Notes for the Information of Applicants for Senior Posts

The Chong Yuet Ming Science Buildings

1. Higher Education in Hong Kong

Higher education is very much a matter of public concern in Hong Kong, and has expanded rapidly in recent years. The University of Hong Kong, which was established in 1911, was for many years the only higher learning institution in the then colony, but there are now five other universities (The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, City University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Baptist University), and a post-secondary college (Lingnan College), all of which receive part of their income from public funds, distributed through the medium of the Government's University Grants Committee. There are also a distance learning organisation (The Open Learning Institute), and a degree validating body (the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation).

2. The University

The University operates on a British style Faculty structure with nine Faculties (Architecture, Arts, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Science, and Social Sciences) with a number of ancillary departments. Centres of excellence have been established in a variety of specialist and inter-disciplinary fields to enhance collaborative research.

3. The Staff

As at September 1996, there were 1,207 teachers and senior staff of equivalent grade on the strength. Of these, 1,115 were on Terms of Service I terms and 92 were on ‘Clinical Medical Staff’ terms; 877 were men and 330 were women.

The University is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and regularly reviews its human resources policies to this effect.

4. Recruitment

The University recruits the majority of its senior staff by international advertisement, and seeks to make the best appointment to any vacancy without reference to either ethnic origin or gender.

International recruitment is inevitably a lengthy process. Applicants may be asked to approach their referees who should write directly to the University to provide a confidential reference, and shortlisted applicants may then be assessed by experts in the field. The University then considers the assessments; interviews shortlisted applicants resident in Hong Kong; sometimes arranges for professorial candidates to fly in; and finally makes the appointment. Every effort is made to complete this procedure, and to notify applicants of the outcome, as quickly as possible, but some delays are unavoidable given the considerable degree of international communications. We seek your patience in this regard.

5. Academic Staff Titles

The University has implemented a new system of academic staff titles for teachers which is listed below.

A teacher will therefore, for example, hold the academic title of Assistant Professor, and be remunerated on the salary scale for the grade of Lecturer and be entitled to benefits associated with that grade.

An Assistant Professor may be given the opportunity to hold the title of Associate Professor on first appointment, subject to the decision of the selection committee at the time of appointment, provided that the teacher is appointed at or above point 10 of the 15 point non-clinical salary scale or point 7 of the 11 point clinical scale; or in the case of a serving teacher, subject to individual application and successful review. An Associate Professor may similarly be considered for the title of Professor. On being retitled, the teacher will however continue to receive the remuneration and benefits to which he is entitled under his substantive grade.

6. Duration of Appointment

Teaching appointments are normally made for a fixed period, with a taxable terminal gratuity of 15% of salary, or in exceptional cases, on permanent, superannuable terms, subject to a period of probation of not less than 33 months. Although the formal retirement date is June 30 following the appointee’s 60th birthday, in the case of a successful candidate who is already aged 50 or over, the University may be prepared to offer an appointment beyond this. There are also procedures in place for extending an appointment beyond the formal retirement age.

7. Salary

Each grade except professor or equivalent has a salary scale of a fixed number of points. The entry point into the salary scale for the grade is determined in accordance with qualifications and experience, and (subject to any bar in the scale) increments are awarded annually on the anniversary of first appointment, until the maximum of the scale is reached. For professors and equivalent there is a salary range and specific salaries within the range are determined individually. All salaries are usually increased annually in April to take account of cost-of-living adjustments.

8. Superannuation

Membership of the contributing superannuation scheme, viz. the Staff Terminal Benefits Scheme, is compulsory for all appointees on permanent, superannuable contracts. Rates of contribution are 5-3/4% of salary for employee, 15% employer. The scheme provides members with a lump sum on retirement or resignation, calculated on the basis of the member’s final salary, and length of service, and the level of assets in the Scheme. The scheme also provides, in certain circumstances, for life cover by means of supplementary death benefits payable to the dependants of members who die in service, and for permanent disability benefits.

9. Conditions of Service (Non-clinical)

Teachers (except in certain parts of the Faculty of Medicine) and appointees to senior non-teaching posts of equivalent grade are appointed on Terms of Service I, which provide certain benefits to the appointee and his family. These benefits are briefly described in the following paragraphs.

Appointments to clinical posts in the Faculty of Medicine (except those in the Department of Community Medicine and the General Practice Unit of the Department of Medicine) will be made on Terms of Service I (Clinical Medical Staff), the conditions of which are designed to parallel those offered by the Hospital Authority of Hong Kong. In brief, these terms provide a cash allowance in lieu of the fringe benefits described below offered under Terms of Service I. The cash allowance is provided in addition to basic salary and there are three levels, 22%, 37% or 60% of basic salary. Some Assistant Professors and all substantive Associate Professors and above will receive an allowance of 60% of basic salary. In respect of fixed term appointments, the cash allowance itself does not attract a gratuity. In addition, clinical medical staff are eligible for a cash allowance of 5% of basic salary under the Home Loan Interest Subsidy Scheme. Entitlement to paid annual leave is 21 or 28 working days per year, depending on length of service with the University.

The Eliot Hall and the Chong Yuet Ming Amenity Centre

10. Relocation Assistance

On first appointment, an appointee on Terms of Service I who has been residing in another country (other than China, Taiwan or Macau) for 12 months or more before coming to Hong Kong to take up the offer of appointment may be provided with (a) a one-way relocation passage for himself and his family (legally married spouse and dependent children), up to a maximum of 6 adult passages, provided that he is not eligible for such passages from another source; and (b) short-term housing for up to 1 year - after the initial settling-in period specified, a private tenancy allowance will be granted, if the appointee is at the appropriate point in the salary scale.

11. Accommodation and Rental Allowances

Furnished University housing at a percentage of basic salary, currently at 7-1/2%, is provided for all Professors, substantive Associate Professors and equivalent. Assistant Professors and other appointees in equivalent non-academic grades on a salary at or above a certain point in the non-clinical Lecturer scale (currently the second point) are eligible for a rental allowance, also at a monthly charge of 7 -1/2% of basic salary.

12. Leave

Teachers are entitled to 44 working days annual leave per year. In addition, sabbatical leave, which accrues at the rate of one-sixth of the period of service which precedes it, may be granted on application not sooner than three years after assumption of duty on first appointment, or after return to duty from a period of such leave. Sabbatical leave which is designed to provide teachers with a period free of other duties to concentrate on ‘contribution to scholarship’, is not an entitlement.

Non-teachers will have 22 to 44 working days annual leave per year depending on salary and the length of service.

13. Passage Allowance

An appointee whose salary is at or above point D1 of the Government’s Directorate salary scale (currently, roughly at the top point of the non-clinical Reader grade scale) is provided with a biennial leave passage in respect of himself and his dependants. The allowance is fully taxable if not spent on air travel.

14. Education Allowances

Assistance with the cost of school fees is provided for dependent children between primary school age and the age of 19 who are receiving full-time education in Hong Kong in schools or other educational institutions approved by the Department of Education of the Hong Kong Government.

15. Health

Comprehensive primary health care and other services are provided for staff and their dependants under the University Staff Medical Benefits Scheme through an on-campus clinic operated by the University. The primary care services offered by the clinic are largely free, but charges are levied for all dental consultations. The University is working towards a smoke-free working environment.

16. Dependants

Where benefits are provided for dependants, these comprise the spouse, and children subject to a more detailed definition in each case. Please note that for the purpose of providing benefits the University recognises only a spouse to whom the appointee is legally married, that is, not a 'common law' or 'de facto' spouse.

17. Staff Development

Teachers are expected to undertake research and various funds are available to which they may apply for research grants. A Government fund for large research projects is open to annual competition by staff of all the tertiary education institutions in the territory. University funds are available for less expensive projects and there are also numerous donated research funds, usually for specific disciplines. The University supports (with both leave and some passage assistance) attendance at conferences overseas; and there is provision for staff to take extended study or training leave. Teachers may engage in 'outside practice' subject to certain regulations.

18. Computer Network

The University has already advanced well into developing a campus computer network that links together all of the main offices and buildings throughout the University. Through the network, all staff members will have easy access to the computer and information resources available on campus, as well as access to other academic institutions world-wide through INTERNET.

18. Further Information

A general information booklet about the University may be obtained on request from the Assistant Registrar (Appointments), Appointments Unit, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong. Additional information is available on WWW at http://www.hku.hk and further requests may also be directed to the University either by mail or fax [no. (852) 2540 6735].

These notes are only a summary and do not purport to explain the full details of any contractual provision. Furthermore, the University reserves the right to make changes and exceptions. New appointees are advised to read their own contracts with care.