Invitation to Tender for the English Language Assistants Programme in Hong Kong

Tender description

Overview<br />The British Council in Hong Kong will oversee the management and development of the English Language Assistants Programme for a leading further and higher education provider in Hong Kong. This is a 10.5 month programme and with a potential for an extension for up to an additional twelve to thirty-six months outward mobility programme for UK graduates. <br />The Programme’s primary purpose is to provide UK graduates (the “Language Assistants”) with the opportunity to live and work abroad for one year. The programme will recruit 40 language assistants in Years 1.<br />The language assistants will support the teaching and learning of English. They will work with the client organisation’s sub-degree programme instructors to deliver English Medium of Instruction programmes and to support students to develop their English language skills for study and for the workplace.<br />Main services<br />The Supplier will provide the following Services under this Agreement:<br />1. Provision of Employment Contracts and Payroll Services <br />• Issue standard employment contracts to the Language Assistants by the end of June 2024, in accordance with Hong Kong Labour laws, for the duration of their teaching assignment in Hong Kong.<br />• Provide payroll services to pay monthly salaries to the Language Assistants at the end of each calendar month. Funds for payment of salaries will be transferred from the British Council Hong Kong to the Supplier at the beginning of each calendar month. Bank details will be provided by the Language Assistants to the Supplier. Records of all financial transactions should be submitted to the British Council Project team as requested.<br />• Manage the Language Assistants’ attendance records and provide summary reports two working days prior to the end of each month to British Council Project team.<br />2. Provision of Visas<br /><br />Manage the end-to-end process to secure working/training visas for the selected Language Assistants in the UK. This will involve:<br />• coordinating with the British Council Project team to agree on timelines;<br /><br />• working with the Language Assistants on all necessary visa application documentation<br /><br />• liaising with the Immigration Department of Hong Kong to keep track of the progress of applications<br /><br />• flagging issues to the British Council Project team and the Language Assistant(s) immediately; and,<br /><br />• delivering approved visas to the Language Assistants in the UK.<br /><br /><br />3. Provision of Healthcare Insurance<br />• Provide a minimum of three options for appropriate medical insurance packages (including, but not limited to, provisions for Covid-19) for the Language Assistants for the duration of their stay in Hong Kong.<br /><br />• Agree with the British Council Project team on the final medical insurance package and travel insurance to be secured for the Language Assistants, as well as timelines for securing these.<br /><br />• Purchase the necessary insurances for all Language Assistants one month before the employment date.<br /><br />4. Advice and reimbursement of Travel Arrangement Services<br /><br />Manage reimbursement and the travel arrangements to and from Hong Kong from the UK for all Language Assistants on the Programme. This should include (but may not be limited to):<br /><br />• ensuring each Language Assistant has a confirmed return flight booking based on an agreed upon flight allowance with the British Council;<br /><br />• providing a detailed pre-departure briefing to the Language Assistants in the UK, within the timeline agreed to with the British Council Project team<br />5. To arrange International SOS service insurance for the provision of Duty of Care:<br /><br />Engage an appropriate subcontractor to manage the Duty of Care component of the Programme and assume primary responsibility for the health, safety and well-being of the Language Assistants. (“Subcontractor”) For clarity, Duty of Care refers to the legal obligation imposed on an individual/entity requiring adherence to a standard of reasonable care while performing any acts that could foreseeably harm others.<br />This should include (but may not be limited to) the provision of:<br /><br />• 24-hour emergency contact services, in English, including a phone number and a contact point;<br /><br />• outdoor in-person assistance for any emergency cases during the service hours (to be agreed on);<br /><br />• detailed Risk mitigation processes and Contingency plans in the event of accidents, illness, death, crimes, arrest, crisis, social unrest, or any other incidents that would place the health, safety and well-being of the Language Assistants at risk; such plans to include, but not be limited to,<br />insurance indemnities and emergency evacuation procedures;<br /><br />• an Incident reporting process to provide information to the British Council Project team, within an agreed timeframe and in an agreed format, with monthly summary reports.<br /><br />• undertaking a weekly check in with all Language Assistants to assess their wellbeing;<br /><br />• insurance indemnities to protect the Language Assistants in the event of injury/death to themselves or others.<br /><br />6. Accommodation arrangement (cost will be covered by the Language Assistants)<br /><br />• Arrange accommodation with VTC housing unit for the Language Assistants for the duration of their stay in Hong Kong. This will include (but may not be limited to):<br /><br />• identifying accommodation types and pricing, and communicating this information to the British Council Project team and to the Language Assistants in the UK, within agreed timelines;<br /><br />• confirming final choices of accommodation with each Language Assistant, within agreed timelines;<br /><br /><br />• securing confirmed accommodation for each Language Assistant prior to their arrival in Hong Kong<br /><br />7. HR consultancy service (Hourly rate if preferred)<br />Provide HR consultancy service to identify issues, and provides advice and recommendations for resolving HR challenges base on request