Job Discussion Forums

[Serious_Fun]

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/070411/12/25b0l.html

brief (and rough) summary:

In 2005, 25% of NETs left the scheme after completing thier contract, down from 50% leaving the scheme in 2004. The article mentions that the EMB "upgraded the NET package" and loosened the immigration rules for spouses of NETs as a result of the dismal retention rates seen in 2004.

Univ. of Melbourne survey found that P1-P3 received greatest benefits from NET scheme.

Perhaps a better translation can be provided for us!

[hkteach]

This reminds me of that adage "there's lies, there's damn lies and there's statistics."

The numbers of NETs leaving at any given time is due to a number of factors regarding the job itself - power-mad principal, long working hours, weekend work, after-hours work or attendance at galas and other school events, the isolation of the job due to (usually) being the only foreigner in your school, the sheer frustration at having a job as an onsite English resource person but schools wanting to maiintain the status quo, a principal who dictates a business suit dress code (no, she's not kidding) others who dictate "no trousers for women unless it's below 14 degrees outside" and etc. etc. etc. And last but by no means least, the fact that the EMB do SFA to assist NETs in crisis.

It's a;so fair to say that many leave because they just don't like Hong Kong itself, or the pollution, or the culture. Some are just homesick. Some leave because what was once a good package has deteriorated due to cuts to the package and the rate of exchange which makes HK much less attractive than it once was (Canadians and Aussies now almost 30% worse off compared to 2001-02 due to the rising rate of CAD and AUD)

But apart from those issues, let it be clear that the EMB did NOT "upgrade the NET package" significantly.
What they did was:
1.(almost) RESTORE the housing allowance - it was 13000 before being reduced to 10500 for 2004 contracts, in response to the low rents caused by SARS (2002-2003) By the time they implemented this cut, rents were rising dramatically and many NETs decided that they'd lose too much by staying, so they left.
After much negotiation by the NETs' association (NESTA) and intervention by the legislative council, the EMB finally yielded in the face of extreme pressure and very reluctantly gave a housing allowance of 12950 to apply from August 2005 onwards (even though they should have actually made it MORE than 13000 as rents had risen a lot - and are still rising).
The many NETs whose contracts were renewed in 2004 and who had spent the following year here while all this went on were never recompensed for this loss of around 30000HKD- a bitter pill for many.

2. The EMB gave a 'retention incentive allowance' - NETs who sign on for a second contract receive extra 5% of basic salary per month for that next contract. A third contract gives NETs 10% bonus per month.

These actions have in effect taken our salaries back to where they were prior to the civil service salary cuts that were made in late 2003/early 2004. My salary went down by about 1000HKD a month and stayed there till the retention incentive was given. So I guess you could say we're pretty much even with what we signed on for. My salary is now a few hundred HKD a month more than it was in early 2004.

So, 2004 figures of 50% attrition rate reflect the large numbers of discontented NETs who decided to leave. Seeing most of them were presumably replaced by newcomers, it would be interesting to see the stats for the end of 2006. I don't know what they are but suspect the figure is a lot higher than 25% - lots of schools didn't have a NET for the start of the last school year (August 06) and some NETs were able to negotiate very favourable terms for themselves ): ):