There's not a whole lot of things you can really transition your experience to other than teaching. There is teaching in the US/CA, but you're not credentialed enough (you'd need a masters in...
There's not a whole lot of things you can really transition your experience to other than teaching. There is teaching in the US/CA, but you're not credentialed enough (you'd need a masters in education for most positions).
Honestly, I'd just keep on keeping on. The mistakes you made were related to "the game" and HR, and it's things that can happen in any industry. For your own self interest, you should keep yourself cynical, and keep your cards close to your chest, in any job. But I don't see it as an indication that your career in this field is over.
Keep looking for international school positions, get additional credentials if it'll help, learn Chinese, and start looking into long-term immigration options if your home is in HK.
I have a good friend who transitioned from teaching English internationally to being in banking. He did that transition via an MBA. So, the transition is definitely possible. There are a couple...
I have a good friend who transitioned from teaching English internationally to being in banking. He did that transition via an MBA. So, the transition is definitely possible. There are a couple things I could see your experience working well:
(1) Corporate Training - there is a fair amount of demand for people who can put together learning curriculum together for corporations undergoing change or who are trying to upskill their people. You have the curriculum design skills, but may need to upskill in change management.
(2) Project Management - you called this one out and I can see taking some of your existing background here. The danger is that it can be hard to PM something that you don't have a background in - I tend to hire PMs who have done technology changes before because they come in understanding the lingo.
(3) Data analysis - This one makes some sense with the math background. The key would be to build up skills on knowing some tooling and being able to demonstrate competence.
(4) Programming - if you have a math background, this one might be a possible transition. You would need to get some training to prove it, but jobs are usually available in this space.
I've spent a fair amount of time everywhere except China / Hong Kong, so not sure I'm helpful on how to get a job in that area.
If you have a mathematics background it's essential trivial to become a teacher in Ontario right now. There's a shortage of math teachers now, and many schools will even guarantee you admission to...
If you have a mathematics background it's essential trivial to become a teacher in Ontario right now. There's a shortage of math teachers now, and many schools will even guarantee you admission to teachers college if you hold a bachelor's in mathematics without an abysmally low GPA. You might not have your $100k salary immediately (though you might with your experience), but I'm fairly certain teachers with seniority exceed this all across Canada.
Someone in another comment floated the idea of an MBA to go into banking. I strongly advise against this. Many people who dream of going into banking end up hating the job and find it extremely boring. I think this will be aggravated by you having a technical background. Moreover, you're not 22 years old anymore, and will likely struggle with putting in the 80-100 hour weeks expected of an associate.
Instead, if you'd like to enter finance (in Canada) I recommend Toronto's MFE, Toronto's MMF, or Waterloo's MQF programs (in that order). An MBA is unnecessary and will actually negatively help you in gaining the jobs you likely want, outside of potentially sales and trading (though none of these programs preclude you from S&T). If you have questions about the Canadian finance scene I'm more than happy to answer.
This may not be the optimal path, but how about a bachelor’s in mathematics in as little time as possible? You’d take the pay cut for, say, 2.5 years, but your teaching applications will then be...
This may not be the optimal path, but how about a bachelor’s in mathematics in as little time as possible? You’d take the pay cut for, say, 2.5 years, but your teaching applications will then be backed by light formal and massive practical experience.
Mostly I wanted to say I'm sorry for the way you and others were treated by the administration. It sucks, especially if you're good at your job and an asset to the school, but no matter what, it's...
Mostly I wanted to say I'm sorry for the way you and others were treated by the administration. It sucks, especially if you're good at your job and an asset to the school, but no matter what, it's a terrible way to treat people in crisis.
I live in the US and have no international work experience, so I don't think I'm much help. The two things that suggested themselves to me if you were in the US would be:
teaching at a community college - in general, I think this is a lower wage, lower pressure situation, but based on people I know doing it, it seems like steady and reliable work. If you lived somewhere with a relatively low cost of living, the 100k might not be required.
running a math tutoring business - do you have a good relationship or reputation with your students and their parents so that they could form the basis of your initial clientele, then grow from there? If your colleagues are supportive of you, they might also send people your way.
I don't know if analogs for those exist in Hong Kong? I suspect the catch for the latter is you need a "real" job to stay in Hong Kong. But if you are going to relocate, there are worse times and situations than being single in your 30s. I don't mean to make light of the task of uprooting yourself, but if you're contemplating a really big change, you might as well consider all the options.
I'm sorry your going through this, and I hope it turns out well for you.
There's not a whole lot of things you can really transition your experience to other than teaching. There is teaching in the US/CA, but you're not credentialed enough (you'd need a masters in education for most positions).
Honestly, I'd just keep on keeping on. The mistakes you made were related to "the game" and HR, and it's things that can happen in any industry. For your own self interest, you should keep yourself cynical, and keep your cards close to your chest, in any job. But I don't see it as an indication that your career in this field is over.
Keep looking for international school positions, get additional credentials if it'll help, learn Chinese, and start looking into long-term immigration options if your home is in HK.
I have a good friend who transitioned from teaching English internationally to being in banking. He did that transition via an MBA. So, the transition is definitely possible. There are a couple things I could see your experience working well:
(1) Corporate Training - there is a fair amount of demand for people who can put together learning curriculum together for corporations undergoing change or who are trying to upskill their people. You have the curriculum design skills, but may need to upskill in change management.
(2) Project Management - you called this one out and I can see taking some of your existing background here. The danger is that it can be hard to PM something that you don't have a background in - I tend to hire PMs who have done technology changes before because they come in understanding the lingo.
(3) Data analysis - This one makes some sense with the math background. The key would be to build up skills on knowing some tooling and being able to demonstrate competence.
(4) Programming - if you have a math background, this one might be a possible transition. You would need to get some training to prove it, but jobs are usually available in this space.
I've spent a fair amount of time everywhere except China / Hong Kong, so not sure I'm helpful on how to get a job in that area.
I'm happy to get on a call if it would help.
If you have a mathematics background it's essential trivial to become a teacher in Ontario right now. There's a shortage of math teachers now, and many schools will even guarantee you admission to teachers college if you hold a bachelor's in mathematics without an abysmally low GPA. You might not have your $100k salary immediately (though you might with your experience), but I'm fairly certain teachers with seniority exceed this all across Canada.
Someone in another comment floated the idea of an MBA to go into banking. I strongly advise against this. Many people who dream of going into banking end up hating the job and find it extremely boring. I think this will be aggravated by you having a technical background. Moreover, you're not 22 years old anymore, and will likely struggle with putting in the 80-100 hour weeks expected of an associate.
Instead, if you'd like to enter finance (in Canada) I recommend Toronto's MFE, Toronto's MMF, or Waterloo's MQF programs (in that order). An MBA is unnecessary and will actually negatively help you in gaining the jobs you likely want, outside of potentially sales and trading (though none of these programs preclude you from S&T). If you have questions about the Canadian finance scene I'm more than happy to answer.
This may not be the optimal path, but how about a bachelor’s in mathematics in as little time as possible? You’d take the pay cut for, say, 2.5 years, but your teaching applications will then be backed by light formal and massive practical experience.
Mostly I wanted to say I'm sorry for the way you and others were treated by the administration. It sucks, especially if you're good at your job and an asset to the school, but no matter what, it's a terrible way to treat people in crisis.
I live in the US and have no international work experience, so I don't think I'm much help. The two things that suggested themselves to me if you were in the US would be:
I don't know if analogs for those exist in Hong Kong? I suspect the catch for the latter is you need a "real" job to stay in Hong Kong. But if you are going to relocate, there are worse times and situations than being single in your 30s. I don't mean to make light of the task of uprooting yourself, but if you're contemplating a really big change, you might as well consider all the options.
I'm sorry your going through this, and I hope it turns out well for you.
I'd imagine the biggest barrier to teaching at a normal institution in HK is that OP most likely isn't fluent in written or spoken Chinese.