Find reliable schools to interview withTeaching Jobs in Hong Kong
Why do so many people move to teach in Hong Kong? This bustling metropolis by the sea has a warm climate, is famous for its modern vertical architecture, ever-present street food, and historic ferries. Although it’s a fairly small island and very densely populated, one thing that will surprise is Hong Kong’s access to nature – including some beautiful beaches. Part of Hong Kong’s rich history is a longstanding British connection, which shows in such place names as Victoria Harbour. Hong Kong is located just off the Chinese mainland, near the megacities of the Pearl River Delta as well as Macau. Combined, this is the second densest region in the world, and there is much to see and do in this area without travelling a huge distance. Professional educators will already know of Hong Kong, famous for its consistently top-of-the-world PISA assessment scores and its comprehensive education reform. Come be part of it! And if you’re ever needing a break from busy city life here, great flight connections allow easy access to East and Southeast Asia, or anywhere else you’d like to go.
Salaries and Job Types
The best teaching jobs in Hong Kong are with the well-established government public school program, which has hired foreign teachers since 1998. Footprints is this “NET” program’s exclusive hiring partner in North America. If you’re interested, you will need to apply online on this site. NET stands for Native English Teacher and the program hires teachers on 2-year contracts to teach primary school and secondary school. Secondary teaching positions have tougher qualifications than primary. The pay is excellent: $3,000-$7,300 a month, with a generous 15% performance-based completion bonus at the end of your contract. A solid raise also awaits should you stay in HK and renew your contract – many teachers do. Airfare, housing, and health insurance are covered – for you and your family, which is a rarity in the ESL world outside of the oil-wealthy countries of the Middle East. The private teaching industry is thriving as well, and jobs often come up at private English language academies. The pay for private school teaching positions averages $2,000 a month. International schools for expats and locals exist and pay a little more – in the $3,000/month range. One thing to note is that, because of the longstanding UK connection, English teaching jobs here often use the British standards for spelling and grammar, but it’s easy for North Americans and other native speakers to adjust to this.
Locations
Hong Kong has 18 administrative regions and NET positions staff public schools throughout those regions. It’s possible to request your preferred area, whether right in the city or a bit outside. Most of the private and international schools are concentrated right in the city centre.
Qualifications
The public school intake prefers a teaching license, in particular if your goal is to be an SNET (secondary) teacher with in a public school. Primary teachers often do get accepted without a teaching license. A solid TEFL is required for the government jobs, and previous teaching experience boosts your changes a lot.
Useful Resources for Teaching Abroad
We want you to succeed. We want you to have the experience of a lifetime, teaching in places around the world! To help you along your journey, we have curated some helpful resources below: