How can I get JOB without cantonese knowledge as a FOREIGNER?

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  1. #1

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    Nov 2008
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    How can I get JOB without cantonese knowledge as a FOREIGNER?

    Hi all,

    I'm planning to move to Hong Kong for a while, but I only have the conditions of my residence until april (means free accomodation and money for the cost of living). I'm from Hungary (Central Europe) and

    I speak

    • hungarian (native),
    • english (intermediate),
    • spanish (intermediate) and
    • a little bit of german and romanian on beginner level.


    I have a photographer/photojournalist diplom, and I'm studying on International Relations (BA) major via e-learning, so I need to travel home for the exams every semester's end. The plane ticket costs around HK$6,000

    I can get accomodation for HK$2,500/month (by renting only a room), but I will need a job from May or Juny for maybe a one year period. As I don't really used to live on big foots, I think my salary pretence would be below HK$10,000, but minimum HK$6,000

    My questions are:

    - how can I get a job as a foreigner, without chinese/cantonese knowledge?
    - what type of jobs are available for me?
    - where should I search for jobs (I didn't really found any suitable for me on jobsDB.com and databases like this)


    Thank you for the help!
    Cheers,
    Dani

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Nov 2008
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    I also familiar with using of Photoshop for image editing and web design, the basics of HTML and CSS, and of course I'm computer literate (also have an ECDL exam).

    I almost forget... I'm a 22 years old male


  3. #3

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    You are pretty unlikely to be given a visa for any job earning less than around 20k per month.....the criteria are that you have to do something that a local cannot do. Also very hard to get a job / visa without any experience. Why do you want to come here?

    Last edited by MovingIn07; 05-01-2009 at 06:32 PM.

  4. #4

    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by MovingIn07:
    You are pretty unlikely to be given a visa for any job earning less than around 20k per month.....the criteria are that you have to do something that a local cannot do. Also very hard to get a job / visa without any experience. Why do you want to come here?
    Yes I know it isn't really easy, this is why I'm asking for your ideas. I have personal reasons for staying abount one year in HK. The internationally accepted condition is usually to have €50/day (HK$ 527) for the cost of living as a foreigner to have right to stay in a country. That means around HK$ 16,000 per month.

    Briefly I know about the difficulties, this is why I need ideas, to find out if I can solve it or not.

  5. #5

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    if you dont have a visa, no one will hire you. HK is a finance and trading hub, if you dont have skills for these two major areas you will have very hard chance to find a job especially if you cant speak the local lingo.

    Its even harder to be a photographer for magazines as those you will definitely need to speak Cantonese.

    Best of luck to you.


  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by efdani:
    Yes I know it isn't really easy, this is why I'm asking for your ideas. I have personal reasons for staying abount one year in HK. The internationally accepted condition is usually to have €50/day (HK$ 527) for the cost of living as a foreigner to have right to stay in a country.
    There is not such thing as a "internationally accepted condition". I don't know how things work in Europe, but that is definitely not how they work around Asia/Pacific. You have no "rights to stay in a country". You can visit as a tourist, but you cannot work - and only if they want to let you in. Try using that reasoning in some countries and they will put you back on the next plane out of there.

    As MovingIn07 has said, you must be able to demonstrate that your job is something a local cannot do. In these tougher times, i think they will be even more strict.

    Good luck with you job hunting - is probably not impossible, but may be close to it.

  7. #7

    Hi

    I would say : come here, meet people, go out, link, networking.
    and then maybe you will be lucky.

    There is job that you will never see on forum / job add.

    But, meet right person can be an opportunity too.

    The problem is that s not really the good period.

    I will suggest so wait after february to see where everybody will go soon.

    See ya


  8. #8

    Join Date
    Oct 2003
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    You can separate your problem into two sections:

    1 - Find a job (including employer willing to sponsor you)

    2 - Make a case to immigration as to why they should issue a visa for you to do the job

    Networking, meeting people etc may help with 1 but 2 seems difficult. The basic criteria for issuing a work visa are that you have skills and experience not otherwise available in Hong Kong (although the rules are often stretched for big multinational companies - the ability to talk out of your arse is not a very unique skill, for example, but many bankers and lawyers are still granted visas).

    The main skills you list are pretty widely available in Hong Kong (photography, using Photoshop, web design, intermediate English etc.) unless you can prove that you are an exceptionally talented, internationally renowned photographer, for example, who would bring a unique photographic vision to HK.

    To be honest, the only relatively rare (in HK) skill you seem to have at the moment is your ability to speak Hungarian. If you could find a trading company that deals with the Hungarian market they could probably make a case for employing you to liase with clients in Hungary, write Hungarian press releases etc. I'm sure there are not many local people who speak Hungarian but then again I guess there probably aren't many companies in HK specialising in trade with Hungary either.


  9. #9

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    Thank you guys for the advices, I perfectly know the difficulties of course, so I would really need some effective advices how to solve the situtation.


  10. #10

    Join Date
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    correct me if i'm wrong, but i get the impression from your last post that you are basically saying "if you don't have positive advice, i don't want to hear it"...is this right? because alot of people here have been through the struggles of getting a job/visa and it really can be as difficult as it sounds....you need to accept this reality and the possibility that you won't be allowed a visa, as negative as that sounds..sorry to say...but of course give it a go...as was mentioned, you can't win if you don't try...good luck!


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