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Any teachers here?

  1. #1
    mushi's Avatar
    mushi is offline Registered User
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    Any teachers here?

    hi, i have been in HK for the last 2 yrs and intend to be here for another year. I am a mother of 2 and now life is a bit settled i wanted to do a teaching course for kindergarten kids... main objective is to have a 'flexible' profession offering lots of holidays and family time....plus a good pay....is my perception correct? I want to do a really good course which is acceptable in most countries...i used to have a good corporate job earlier....very well rewarding in terms of money but zero family time....so if any of u are full-time teachers pl. do share yr thoughts on your profession....thanks..


  2. #2
    spockey is offline Registered User
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    Quote Originally Posted by mushi View Post
    i wanted to do a teaching course for kindergarten kids... main objective is to have a 'flexible' profession offering lots of holidays and family time....plus a good pay....
    There are a couple of us.

    If it's a kindie job... your perception is probably right. Otherwise, apart from lots of holiday time (as long as you remain in the EDB NET Scheme/international school position), it's not true and good pay... relative in comparison what you would get back in your home country.

    The local requirements for a kindie teacher is simply a QKT and you can pursue that from Open University HK but in general, you'll be limited to just HK in most cases.

    HK Grad Dip in Ed courses (I'm unsure of the QKT programme though) are not recognised in MANY countries... you'll have trouble finding a job in the U.K. (has recently tightened their criteria) and North America. Australia is a lot more liberal in recognising teacher qualifications - it depends from state to state. NSW is A LOT more liberal than most states as it's a real crappy job there unless you are planning to go private. And in most private schools, it's quite competitive.

    With a local QKT, you are limited by the fact that an English specialisation is really an ESL specialisation and that to work in Early Childhood (unless it's just a childcare centre) in Oz, you need a B.Ed in Early Childhood at least.

    The best thing to do is to get proper qualifications in Early Childhood Education that includes a 40 day practicum at least for your qualifications to be transferable across North America, U.K. and Australia. There are several long distance programmes that will benefit your needs.
    I enjoy teaching because there are days when I make a difference.

    I love the holidays which gives me a chance to reconnect with my son. Money wise... it ain't that great... I gave up a corporate job too to pursue this avenue... and there are days when I think... "WHY???". I'm a high school teacher though... whole different ball game from being a kindie teacher. I should say though... the work load of a local teacher (from kindie to high school) is VERY different from an expat teacher.
    Last edited by spockey; 12-04-2008 at 08:26 AM.

  3. #3
    wanfamily is offline Registered User
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    I teach Primary - qualified in the UK with a PGCE after my batchelors. I second the other post on qualifying - you need to make sure your qualification is accepted wherever you intend living.
    On a one year break at the mo, but was teaching with my first child and when pregnant with my second.
    During term time, I put in about a 50 - 60 hour week. Outside of the actual lessons, there is a lot of prep, meetings and keeping up with research. However, I took a lot of work home and did it once my kid was in bed so I got to spend quality time with my child. Holidays are great - though you do end up going in a few days to sort out the chaos.
    Teaching is a very high energy profession - you've got to really love it to do it. The money isn't great, but the job satisfaction, if you love helping little minds grow, is fantastic.


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