Last Saturday on my way to school, I said hello to an older couple who were also out for a walk. They asked me what I was doing. I told them that I was walking to work. The woman looked at me with concern, “but it’s Saturday” she said. I informed her that the exam was almost here and that I wasn’t ready. They both sighed. I said Hong Kong is a busy place isn’t it. The man was quick to respond saying, “It is for those who want it to be”. They told me to enjoy my Saturday at work. I wanted to push back on behalf of myself and Hong Kong people. Overtime – because you want it? Unfortunately they were turning right and I was turning left. The conversation abruptly ended. But was it really that simple.
Or Is It A Requirement?
His boldness and lack of sympathy surprised me. For him it was very black and white, myself and others who have to work overtime do so because we want to. If you are interested in knowing more about teaching ESL in Hong Kong here’s an article – Cultural Shock and Life as a NET Teacher in Hong Kong. He didn’t seem to have any room for thought that the job or the boss required it. On the one hand, I agree that we have a choice. We do have the power to say yes and the power to say no, but as my colleague at school half joking and half seriously pointed out to me, the employer also has a right to say you’re fired.
Ah Hong’s Story
I wonder if this foreigner had personal experience telling a Hong Kong employer, I don’t want to work overtime? Had he ever been fired. Did he find it easy to find work in Hong Kong? A few years back my next door neighbor Ah Hong worked as an elevator / escalator mechanic. Ah Hong was regularly on call. I rarely got to see him. He barely had time to sleep. The company he worked for was short staffed. Ah Hong was anything but lazy. He started working as a handyman when he was just 16 years old. If I remember correctly, it took Ah Hong 8 years studying part time to get his elevator/ escalator certification. When I met him he wasn’t working that job because he wanted to or because it paid really well. He didn’t really have many other options. He injured his arm and couldn’t work as a handyman any more. Ah Hong taught me the phrase, “Find food to eat”. It means find work so that you can survive. I am sure Ah Hong was under a lot of stress. He didn’t work overtime because he wanted to. He did it to survive. It was a requirement.
My Experience
As a foreigner working in Hong Kong, I have seen my colleagues work overtime. They are regularly in the office past 5pm. Thankfully most of the time, I don’t have to stay late. When it comes to working hours, I believe foreigners have an advantage living here in Hong Kong. It seems to me that most foreign teachers live in a bubble that is outside of what is really happening in their schools. There might be people there that occasionally translate for them, but there is a lot they just don’t know about. Here is an article on that – Is Hong Kong a Good Place to Call Home? Therefore they generally have fewer responsibilities than the local teachers and don’t need to work as many hours. I’m guessing the same could be true for other professions as well. So maybe when it comes to foreigners living in Hong Kong, this foreigner had it right. You don’t have to work overtime unless you want to. Let me know if you disagree.
Overtime As A Choice
Every parent wants for their children to live a good life. Parents have to struggle and often work overtime to afford the tuition fees to send their kids to tutorial centers, but they do so because they believe that their will be a future reward for their kids. They choose to work over time because they have vision for the future. The students who speak good English don’t generally learn it just from going to school. They learn it with the help of tutors. Whether or not the kids will appreciate their parents struggle is unknown. Whether or not the kids will get a vision for their own life, for what they can become is also unknown. Many young people are throwing away precious time because they can’t see past today. They feel stuck in the present. They don’t understand the wisdom of “Take care to get what you want or you will be forced to take what you get”.
Their parents might understand it but whether or not they can communicate it well to their children is another matter. The point is the parents choose to work overtime because of the hope that it will lead to a better future. On an individual level people also work overtime to advance their career. Nobody rises to the top of their field without hard work and overtime. So yes overtime is often a necessary choice.
Forced Overtime
Life can be cruel. We don’t all start out on the same starting line. Many families in Africa don’t have enough food to eat or buy shoes for their kids. A lot of them can’t find work to do. Those who can are fortunate. At least in Hong Kong there is overtime work to be done. True many Hong Kongers’ don’t have the luxury of being able to say I don’t want to work overtime. They are working overtime for a boss that requires it of them. They hope that their kids will have a better life than they have had, but much of that will depend on whether their kids gain a vision for what their life can be and whether or not they are willing to work for it.
