Since 2020 the international school market in Hong Kong has declined by 7 per cent, from 226 schools to 210, according to data from ISC Research.

However, total annual fee income in the market has grown by 22 per cent, from US$1.44 billion (£1.07 billion) to $1.76 billion (£1.32 billion), pupil numbers are up by 1 per cent and staff numbers have risen by 7 per cent, from 7,981 staff to 8,530.

The market “continues to experience robust demand, with many schools reporting rising enrolments and active waiting lists”, explains Linh Nguyen, ISC’s research manager for East Asia, who notes that this trend is being driven by both more families returning after the pandemic and more Chinese nationals coming into the system.

“In response to heightened geopolitical tensions and stricter visa policies in Western countries, many mainland Chinese families are opting for international schools and regional universities within Hong Kong rather than sending their children abroad,” she says.

“At some schools, Chinese nationals now account for up to 70 per cent of total enrolment. With many schools operating at or near full capacity, these dynamics point to emerging opportunities for further development in the sector.”

Working in international schools in Hong Kong

To find out more about what it’s like leading and working in an international school in Hong Kong, and the various challenges and opportunities this presents, we spoke to several leaders to discuss five key themes. Here’s what they told us.

1. Behaviour

“Behaviour at international schools in Hong Kong is generally very good,” says Andrew Noakes, head of Stamford American School, part of the Cognita schools group. Students are “more determined and driven” than many of their peers elsewhere, as well as being “grateful for the opportunity to learn”, he says.

Nicholas Forde, principal of secondary at The ISF Academy - a private independent school sitting between local mainstream schools and full international schools - agrees that “standards of behaviour in schools are extremely high”, with Hong Kong Chinese parents having “a deep respect for teachers” and placing “a high value on education”.

He adds that “respect and high standards of behaviour filter down generally to other students”. The student body is “very hard working”, with “a tendency to focus on academics and the pursuit of high grades”, Forde says.

Parents “have high expectations of teachers and will engage positively in school life”, and teachers should expect to “work closely with parents…and not only get in touch when there is bad news to share”, he adds. However, parents may be reluctant to flag up special educational needs and disabilities directly with the school “for fear of their child being stigmatised”.

Teachers will need to be aware of social sensitivities when following up on behaviour issues, says Forde. “When dealing with families, one should seek to avoid a perceived loss of ‘face’.”

Raquel Thomson, deputy head of teaching and learning at Nord Anglia International School Hong Kong, notes that local children can seem uneasy at first when they realise they have more freedom in class at a British school - they may initially balk, for example, at being asked to discuss something with a partner.

However, they tend to “very quickly adapt”, says Thomson, who works in the primary school. She adds that, overall, behaviour is “excellent” compared with what she encountered when working in England.

Belinda Greer, CEO of the English Schools Foundation, which runs 22 international schools in Hong Kong, says the “high standard” of behaviour “permits our students and staff to focus on learning through a range of rich opportunities in and outside of the classroom”.

2. Safeguarding

Hong Kong schools have “clear policy and procedures” around safeguarding that are “broadly in line with those found in the UK and Australia”, says Forde.

Generally, he explains, most issues will be dealt with by designated safeguarding leads, with a strong focus on wellbeing and mental health, especially as “schools are seeing an increase in issues related to online behaviour and misuse of technology”.

All teachers moving to Hong Kong are expected to undergo the Sexual Conviction Record Check with the Hong Kong Police Force, which must be renewed every 36 months. Schools also use specialist companies for background checks.

What’s more, in July 2024 the government passed the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Ordinance - which will come into effect from January 2026 - after the 2018 murder of a five-year-old girl exposed failings in safeguarding approaches. This will legally require teachers to report suspected cases of serious child abuse.

“Teachers can focus on learning and not behaviour management”

Cultural differences can create issues that require careful handling, advises Thomson.

It is common, for example, for students to stay up very late to allow time for extra study - not necessarily demanded by the school - and for after-school clubs, often involving music. This may precede a long commute early in the morning.

One way Thomson’s school has tried to alleviate stress among pupils is to schedule “form time” at the end of the day, rather than in the morning. This allows them to finish off work but also “have those chats with the teacher”: Thomson finds students more likely to open up about any worries in the afternoon, when the pace of the school day starts to drop.

Long working hours in Hong Kong are another aspect of safeguarding, says Forde. Parents may go away on extended business trips and care of children is often the responsibility of domestic helpers or other family members.

Greer says that ESF schools are invested in “building extensive links with our local communities, dedicated NGOs, social welfare and the Hong Kong police”, as well as in “high-quality international training for over 100 staff members through the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and the Safer Recruitment Consortium”.

ESF also organised its first Stronger Safeguarding Together conference, for all Hong Kong international schools and affiliated organisations. This, says Greer, “helped us establish a collaborative initiative to build a stronger safety net across all international schools in Hong Kong”.

Noakes says his school undertakes its own safeguarding audits, as well as going through external audits by UK consultants, “to ensure that children’s wellbeing is given the priority it deserves”.

He adds: “Sometimes there can be a gap, and a tension, between what is permitted locally and that which is not permitted elsewhere in the world. But, regardless, we follow the maximum protection protocols to ensure we do all we can.”

3. Recruitment and retention

“Hong Kong is an easy place in which to feel settled, no matter where you’re from. People tend to stay - Covid aside - and look here for promotion or change, rather than moving countries,” says Noakes.

The staffing situation has rebounded from the pandemic and then some, according to Greer. This can be seen in the ESF “attrition rate”, a measure of how many staff at its schools retire or move on over a year.

The rate was at about 8 per cent pre-pandemic, but after Covid hit - and Hong Kong imposed some of the strictest travel restrictions in the world - it rose to 14.5 per cent. Now, however, it is a record-low 4 per cent.

“I believe that’s mainly due to teachers being engaged in high-level CPD, schools here being great places to work, having students who engage easily - teachers can focus on learning and not behaviour management - and the lifestyle in Hong Kong being back to normal,” says Greer.

Forde also reports a strong recovery in the demand for jobs since the pandemic “due to excellent working conditions, remuneration, relatively low taxation and the diversity of schools”.

As someone who has previously worked in the Middle East, he adds: “Unlike some jurisdictions where all social life is related to schools, it is possible to develop a social network completely separate from school - teachers will belong to a sports team or club and therefore have friends unrelated to school. So it is possible to have that work-life split.”

Thomson, meanwhile, finds that retention is particularly “excellent” in primary, where her experience is “very collegiate and we feel like a family”.

4. Rules and regulations

All teachers must be registered with the Hong Kong Education Bureau (EDB) to be granted a work visa, which will often require evidence not only of qualifications but also the number of hours of teaching practice amassed.

After this verification process - in which schools “take a lot of care”, according to Forde - teachers will be classified as either “permitted” (meaning they can work in one named school only) or “registered” (meaning they can work in any school).

Staff are eligible for permanent residency after seven years, meaning they no longer require a visa to work in Hong Kong.

Small and expensive apartments are a fact of life for many staff, although some schools may offer housing allowances and salaries to reflect the high cost of accommodation.

On the plus side, says Forde, “commuting is easier than in most other major cities”, estate agents are “well set up for new arrivals” and schools often provide interest-free loans to help new staff settle.

Greer says that ESF owns 200 properties in Hong Kong, which can provide stopgap accommodation for new staff during the often “complicated, convoluted process” of finding their ideal base. Some may end up living in one of these properties for many years.

“Social and cultural gaps aside, there is a feeling that Hong Kong schools are less hidebound by rules and regulations than some other parts of the world where international schools are common,” says Noakes, adding that there are arguably fewer regulations than in Singapore, where he previously worked.

On the “national security law” introduced in Hong Kong by the Chinese government in 2020, Greer says: “As you would expect, our focus is on being compliant with any and all regulations as an organisation and on being good citizens here in Hong Kong.”

Thomson notes that teachers generally have “a lot of autonomy to decide what you want to cover” in classes, but when it comes to politics “there are certain areas where you would tread very carefully”.

5. Competition and cooperation

Education leaders contacted by Tes painted a varied picture of the relationships between the wide range of schools and groups operating in the international sector there - some are open to collaboration whereas others are more discrete entities that focus more on their own affairs.

The high number of international schools in Hong Kong means that “competition is strong”, says Noakes. However, Forde adds that “cooperation and coexistence are very much the order of the day” and that it rarely feel like schools are in direct competition with each other.

Forde belongs to a secondary principals’ network that meets about once a quarter and communicates via WhatsApp, which “can be very helpful when a particular issue arises or if we experience a staffing issue at short notice”.

He adds: “The large number of International Baccalaureate schools makes Hong Kong a good place for professional development…You will find good opportunities for CPD, and educational conferences are held regularly.”

As Greer puts it: “We have a good relationship with all the other international groups and schools - Hong Kong is a pretty small place, so we are constantly bumping into them.”

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