In work and at school in the UK - findings from WC4HK’s recent network meetings on employment and education

Thomas Benson, Researcher of Welcoming Committee for Hong Kongers

As of August 2022, nearly 150,000 Hong Kongers have arrived in the UK under the BN(O) visa scheme. The majority of Hong Kongers are arriving as families with children, meaning that securing suitable employment and high-quality education are among the most crucial concerns for BN(O) visa holders in the UK. 

With Hong Kongers gradually moving to the UK since January 2021, much yet remains to be found out about how Hong Kongers are finding work, and how well their children are integrating into the UK school system. To look into these key questions, and to learn more about the challenges and opportunities faced by Hong Kongers, WC4HK has set up Employment and Education Networks with stakeholders from organisations across the UK. 

Together with Heather Rolfe, Director of research and relationships at British Future, we hosted the first meeting of our new Employment Network forum on 7th November, and held the first Education Network forum on the 9th.  We were glad to meet with key stakeholders in the voluntary and community sector (VCSE), as well as national and local bodies dealing with employment and education issues, and to hear them share their experience of working with Hong Kongers in different regions across the UK.  Participants raised the following as among the most pressing issues for Hong Kongers starting new lives in the UK:

Like many parents, Hong Kongers need flexibility

Most BN(O) visa holders, according to survey data, are arriving as families with children. Many Hong Kongers seeking work need at least some flexibility in working arrangements. They include  single parents with small children. Many Hong Kongers wish to improve their English through classes, before finding work which matches their skills and qualifications. Flexibility is also needed here, in   provision which fits in with childcare and work commitments. . If English language classes are only held in the evening, the affordability and limited availability of childcare and after-school clubs can be barriers to take-up. Daytime provision can exclude people in full time work. Barriers to practising skills and qualifications need to be overcome.

The transferability for Hong Kongers of professional qualifications, especially in medicine and education, was a key issue raised by stakeholders. Many BN(O) visa holders are qualified as nurses and doctors, but the professional examinations that Hong Kongers are required to pass in order to work in the UK are expensive. The process can take many months. While medical and nursing knowledge is not a barrier,  confidence in higher level, technical, English language, presents difficulties for many. . For teachers, meanwhile, requirements to have taught in English-language environments can similarly limit opportunities for work. Across these and other occupations, new arrivals would benefit from mentoring and guidance on work and professional life in the UK.

UK schools are unfamiliar to Hong Kongers 

For both teachers and students from Hong Kong, British schools are a world apart from their experiences in Hong Kong. Understanding different teaching and learning approaches, the school day and expectations of children are all new territory.  Parents generally report very positive experiences with stakeholders saying that many children prefer the more relaxed pace of UK schools compared to the copious homework and didactic teaching methods of schools in Hong Kong . 

At the same time, some BN(O) parents feel left in the dark on many aspects of education, including the content of the school curriculum. Some more enterprising children had taken advantage of this information gap to claim that UK schools do not assign any homework! 

Cantonese as a connection to children’s heritage

Children are reported to be learning English very quickly: many have been educated partly in the language in Hong Kong, and others have picked it up quickly by making new friends. At the same time, parents have been found to raise concerns that their children might lose their Cantonese language skills. 

Maintaining Cantonese is crucial to maintaining cultural heritage, identity and familial connections to previous generations. Stakeholders had ideas about how language and cultural links might be maintained, including the opportunity to take Cantonese at GCSE and ‘A’ levels, through supplementary schools and cultural activities. 

These are the first of a series of network meetings to be held over the coming months, with topics likely to focus on the issues outlined above.We would like to thank our stakeholders for their insights into the challenges and opportunities facing Hong Kongers in the UK.  

Our employment and schools/education networks will meet at least two more times before next Spring. Future meetings will include talks from key stakeholders and the opportunity to share experience and best practices. Please get in touch if you would like to join either network. We would also welcome emails about your own reflections on the issues raised in this note.