Job Discussion Forums

[Justinelebonne]

Hey,

My hubby and I are currently teaching in Japan and want to head over to HK.

We both have a degree but only I have TEFL.

Would you recommend that my hubby do TEFL or that we both do a CELTA?

Thanks!

[YujiKaido]

I am in the process of moving to HK myself now, I would do the CELTA over the TEFL anyday in Hong Kong. I plan to do CELTA online course when its offered next month.

[Joshua2006]

Do the CELTA before you arrive although that alone won't guarantee you a job. If you have a couple of months to spare then do the TEFL as well - it all helps in the grand scheme of things in HK.

It is getting more and more competitive in HK now to get good jobs, so the more you have on your CV that is relevant, the better chance you'll have. I know it sounds obvious, but some people who post on here still seem to think that they can walk into top dollar jobs and they still haven't finished high school.....

[Justinelebonne]

Thanks for the reply.

Any decent paying job would be o.k. It doesnt need to be the best.

In your opinion, is it viable to just arrive and start looking for a job?

Are schools willing to sponsor a work visa for teachers?

Thanks

[sistercream]

At this time of year it is more likely to be language centres than "real" schools that are hiring. Many of these don't require any previous teaching experience (in fact, it's often better if you haven't taught before, as methods and practices in some that I've seen or heard of run contrary to just about every principle of good teaching or child psychology!).
But if you can hack the hours and everything else then this kind of job is a way of just dipping your feet in local waters, and both you and your husband could get jobs without much trouble.

If your degrees are teaching related then you could just start applying to work in EMI/ international schools without a TEFL.
Otherwise, do the ESL qualifications and start checking out ads in places like scmp.com/classifieds and jobsdb. You might even luck out and find something that starts half way through the school year

[Joshua2006]

'Proper' schools will offer visas but, sadly, lots of places look for you to already hold a visa as it saves them money and time in the recruiting process.

You could just 'land' and look as many places look for people already in situ, but at the same time don't think that that will automatically get you a job. Make sure you have enough coin to keep you going for a few months....it can be a lengthy process.

[knautica]

what's the reason for moving from Japan to HK?