Job Discussion Forums

Liam · Joined: 28 Sep 2004 Posts: 70

Help! I'm lacking a PGCE and am employed as a NET in a secondary school. Because I lack a PGCE, I also lack the housing benefit and any other perks you wish to name that come with the regular NET scheme. Basically, I've got a year's contract yet my title is 'temporary NET'. I'm just wondering if anyone knows what rights NETs have, what support groups are out there, when NET meetings are and whether 'temporary NETs' like myself, are covered by the same rights. Things are not exactly perfect at school at the minute and I'm just feeling a bit lost. Help!

Paddington · Joined: 01 Nov 2004 Posts: 10 Location: Hong Kong

You probably should join the ETA (Expat Teacher's Association). I should too for that matter. I think they are growing in strength and achieving results. Plus they are probably the best people to advise you on your rights.

hkgirlo · Joined: 05 Oct 2004 Posts: 57 Location: Hong Kong

Do you have any teaching qualifications? or experience??? I have a degree in Education, yet get hassled about having the stupid TEFL...
Did you start this year? Did you go to the induction course? What does your AT say?? I didn't know they hired temporary NETS.... what contract did you sign? Maybe you should talk with NESTA... they are a type of support group for NETS...

foster · Joined: 07 Feb 2003 Posts: 485 Location: Honkers, SARS

NESTA is I hate to say, rather useless. The ETA may be better as they have more of a legal grounding. ETA is more expensive, but I hear, mush more worth it.

saroq · Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Posts: 77

It sounds like you have been employed by the school but outside of the EMB NET scheme. That is the only reason why you don't get the housing benefit etc. NETs have no rights except those under Hong Kong law. The good news is that you probably can do something about your problem because Hong Kong schools rely on NETs ignorance of their rights and the apathy of local teachers to get away with what they do to local and foreign teachers.

Forget about NESTA it is thoroughly useless and will do nothing to help you with your problems. The ETA (Expatriate Teacher's Association) is your best option. The home page is http://www.offedge.net/eta/

NETteacher · Joined: 25 Jun 2004 Posts: 21

I can thoroughly recommend joining the ETA. In my last contract, the school didn't cough up the gratuity at the end of contract and gave me a bullshit story about how the EMB told them they only had to pay me half of it. After one phone call to the ETA, I got my Gratuity the next day and a personal apology from the Principal.

NESTA is useless when it comes to defending NETs against the scams and petty tyranny of the Principals. They suck up to the EMB and can't even run a decent meeting properly. The present NESTA committee are just a bunch of self-serving sycophants. Don't be sucked in. NESTA has been driven into the ground and lots of long term NETs have left in disgust.

Liam · Joined: 28 Sep 2004 Posts: 70

Thanks to everyone above for the help. The ETA sounds like the one for me. The only problem being the website appears to be having problems. When I click on Saroq's link it comes up with server not found (in Chinese) and searching through Google comes up the same. It may be my computer, may be an old web address, may just have to wait 'til tomorrow. Anyone know any more?

Thanks again.

saroq · Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Posts: 77

Sorry about the dead link. The ETA address is www.etahk.com

Mark Aldred is the person to speak to. Good luck with things.

jenny-pnet · Joined: 16 Apr 2003 Posts: 59

ETA is a good investment and a worthwhile cause. It's growing stronger and is a very proactive association. Even if your personal circumstances seem fine at the moment, I don't think the working environment in Hong Kong has enough stability to guarantee no problems in the future. eg A change of principal can change conditions and expectations enormously.

It's good insurance and is actually cheaper than the union back home. And besides, knowing lots of other expat teachers experience problems, it's a great way to be supportive of each other. I know I'd appreciate the support if I was experiencing problems in my own workplace. And that can happen to any of us, regardless of our teaching skills and professionalism.

Peaches En Regalia · Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2004 7:39 am Post subject: Re: NET Advice

You ask about rights, but the only 'rights' you will have are obviously those listed in your contract (and those afforded other residents of the SAR of HK). If it is not in your contract that you will receive housing allowance then, equally as obviously, you will not receive any.

You say you are a NET, but if you were a NET (that is, an EMB NET) you would get the allowance paid into your account along with your salary every month. All because a school has chosen (or, been forced) to employ you (whatever the title given to you) does not, or, rather, should not, allow you to compare yourself to the EMB NETs. If you want the housing allowance then you will have to be employed through the EMB. For that, you will almost certainly require a PGCE (and will have to attend the training courses and complete certificates, etc.).

HKgirlo: Regardless of what other qualifications you hold, you will have to complete a "stupid TEFL", as you term it. Indeed, it will be in your contract that such a course (though I believe they use different wording than you) must be completed within your first year, at your own expense. If you do not do it then you will not be re-employed for the second year. Please do not think they will somehow 'overlook' you or 'not get around' to checking you.

Personally I do not think it is too much to ask of a teacher of English as a foreign or other language, especially not in a state such as HK where standards are high, nor do I think such a qualification is "stupid". When I was a NET I had to complete the CELTA at the BC in HK and, off my own bat, I also did the YL extension. Both have helped me enormously both whilst on the NET scheme and outside of it (two contracts was enough for me).

Liam · Joined: 28 Sep 2004 Posts: 70

I can't help but feel you've got the wrong end of the stick. My original post is not complaining about lack of benefits, I was merely explaining my situation. I signed my contract (with the EMB, incidentally) knowing full well I was not eligible for the perks that many people join the NET scheme for. My contract is, I'm led to believe, the standard EMB NET contract, with, however, the extra benefits crossed out. This makes me think that I am on the EMB NET scheme ( I am a native-speaker, I teach, the EMB pays my wages!?) merely not on the high pay that seems to attract so many people to Hong Kong. I don't see the constant need for people to get so wound up on this site over who is and who isn't a NET. Having signed a NET contract I was wondering what rights I had in terms of the support groups and meetings etc.. that I'm told NETs can join/attend. Many of the above posts have helped and I'm looking into joining the ETA.

Thank you.

saroq · Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Posts: 77

Yep Peaches is like that. Don�t worry about it focus on joining the ETA and surviving in your contract. NESTA isn't much use to you in this situation but as a drinking club it excels so you might give them a try for your socialising. Got to say though that I was very unimpressed by the leadership but maybe they�re better now.

Hkgirlo Peaches is right. A TEFL or its other incarnations is not a stupid piece of paper. You�re teaching English as a foreign language and you should do some study in the area. If you undertake the study with an open mind then you�ll get a lot out of it. How can a teacher think that learning something related to their job is stupid?

once again · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Posts: 815

If the people at ETA won't give you any advice without charging you the membership, then they are not an organisation to be trusted. Even money grabbing lawyers and solicitors offer free clinics to potential clients!!

saroq · Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Posts: 77

Once again, the ETA is not a charity. The advice and support given by the ETA is for ETA members, that's why you join the association. Do you have some problem understanding this concept? The members are teachers not big corporations so why should they offer a service to people who don't want to pay for it when they have? There are a number of membership options available to people to join the ETA. Who do you think Liam can trust? His school? The EMB?

Liam if you've signed the contract then you've signed a contract. Perhaps there is something that can be done if there was misrepresentation or deception on the part of the school or the EMB. I don't know that's why you need advice. You said that things were not going too well at the school. This is an area that has nothing to do with the contract and you can get help to improve a stressful or hostile work environment.

As for being a money grabbing organisation no one receives payment for the work they do to make the ETA function. Perhaps Once Again would like to take you to a lawyer and pay the bill for you? He seems to think that the teachers of the ETA should do this?

NETteacher · Joined: 25 Jun 2004 Posts: 21

"I signed my contract (with the EMB, incidentally) knowing full well I was not eligible for the perks that many people join the NET scheme for. My contract is, I'm led to believe, the standard EMB NET contract, with, however, the extra benefits crossed out. This makes me think that I am on the EMB NET scheme" (Liam)

It sounds like you are in a DSS school Liam. What about posting your situation a little more clearly because this would be very confusing to anyone who is not a NET in the scheme.

All I can say is if you aren't in a DSS school, then you are very foolish to sign a contract with the benefits "crossed out" as you say. If you are naeive enough to have been duped on your contract then you probably deserve to lose out. The other possibility is that your school has fraudulently contracted you under the scheme and is pocketing the money they have suckered you out of.

In any case, it seems you are prepared to accept such nonsense and then expect an association which you don't belong to to give you free legal advice.

There are some real scams going on in Hong Kong schools and it's not just expats and NETs who are suffering. You can either keep your mouth shut and do nothing and don't give a damn about anyone else, or you can stand and fight it. You won't win on your own and NESTA isn't going to do anything for you and neither is the PTU.