English Teachers in Hong Kong
We'd like to hear about your experiences while teaching English in Hong Kong or with your search for work in this city. If you have the time, or would like to add anything to this page, please drop us a line and help us keep this page up to date.
Although English is an official language in Hong Kong, demand for native English speaking teachers is high. When compared to teaching jobs elsewhere in Asia, wages are favourable and you should be looking at a minimum of 15,000 Hong Kong Dollars. You may even be housed if you get a job at an international school, or get a housing allowance. You should be aware however that housing remains expensive, even after the Asian financial crisis and SARS caused so much damage. Hong Kong never really recovered.
As the dominant language in Hong Kong's business arena is English, adults often wish to advance their English skills to push forward their career prospects. Also, parents encourage their children to become bilingual from an early age to give them more opportunities in life.
Advertisement: Coming to Hong Kong? Take a look at our hotel rates: Hong Kong Hotels
If you're prepared to invest the time in learning to speak Cantonese, you really will be at an advantage when being assessed by potential employers. Having said that, most Westerners don't learn much of the local language because English is widely understood and it's fairly easy to hit the ground running in Hong Kong.
Employers in Hong Kong will invariably do things by the book and you won't get work if your papers are not in order (unlike some Southeast Asian countries). The Hong Kong government website has well presented information about this (see links section). If you're not in Hong Kong already, check out the online versions of Hong Kong newspapers for schools and approach them. If they're interested in you, they'll sort out the formalities.
As in much of Asia, teachers are well respected and students are eager to learn and well behaved. Add to this an exiting city, it's a great choice for teachers.
Need advice? Got a question? Go to our Hong Kong Forum
