The Education & Manpower Bureau has launched a global exercise to recruit native-speaking English teachers on two-year contracts from next August.

About 150 NETs are needed under the Native-speaking English Teachers and English Language Teaching Assistant Scheme for primary schools and the Enhanced Native-speaking English Teacher Scheme for secondary schools for the 2004-05 school year.

Deputy Secretary for Education & Manpower Chris Wardlaw said most of the existing NETs choose to renew their contracts on completion of the two-year service term.

"On average three out of four NETs chose, when offered, to have their contracts renewed in the past few years. The remainder have not renewed according to their professional and personal or family plans.

"We are pleased to note that more and more prospective NETs are interested in teaching in Hong Kong," he said.

At the beginning of the school year, about 785 NETs were serving in local schools. The majority, 335, came from Australia, followed by 142 from Canada and 140 from the United Kingdom.

NETs are tasked to teach English as a second language to Chinese students and assist in teacher and curriculum development in Government and aided primary schools (equivalent to US Grades 1-6) and secondary schools (equivalent to US Grades 7-12) as well as schools for students with special educational needs.

The deadline for applications is January 16.

Recruitment information and application forms can be downloaded from the bureau's website. Advertising campaigns are also underway in Hong Kong and, through the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Offices, in Australia, Canada, Japan, Singapore, the US and the UK.

Those who are interested may also visit the Bureau's Special Duties Section at Room 3208A, 32nd floor, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen's Road East, Wanchai, Hong Kong.

The office may be contacted on (852) 2126 5296 or (852) 2126 5207 or (852) 2126 5297, by fax on (852) 2116 0531 or (852) 2123 1239, or via e-mail, netrecruit@emb.gov.hk.

The NET Scheme was launched in all public sector secondary schools in the 1998/99 school year and extended to public sector primary schools in the 2002-03 school year.