Original Charm

Jerome Barty-Taylor wanders through his walk-up on the edge of Kowloon Tong, giving us some insights into the home and its historical features.

- JJerome Barty-Taylor

Where are you from originally?

I was born in Scotland but ran off to Australia as a teenager. I finished school and was an undergraduate there before completing graduate work at Oxford.

When and why did you come to Hong Kong?

Different parts of my family have been in Hong Kong for a long time, so I used to visit once a year or so if I was stopping over between London and Melbourne. I suppose the idea of settling here occurred to me as a teenager because it was halfway between the two. I certainly had no idea what I would do here.

I arrived in Hong Kong in 2013 after completing my Masters at Oxford. The cliché is to say you were planning to be here for two years. I probably only planned to be in Hong Kong for six months, but then I was headhunted for a job and one thing led to another.

For readers who may not be familiar with BartyED, tell us about your work here.

BartyED is a boutique educational and private tutoring consultancy. We work with students of all ages who wish to excel academically, supporting all major curricula (for example, IB, A level and AP) as well as providing academic interventions for young people with dyslexia, dysgraphia and ADD/ADHD.

My work life is very varied and never dull. My team works with a lot of teenagers who come to us with predetermined expectations about their own academic performance, which we challenge through mentoring. Work is always busy; at present, I’m not taking on new students and already have a waiting list for August 2021!

Where is your home in Hong Kong?

I’ve lived in and around Prince Edward for the past seven years. My previous flat was in an old tong lau very close to the MTR. My current home is between Prince Edward Road West and Boundary Street, close to St Teresa’s Church.