Job Discussion Forums

[4nic8r]

I too am also wondering about teaching in Hong Kong.. I've read some of the previous posts about NET, and can't really get a take if its good or not... just wondering if you could tell me about teaching conditions, do you hae to get your own apt. etc etc... and do you really enjoy living there? I have an MA in Education and 5 years high school teaching experience...

Looking for serious answers... any help would be appreciated

[Freddie_Unbelievable]

Dear Fornicator,

And you teach in a high school? You should give "serious consideration" to your name!

HK is probably better off without you.

[munasa]

Well said, Freddie!

[Marcoregano]

Indeed. HK....sometimes it's good. Sometimes not. Today it's not.

[foster]

Oh come on...the guy/gal has a legit question. No need to be so rude.

[Scott in HK]

The first question is do you hold a teaching qualification...you mention the MA which doesn't really help with the NET program. You have to have a teaching qualification that allows you to teach in your home country. You say that you have five years experience, so I assume you do...but you could have it in a foreign country. Without the qualification, you probably won't be considered.

If you get the job...everything depends on your principal...but I am sure you read about that in previous posts...do a search for NET and read everything...

You get a special allowance to help cover the cost of housing yourself...so you can get your own apartment. I am not sure why you would think that you have to share unless you are thinking about the teaching situation in Korea.

I dont teach that much and little responsibility...basically your average walk in the park...although a walk in the park would be much more interesting than my present job. I am leaving after six years...the money makes up for the boredom...but I came here before they lowered the starting wage for teachers and I will not be here when the lower the living allowance...

I like living in Hong Kong...I have the nicest apt/house that I have ever lived in...it is not that great but my previous apts really sucked...I don't have to worry about money except when comparing my savings to other NETs (especially the single ones or the teaching couples)...It is too hot and and too humid...but a really interesting city to live in....

[4nic8r]

thanks Scott... lots of good advice to consider..really appreciate it...I've read some of your posts before and thought you've shared a lot of good ideas... good luck in Korea...

Now, to the other who told me to change my name and stay out of HK... buddy, really, you need to relax..it's a friggen daves esl id handle for gods sake... that's about as much consideration as I put it in... how much consideration should I put in it? Should I put sparkles and a big happy smile face on it? this is a board for exchanging information.. not a whose got the coolest id name, and judge everyone by their id.. seriously.. if you have no advice to share, spare me the lecture on id etiquette and don't post at all...

[Freddie_Unbelievable]

Now, to the other who told me to change my name and stay out of HK... buddy, really, you need to relax..it's a friggen daves esl id handle for gods sake... that's about as much consideration as I put it in... how much consideration should I put in it? Should I put sparkles and a big happy smile face on it? this is a board for exchanging information.. not a whose got the coolest id name, and judge everyone by their id.. seriously.. if you have no advice to share, spare me the lecture on id etiquette and don't post at all...

Is the picture your girlfriend?

[munasa]

Call me unrealistic, but I'd like to think that my children's teachers would think of a better nickname for any forum.
But, each to his own.
Being a PNET in HK is great for me, even though I have one excellent school and one quite unpleasant. So it's really only great every second week. Some PNETs have two great schools or two terrible schools and some NETs ... you get my drift.
The pay is good, the special allowance will still be good even when it's reduced. Cost of living is as high as you choose to make it. I find a lot of things surprisingly cheap. Dining out doesn't have to be expensive. Rent is the biggest expense but if you are single and unaccompanied you can share with others to reduce it.
All that said, there are some very, very happy NETs and PNETs and some very, very unhappy ones. It's a bit of a lottery.
With 5 years' experience and a teaching qualification you would be a suitable candidate. Do you have a TESOL certificate? That would be helpful, too. You would be assigned to one high school only, or to two primary schools if you want to teach primary students.
Oh, and one thing I like about being here is that I don't need a car to get around. That saves a lot of money. Taxis are not expensive. When I'm running late, I don't mind spending about US$4 to get to work! My bus fare is only about US 45cents, so my travel to/from work is much cheaper than it was back home.

[prplfairy]

Hey 4nic8r,

Don't mind Unbelievably stupid Freddie, none of us do. While the NET schemers would have you believe that the NET scheme is the only way to go, (isn't the deadline already passed for next year?) there are other options. The best one is a direct contract with a school that pays according to the EMB NET scheme guidelines. Now, this is not the soft option of the NET scheme where everything is done for you, but you, not the EMB, get to decide where you work. Obviously, this means that at some point you would have to come to HK for an interview before you knew you had a job in hand but then again you don't have to spin the NET scheme wheel of fortune and possibly end up teaching headcases in some village an hour and a half from civilization. It really depends on why you're coming. I'm sure you've noticed the focus on money by many of the NET scheme people, you know the ones who moan and groan about losing $300 US from their housing allowance when their salaries are already bloated up to $7,500 US + in a less than stellar economy. If on the other hand you want to make a damn good wage and be as sure as possible that you will enjoy your job, then a direct contract is the way to go. It's been great for me as I was able to choose a progressive DSS school close to my home run by western educated personnel and teachers, count 'em- 6 native speakers, where all teachers have new computers with cd writers and broadband internet and real desks and working areas, not those metal contraptions and cramped staff rooms a la "Brazil" you find in local schools, and get the exact same salary as a NET. This is not to even mention our three native speaking TA s, a ratio of one TA for every two teachers. ESF also a high standard as well as packages that at times exceed the NET scheme. This forum's participants are mainly NET schemers, nothing wrong with that, so sometimes the scope of the conversation is so narrowed down that a lot of viable non-NET scheme options are overlooked. You can't help but notice how many unhappy NETs there are who are just phoning it in, going through the motions of teaching just to get a fat pay check. I don't know about the rest of you but that's not why I got into teaching. Just some thoughts.

[Mark-O]

Hi Pplfairy,

That was an interesting reply. How would one go about pursuing what you propose then? Wouldn't it just be a lottery of approaching schools directly and see if they have any room at the inn? Or are these positions advertised? If so, where - the SCMP?

I'd appreciate your thoughts and info on how you managed to do this ...

Thanks.

[Joachim]

There are lots of jobs advertised almost daily in the scmp - you can check it out online at www.classifiedpost.com and head for the education system.

4nic8r, there are are jobs to be had here, and you will need a TESOL or CELTA in addition to a degree to make the visa appication process run smooth.

There is a lot of competition though, so hong Kong school won't hire someone they haven't met fact to face, so you'll need to come here for an interview. Hours are also long - a 5.5 day working week is common.

Hong Kong is a very interesting place to live and you can save a lot of money. It is a great base for exploring China and the rest of Southeast Asia, but you probably won't get that much time off to explore!

[Scott in HK]

Although the fairy posts some good information...even through direct contact you have to be careful...

Schools hired their teachers directly for two basic reasons...one like in pf's case, they are a good school and want to maintain a level of quality and to do this they want to meet the teachers they are going to hire..

the other reason is that the school could not keep their NET...either through personality clashes or contract disputes...a friend of my mine went the direct route after working in the international school...and ended up in a quite a bad situation...

as for the comparison in wages...NETs get paid the same as other teachers in the HK school system...it is just the extras that make our salaries higher...sometimes if you are directly hired by the school and the school does not go through the emb to make you an 'official NET' then you are not entitled to the same bonuses...

as for ESF schools..again the benefits are there..more so for the old-timers than the new ones...but I have heard as much groaning and moaning from esf teachers as I do from NETs...lots of politics at those schools...

there are plenty of opps in HK if you are qualified and pf is absolutely right in one respecet...being here is much better in finding a good job than taking the roulette (russian style) that is the NET program....

[prplfairy]

I wouldn't go knocking unless there's an ad and to be honest, any school worth applying to will advertise in SCMP. The big run for next year's teachers has begun and will probably continue until a few weeks after Easter vacation, more or less. My school in fact has had an ad for another NET (to add on, not to replace me) for over a week. There are always some stragglers in June and onwards, though.

I didn't mean to suggest that direct contract schools are necessarily better but just that you get to take a look at crucial things like location, class size (DSS and ESF have smaller classes in general) and overall working conditions which you don't get to see until it's too late in the NET scheme. There's still plenty of room to be screwed but significantly less than with the NET scheme. Scott has a point in saying that some of these contract schools have lost a NET but that many don't want to be appointed some geezer they've never met by the EMB. That's for you to investigate. The only ones I would REALLY be wary of are those which use an agent to find them NETs. Then you technically work for some agent and not actually for the school. Either way, you would definitely have to meet a school rep in HK before getting an offer, no way around that.

[Mark-O]

Pplfairy,

Thanks for clarifying that for me!