The challenges faced by South Asian and Southeast Asian teachers teaching in Hong Kong educational institutes

The number of South Asian and Southeast Asians entering the teaching field in Hong Kong has been on the rise. These teachers face numerous challenges when teaching. However, little research has been done in this area in the context of Hong Kong.

This study aims at exploring the difficulties faced by South Asian and Southeast Asian teachers teaching in Hong Kong educational settings. Semi-structured interviews were carried out for this study, involving 10 South Asian/Southeast Asian teachers teaching in Hong Kong. The interviews revealed that these teachers faced three main challenges, namely social isolation, catering to the needs of students with Special Education Needs (SEN) and inadequate professional development. The participants attributed the issue of social isolation to language barrier and cultural differences, and attributed the challenge of catering to the needs of students with SEN to inadequate knowledge and trainings. The professional development courses the participants have been receiving/received were perceived as basic and superficial by the respondents.

It was interesting to find that the challenges faced by South Asian and Southeast Asian teachers teaching in schools with Chinese Medium of Instruction (CMI) and those teaching in English Medium of Instruction (EMI) were diametrically opposite. This paper further illustrates the possible reasons behind such differences. The study concludes with suggestions that can be implemented by various stakeholders to alleviate the challenges faced by South Asian and Southeast Asian teachers in Hong Kong, and hence improve their working environment.