Information on getting work in HK

[hello_there]

From the HK Government website, I got the impression that I could work on a dependent visa, as long as I apply for an employment visa as well.
It told me that regulations changed on July 1st 2003, and now to work on a dependent visa I need to also apply for a working visa..I suppose that doesn't make sense, now that I think about it, but the whole website is confusing to me, which is why I came here.
Is anyone able to clear this up?

You DO NOT need a separate work/ employment visa to work legally in Hong Kong IF you have a valid dependent visa.

[Vinrej]

Do they accept a foreigner on a visitors visa at Starbucks?

[MrLister]

I need to get to HK as soon as possible, really. My current circumstances are very complicated, and for my own sake and someone elses, I need to be in HK. Studying is definately an option, yes, I will look into that.

You sound a bit like me a few years ago (I was mid-university, decided to take a working holiday gap year over to HK with my girlfriend at the time - it worked out ok, though the job was a bit shitty, so I went back to the UK, had a long distance relationship, finished my degree and got some experience, then came back last year in a much better position). Definitely reconsider if you must come to HK straight away.

Firstly, you need a visa. At 18 years old without a degree, a work permit is out of the question. You can get a dependants visa through marriage or your parents (if they're HK residents and you're under 18, which doesn't seem to be the case). So marriage is your main option. There are also some working holiday and student visa schemes though which you can look into.

Without any experience, you'll be limited to English teaching (or possibly working in a bar or starting your own business). If you're married with a dependants visa, you can make an ok living doing that, enough to support yourself anyway, but it's an utterly limited career.

A degree and some work experience in the UK would make a huge difference to your opportunities in HK, but obviously in depends what you want to do.

I'd possibly advise jumping over here for a working holiday, so you can find out that's a bit shit over here without any experience, then go back to the UK for a few years with some purpose to gaining the experience and coming back later.

[ebow3d]

Do they accept a foreigner on a visitors visa at Starbucks?

Nobody may work on a visitor's visa, not even foreigners at Starbucks.

[keylogger]

You sound a bit like me a few years ago (I was mid-university, decided to take a working holiday gap year over to HK with my girlfriend at the time - it worked out ok, though the job was a bit shitty, so I went back to the UK, had a long distance relationship, finished my degree and got some experience, then came back last year in a much better position). Definitely reconsider if you must come to HK straight away.

Hi,
How many years of experience did you get in order to get a much better position in HK?

[MrLister]

Hi,
How many years of experience did you get in order to get a much better position in HK?

Finished my degree and got two years work experience in London. I'm not an investment banker though or in anything to do with finance, so "much better" is relative, but working in both London and HK I built up a pretty good portfolio working with many big clients (sony, virgin, hsbc, that kind of thing) so that really helps when looking for new jobs and applying for the work permit.

You can get a work permit as a fresh graduate native English teacher though. But for most other things you need at least a tiny bit of experience, though not necessarily much.

[keylogger]

Finished my degree and got two years work experience in London. I'm not an investment banker though or in anything to do with finance, so "much better" is relative, but working in both London and HK I built up a pretty good portfolio working with many big clients (sony, virgin, hsbc, that kind of thing) so that really helps when looking for new jobs and applying for the work permit.

You can get a work permit as a fresh graduate native English teacher though. But for most other things you need at least a tiny bit of experience, though not necessarily much.

Thanks for the information

Actually I would like to work in HK, but after reading some experiences on this forum, I become quite pessimistic.
I am a German M.Sc (Dipl.-Ing) fresh graduate with some years working experiences as student research assistant. But most HK expat here say that that is not counted as experience Well... what can I say...
What do U think about experiences as student research assistant? Countless?
Thanks anyway