'TEFL in Hong Kong: an interview with a Head Teacher working at a language school on the island'

Have you ever considered teaching in Hong Kong?

Have you thought about where your TEFL career might take you? teflhub is carrying out interviews around the world to help you decide where you want to work and in which direction you want your career to head. Here we interviewed Amanda, an American who, since arriving in Hong Kong has been promoted to Head Teacher at a language school on the island.

1. What drew you to Hong Kong?

Before I moved to Hong Kong, I knew I wanted to live in Asia because I was drawn to the idea of experiencing a different culture. My grandparents lived here for two years in the 80s and they spoke very highly of the city, so I figured it would be a great place to start.

2. When you first arrived here what did you find was your biggest challenge?

The most challenging thing for me about living abroad was getting used to not living in the same time zone as family and friends. Fortunately, technology is great so you can easily call home, but you do have to set a time with people or else you may be contacting them while they’re sleeping.

3. What are the high points of your time here in Hong Kong?

There are so many! Career-wise, one of the high points was being offered a promotion to be the Head Teacher at a different location. Another high point was (and continues to be) how easy it is to travel to different parts of Asia from Hong Kong. Geographically, Hong Kong is in such an ideal location to organize a bunch of trips when there are long weekends, and Hong Kong has a considerable amount of public holidays. I have had the opportunity to travel to Japan, India, Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines (just to name a few!) and I don’t think I would have been able to travel and explore new countries as often as I have if I didn’t work in Hong Kong.

4. Would you consider being a head teacher anywhere else?

Yes, the head teacher role offers such a great opportunity to learn and develop your skills as both a teacher and a leader. I learned so much about working with a variety of people through my experiences as a Head Teacher.

5. Is there anything you wish you’d done differently in your TEFL career?

No.

6. Why did you move from being a teacher to Head Teacher?

I was excited by the opportunity of getting more involved with the company and I wanted to take on more responsibility. Additionally, I really wanted to help new teachers settle in to their role as a teacher.

7. How difficult was that transition?

It was a challenge at first. It was a hard decision to leave my previous school because I had grown so attached to my students, my co-teachers, and my daily routine. However, I quickly fell in love with my new students and I learned a lot from meeting and working with a new team.

8. How do you think advances in technology will effect language teaching in the future?

I think advances in technology will continue to make it more accessible and affordable for people to learn a new language. We recently installed interactive boards in classrooms, and the young learners are naturals at playing the different games that help them practice their English.

9. Have you been given any advice about being a manager/head teacher which you’ve found particularly useful?

The advice I found most useful when I became Head Teacher was to be open and approachable towards your colleagues but to not try to be everyone’s best friend. It is tricky when you have to discipline or offer constructive criticism towards a friend, so it’s essential to find a balance between having a strong relationship with your team while not letting personal feelings affect the business.

10. Do you have any tips on how to live more economically in Hong Kong?

I would suggest that people live with housemates to share living costs. Additionally, it’s important for people to become familiar with the public transportation system as there are endless ways to get to different places.

11. When you go back to your home country, what do you miss about Hong Kong?

The food/tea, the variety of people you meet, and the accessibility of everything. When I leave Hong Kong, I often wonder why I can’t get great food at 2 o’clock in the morning or why I’m not meeting new, interesting people every week.