Education Bureau figures showed 828 teachers were employed under its NET scheme and teaching in primary and secondary schools as of February, down from 852 in February last year.

These teachers, both expatriates and Hongkongers, are designated as NETs for their qualifications and ability to teach English.

The turnover rate refers to the percentage of NETs who opted to leave the scheme for reasons other than retirement out of the total number of such teachers who completed their contracts during the school year.

A bureau spokeswoman said there were various reasons for NETs leaving the service.

“They may include retirement, family reunion and the wish to work or live in other countries. The decision of NETs to take up teaching posts in Hong Kong or not is a personal consideration,” she said.

The department statistics showed that their attrition rates were “largely stable”, she said.

She added that the bureau would exercise discretion in allowing NETs who reached the retirement age of 60 to continue working, and it would also employ temporary NETs to fill vacancies.

The NET scheme, in place since 1998, provides one position in every school.

These teachers are generally paid better than others and expatriates receive more in allowances and bonuses when they renew their contracts.

NETs have a starting pay of HK$32,545 (US$4,145) rising to a maximum of HK$62,950 for those teaching in primary schools and HK$75,620 for those in secondary schools. The starting and maximum points are reviewed annually.

Those employed on expatriate terms receive a special allowance of about HK$21,000 per month.

At the end of every two-year contract, those who have performed satisfactorily receive a gratuity equivalent to 15 per cent of their base salary.

Those who start their second contract without a break in service may receive an incentive bonus equivalent to 5 per cent of their base annual salary. This bonus could be 10 per cent of their base salary in their third or subsequent contract.

Linda Harris*, a NET in a secondary school, told the Post that Hong Kong’s “marks-oriented” education system left many of her peers feeling frustrated, and she had been pondering whether to stay after completing the second year of her contract this year.

“There is a mismatch between the teaching environment and the style that Western teachers or NET teachers are used to in their own countries,” she said.

She said most schools focused on rote learning, memorisation, spoon-feeding and textbook teaching.

“There is little room for creativity or critical thinking and this is stifling and demoralising as NETs are used to a more modern research-based style of teaching in the West,” she said.

Another frustration was the disrespect for NETs in schools where staff meetings were conducted in Chinese and even some documents and the student discipline systems were also only in Chinese.

Harris said her school used English as the medium of instruction, but she felt left out during staff meetings.

“It is quite frustrating to sit through ‘Chinese-only meetings’ for hours and hours and you kind of feel excluded to the point that you feel isolated and unsupported at times,” she said.

She said her NET friends who quit had gone to teach in the Middle East, Singapore, Vietnam or Thailand, which offered similar packages to Hong Kong.

Lawmaker Chu, who represents the education constituency, said he heard that some NETs quit Hong Kong last year as they did not want to be vaccinated against Covid-19 and they were against the mask mandate.

But Chu, who was hiring a temporary NET for his primary school, was not concerned that schools would find it difficult to replace those who had left.

“Their pay package in Hong Kong is extremely good, and schools are not worried that they won’t be able to hire NETs,” he said.

* Name changed at interviewee’s request.