Hong Kong aims to enhance its status as a regional education hub, boosting Hong Kong's competitiveness and contributing to the future development of the Mainland. This initiative is particularly timely with the transition in 2012 to a four-year curriculum for Hong Kong’s higher education institutions. Among the significant challenges is that City University of Hong Kong (CityU) will admit twice as many students in the Fall of 2012, i.e., a double cohort. Another challenge reflects the use of English in delivering CityU’s curriculum. CityU will require that all students must complete 6 Gateway Education (GE) credit units in English.
While CityU can conceivably recruit from within Hong Kong to meet its projected staffing needs, the University is proposing an alternative strategy that will also advance its internationalization aspirations by strengthening its teaching and research activities and by creating a cadre of ambassadors for CityU and for Hong Kong.
The CityU International Transition Team Scheme: Graduate Teaching Assistants (ITT-GTA) aims to recruit graduate students from overseas on a short-term basis. These students will all be fluent speakers of English, who, as GTAs, can provide intensive support to help CityU students learn English through face-to-face contact, mentoring and tutoring. The Scheme also has the flexibility to include postdoctoral scholars and individuals who have completed a first degree from an overseas academic institution. Instructional duties for the participants are assigned by the English Language Centre (ELC), Department of English (EN), or hosting academic unit.
There will be three categories of appointments under the Scheme.
Visiting research students who are registered in postgraduate programs overseas but wish to do collaborative research with CityU staff. They will be full-time GTAs and may be enrolled as part-time Visiting Research Students of CityU. They will be affiliated with the academic unit in which they are doing postgraduate work and will receive mentoring from that unit.
Postdoctoral Fellows who hold a PhD degree. They can collaborate on research projects with CityU scholars and undertake some language support duties in the University’s English Language Centre (ELC) or Department of English (EN), or in their home academic unit in consultation with the ELC/EN. Funding support equivalent to a GTA appointment will be provided and the host academic unit and/or postdoctoral supervisor(s) will cover the top-up costs.
Graduates with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from local and/or overseas universities. They will work as full-time staff members in the ELC or in EN. By mutual consent of all concerned parties, these students may be able to work for a second year.
The duration of appointment will normally be a minimum of one semester and a maximum of one year.
In 2012/13, the first semester runs from 3 September 2012 to 22 December 2012; the second semester begins 14 January 2013 and ends 20 May 2013.
For appointees under Categories A and B, the suggested periods of appointment for the two semesters are from 20 August 2012 to 31 December 2012 and from 2 January 2013 to 25 May 2013, respectively. For a year’s appointment, the suggested period of appointment is from 20 August 2012 to 25 May 2013.
| Monthly salary | |
| Category A – GTA cum Visiting Research Student | HK$15,600 fixed |
| Category B – Postdoctoral Fellow | Salary range from HK$21,400 to HK$27,830, depending on qualifications and experiences of the appointees |
| Category C – GTA as full-time staff in ELC/EN | Salary range from HK$15,600 to HK$22,500, depending on qualifications and experiences of the appointees |
The GTA and Postdoctoral Fellow will have 12 days annual leave per annum; and medical and dental treatment at the campus clinic.
The GTAs and Postdoctoral Fellows will need to pay for their accommodations. It is estimated that they need to spend at least HK$5,000 per month for inexpensive shared accommodations off-campus.
Accommodation information is available at the Student Residence Office (SRO) website: http://www.cityu.edu.hk/sro/htm/e_off-campus1.htm.
The website also provides assistance to Visiting Research Students (GTAs appointed under Category A) in identifying flat-mates who can share the rental cost.
SRO will provide assistance as needed for the Visiting Research Students (GTAs appointed under Category A). The planned process for enabling the Visiting Research Students to find accommodations is as follows:
The GTAs appointed under Category A - registered as Visiting Research Students - will be sponsored by the cognizant academic unit for the application fee (HK$200) for being a Visiting Research Student; research component fee (HK$1,170 per month); and the fee for any courses taken.
Appointees under Categories A, B and C would need to come to CityU on employment visas. The University cannot permit commencement of duty unless the appointee has obtained the required visa. The appointee will be requested to fill in some application forms with assistance as needed from the Human Resources Office (HRO). HRO will submit the application to the Immigration Department. The Immigration Department advised that applications for employment visas will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
All appointees under the Scheme are required to work 44 hours per week (including one-hour lunch break from Monday to Friday). Appointees in both Category A – who are also registered as Visiting Research Students at CityU - and Category B - Postdoctoral Fellows will have a workload of 10-12 hours (out of the 44 hours) of face-to-face contact with students for language support or other duties as assigned by ELC/EN, or in their home academic unit in consultation with the ELC/EN; their other responsibilities will be assigned by their host academic units and/or postdoctoral supervisors. Only Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)-qualified and experienced GTAs would be expected to teach credit-bearing English language enhancement programs in the ELC/EN. GTAs with no TESOL qualifications and relevant experience will be expected to contribute in the following English language and intercultural programs across the university:
This is not an exhaustive list but indicative of the kind of activities that could be covered by the GTAs.
The ELC and the EN will provide suitable language support training for the GTAs.
Applicants (Categories A and B) are required to return the completed application form together with the information required to the academic unit (http://www.cityu.edu.hk/cityu/depts/dept-list-a.htm) with which they want to be affiliated. Applications for appointments of Category C should be sent to the Human Resources Office.
Shortlisted candidates (Categories A and B) will be invited to interview via videoconference or skype by February/March 2012 by ELC/EN in collaboration with the host academic unit. Successful applicants will be notified before the end of March 2012. They will receive an appointment letter to be issued by the HRO for the full-time GTA/Postdoctoral Fellow position. For GTAs appointed under Category A, a letter for admission as a part-time Visiting Research Student will be issued by the Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies.
| Category A | Word Document | PDF Document |
|---|---|---|
| Category B | Word Document | PDF Document |
| Category C | Word Document | PDF Document |
