Section 42 of the Education Ordinance stipulates that any person who teaches in a school has to be either a registered teacher or a permitted teacher. Hence, school and teacher concerned should submit application for teacher registration as soon as the appointment has been confirmed and prior to the teacher's assumption of duty. Private schools offering non-formal curriculum may have some exemptions subject to their compliance with conditions specified in the Education (Exemption) (Private Schools Offering Non-formal Curriculum) Order. (For details, please refer to Education Bureau Circular No. 7/2007)
1. Permitted Teacher (PT)
A person who holds only academic qualifications (i.e. has no teacher training and teacher qualification) may apply to be a PT by completing a Form 10. The first step he/she has to do is to get employed by a school, so that the school supervisor can file in the Form 10 to seek permission to employ him/her as a PT. Upon approval, a permit to teach will be issued. The permit will automatically be cancelled if the PT ceases to be employed in the school specified in the permit. As such, when the PT is employed by another school, the school concerned has to apply for another permit to teach by completing a Form 11 even though the teacher concerned has previously been registered as a PT.
The minimum academic qualification required of a PT teaching in a school providing primary, secondary or post-secondary education is an associate degree, a higher diploma or equivalent. Please note that the higher level a teacher is required to teach at, the higher qualifications he/she has to possess. In addition, the teacher has to produce documentary proof that he/she is capable of teaching the subject(s) he/she is required to teach. In fact, schools should seek advice from the Education Bureau before appointing non-subject-trained persons to teach subjects with safety concerns, e.g. science subjects at senior secondary levels.
In respect of the minimum academic qualification required of a PT teaching pupils undergoing nursery and kindergarten education or teaching in a school offering other educational courses, e.g. tutorial, commercial, language and computer courses, please click here for details.
If the PT ceases to be employed in the school specified in the permit, the school should update the record through the e-Services Portal. If the PT does not have an e-Services account, school should inform Education Bureau the details of the PT who has left the school (Sample Letter).
2. Registered Teacher (RT)
A person who holds teacher qualification (e.g. a local Teacher's Certificate or Post-graduate Diploma/Certificate in Education) and is a Hong Kong permanent resident (for non-Hong Kong permanent resident, any one of the following proof issued by the Hong Kong Immigration Department is required: a. valid employment visa; b. landing slip bearing the conditions and limit of stay in Hong Kong; or c. HKSAR Document of Identity for Visa Purposes) may apply for registration as a teacher by filing a Form 8 to the Teacher Registration Team of this Bureau.
3. Application Procedures
3.1 Application Forms for Teacher Registration
Teacher registration application forms* (Form 8, Form 10 and Form 11) are available at:
a. Teacher Registration Team
Education Bureau
2/F, Trade and Industry Tower
3 Concorde Road, Kowloon;
b. Regional Education Offices of the Education Bureau; or