Job Discussion Forums

[Dude Love Japan]

Thanks everyone for your help. I have a B.A. in English, Cambridge CELTA and years of ESL exp. in Korea. I went to HK and passed the first step as a PNET and was placed in the "pool of qualified candidates" a year-and-a-half ago and since then have had no luck with NET or two other recruiters. I want to get into HK and teach secondary VERY much and intend to take the HK PGDE or B.Ed. in Canada.
Meanwhile, I'm about to have a phone interview with a kindy. If they hire me would the local HK exp. help me? Is this visa flexible so I can get another job? Thanks again for your help.

[sistercream]

Working visas in HK are job-specific: if you are hired, your employer should sort out the nuts and bolts of the visa for you. Should you want to change jobs, the new employer has to organise either a transfer of sponsorship or a new visa (depending on the amount of time left on the visa you have already) before you commence the new job.
I would advise against starting a job with the intent of breaking contract when a new school year starts - a lot of reputable employers DO check this kind of thing, and figure that if you've done it to another employer you could just as easily do it to them.
The good news is that the HK Immigration Department is pretty good at keeping its performance pledges for a 4 - 6 week turnaround for visa processing (provided, of course, that your employer includes all the paperwork the first time around), and absolutely no "tea and cakes" need to be provided for the work to get done.

[Dude Love Japan]

-Thanks for the kind, detailed reply. As my main goal is still to get a NET job would kindy experience in HK, being local experience, be helpful? Should I do a kindy job I don't dread but am not esp. interested in for the sake of local exp. or would it not help me? Thanks in advance.

[sistercream]

I don't think it will make any difference to the Ed. Dep't decision at all if you come early, but if you find a kindergarten looking for somebody for maternity cover or similar for the last term of the school year by all means come - you might even find some primary schools who suddenly find themselves in need of a NET for the summer term.
Some schools fund their NETs privately rather than using the EDB scheme, so keep an eye on the positions vacant in sites like jobsdb.com and scmp.com/classifieds .
(coming in for the last part of the year was how I got my own start in HK )