Studying PGCE qualification in HK

[Kungfu chef]

Hello all,

I was born in HK and have grew up with Cantonese and a bit of Mandarin.

I am moving to HK with my boyfriend in the new year and am considering studying PGCE and brush up on my Chinese language skills in the hope that when we return to the UK i will have some useful skills under my belt!

Has anyone done similar thing as this and more importantly, does HK provide PGCE course?

[ArKay]

Yes, HK universities do teacher training qualifications, although you get a PGDE here, not a PGCE. You can do one year full-time or two-year part-time courses. For the part-time courses, ideally they want you to be teaching full-time. Certainly HKU and HKIED (Institute of Education) offer courses, not sure about other universities.

Something to bear in mind though - an overseas PGDE/PGCE does not automatically get you Qualified Teacher Status in the UK. So, if you're doing it solely to go back to the UK to teach, you need to check whether you can somehow convert the qualification you get here to the UK equivalent.

[Kungfu chef]

Thank you ArKay.

I guess my first hurdle is to be re-educated in Chinese... I left HK at year 5 in Primary school, so truthfully my Chinese writing has been "frozen" in time. But am hoping to find courses that would enable me to pick up quickly in writing and also fast track on Mandarin. (my mother tongue is Cantonese.)

Has anyone been in my shoes before? Would love to know more as keen to learn again

[ArKay]

PGDE courses are run in English, so your Cantonese level won't affect your chances of getting onto a PGDE at least.