent posting which you will never get back. Good luck with that. The sad fact of it is although you are doing your best to scare off any potential 'unqualified' NETs for your position, the poster is no threat to your job - he/she just wants a teaching job in HK. Your belittling of others says a great deal about how you think of yourself. Happy PNETs wouldn't write things like that. You are a PNET aren't you?

MTR, I wish you all the best with your job search. Please excuse the above poster - not much fun for anyone.

Cheers,

Marksy

[bje]

Okay, now that you've finished playing benevolent father figure, do bear in mind that the job market in HK and elsewhere is very tight at present and that one's qualifications and experience are increasingly important.

At the moment is it more responsible to point out this fact than to imply that one can easily obtain work in HK, which has always been a difficult market for the under-qualified and inexperienced.

[marksy]

bje,

I agree with what you said in that the OP is going to find it difficult to find work, and I'm sure MTR would appreciate your comments. It doesn't hurt to be civil (or benevolent ), does it?

Cheers,

Marksy