Job Discussion Forums

Noelle · Joined: 26 Mar 2005 Posts: 361 Location: USA

Just wondering what the advantage(s) of coming to Hong Kong to teach would be over say somewhere like... Korea, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia... etc...

I realize Hong Kong is supposed to be a sparkling and cosmopolitan city but I'm also imagining the cost of living to be kind of high as well. When trying to pay off graduate loans, are jobs in H.K. worth taking? Korea and Japan are known for the higher salaries and I think Thailand and Indo are known for low costs of living...

Is it difficult to save money when working in a place like Hong Kong? Any feedback from those with experience would really be nice!

dodgee · Joined: 01 Jun 2005 Posts: 47

HK is cheaper than Japan for everything bar housing and the quality of housing is vastly improved. I taught three years in Japan and only paid off about $4000 on a $25000 loan I have been here about 9 months and finished paying off my loan last month on top of travelling to NZ, Thailand, China, Japan. Salaries are much higher and life is much cheaper.

anninhk · Joined: 08 Oct 2005 Posts: 284

The questions you pose are so relative that it is impossible to give you an answer.
Surely it is all dependent on the salary you get and the lifestyle you lead. Personally I have been able to save money and live the lifestyle that I want to but others left here owing money.

johnco · Joined: 26 Apr 2007 Posts: 21

Is HK really worth it? that is a good question considering there is barely any whingeing or whining by native English speakers.I have gone through 17 pages of the Hong Kong forum and the unhappy NETs' are few and far between.I am waiting to hear of more disgruntled reports from HK NET's.

Go to the Korean job discussion forum and you will find that maybe HK is "worth" it.

AndyinHK · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Posts: 98

For a balanced view try reading the SCMP... the last few weeks there has been a lot of discussion and complaints about the NET scheme.

Noelle · Joined: 26 Mar 2005 Posts: 361 Location: USA

I'm very familiar with the Korean discussion board. I spent all of last year in Korea and loved it. Saved a lot of money there too...

Thanks for the input... it sounds as if it really depends on the school and the salary as to whether or not it is really worth it. I was afraid the Hong Kong might have an outrageous cost of living that makes even a high salary futile.

What is considered a good salary there? If I were to be offered between 2500 and 3000 U.S. dollars a month, would that be good for Hong Kong?

ironopolis · Joined: 01 Apr 2004 Posts: 379

hi noelle,
I too have been very happy with the time I spent in Korea and also enjoy it whenever I go back - I've never posted this on the Korea forum though and I don't think many of us would!!

Recently, I was weighing up salary v. cost of living in HK and Korea and came to the conclusion that in my particular situation I'd be a little better off in HK, but there wasn't a great deal of difference in it. Everyone's situation is different though and although I've done quite a lot of research into prices and stuff, I haven't actually lived in HK yet so don't know how accurate my comparison will turn out to be.

I'm in Japan now and I'd say if you went there you're very,very likely to be much worse off financially than you were in Korea. Years of deflation and salaries actually going down, together with an enormous fall in the value of the yen mean that if you're taking savings from elsewhere to Japan, you'll find it surprisingly cheap compared to what you may have heard. But you'll also find your salary doesn't get you much of any other currency you want to change it into. The only exception is perhaps the US dollar - its value against the yen has changed much less dramatically than any of the others. And the cost of living v efl salary ratio in Japan isn't so good these days either.

root555 · Joined: 28 Feb 2007 Posts: 7

Personally, I would never reccomend working as an ESL teacher in Korea to anyone. Having been here almost a year- I can honestly say that I've seen far too many instances with myself, my bf, and other teacher- friends of mine where promises in contracts were not kept.

Things have happened around me such as not getting paid on time, not having healthcare, not being paid for overtime work, not being able to leave the job according to the rules in the contract, not having housing when one shows up- even though this is promised in the contract- ect.

This doesn't happen at all Korean ESL jobs- but I'd say that about 60% of fellow teachers I know are dissatisfied because of issues such as these. And this is from people who work both the private school and public school system. If I were you- I'd look into anywhere but Korea.

ironopolis · Joined: 01 Apr 2004 Posts: 379

This is the Hong Kong forum and the OP who was asking for info has already clearly indicated that s/he has spent time in Korea and liked it, so clearly doesn't need telling that someone else didn't.

Sorry if you haven't enjoyed Korea, root. But do you have some problem with other people that did?

root555 · Joined: 28 Feb 2007 Posts: 7

I obviously misread the original post. And anyone is free to their opinion of Korea. I'm just telling you what I've seen. It sounds like you have a problem with people not liking Korea.

ironopolis · Joined: 01 Apr 2004 Posts: 379

Noelle · Joined: 26 Mar 2005 Posts: 361 Location: USA

Ironopolis, thanks for the advice! It's very helpful to get input from someone who is familiar with both places!

O.K., back to Hong Kong....

How is 2500- 3000 USD per month as a contract salary in H.K.? I thought it actually sounded kind of high but I will be working just out of grad school with my masters in TESOL so perhaps it's not so high...?

What should a professional TESOL teacher expect in salary when working in a school in Hong Kong?

Horizontal Hero · Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2007 4:59 am Post subject:

It depends whether you work in the NET scheme, an international school, or one of the private schools. Some basic kindergarten jobs start as low as HK$12 000 (about US$1 600). I think you can earn a bit more than that at some cram schools and business English schools. The NET scheme is a lot better, assuming you have a B. ed. or Dip ed. With the living allowance you should begin on at least HK$30 000 (nearly US$4000). International schools are even better paid (again, depending on experience and quals).

Some graduates who don't mind living like a student might get by on the 12 000. But I know guys here on 60 000 who spend it all every month!

Is HK worth it? For the younger crowd looking for some worldly experience, a couple of years is good. I think many might find longer stints a bit wearing, at any age. HK is fast, crowded, polluted and can be exhausting. But some stay for long periods. A good advantage is it is central to exploring much of Asia. Public transport, libraries, book shops, cafes are all great (but all crowded!). For NETS the education system tends to be robotic and exam oriented, and work satisfaction is a big issue.

Noelle · Joined: 26 Mar 2005 Posts: 361 Location: USA

What is NET???

Horizontal Hero · Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2007 5:44 am Post subject:

It means "native English teacher". But there is a special government run scheme called the NET scheme, for public schools. Salaries and perks are better than for most standard EFL jobs in the local market. You have to apply to the EMB (Education and Manpower Bureau ) for those jobs, and they hire annually.