My Job

Being a ‘Native English Teacher’ (NET) is pretty much the greatest job in the world.  NET jobs in Hong Kong are some of the most sought after teaching experiences in Asia, and it’s not hard to see why:

1.  There is a very small workload (compared to teaching at home… well, compared to any job I’ve ever had, actually).  My sister jokes that my job is actually Facebook because I’m pretty much always there.  Yes, she’s right… there is a lot of ‘desk time’ at work (so why don’t I write more blog entries?) but there are also times when I work hard.  Sometimes I let the marking pile up for weeks and then tackle it all in one crazy day when I don’t have a lot of classes.  That’s what my plan is today.

2.   This is the first job I’ve ever had where I feel like I make what I deserve.  (Ok, if I’m being honest, I make more than I deserve.)   Aside from a generous paycheque, we get a “living allowance”.  For most people, this is more than enough to cover rent and bills each month.   There are more paid sick days than you’d ever think you could use (until you move to Hong Kong and realize how poor the air quality is).  And there are approximately 12 weeks of paid vacation time spread throughout the year.  You just can’t beat that.   

3.  The kids are so adorable.  They’re very eager to learn and that makes teaching them a rewarding and fun experience.  When I walk down the hall, I feel like a movie star:  Miss Stephanie!!!  Miss Stephanie!!!  You’re so beautiful!!!  (Ok, that’s probably their limited English vocabulary, but I’ll take what compliments I can get!)

Of course, there are a few negative points (but really, not many):

1. For the most part, you teach using a textbook and/or program.  This means there’s very little room for creativity or deviation from the plan. 

2.  Some people find it isolating to be the only Westerner in the workplace.  (I don’t feel like this.  My co-workers are awesome!)

A Typical Week

I work from 7:45-3:45.  I have an average of two to three 70 minute classes each day.   Mostly, I teach phonics.  There is absolutely no prep for these lessons, but there is always marking afterwards because each class I teach absolutely must have a worksheet.  Without tangible busy-work, the parents have no proof their children have learned anything.  I teach P1 and P3 classes every week (grade 1 and 3) and P2 and P4 on alternating weeks.  There are 4 classes at each level.  (See my old post Childhood Lost for more information on Hong Kong classes.)

On some Mondays, and occasional Tuesdays, I do after school discussion groups for P5 and P6 students.  I LOVE doing this.  It’s a great chance to know my students on a more personal level and they can practice their English in relaxed, casual atmosphere. 

On Wednesday afternoons, all classes stop at 2:30 and kids go to their extra-curricular activities.  Along with another teacher, I run the English Ambassadors Club.  This is a group of 20 of the top English achievers in P3.  We have to interview them during their last week in P2 to see who makes the cut.  I hate interviewing and choosing between seven year olds (welcome to the competitive pressures of Hong Kong) but I love running English Ambassadors.  We play team building games, go on English-related field trips, discuss interesting topics, watch movies… in short, the kids are able to have fun in school!  In my first year here, our English Ambassadors even had Canadian penpals.  Super fun!

We get 1 hour and 5 minutes for lunch.  Occasionally, I have fun lunch time activities for the younger kids, but mostly, I just eat lunch.

About once every 2 months, I run a 5-10 minute English TV show at lunch time.  I write a little script for some of the kids to read and find/make a video for them to talk about (some past TV shows have included an exercise video made by P2 students and an account of our English Ambassadors trip downtown to interview tourists).  About once a month, I run a 5-10 minute English assembly where we learn fun English vocabulary or games that we wouldn’t normally learn in class (some past assemblies have featured things like Mad Libs, personal hygiene, and the Christmas story with English vocabulary)

It should be noted that, while this is a typical week, it’s certainly not every week.  Some weeks are full of downtime and other weeks are completely crazy.  While I am in school from late August to mid July,  I don’t teach at all in the month of September because all the other teachers are still developing their routines.  And all my classes stop for the year at the beginning of June.  Four times throughout the year (November, January, March, and June) the students have exams.  The week before their exams is absolutely crazy for me.  I have to do revisions in all the classes, plus I do oral exams where I have to take each student in P3 and P4 individually and have the read a passage and identify target phonics sounds.  However, the next week and a half makes up for it because I don’t teach at all.

So that’s basically Hong Kong teaching in a nutshell.  I’m going to end this now because I have to go teach, but I strongly urge all unemployed or underemployed teachers I know to apply for the NET Scheme in Hong Kong.  Ask me how.  You won’t regret it.