Job Discussion Forums

[anniebanannie]

Hi
I'm looking for a job in SE Asia/Far East Asia for 1 year. I'm in my mid 20s, with voluntary teaching experience with a bachelors degree in art therapies, I did my placement in a school, and I have a 120 hour online TEFL cert.
I've been offered a job in HK to start in 3 weeks and I'm uncertain whether to go for it!

Salary is 12,500 HKD plus an apartment or 18,000 no apartment
8,000 HKD flight allowance
32 days paid holiday

Hours are 9 hours Mon to Fri
plus 5 hours 3 out of 4 Saturdays a month

The thing that urks me is that the commute is 45 mins each way. So that works out nearly 60 hours a week working or commuting.

We had discussed another job with a 5 min walk from the apartment, but it turns out that I interviewed for another job 45 mins away. Am I within my rights to ask to apply for the job nearer?

Also, is this a good deal for a first time job?

I'm going for the experience, my love of Asia, opportunity to travel, teach and I'm hoping to save some money to help with further studies after the year is up. The amount of holidays is appealing and the location, being close to SE Asia etc. I'm just concerned about the amount of hours with a 1.5 hour commute each day on top :/ plus will the salary allow me to save, even a little?

Thank you in advance for any advice, I will REALLY appreciate it Also any info on what it's like to teach and live in HK would be great

[sistercream]

Salary is 12,500 HKD plus an apartment or 18,000 no apartment
Given what you write later about the commute, I would definitely opt for the 18K and find your own flat.
8,000 HKD flight allowance
When would this be paid?

32 days paid holiday
Is this in addition to weekends and public holidays? If yes, excellent; if it's just your rest days, it stinks.

Hours are 9 hours Mon to Fri
plus 5 hours 3 out of 4 Saturdays a month
That's a killer schedule. How many actual teaching hours?


We had discussed another job with a 5 min walk from the apartment, but it turns out that I interviewed for another job 45 mins away. Am I within my rights to ask to apply for the job nearer?
You can ask, but this is classic bait&switch ... it would be a deal-breaker for me, because it says something about how the boss treats his staff.

Also, is this a good deal for a first time job?
Language centres/ kindergartens don't often offer airfares, so that's good. The salary is an average starting one, and the paid holidays are good IF they are in addition to weekends and public holidays. The hours stink.

I'm just concerned about the amount of hours with a 1.5 hour commute each day on top :/ plus will the salary allow me to save, even a little?
You would have to live very frugally to save on that salary - particularly because although HK public transport is very economical by western standards, that commute is still going to add up in money as well as time.
Thank you in advance for any advice, I will REALLY appreciate it
You're welcome
Also any info on what it's like to teach and live in HK would be great
The range of possibilities is pretty much as broad as life itself, and people's opinions of the same things vary wildly! Suggest you have a trawl of the HK forums here, and for general living conditions (covering everyone from bankers to maids), have a look at somewhere like http://hongkong.geoexpat.com/forum/88/

[anniebanannie]

sistercream thank you SO much for your reply
To answer your questions, the 8k for flights is paid when you finish the contract.
The holidays are in addition to weekend/public holidays. Its 10 days at Christmas, Chinese New Year and Easter. That could actually be a week with the weekends added on to look better. But it's still pretty good holiday time, to get 3, 10 day blocks off to travel. Sundays are always days off. Not sure about public holidays, I'll need to check that one.
The hours are long, but it's not solid teaching time. The children have a nap hour every afternoon. I will teach 1 class in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. The rest of the time I guess I'm just helping out with general childcare, as it is 2 - 6 year olds. From 4.30pm to 5.30 it is just lesson plan time. So it's really about 6-7 hours of working with the children per day and 4 on Sat.
It sounds like a lovely school and enjoyable job, it is just the sheer amount of time the job consumes, if it were to include a 1.5 hour daily commute.
I am now definitely exploring the "18k and find my own flat" option. I've send off a bunch of emails to possible flat shares on easyroommate dot com, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
I am just flustering about it because I need to make a decision in the next 48 hours really, so I can book a flight before the costs go exponential.
I am good at living frugally, but I was hoping to save minimum £3,000 from this year of teaching. Do you think this is possible if I were to find a flat costing 4,000 HKD close to the job?
Should I just give up the idea of HK and find a hagwan in Korea?
I'm not too fussed where I go. I just want somewhere I can make and save a reasonable amount, that his a nice place to live and interesting places to explore and travel to nearby.
Thanks a lot for your help

[sistercream]

Having been there, done that, I'd advise you to check if you are required to supervise the children's nap times ... these would be easy if everyone just lay down and dropped off to sleep, but it ain't necessarily so

Do Not, NOT, NOT try and rent a place before you arrive - website scams about accommodation in Hong Kong abound. In which area would you be working? HK is much bigger than many people realise, so if you let us know, people are bound to have some ideas on how to balance rent and commute time. If you don't feel comfortable putting that on the open forum, feel free to PM me.

[Perilla]

I don't want to complicate matters, but bear in mind you'd (almost certainly) save a good deal more working at an average Korean hogwan. In the same situation I'd choose Korea, but then I prefer Korea to HK so I'm perhaps biased.

Bottom line, if saving money is the most important aspect for you I'd go with Korea. If you're worried about culture shock and want somewhere easier to adapt to, HK wins (for most people) on that score.

[anniebanannie]

Thank you both.

The school area is in the New Territories in Tsuen Wan. The flat I'm looking at is an hour's walking distance away so about 10 mins on a bus, apparently. My recruiter in HK will visit the flat for me to check that it's all ok, and not a scam.

Saving money isn't the number 1 factor in the decision, although it is probably number 2. I liked this job in HK because of it's proximity to South East Asia as a destination to travel through in the holidays. My ideal place would be Vietnam, or Thailand, but I don't have a CELTA or enough time & money to do one before I start, and Thailand would only pay enough to break even.

As for Korea, what put me off was the amount of extra time it will take to get all the documents apostilled and for getting recommendation letters, as I've been let down by my college tutors not answering their emails, so I'm running out of options for those as they want letters from 2-3 different sources. Also I spoke to a recruiter for Korea who told me that I'm unlikely to get a job there now without experience. Other than that, I would love to go to Korea. But I'd have to wait another month at least. I'm hoping to start a masters degree course in Sep 2014, so the sooner I can start, the better.

I just wish I had another week to decide, but I don't!

[sistercream]

Working in Tsuen Wan, I'd be looking for accommodation in Sham Tseng/ Tsing Lung Tau, or Tsing Yi to balance rent/ commuting if you can't get a flat share in easy walking distance to work.

If your school is close to the Tsuen Wan West station, you might also consider looking up around Kam Sheung Road (a more rural area just one station away).

[anniebanannie]

Thanks again,
The flat is on Kwai Chung Road. It's closer to the job, but there's not an mtr line connecting them, so it doesn't actually make a huge difference to the commute :S unless I get taxis every day, which I guess would cost more.
Also, one more thing, in the contract, which I've just read through, it states that if for any reason I cannot complete the 12 month contract, I have to pay the company almost 1 month's wages. Is that a pretty standard thing for Hong Kong?
Thanks