Teaching English in HK

[norman99]

Hi, first time posting on this forum.

I have a couple questions regarding the opportunities that exist for English teachers in HK for someone without any previous teaching experience. I've done a lot of internet searching and research and I'm even more confused now than when I started.

Some background. My wife and I moved to HK from Australia a year ago and plan to stay here long term, as I work for a large company based on the other side of Lantu.

My wife has extensive retail experience including in management positions (though no degree level qualification yet), but has never wanted to continue this as a log term career. She therefore used our move as an opportunity to start new and is currently studding a Culinary Tourism degree part time through a long distance program with an Australian University. She has also been working in a restaurant in Admiralty for the last 6 months. Initially she was really excited about this opportunity as they mentioned the possibility of offering a traineeship and promotions within the company, which would work really well with her studies.

Unfortunately this now looks like it wont happen, and instead she is stuck in a service role, working 70+ hours a week with little to be gained towards her uni studies. The long hours alone aren't a problem if they were helping progressing her career, it does however take all her time, makes having any sort of life almost impossible and leaves limited time to study as she is always exhausted when she's not working.

Whilst leaving her current position is an option, my wife is not the type of person that can sit still with nothing to do every day, so she needs to replace it with something else, though hopefully something that provides a better balance between work and giving time to study and have a life outside work. Any additional income would also be really appreciated.

I've discussed options with a few of my colleges, and one mentioned that it was easy to get work, part-time or full time, as an English teacher. All that was needed was to complete an online TEFL/TESLO course. My wife has always enjoyed language/literature so this option immediately interested her.

I've tried to research what qualifications are required but its difficult to come to a firm conclusion. Many topics relate to also applying for a visa at the same time and hence recommend a degree as the minimum, but is this still the case for HKID holders? Do opportunities exist for those without additional qualification?

Also, after searching TEFL/TESLO courses online, I was overwhelmed with the results. Are there more reputable courses and ones we need to stay away from? If so how do you pick the good from the bad.

I know its a pretty open post, but I was just hoping one or two of you would be able to offer some info into what opportunities are actually available and what is needed to teach English in HK.

Thanks, any help is much appreciated.

[jmbf]

Assuming your wife has a Dependent Visa then she has many options available to her:

Language Centre work
Kindergartens
Private Tutoring

All she would need to get started is a TEFL qualification. The better the TEFL qualification the more picky she could be with teaching positions but even a basic online one would get her foot in the door. I-to-I have a range of courses available.

With some experience gained she could move on to better positions, maybe in local schools or even try for an EDB NET post.

Feel free to reply here or PM me for more details.

[M Khan]

Some on-line TEFL certificates are not as widely accepted as others and no on-line certificate is as widely accepted as classroom-based course.

The most recognised certificates are probably the Trinity CertTESOL and Cambridge CELTA. These are nearly the same in the way they are run and both include classroom practicum with real students. The practicum can really help those without any teaching experience to get a feel for the work.

The Trinity CertTESOL course can be completed in Hong Kong at 'English for Asia's : English for Asia - a fresh approach to learning and teaching

[aliharding]

Is she looking to work in a language centre? If yes, then I would definitely recommend taking the CELTA course. This is run by Cambridge English - affiliated with Cambridge - and is very thorough and informative. As someone mentioned above, if she has never taught before, the practicum is a great opportunity to know what it is actually like in the classroom and prepares you for a teacher position.

BUT it isn't as easy as it may seem 'just teaching English'. Just because we can speak, understand, read and write, there is a lot to it. I completed the CELTA course last year part-time and it is full on. You must do an application test as a kind of 'entrance test' and your position is not guaranteed. I am an Australian qualified secondary English teacher and I found some parts challenging.

I have just moved to HK too and am finding the process of getting a job quite difficult. However, I want to be in a secondary school in a classroom teacher position so slightly different.

Anyway! My advice would be to steer clear of 'online' courses - they may not be recognised by Hong Kong Education Bureau and research your options with CELTA. CELTA is often offered by different institutions!

Good luck and any more questions, don't hesitate to ask

[MandM!]

Firstly, the legal status in HK. Having a HKID card doesn't mean everything is good. The question is, are you a permanent resident or do you have an appropriate visa that offers the freedom, such as a dependent visa since you are the husband who has the main sponsorship and the wife rides on your sponsorship. So let's assume all is ok there. But please don't think having a HKID card means you have the freedom, it depends on more than just that.

Second, the lack of the university degree is an issue for applying for a visa. However, if your wife has the white face, then there is a demand for foreign native english teachers. Your best bet is either private lessons or a tuition centre.

You do not need any online qualification. These are really just time wasters that give a certificate to satisfy immigration in case for applying for a visa.

Jobsdb.com is a good source to start applying. Good luck!

[aliharding]

I'm sorry MandM! but I don't believe this is good advice. While you could potentially get a position in a language centre without a qualification, what happens when it comes to the actual teaching part?

Nothing can ever prepare you for walking into a classroom and teaching any range of students, but by doing a bit of study prior to teaching sure helps. I have over 5 years worth of study and qualifications and I still find myself researching strategies and teaching ideas.

The CELTA course will prepare your wife enough to be able to start teaching in a language centre but there will always be more you can do with teaching. If your wife goes into a classroom to teach with no background and only information from said language centre, I think she would be excessively overwhelmed. Make it easier for her and get some form of qualification to at least have some knowledge of what teaching is about!

[MandM!]

@aliharding, you make a point but I think the OP is better off just trying to get a job first, and seeing if she likes the tuition centre sweat shop environment. The CELTA would be good if you are serious about making teaching your career, but without the university degree, the OP would probably not be able to find any proper teaching positions.

The best bet would be to start in the learning centre with no qualification and use this to learn, they will teach you, just be humble. After all, wear your smile and show up on time is all you need. Then start to build your private students and decide how to proceed from there.

See if you like teaching, being around sick children, and all that jazz. Then you can invest in yourself. After all, OP should be able to find a job within a week or two then have a couple months experience before the next CELTA course even starts.

[aliharding]

@MandM! yes actually now you explain what you mean I agree! I have heard that the conditions of work / pay are not great. Good idea to see if you want to go down this path and if you are passionate about it too! Very much an investment in yourself. If you do enjoy the teaching but not the environment, CELTA or something similar would be worth it to be able to have more of a say in where / how / when / pay for the next job!

Also - I would look into the requirements for the CELTA course too before deciding that this is definitely the path you want to take. No harm in applying - you may or may not get in (requirements can be tough, depending on other applicants too) - you need to have a number of options.

[jmbf]

My take on this is as follows. It seems that the OP's wife is not really interested in pursuing a teaching career (it is mentioned that she is studying for a Culinary Tourism degree). Instead it appears that she just wants something to do, preferably something that will earn a bit of side income for the family. In her case I don't think the considerable expense and time required to do a CELTA (which can't be done locally in HK anyway) is necessarily worthwhile. There are plenty of 'lesser' TEFL certificates which would be more than enough to enable her to either teach in a language centre or tutor privately.

In this way she can get into teaching and try it out for a while. If she does take to it and decides to pursue it as a career, then at some point later on she can go back and bump up her qualifications as required.

[aliharding]

Oh wow, you're right. CELTA isn't offered in HK. I'm extremely surprised. Given the environment of so many people wanting to learn English I would have thought for sure it would be offered. I guess with a lot of people coming to Hong Kong for the specific reason to teach English would make it a little void.

Oh well, Norman I can see a lot of good advice for all sorts of different scenarios you and your wife may be discussing. Hope we have all helped and good luck!