Hong Kong grant for hiring native English teachers to be based on median salaries

A new grant for Hong Kong public schools hiring native English-speaking teachers (NETs) will be based on the profession’s current median salaries rather than years of experience, giving principals greater flexibility in recruitment, the Post has learned. Funding under the new option will be given as a lump sum and allow principals to hire more than one such teacher per school. The current scheme only allows them one such teacher, with the person being paid based on their years of experience. The new scheme would also make it easier to exit non-performers, principals told the Post. School principals who attended a recent briefing by the Education Bureau said the proposal, which offers an alternative to the existing mechanism based on teachers’ years of experience, was expected to be implemented soon. The Legislative Council has also scheduled a panel meeting on March 31 to discuss changes to the existing NET scheme. Launched in the 1998-99 academic year for secondary schools and in 2002-03 for primary institutions, the current policy allocates one NET to each publicly funded institution. Such staff are required to act as resource teachers, collaborating with local English educators to enhance learning and teaching outcomes. The salaries of those recruited under the current scheme can range from HK$35,080 (US$4,500) to HK$67,850 for primary school teachers, or up to HK$81,510 for secondary school ones. Allowances for travel, baggage and medical expenses are provided for educators who do not live in Hong Kong. A special allowance of HK$20,989 per month is also offered. Institutions can also choose to stick with the existing allocation arrangement. The Post has contacted the bureau for details on the current median salary of NETs. Speaking to the Post anonymously, some principals said they expected the new grant system would give schools more flexibility in terms of recruitment, meaning underperforming NETs would be at greater risk of losing their jobs. “If the NETs cannot discharge their roles as the NET scheme wants them to, such as acting as a resource teacher, I think schools are likely to hire a new NET using the new cash grant, which may also let them hire one more NET with lower pay,” a principal said. A second principal who attended the briefing also said schools that chose to receive the grant would not necessarily need to pay incoming NETs the median salary. “Schools can use a starting point to hire a NET, but they will also be allowed to use the rest of their grant to hire a teaching assistant, as there are lots of people in Hong Kong who are good at English but do not have teacher training or qualifications,” the school head said. The principal added that schools that opted for the grant could go back to the existing arrangement if they later found a strong candidate who needed higher pay. Polly Chan Suk-yee, vice-chairwoman of the Hong Kong Aided Primary School Heads Association, said she had not attended the briefing and was unaware of the proposed scheme. But she said that if a NET performed well, the school would definitely not change to the new funding model as it could drive the teacher out. “Hiring a good NET is very difficult. Schools treasure talent a lot,” the primary school principal said. Lawmaker Lillian Kwok Ling-lai, who worked as a primary school teacher for more than seven years, said the proposed scheme meant civil servants’ pay scales would no longer apply to NETs and the profession’s previous salary increment was no longer guaranteed. The pay package enjoyed by NETs had proved quite enviable among other teachers, she said. Kwok said the new grant would affect the job stability of NETs working at schools that adopted the model. “Once schools adopt the cash grants, the NETs cannot enjoy the benefits of the existing scheme. Their salaries will be decided by contracts set by schools’ managements,” Kwok said. “Principals could even decide whether to take [a teacher’s] years of experience into consideration when deciding their salary.” She also expressed concerns that the grant system could reduce the quality of incoming NETs as their salaries would be directly decided by principals, but noted some schools would continue with the existing arrangement if an educator performed well. The Post earlier reported that the bureau had organised focus groups to consult the sector about introducing a grant option for schools to hire NETs. According to the bureau, about 380 NETs worked in secondary schools and around 470 in primary schools in 2024-25. Such teachers receive a 15 per cent gratuity upon finishing a contract, with a cash retention incentive of 5 to 10 per cent of their base salary for those who work for two or more years. The estimated expenditure of the NET scheme in the current financial year stood at HK$999.6 million, which is based on the number of teachers, marking a 6.3 per cent increase from 2023-24. Hong Kong introduced the policy after a 1996 Education Commission report recommended it to help address a shortfall in the number of trained local English teachers and a decline in language proficiency.

Hong Kong grant for hiring native English teachers to be based on median salaries

Post learns proposed grant system offers public schools alternative to city’s current allocation-based NET scheme for recruiting educators