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Not speaking Cantonese - how much of an obstacle is it?

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Jul 2008
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    Not speaking Cantonese - how much of an obstacle is it?

    Hey all,

    My husband (French Canadian) is looking for a job but is fretting because he thinks not speaking Cantonese will greatly impede his chance of landing work. There are a lot of people who work and live in HK for years without speaking the language... so there must be a way.

    He has 12 years of management experience in software companies (Senior Development Manager), graduated top 5% in his eMBA class (Queens University). So for a similar job in HK - is Cantonese necessary?

    If you don't speak Chinese - how did you manage to land your job?

    Thanks!


  2. #2

    It's not necessary to know Chinese but it helps A LOT. My Chinese level is pretty basic, I can communicate in Cantonese but cannot really hold professional meetings with it. I just went through a recruitment agent and got a job (in a finance department). The role description said "Mandarin essential" but I still got the job... Luck of the draw I guess, depends on how urgently they need to fill the position.


  3. #3

    I used Robert Half. They didn't charge me for getting me a job, they charge the company. It took me about a month to get the job. They deal with all levels within finance / accounting. They were effective! Hope this helps.

    Quote Originally Posted by dizzy1059:
    Hi my friend, I am interested in knowing more about your expereince with the recruiment agent. Which recruiment agent worked with you in landing a job in HK? Any service charge? How long did it take to get your job? Do they mainly deal with candidate for management position, or even entry level finance/accounting positions as well? Please share your thoughts with me as I would like to know which recruiment agency is good and effective in HK. Much appreciated~!

  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by LeChatNoir:
    Hey all,

    My husband (French Canadian) is looking for a job but is fretting because he thinks not speaking Cantonese will greatly impede his chance of landing work. There are a lot of people who work and live in HK for years without speaking the language... so there must be a way.

    He has 12 years of management experience in software companies (Senior Development Manager), graduated top 5% in his eMBA class (Queens University). So for a similar job in HK - is Cantonese necessary?

    If you don't speak Chinese - how did you manage to land your job?

    Thanks!
    If the papers are to be believed, even the schools are abandoning Cantonese in favor of English.
    Although, no knowledge of Canto would seem to rule you out of any job dealing with the public.

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by dizzy1059:
    Hi my friend, I am interested in knowing more about your expereince with the recruiment agent. Which recruiment agent worked with you in landing a job in HK? Any service charge? How long did it take to get your job? Do they mainly deal with candidate for management position, or even entry level finance/accounting positions as well? Please share your thoughts with me as I would like to know which recruiment agency is good and effective in HK. Much appreciated~!

    Just wanted to add to this that is is EXTREMELY unusual for any reputable agency to charge candidates and I would be very wary of any firm that tried to do this. Recruiters usually make their fees from the client, i.e. the company wishing to recruit. They can charge for additional services such as CV writing, etc, but there are countless internet guides to doing this so I would be reluctant to pay for this kind of service.
    There are many reputable firms operating in Hong Kong according to industry specialism so I would recommend doing a bit of research on each firm before making contact.
    Good luck!

    PS - if it helps neither my husband or I speak Cantonese and didn't struggle to find work - I work in a local school in Kowloon (not as a NET!) and English is the lingua franca in our multicultural office.

  6. #6

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    Feb 2009
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    dizzy1059

    If you're looking to work in the Big 4, not speaking HK Cantonese is not going to be a problem, though it would be an additional benefit. Not speaking and writing good English would be more of a problem.


  7. #7

    Join Date
    Apr 2009
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    151

    I have been working in HK for over 2 years now without the slightest knowledge of Cantonese or any other form of Chinese. I would say given the melting pot nature of HK, finding jobs without knowledge of Chinese is no biggie.


  8. #8

    it is fine to not speak cantonese if you land in managerial positions, anything below manager level, it will be a challenge. assistant manager need to be bilingual for sure.....


  9. #9

    Join Date
    Nov 2009
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    15

    I got my job because I'm decent in mandarin. Then again my job is pretty much entry-level. If you have a lot of experience and would be looking for a higher place on the ladder, I doubt you'd need to speak any chinese, but it would definitely help.


  10. #10

    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Posts
    112

    Hmm... he is definitely looking for something at the management level - however, response has been slow from all the CVs he sent out. (hoping it`s due to the holiday season and not his qualifications!) And the fact that he does not speak Cantonese/Mandarin seem to be a deterrent. Perhaps his field does not have as much demand in HK (Business Intelligence) - but hopefully the new year will bring some good news and opportunities. If anyone got any advice, please send them our way! Help is definitely much appreciated!

    Happy New Year!


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