About HKETSA
Built by teachers, for teachers — a professional home for English educators across Hong Kong.
From a shared passion to a professional community
The Hong Kong English Teachers' Support Association was founded on a simple belief: that English teachers do their best work when they are supported, connected, and continuously growing.
What began as informal gatherings of educators sharing classroom strategies has grown into a structured professional association. Today, HKETSA provides a clear pathway for professional development — from workshops and seminars to the recognition of teachers who hold recognised credentials.
Through our partnership with the Double R Teacher Academy, we have built an automated membership registry that recognises certified teachers, welcomes them as honorary members, and connects them to a network of peers and resources. Our focus is not on advocacy alone, but on the craft of teaching itself — and on the people who practise it every day.
Our Mission
To strengthen English language teaching in Hong Kong by providing educators with professional development, recognition, and a supportive professional community.
Our Vision
A Hong Kong where every English teacher has access to world-class professional growth and a network that champions their craft.
Our Standard
We recognise excellence in English teaching and welcome certified teachers as honorary members of the association.
Extracted from our constitution
Key provisions of the English Teachers' Support Association constitution, revised on 23 August 2021. Registered society No. REF.CP/LIC/SO/19/63585.
Our Aims
English is a compulsory subject in Hong Kong and vital for further study and employment, with one in three schools using English as the medium of instruction. The Association was founded by experienced English teachers to give back to society, drawing on over twenty years of classroom experience to support practising and aspiring English teachers.
Membership
Two categories: Group Members and Individual Members. Any Hong Kong organisation or person who endorses our aims may join — upon recommendation, submission of a completed application form, attendance at a member briefing, passing the committee's internal assessment, and payment of fees.
Fees
Entrance fee: HK$200 (Group and Individual). Annual subscription: Individual HK$100 per year, Group HK$200 per year. Permanent membership (Group only): HK$1,000.
Governance
The General Meeting is the association's supreme governing body, held at least once every two-year term (usually in April) with fourteen days' written notice to all members. The Executive Committee of seven elected officers — Chairlady, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Publicity, General Affairs and Liaison — serves a two-year term, all in a voluntary capacity.
Funds
Funds come from entrance and annual fees, income from activities and publications, and donations. They are used for office equipment and supplies, the running of activities and meetings, and the publication and printing of materials.
Dissolution
Dissolution requires a proposal by at least 30% of members and approval by over 70% of members present at a special general meeting. Any remaining assets are donated to charitable purposes.
Rowena Tam 露雲娜老師
Founder & Chairlady, HKETSA
Rowena Tam is a dedicated ESL educator and the driving force behind HKETSA. With years of experience teaching English in Hong Kong, she founded the Association to give fellow educators the structured professional support she wished had existed earlier in her career.
Rowena is also the founder of the Double R Teacher Academy (doubleramalgam.com). Her Goodschool Magazine column — a collection of 100+ articles on English teaching — forms the foundation of HKETSA's public knowledge library.
Her expertise spans ESL pedagogy, classroom management, and teacher professional development, and she is committed to building a community where every English teacher in Hong Kong can thrive.
Read Rowena's collected writings
100+ articles on English teaching, published in Goodschool Magazine.
Browse the articles