Teaching and Living in Hong Kong

Someone recently asked me if I missed teaching in Hong Kong. Actually they asked me if I liked teaching there, what’s it like living abroad, if Hong Kong was a good place for a solo traveler and if I missed it. Four completely different and separate questions with different and complicated answers. So I decided to write 5 little(ish) blogs to address each question. The short answers are no, challenging but in a good way, yes and that’s very complicated. 

Teaching in Hong Kong

First, I think teaching in Hong Kong is different from teaching in many other countries. Also teaching at a learning academy is entirely different than teaching in a school. I can only speak about teaching at a learning academy in Hong Kong. And truthfully I did not really enjoy it. I absolutely loved some of the children and still miss them. However, I do not miss teaching at a learning academy. 

Learning Academies

First and foremost, an ‘academy’ is a business and profit is the most important thing. For example, if a parent wants their child placed in a certain level, that is where the child is placed, regardless of the teacher assessment. Additionally, classes are combined to save money, regardless of student level. And when a child misses a class they can ‘make up’ the class whenever they want and at whatever level they choose.

At the same time, teachers are encouraged to ‘teach to the test.’ Because Hong Kong is very competitive, parents will move academies to the ones with the ‘best’ test scores. All of the above result in less than ideal learning conditions for students with questionable outcomes. Lastly, the company I worked for treated teachers with zero respect and had an evaluation and demerit system that still makes me angry.

Teaching Practices

On a broader scale, Hong Kong teaching practices are very teacher centered. There is a heavy emphasis on memorization and students are encouraged to listen and not speak. During my first week of training, I was surprised at the expectation that I would be teaching 4 and 5 year old children how to spell and read in their second language. However, I was more surprised, during my first week of actually teaching, to realize that students reading at a grade 5 or 6 level could not answer the most basic verbal questions, such as “What did you do last weekend?” The emphasis on rote memorization and spelling over comprehension was foreign to me. 

It was challenging for me as I was expecting to teach somewhere that had a student centered approach. During my interview, I specifically asked if the teaching was student centered and was told yes. I’m still not sure if it was an outright lie or if they did not know what student centered means. I later found out that they hire ‘head hunters’ with zero educational background to recruit teachers. They work on commission so they will say anything to get someone to sign a contract. 

Also difficult was that some of the other ‘teachers’ had not taught before and simply wanted a work visa to live in Hong Kong. In fact, one of my co-workers told me he “didn’t really like kids and was just here for the kung fu and the girls.” I did work with one teacher who also loved teaching and we both collaborated and commiserated. But it was only for 5 short months. Overall, most did a decent job at ‘presenting’ the curriculum and seemed to like the kids but the quality of teaching and collaboration was not what I had hoped for. 

Finding a Balance

Having said all of that, I eventually figured out how to balance teaching in a way that was a little student centered while following their requirements some of the time. I never did get a “teaching to standard” evaluation as I never adhered to the class structure of 3 mins for “introductions” and 7 mins for “presenting new material” etc. But despite my numerous “does not meet teaching standard” evaluations, I know I connected to and helped many students. So while I never liked my job or the company, I eventually learned to enjoy the teaching. 

Teaching Abroad

If teaching abroad interests you, I suggest you do much better research than I did. Both in terms of the type of academy or school it is, as well as overall educational practices of the country. I would have avoided a lot of frustration and disappointment with more accurate information regarding what I was walking into. Basically I was naive with unrealistic expectations.

At the same time, I know some people have had wonderful experiences teaching abroad and I do not want to discourage anyone from going for it. I think you can learn so much about yourself as an educator, working with students from different cultures. For example, I loved the volunteer teaching I did in Guatemala. I learned so much about myself and about teaching in different cultures.

I would also add that if you are young and looking for the experience of living abroad, teaching English is a great way to do that. Many countries in Asia have learning academies and you do not need an education degree, only a TEFL certification. They do not pay well and often the hours are terrible, but it is a great way to explore another part of the world. I realize I haven’t really “sold it” but I do know many people who have absolutely loved their teaching abroad experience.

Please reach out to me if teaching abroad interests you. I would be hesitant to recommend teaching where I taught but I would totally recommend the teaching abroad experience overall. 

Also, the photos I have included are some of my favorite places in Hong Kong. Even when I was really, really unhappy or completely exhausted because of the job, there was always something to be grateful for. I will always cherish running along the promenade and the hiking views. And the coffee shops, Art Lane and Central Library.

Please check out my blog about volunteer teaching in Tanzania too. A totally different but equally challenging experience.

Tanzania – still heartbreaking, still beautiful