Moving to Hong Kong and getting a job as a web/Multimedia designer

[bbc]

A bit of a specialised career question.

Hi everyone, just like to find out the chances of employement for someone who has a degree in web/multimedia design from the UK with english as a first language and basic spoken cantonese without reading or writing skills in cantonese. thanks.

Plus any good links for more info or stories from friends who have tried, positive or negative pls.

[KnowItAll]

Without Cantonese skills and reading / writing, you're of no use to the local companies, unless you have some other skill that is VERY special -- knowing web designers in HK who are pretty good, I doubt it.

Your next option would be to approach the multinationals like HSBC, Cathay Pacific who have pretty structured teams and can easily handle cultural differences, language problems within the teams.

[bbc]

So what is the web/multimedia design scene like exactly over in HK, i've tried to do searches on the web for HK designers portfolios but there aren't many on show where as almost everyone has one back in UK. And if there are any they have all studied abroad in UK or typically US.

Done a few searches for courses at HK universities, the work on show is a bit... below par in comparison to UK and US standards, but the output from some of the design companies are pretty good.

Are most designers self taught in HK?
Do many people study this subject or is this career path seen as not a viable option?

[KnowItAll]

Do your searches in Chinese.

[sooos]

there's a saying:

a winning racehorse is useless in the field

[Sweetie]

I totally agree that you will need to know Chinese or else your job markets becomes really small. Where can I meet more expat from Canada?

[Corapanther]

Lots of amazing web designers here already suffice to say... Unless you have experience at the managerial level it will be very difficult... sorry.

[lazarus]

>>I totally agree that you will need to know Chinese...

Sometimes having the ability of knowing Chinese isn't enough, you have to excel. Have a better than average character vocabulary and knowledge of both both simplified and traditional Chinese input, sentence structures must be accurate too.

Good Luck.

[Yupi]

Well, I am product designer, my english is not so good, and i don t speak cantonese. I just arrived for one month as an intern (so no xperience).

Most of the designers (interior, product, graphic) i know here do not speak and read cantonese, they all work for hk companies with a foreign boss.

but for webdesign, i don t know.

There is a book for a kind of design awards published every year, consumer product, interior, architecture, web, graphic, pack ... many interesting adresses you will find in. (sorry forgot the name of the book)

good luck !