Aside from the FAS, there are also the faculty of education studies and faculty of languages. The FAS programme is undergoing restructuring which will likely be implemented in July next year. This is expected to include five focused, expertise-driven departments: creative and cultural services; health, human performance and physical education; social sciences; mathematics and information technology; and science and environmental studies.

With an aim to not only generate progressive teachers, but to also take the lead in reforming and constantly upgrading Hong Kong's entire educational system, the need for well-rounded and experienced educators is essential.

The institute operates an 'education plus' philosophy, which combines education with liberal arts. Professor Cheung said the leading role taken by the arts and sciences faculty in adhering to this principle emphasised the need for further quality staff.

Qualifications for staff differ depending on the position, but for chair professors, who are in influential leadership positions, the requirements are much more stringent. Besides being outstanding scholars, they must be well-known and have an established reputation based on their academic and research achievements. And, along with the strict academic prerequisites demanded by other premier universities, they will need to clearly demonstrate that they have made an impact in the field of studies. A commitment to the values of education and a true passion for teaching are also vital.

The institute is recruiting locally and internationally, but regardless of where the professors originate, as an establishment dedicated to developing and producing genuine, quality educators for tomorrow, social context is important. This means professors should have experience in, or substantial familiarity with, Asia.

There are about 7,700 students at the institute, about half of them full-time undergraduates and the other half part-time, including a large number of in-service teachers looking to refine their teaching methods. Recently, there has also been an influx of mainland students who sometimes return home armed with more innovative teaching skills.

'We train educators for Hong Kong and the region primarily,' Professor Cheung said. 'However, as a global perspective is becoming more and more relevant, our professors need to be broad-minded and have multidisciplinary knowledge. Being confined to traditional education methodologies is no longer enough.'

Part of the institute's development includes expanding on the 'global perspective' provided by recruiting more international students locally and through exchange programmes, and hiring more academic staff from other parts of the world.

The institute offers a remuneration and benefits package similar to other universities in Hong Kong, but as an institution wholly concentrated on education studies, it is those individuals who are focused on teaching who they wish to recruit. The institute's vision and mission were based on the ideology of forming knowledge and social educational platforms for the present and the future.

'We plan on establishing more research centres around the region, as applied research is critical in building these platforms of vanguard education,' Professor Cheung said. 'So for those wanting to impact the future of reformed, relevant education, this is the place for them.'

Facts of the matter

The institute was formed in 1994 as a concentrated union of four colleges and an institution dedicated to language education, the oldest of which was established in 1939

Eighty four per cent of Hong Kong's primary school teachers and 30 per cent of secondary schoolteachers are alumni of the institute

Most of the hiring taking place is for the recently restructured faculty of arts and sciences

Chair and senior professors should be outstanding scholars and have established reputations based on their academic and research achievements

Experience or substantial familiarity with Asia is important