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Hong Kong is expensive but pay is shit - why do expats come here?

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  1. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by mrgoodkat:
    We must be hanging out with different people



    Sweden, whilst being very nice, is a village compared to HK. Not something I would consider moving to to advance my career.

    Also, expats obviously have different expectations of a place as someone local. We can just up and leave.
    We can't just up and leave because it is extremely difficult to get visa sponsorship for a work visa. I'm still waiting for the BNO policy to come out which will offer a route out without a sponsorship. For example if I want to get a T2 in the UK the employer has to be licensed, the salary has to be above a certain threshold, and the employer need to perform the market test (exempted for certain professions such as software developer).

    I'm looking for a place with high level of personal (not economic) freedom, with better climate which I don't need an A/C for 11 out of 12 months a year, with outdoor activities near the sea, with good work-life balance and with a good social safety net funded by tax (not privately owned).
    Elegiaque likes this.

  2. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Tsang:
    ...with better climate which I don't need an A/C for 11 out of 12 months a year, with outdoor activities near the sea...
    Its the 12th July in the UK, we have the heating on in the house, its that bloody cold. Says it all really about climate! And I can see the brown murky sea from my window. Not all that I can tell you.
    AliT likes this.

  3. #23

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    I fully understand the desire of a local to want to seek a better life. I hope you'll get it. Be patient and persevere. When I was young, I wanted desperately to get out of the US, and with hardly any money and taking the first international flight of my life, I managed. It takes determination. I really hope HKers can find a safe and better life and be able to come back when HK is a better city. It's gone through a lot, even the Japanese occupation, it'll get through this.

    PS in the US you sometimes genuinely fear for your life thanks to guns. Violent rape is not unheard of. Here, I don't live with that daily fear. And there I get to vote for either Biden or trump - wow. In the UK, you face vomit on the pavement every morning due to their messed up drinking culture. No where is perfect.

    MABinPengChau likes this.

  4. #24

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    Wherever you live, it's easy to dwell on the negative if you are unhappy. For some people that doesn't change regardless of where they are.


  5. #25

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    The only thing more expensive than UK is rent (and I’m not sure it is much more expensive than London - depends where you are )

    After that it depends on the type of job you are going for. As an ex pat teacher pay is excellent. Plus of course much lower taxes.

    I only worked 3 Short days a week in Hong Kong and (so work life balance was rather good!) And took home the same as I did in the UK as a full time middle manager,.

    My wife, as a principal of a Kindergarten earned double what she did in the UK plus lower tax.

    In 3 years we had a fantastic time, travelled lots, socialised lots and saved loads of money to take home and boost the pension.

    So in our case the OP was talking rubbish.


  6. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Tsang:
    I'm looking for a place with high level of personal (not economic) freedom, with better climate which I don't need an A/C for 11 out of 12 months a year, with outdoor activities near the sea, with good work-life balance and with a good social safety net funded by tax (not privately owned).
    How about Canada? Specifically, Vancouver, BC.

  7. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by mrgoodkat:
    We must be hanging out with different people



    Sweden, whilst being very nice, is a village compared to HK. Not something I would consider moving to to advance my career.

    Also, expats obviously have different expectations of a place as someone local. We can just up and leave.
    My youngest cousin got a job with SAAB as a fresh grad electronics engineer designing prison security/electronic systems in Queensland ( 10 years ago ) he has been living very comfortably in Sweden over the last 5 years, married to a very attractive Swedish girl and done very well for himself. There are careers out there which wouldn't typically be available in HK, so it largely depends on what your profession is.

    I agree with you about the heavy drinking culture in HK among expats, was a bit taken aback by Elegiaques comment as it certainly didn't posit my observations during my lengthy experience in the region.
    mrgoodkat likes this.

  8. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Tsang:
    with better climate which I don't need an A/C for 11 out of 12 months a year,).
    I only used A/C from May to October. And I hate the heat!

    in the UK you need heating virtually all year!

  9. #29

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pauljoecoe:
    I only used A/C from May to October. And I hate the heat!

    in the UK you need heating virtually all year!
    Yeah heating being hydronic ie you have a water boiler ( which your hotwater taps also utilise ) and recirc pump that circulates hot water throughout the homes many radiator panels ( our house in Paris had this set up ) I never found it expensive to run and it was set to come on and be warm during the hours we were home, switched off when we were not. I assume modern UK homes use the same system. Was always very pleasant to come home to an entirely warm house, obviously double glazing and thicker insulated walls greatly helped too. But agree that we never felt the need to install A/C as the house never got hot enough in summer.
    mrgoodkat likes this.

  10. #30

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    Quote Originally Posted by london008:
    Its the 12th July in the UK, we have the heating on in the house, its that bloody cold. Says it all really about climate! And I can see the brown murky sea from my window. Not all that I can tell you.
    Where in the UK are you in? I'm interested, maybe it will be my dream location (cold enough and near enough to the sea for swimming).

    It's too hot in Hong Kong now that I can't even last 10 km in the sea, and it's much worse in the pool that I have to get out every 100 m to rest for a few minutes outside, and I have to wait until maybe November to start serious swim training again.

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