I was born and raised in Sheffield, in the UK. I studied mathematics at Warwick university and then did a teacher training course. However, by that time I had realized I didn’t want to teach in a school as I wanted something a bit different and the British army looked adventurous to me. I passed one year’s officer training and then joined the Royal Army Educational Corps. After three years in the UK teaching mathematics and basic science to Royal Signal recruits I was posted to Hong Kong where I remained until 1993. After I left the Army in 1994 I decided to return to Hong Kong and did some maths and English teaching. In 1997 I saw a post advertised at “NTK Learning Center” and thought this sounded like the teaching job I wanted: a young, vibrant education company which had a founder who obviously had a vision for greater things. The rest, as they say, is history.

My exact role has changed over the years as NTK has expanded. My role now is to provide support for the smooth overall running of the mathematics and science departments, along with teaching, which I still very much enjoy.

When I started at NTK, providing one-on-one academic support was the prime focus of our operations. When I look back now it’s hard to believe how much the company has expanded, first into academic courses, then consulting, and now with NTK’s own publishing division.

Whether I’m teaching a small class or individuals, the basic skills needed for a good teacher are the same: clarity of aim and the ability to get knowledge across successfully. But, depending on the student, there are “soft” intangibles that I need to imbue. Some students lack confidence after meeting with repeated failure at school. It’s important for these students to meet with success in lessons, as this will engender confidence and then this will lead to success, and so on in a virtuous circle. On the other hand, some students need to be pushed because they are coasting, and not fulfilling their obvious potential. That’s what I like about individual or small group teaching; there’s a real feeling that I can make a difference.

An ability to communicate is the essential foundation for any educator. This is the most important characteristic in all our teachers. I know that we have had many applicants for teaching here, with outstanding academic results, but who we did not hire. The reason? They had the knowledge but not the ability to get the ideas across. However, as part of our training we make it clear that teachers are not here to do the students’ work for them. A good teacher guides, explains and illuminates so that students can finish tasks using their own resources.

Although the basic principles of good teaching will never change, the learning environment at NTK has changed a lot since I started. When I began here at NTK mobile phones were rare and the height of technological sophistication was the graphing calculator. Teachers rarely used computers, and there were no tablets, laptops or wi-fi. Academic tasks were more straightforward for the most part: here’s a question, find the answer. Now students are routinely tasked with extensive report writing and investigations, even in mathematics. They have to present their results in written and oral form using Powerpoint or other programs. I would say the skill set required for successful students is higher now than what was needed just ten years ago. Certainly higher than when I was at school! Students have access to a level of information, communication, and technology unimaginable a decade ago. But this has turned into a deluge and I see some students who are overwhelmed by the need to sort through all this. I think that this is one of the key ways NTK can help students, by allowing an experienced teacher to winnow through the plethora of information, present key points clearly, and explain to students what their priorities should be.

When I started at NTK it was a very modest operation with a handful of teachers and even fewer support staff with half of a floor in a not particularly prestigious location. I have to pinch myself sometimes when I realize it now has over eighty full time teachers, large administration staff , and with large offices in Causeway Bay and Kowloon. Mr Ng’s vision has certainly come to fruition. My only regret is that I didn’t take any pictures as NTK has “upgraded” over the years. It would be a true eye- opener for new staff to see the very first teaching set-up.

Since the pace of change in our lives seems to be getting more frenetic by the day, I’m cautious about predictions of the future. But as NTK has always focused on quality, and that focus will never change, I am certain that NTK will be at the forefront of education support and expand further in the years to come.

I have fond memories of 2005 because that was the year I joined NTK, when I was completing my MPhil thesis on molecular biology. What began as a part-time job to support my graduate studies subsequently turned into an enjoyable career that has lasted to this very day.

I started as a general science teacher teaching all science-related subjects, before focusing on biology, my main area of interest. NTK was expanding at that time and over the years of expansion, the Department of Mathematics and Science at NTK has grown from a modest operation to a very strong one – from under 10 teachers to over 40! In recruiting teachers, we not only look for talented people with a prominent academic background, but also individuals who have a positive attitude and pleasant personality, because we believe that teachers always have a prolific impact on students. We hope our teachers can inspire students to really enjoy the subjects they are studying. To help our teachers become an inspiring mentor to our students, we have developed a thorough training program for new teachers to bring them to another level to instill in our students both knowledge and values they need. 

Other than the significant growth in our academic departments, NTK also started publishing in 2006. I had the opportunity to author two brand new study guides: SAT Biology and IBDP Biology. Although challenging, the completion of these publications gave me a great sense of accomplishment. I believe this is one thing that sets NTK apart from other learning centers.

While we strive to provide quality classes, publications and other services to our students, we find that students nowadays may not be able to benefit from them, because their lives are so packed with activities, homework, sports and of course schoolwork. Good time management skills are therefore crucial for our students. In the light of this, our front desk puts forth great effort in making personalized lesson plans for students in order not to overload them. Our course materials are also highly tailored to concisely provide all the subject knowledge that students need in order to excel in the exam. To enhance students’ understanding in limited time, we specially offer small class and focused teaching that students may not be able to get in school. 

In addition to all these efforts, we are open to work with parents to nurture their children. Our front desk officers and department heads maintain communication with parents to understand their expectations. We hope our parents can put their trust in our teachers and have faith in our expertise. 

After many years of teaching and research, I realized one thing which I find very important – you have to do things one step at a time. Setting targets is important, but don’t magnify the end result so much that you forget the small steps you need to take in order to get there! For example, just thinking you want to score a 5 in the AP won’t actually make it happen. Focus on doing well on each test or quiz, then you will slowly build up the skills to score a top mark in the final exam. 

As for students who are soon going to graduate, my advice to them is to stay humble wherever you go. Try not to be overly proud of yourself when you are at a high point because you will then easily make mistakes. Always remember it – no matter how high you toss a ball, it will ultimately drop. Similarly, regardless of how accomplished you are at this moment or how talented you may be, there will still be times when you will experience some low points. Always be prepared for setbacks.

Over the years, NTK has grown primarily through word of mouth referrals. As Director, it is my mission to foster a sense of community within NTK and that parents and students feel the warmth of our staff. We also welcome alumni to stay in touch with us. With our team of talented teachers, publishing professionals, consultants and support staff, I believe NTK is more than merely a learning center. It will continue to thrive, providing our parents and students what they normally can’t get at school, including flexibility, personal attention, and excellence.

It has been more than nineteen years since I first entered the education profession. I joined NTK in 2002, after finishing my studies at Oregon State University on a scholarship. The mathematics teaching position was the first job I applied for upon my return to Hong Kong and I have been here ever since!

I’ve always had a fascination for mathematics and was eager to teach my classmates back in my schooldays. After coming across a wonderfully inspiring math teacher in my secondary school, I made it my dream to become a math teacher one day. I had the opportunity to gain education experience working as a teaching assistant at university while finishing my degrees and defending my thesis, alongside visiting local high schools as a speaker.

In the early 2000s, NTK occupied just one and a half floors. We only had one to two teachers responsible for teaching each subject. After several years, NTK started expanding and I took up the role of Head of Mathematics & Science. We sailed through some arduous times, as we were trying very hard to create our own teaching materials across a wide spectrum of courses. Fortunately, with the support of our teachers, we eventually completed what at one point, had seemed an impossible mission. Our in-house lesson materials are the result of hundreds and thousands of hours of dedicated work drawn from the experience of our teaching staff. Our teachers go through a strict selection and training process; they are knowledgeable and have a passion for teaching. We believe our commitment to education is what makes us stand out from other learning centers.

Today, NTK has grown to a larger scale. I hope that we will continue to maintain the close relationship with parents and students that we’ve established over the years. One aspect of my role at NTK that I enjoy most is teaching math to students, while also learning about their school life and getting to know each student as an individual. Through mentoring and chatting with students, I find that many young people today don’t really know what they want. They are accustomed to having their parents make all sorts of decisions for them. As a father myself, I know that parents have the best interest for their children, but is what we choose for our children always what the children want or need? I often tell my students that when selecting what subjects to take, for example for the IB Diploma, it’s important to choose something you are truly interested in. Otherwise, you won’t experience the fun of learning! For this reason, I encourage parents and students to come for consultations early on so that we have enough time for careful planning. Don’t wait till the last minute! What’s also beneficial is that students explore and try new things, for example, by taking up internships or joining different activities and courses during summer holidays. It is by delving into different areas that students discover what they are interested in and learn to take up responsibility.

As we are celebrating our 28th anniversary, I am in full anticipation of bringing NTK to an even higher level. I hope parents and students feel the professionalism in our services. I also envision a thriving future for NTK Publishing, and also the development of our consultation team which strives to bridge our students with their dream universities. Looking forward, we hope to enrich and inspire the lives of each youngster and bring a positive impact to his or her future.

In 2004, I joined NTK as a part-time teacher. I was still a PhD candidate at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, undertaking teaching and research duties. At that time, NTK occupied no more than two floors, and the number of teachers was less than one-fourth of its current number. We were mainly running English and Mathematics courses, and international Chinese courses were not much sought after. I was teaching SAT and AP Chinese, though there were not many lessons, I was deeply engrossed by such an inter-cultural education environment which enriched my teaching experience a lot.

As I recall, Mr Ng said during my job interview that international Chinese courses would one day become the new mainstream. The success of NTK’s Chinese Department today has justified Mr Ng’s vision at the time. I was very honored to be hired as NTK’s first full-time Chinese teacher. In the following years, IBDP and IGCSE Chinese courses became more popular due to China’s increasing global power, leading to the rise in student number. At present, we have more than 10 full-time teachers in the Chinese Department.

To this day, I am very thankful to Mr Ng for his trust and guidance. I have taken on a role in strategic planning to foster the development of the Chinese Department, including talent recruitment, teacher training, course evaluation, curriculum development, and reviewing course materials and publications. Despite being more involved in administrative and management work, I remain passionate in teaching which I love very much. I enjoy working at NTK a lot as it gives me the opportunity to actualize my beliefs in teaching with what I have learnt. I am strongly in favor of Confucius’ philosophy that teachers should ‘teach students in accordance with their aptitude’, simply because all students are unique in their own way. Teachers should do more than just teach and give solutions; we should also inspire students to become independent thinkers and nurture their curiosity and thirst for knowledge, so that they will all excel in their learning.

Undoubtedly, NTK stands out from its competitors – our teachers are not only academically qualified, but they have a sincere passion for education, care about their students, and uphold the student-oriented teaching approach. Our teacher training not only focuses on subject knowledge and understanding of the exam syllabus, but also on the teachers’ ability to interact with students. We firmly believe that a good teacher is well versed in communication. It is only with effective communication that a teacher can really get to the root of a problem, thus helping students to progress. In addition, since there is a wide range of courses in international Chinese curriculums, specialist teachers are assigned to a particular course to ensure the teaching quality. In designing curriculums, our course materials are written by our experienced teachers, based on rigorous discussions and collective input to ensure the materials are a best fit for students. As markers in open examinations, our teachers are well-informed of the exam trend and requirements.

It is evident that NTK students always excel in exams. Every year, over 80% of our students get full marks in the IBDP and IGCSE. The Chinese Department is a trusted partner to parents and students. As our international Chinese curriculums continue to develop, we will gain even greater recognition in helping students master the Chinese language.

NTK is celebrating its 28th anniversary. I hope the company will continue to advance, and we will reach more milestones in our teaching, consulting and publishing ventures. I am honored to be a part of it all and will do my utmost to help students make their dreams come true.