Job Discussion Forums

[roseannanna]

I am a UK graduate with experience as a Teaching Assistant in a UK school looking for work as a Native English Teacher in Hong Kong.I am currently looking for jobs whilst completing my TEFL certificate.Which is deeming to be quite stressful.I already have had interviews on Skype/Telephone.But so far no successful outcome .My brother lived in Hong Kong for four years and now lives in Shanghai.I could move to Shanghai but I think would find it stressful due to the language barrier and culture.I have visited Hong Kong and Shanghai before so have a very good understanding of both cities and cultures.

[Joshua2006]

And your point is....??

[roseannanna]

any good companies? which ones to avoid? sorry was half asleep this morning lol!

[sistercream]

Most reputable language centres will want to see you in person before they hire you.

International schools often do skype interviews, but they also have the HR departments to do due diligence on your references and qualifications. There might be some private centres worth working for that also do remote interviews, but all the reports I've seen so far (OK, I don't go out looking for them!) seem to indicate it's the dodgier ones - who don't want you to find out too much about them, and care more about caucasian looks than whether you can actually teach.

Usual advice is that it is hugely advantageous to be on the ground here to score a half-way decent tutorial centre job.

Working in a "real" school almost certainly means getting a few years classroom experience under your belt first.

And please, please, please, don't think that you have a "good understanding of both cities and cultures" by having visited even several times. Last time I was in Shanghai was more than 30 years ago, so I make no claims to know about life there now, but in Hong Kong my bet is that you have not even yet experienced dairy product price shock or learned how to pick a good dehumidifier. Maybe you don't even realise that to rent a flat it's standard to hand over 3.5 months rent (each month of which is likely 1/3 or more of your monthly salary) when you sign the lease.

Don't get me wrong - maybe I've read your post wrongly, in which case I apologise. But if you haven't worked overseas before, I would highly recommend that you research the stages of culture shock.

[roseannanna]

[sistercream]

I don't know that people experience any less culture shock coming to work in HK than they do going to work in one of the larger mainland cities - it comes in different ways, and can sometimes seem even more jarring to the nerves because on the surface HK seems to have absorbed a lot more western influences.

But I'd agree that culture shock has good as well as bad bits! For me, these have included not needing my own car, not needing bus or train timetables, and discovering that less than half of HK is urban area.

[sistercream]

I don't know that people experience any less culture shock coming to work in HK than they do going to work in one of the larger mainland cities - it comes in different ways, and can sometimes seem even more jarring to the nerves because on the surface HK seems to have absorbed a lot more western influences.

But I'd agree that culture shock has good as well as bad bits! For me, a few of these have have been not needing my own car, not needing bus or train timetables, and discovering that less than half of HK is urban area.

[oxi]

[Joshua2006]

Just by visiting a city doesn't, as stated above, make you culturally aware about that city. You might experience 0.1% of what you need if you go and work in that city.

HK is getting harder and harder to get into now - I think I was lucky and that was only three years ago.

Simply, if you want to come here, keep applying and keep having those interviews over the computer...something will come good eventually and if it doesn't, then there isn't realistically much you can do about it.

Everywhere looks for something different and even those that are here and looking aren't guaranteed a job....

Avoid the language mills - haven't heard good stories about them from ANYONE.

Even though VTC is slated, if you can get your foot in there and get your foot in the door, it will be much easier to move after a year - I am guessing IVY is the same.

Whilst HK is a good place to be, I know I certainly don't want to retire here - take that into consideration for yourself when you plan where you want to go.

[sistercream]