Working in Hong Kong

[Philip]

Hi guys,
just come across a rather exciting job. Principal in a Kindergarten in Hong Kong. Right up my street. I have taught young children for the past 15 years. $50000 US dollars a year (£30000), pension, subsidised accomodation.
I am applying. Haven't seen anything before that looked worth my while to leave England, but this looks good.
Would this kind of money go far in Hong Kong? What is Hong Kong like to live in? My soon-to-be wife is in Changsha now, but recently, she worked in Zhongshan. She would be as pleased as punch for me to move to China. It's a big step for me, but hey, my heart is already in China.
I would appreciate any comments about Hong Kong and whether what I am considering is a good idea. I  will be saying goodbye to the best, most secure pension around, the British teacher's pension, and God knows what I will do with all my stuff, but, if I get this job, it could be a great move.

[RegnisTheGreat]

No, property in Hong Kong is fairly expensive.

[MasterQ]

it depends on where you want to live.  like  RegnisTheGreat said, it is fairly expensive.  That kind of money, isn't going to get you a large place.   but the majority of the homes in hong kong are very small.   walk in closet in size.   if you are not claustrophobic you will be fine.

Hong Kong is very hot especially during the summer time.  no winter season.  

Get an Octopus card.  http://www.octopus.com.hk/home/en/index.html    its like a debit card, you add money into the card, and charge things when you use it.   you use this for using the trains ( MTR) , buses, buying food like Mc Donalds,  7-Eleven, StarBucks, Supermarket ( ParknShop, Wellcome)  , payphones, vending machines.     You wave the card when you make purchases onto the machine that has the Octopus logo to pay.    When the money runs out of the card, you just add more money into it.  

Hong Kong is very crowded.   every street sign is in english.   not everyone can speak english.   the older the generation, the less english, but don't expect every young person to speak english well either.   the official language is cantonese, but some do speak mandarin.   its not the same language, even the writing system is different.   hong kong uses the traditional chinese, while mainland china uses the simplified version.   but some cantonese speakers can understand mandarin speakers.  but not the other way around.   mandarin speakers have a hard time understanding cantonese speakers, if at all.   i believe mandarin has 4 tones in their language while cantonese can have about 9 tones.

there is a train system that goes from the airport directly into the heart of the city ( Central ) in about 30-45 minutes.   the MTR train system is very efficient and usually on time.

[David5o]

Philip,

Depends on what sort of subsidy they are talking about, as others have told you, the property market in HK is expensive, but most of the other things for life are relatively much cheaper than back in the UK. Not all the apartments are ''rabbit hutches'' when i was living there i had a three bed-roomed apartment, with servant/armor quarters!! but i doubt very much if that would be in your price range. even back in the late 80's the monthly rent was 1700 HK dollars. (company paid my rent)

Like those Bro's in China, you can always subsidise your income by giving English lessons, there is also a big supplementary demand in HK. I think that this could be a very worthwhile move for you Philip, many benefits, and only minimum deficits. Apply for the position, and then do your homework, try and get as much up to date information as you can. I still have quite a few friends there that wouldn't move back to the UK unless they were forced too!! ...haha!!
If you need any general information, I'll be glad to ask those friends for you. School working hours in HK as i remember was around 7 - 7.30am to around 1pm, but not sure about Kindergarten times....

There's lots of things to do and see in HK, and convenient access to mainland China. HK is a SAR Status region of China, so many of the laws there are different to mainland China, and will remain so for 50 years from the handover date from British rule to Chinese rule.

Anyway, best of luck to you for your application success

David....

[ttwjr32]

thats an exciting turn of events. yes it is expensive there but you will be close to your
lady and like David said many people wouldnt go back after living there. when you get there
if you need a good teacher give me a call. i just sold all my stuff when i came to china as far
as housewares and furniture. rather than store it all as over time that would be expensive.
and i made a little over 12,000 dollars selling everything . just put a sign in front of the house
"moving sale everything must go"  worked out well and everything i didnt sell i donated to the
mission that helps people with less

[Willy The Londoner]

You know what i would do - work in Hong Kong and live in Zhongshan or Zhuhai.

I know a couple of people who take the ferry to work every day but the first one does not arrive in Hong Kong until after 9am which is probably too late for the school. The last one for the mainland  and hong kongs leaves at 8pm.  But stay in Hong for five nights and travel to China every week end that way you have a good job and the women you want at hand.  The cost of the ferry is 260 rmb one way.

You will need a muliti enty Visa as you will be making many visits during the duration of it.   You can then decide whether to take the lady there then move back to China later.

She will need a special permit to go to Hong Kong.

Surely you will not be giving up all your pension.  I was working for the Government way for 15 years 1975 to 1990 and even though I left I still get a pension from them - maybe not as much as if I did 30 years but more than enough to keep me in China.

Willy

[Danny]

I think it is important to live the dream. Life is short and it is hard to know what will happen. I think you need to take the chances that come your way. I could live very happily on that much income.

[Bee964]

I was going to ask you, how long have you worked toward the british teachers pension? and why do you have to give it up? Talk to a financial advisor there to see what they suggest.

Dave C

[brett]

That sounds a fairly decent salary for Hong Kong - go for it!

I found Hong Kong pretty cheap for food and stuff. Accommodation is expensive, but that's a much higher salary than most locals earn so you should be able to rent somewhere half decent.

[ttwjr32]

the school probably has accomadations also at a good price

[Philip]

Thanks very much for the advice, MasterQ, Dave, Dave, Ted, Willy and Danny.
The job is tantalising close, but possibly no cigar.
The school like me, my experience and qualifications are fine and a good fit for them. The job is in a really nice park, Sai Kung Country Park. I spoke to a really nice guy who works in recruitment, who told me about accommodation and stuff. He said that because it is away from the main island, prices were reasonable by comparison. £700-900 pcm for a nice apartment.
The catch? Well the Hong Kong qualifications authority have some ridiculously specific requirements. They want a BEd in Early Childhood Education. I have a BA in Film, a postgraduate teaching certificate in Early Childhood Education, plus I am studying for an MEd, plus I have 17 years teaching young children. Anywhere in England that would be recognized as more than equivalent. Not in Hong Kong. There may be grounds for appeal, but they are not that flexible and take weeks to come to a decision. The school think I am a good fit, and want me to come over and see, get a teaching job until they come to a decision, but that only pays about £20000, not really feasible.
The guy was very friendly, and, even though it's not in his interest, suggested I try some other schools for teaching jobs, which might be recruiting soon, and pay quite a bit more.
So, I am surfing the Hong Kong education sites for some info.
My lady was ecstatic when I told her I was applying this morning on the webcam. I hope she takes it OK, if I don't get a job. Maybe I shouldn't have told her. Oh well

[David5o]

Philip,

Now that's a bit of a bummer!! ....That reminds me of an Australian Engineer i worked with in HK, he applied for a government position nearing the time of his contract completion on our project. He was told quite bluntly that his Australian Degree (BSc) was not valid/recognised, as the standard was not upto the HK Governments requirement standards!!!!! It turned out that they recognised only 3 Universities Degrees in Australia.... Go figure!!  lol!!!!

Stay with it Philip, you may find something even better in your HK search.....

David....

[ttwjr32]

i agree stay with it. one door closes and another opens as they say

[Bee964]

Keep plugging away at it. She will understand if you are upfront about it.

Dave C

[Philip]

Thanks Ted,
I have actually applied for a couple more jobs in Hong Kong, and also a job at the British School in Guangzhou! They are expanding at the moment. The pay is good. I need a good wage, not just for supporting a new family, but also to keep paying my financial commitments in Britain, loans, credit cards, mortgage for my house in France, etc.
I can do like you and sell some stuff, like my car and stuff on Ebay, but it will not be enough. Plus I want to use my French house to store stuff I want to keep.
But I am looking for lots of jobs, in Hong Kong and in the South of China. Hopefully something will come good.