[s88]

Is it just me but has anyone else had hard time getting a job because they are chinese but can't speak lingo and can only speak english?

[lazarus]

I think you should check out the South China Post, there's are a huge job section in there.

Good Luck.

[Corapanther]

Keep learning chinese. I'm basically an ABC female who learned cantonese from very basic yum cha and now I can hold my own even in a serious meeting. And don't ever let the language barrier get to you. If you wear something you don't know as a weakness it shows Instead, just learn what you don't know and advertise what you do.

On that note, advertise your strengths, be honest about what you aren't strong in but don't let that deter you from all jobs.

Dress sharp. Just because some locals in some areas (ie design) don't dress very professionally to an interview doesn't mean you shouldn't. BE PUNCTUAL ALWAYS! Receive a business card with TWO hands, thank the person and take a look before putting it away.

That said, it took me some time but I finally got some interviews. My biggest issue, however, was my resume format. I learned the hard way that one shouldn't ever do it in flash unless it was a lightning loader. I neglected the plug in issue and the preference for pdf! Despite the load times, familiar file formats are much more attractive.

.pdf is more familiar than .swf and .doc is more familiar than .pdf

but if there's an address your best bet is to use the lost art of sending resumes through snail mail

it's better than having the person pore through hundreds of emails, and if you're a designer make it pretty or hire someone to spruce it up for you.

So file format, a good attitude, and also good places to search.

Scmp.com
jobsdb.com

both very good places, as well as your usual jiuk jiuk and classifed post.

[s88]

cheers corapanther for that advice. u r right but its just getting out of that rut.

[prijiem]

Hi
I've sent out a few dozen resumes over the past two months but I've not had a single acknowledgement, let alone an invitation for an interview!

I'm TEFL-trained, have a Canadian degree and a year's experience teaching General and Business English in Thailand (plus some experience in UK education marketing which I've been doing on weekends and during the holidays). I've got excellent references to provide. I'm a UK national so I'll need a F/T offer for sponsorship.

While I'm scouring the SCMP classifieds and a few other sites on a daily basis, if there is anyone out there who's looking for an EFL teacher, please let me know. I'd especially love to teach Business English (I've got a business TEFL) or General English to adults or older kids. Many thanks.

[Corapanther]

How much are you stating for a salary?

With one year of experience and working in Hong Kong you'd better do salary limbo trying to get attention.

On sites like http://www.bigenglish.com/ these rates are for private tutoring. On SCMP I have not seen an offering that went over 18K for those with less than 2 years of experience.

Taking this all into mind, and if you quote reasonable salary ranges then keep trying. Make sure that you continue changing if you notice it's not working. My rate of feedback is about 2 interviews in 20 resumes. You just have to keep on sending and keep on trying.

[prijiem]

Thanks for writing. I've basically been tailoring my salary expectation to the particular centre I've applied to; ie. if the ad says they're paying 14k, I've put down 14k. Where the onus is on me to state salary expectation, I've put down 14-17k (this range seems to mirror what's being offered for newbies/those with limited experience). I'm mindful about not wanting to seem to want too much but at the same time expecting a just-about-liveable wage. My priority is get a foot in the door first and then work my way up as I get more experience. Anyway, like you say, it's just a matter of persevering with this whole process and, hopefully, something will turn up at fairly soon.

[Sazzy]

You could try the university or language centres. Language centres seem to be less fussy on experience and qualifications required.
You could check out the following websites:
www.jobsdb.com.hk
www.monster.com.hk
www.hkjobs.com
http://jobs.asiaco.com/hongkong/
Or try an employment agency?

Good Luck and keep trying!!

[prijiem]

Thank you for writing in. I've noted your suggestions. I hadn't considered an employment agency because for some inexplicable reason I assumed English teachers were off the radar as a viable/marketable employment concern in HK. Are you (or anyone else out there) aware of particular agencies who deal with EFL teachers, by any chance? Or will any agency do? Thanks again!