Working in marketing / advertising - language issues?

[Tpetrou]

Hi all - I'm moving from London to Hong Kong in the next couple of months with my husband who has been offered a job there.

I'm hoping I can continue my career as an account director in the marketing and advertising sector but unsure on whether mandarin/cantonese language skills are essential. Is there anyone from the same industry here who can advise? Any insight would be very helpful, thanks!

[bargfeldstegen]

Possible.

[Scousebanana]

Prior to my current role, I worked for a multinational ad agency. All the big agencies have a presence in HK (mostly in the Quarry Bay area) and my company was no exception. As they mostly served Greater China, they were nearly all Chinese speakers, with a small number of exceptions - typically the most senior people or those with specialised skills, such as SEO, app development etc. Account management roles for local firms typically require the local language, but there is usually more leeway with global client roles.

I would have thought your best chance would be to try for a transfer with your current employer who may be able to help. Given the high turnover in the ad industry, I would have thought that if they value you, they are likely to try and find a way to retain you.

[shri]

I'm hoping I can continue my career as an account director in the marketing and advertising sector but unsure on whether mandarin/cantonese language skills are essential. Is there anyone from the same industry here who can advise? Any insight would be very helpful, thanks!

Very much possible - quite a few expats working in both the top tier and smaller agencies here in HK.

I seem to know more on the creative side than on the business / account management side and working on larger regional accounts.

[Tpetrou]

Thanks all- shri would you mind if I gof in touch with you directly for some more specific questions?

[NateM]

As they mostly served Greater China, they were nearly all Chinese speakers, with a small number of exceptions - typically the most senior people or those with specialised skills, such as SEO, app development etc.

I think that's a big part of the equation. Different agencies serve different types of markets, and those that are primarily focused on the CN market or local HK market are going to place a bigger emphasis on Chinese fluency and experience in the CN market. Luckily, there are a lot of companies that use HK as a base for their APAC, or even global operations, and those companies are going to be more likely to have a multinational workforce and value the international expertise an expat with international work experience could provide.

[RMDNC]

Would you expect someone, with qualified skills and experience in your field, to move from Greater China to the UK and not have an acceptable level of English skills and still land a job easily? Why would you be an exception in Asia in 2018 (emphasized not pre-1997)? If you can impress someone on why you would be an exception, then you may deserve the job.