Posted by
matt_UK
16 yrs ago
As I am sure all have been in this situation; wanting to move to HK but unsure of first what type of jobs to go for and second how to sort out all the visa(s) easily.
Lets take the first point; I am traditionally a fitness trainer specialised in weight management which I currently do within the NHS. Although I would enjoy carrying on with this I am not sure on wage, requirement (language) and conditions over in HK. Additional to this I would be looking to set up a weight management service (excise and nutritional advice) mainly to Expats initially then once my cantonese improves open it wider. Any advice on this would be welcome.
The other option is to teach over in HK; from what I believe it is a good career for native english speakers and having taught in the past would be willing to change careers. Again advise away if you have any input!
The second issue is the mass of different visas; I am unsure what would be the best entry route. I qualify for the talent pool points system but know that is not a sure fire way into the area. The next my father in law to be advised (but I'm not sure); he believes that if I enter on the 6 months entry with a passport then apply for residency once there. The main reason he believes this is due to the fact that my partner is a HK resident as all of her family were born and live there. Like I say I think I would be kicked out kicking a screaming but am sure residents know the loopholes. Please any information would be great, otherwise the other option is to find work which is seeming difficult when you are not in the country.
Thank you all for the advice and hopefully it can improve my getting into the province.
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It is usually a lot easier to find work and business opportunities if you are actually in the place. However, you should be prepared to travel back to your home country while visa issues are sorted.
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Sorry I call Hong Kong a province (might be spelt wrong).
The advice is valuable; next time we land into HK we would be soon to be married so will look into that option. If it only give enough time to search for work that should be useful.
Thanks for the replies.
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I am native english speaker. This is sometimes the issue as localised way of speaking comes into writing. The joys of the North West of England.
Looking back maybe I should have read it before posting.
First choice would to teach physical education/exercise science due to my background and qualifications. As I know not many positions come about in the area the second choice would have been the NET teaching scheme.
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you should be aware that the days of Native English speakers showing up and being offered teaching jobs on that basis are over. NET Scheme requires a recognized TEFL/TESOL teaching qualification as a bare minimum, and the 'lucrative' tutoring jobs are most often obtained by qualified teachers who have contacts to refer them...even reputable language centres will look hard at your minimal quals before taking a chance on you...IMHO you would have a better chance as a PE teacher than as an English teacher, or even as a Personal Trainer...
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Cheers guys. That's why I enlisted the list of the forum. I'm just hoping my partner gets a transfer with Barclays which would give me time to find the role that suits myself.
In terms of salary I know what the NET scheme offers and private institutes but does any body have a vague guess at the wage for PE teaching and/or personal training? I've heard that teaching in International schools can be an excellent career and the benefits are good.
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Best correct the last post. Too early in the UK when you have had no sleep.
It was mean to say "I enlisted the help of the forum"
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cd
16 yrs ago
Most International schools and ESF schools start recruiting in January for the start of the following year.
A new teacher coming into ESF I think gets around $30-40k, with a small housing allowance and schooling for 2 kids.
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Excellent advice cd; always helps to know when the adverts go out. No wonder I have not seen any posts after looking through all the schools I could find.
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MJ1
16 yrs ago
Don't get an expectation that you can come to HK and make loads of money teaching English, it's just not the case. Those who can afford tutoring, send their kids to renowned/popular tutors who are fluent in both English and Chinese, with lengthy qualifications and in depth knowledge of the curriculum. The market is saturated with qualified tutors already and it's a very competitive industry, only a select handful of tutors make any decent money.
These days, a large portion of HK have a good standard of English, so would be suprised why they would send their children to a tutor who has no qualifications apart from being a native speaker.
As for being a PE teacher, would think such openings would be few. Your best bet is probably a fitness trainer, however I see plenty of those around as well.
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Thank you both for opinions either side. I do not want to make it rich teaching, just enough to live a comfortable life. The desired move is for my partner to be close to her family rather than looking for cash rich jobs as this is all relative.
MJ1 I am thankful about your honesty. I am aware of the competition and that Masters degree is required in most HK schools for subject specific.
Cara I would agree with you mainly due to my partners family speak very little English and said they would prefer a none cantonese speaking tutor to help them learn.
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cd
16 yrs ago
Agree with Cara, my daughter has been teaching English during the holidays to Chinese stufents since she was 18, and pretty much the only qualification needed was to be a native English speaker. The pay is reasonable too, $250-350 an hour. The company she works for still send us details of jobs neaqrly every day. Some of them for several months duration instead of short courses..
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MJ1
16 yrs ago
Just wanted to let matt_UK know that everything is not all rosy in HK when it comes to making a living teaching English.
I'm not saying that you cannot find tutoring jobs, but every man and his dog can get into this industry. Obviously if he wants to be in a better position to compete and enjoy career advancement, he needs qualifications (e.g. TESOL etc).
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you won't have a very comfortable life doing private tutoring without quals...if you make 250 -300 (extremely poor rate these days) you'll be working a ton of nights (remember most of your lessons will be after school's out) so your night life will suffer (if that's important) and in the case of the 'thousands' of learning centres, you WILL be working full Saturdays and likely 1/2 Sundays during the weekend, with a weekday off, likely for crap wages and no guarantee of getting paid...learning centres are a huge gamble in terms of job security and getting paid fairly...and the holidays suck...
you should seriously consider getting a basic teaching qual at least as well...this will greatly improve your prospects
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The feedback echos that I have found out via websites and peers. My plan was to undertake the Cambridge DELTA (TEFL) program which takes you up a catagory in the NET scheme and also want to undertake a PGCE in the UK, as it is more cost effective. This is a post graduate teachers qualification.
On the hours part being in fitness and sales most of my working life that is nothing new. Would be nice to have spare weekends, but have never really had regular weekends off anyway haha. It is like any customer focused role, you have to work to suit the need.
I've got two trips planned to HK within the next year so think I will start approaching schools and see what they suggest. In my experience being cheeky, or a better word forward can get you ahead. It has been good to speak with some people who obviously have experience in the area which is much better than what you can get off a website so thank you all.
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