Advertisement

Q Should English Schools Foundation teachers take a pay cut?

A definite yes, and any reasonable ESF teacher should accept this. When rents and real estate were 70 per cent higher than today - and deflation had not been running for about seven years, making living expenses much cheaper - ESF teachers were already very well paid.

Now, after such drastic rent and deflationary decreases, their pay should follow suit. Local people have had to endure seven years of hardship and pay cuts. Why should ESF teachers be any different?

With today's worldwide high unemployment, there is no shortage of good teachers who want to come to work in Hong Kong. In fact, the talk on the street is that, in reality, ESF teachers don't want to leave. They earn and save several times more than they would in their own countries.

So I urge them to be reasonable and join locals in helping Hong Kong overcome an economically difficult time. In the end, if we all share the responsibility of pay cuts, it will benefit everyone.

Name and address supplied

Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2-3x faster
1.1x
220 WPM
Slow
Normal
Fast
1.1x