Hi all! New to the forum. Have read lots of posts, many of which have been extremely helpful, but have some specific questions relating to my situation.
Currently in NY with wife and young children and contemplating an opportunity in Hong Kong (for 2-3 years). Live in the suburbs in NY, so thinking about areas like Stanley, Repulse Bay, maybe Discovery Bay. Would expect to have a decent expat package (good housing allowance, educations, maybe some extras).
Sepecific questions:
- Tradeoffs between the areas mentioned above (or other worthy candidate that I've missed), specific buildings or communities (the Repulse Bay, Parkview, etc.) in terms of size (ideally 3+ bedrooms, 2000+ sq ft), amenities (pools, gyms, tennis, pre-schools, proximity to super-markets, etc.), proximity to good healthcare, expat community and activities, proximity to clubs (expat clubs, golf clubs, etc.) Commute not as big a concern (commute over an hour currently in NY)
- Where are best hospitals if goal is Western-style labor and delivery with English-speaking doctors?
- How does school enrollment work? Can I get my kids into preschools if I decide in August / show up in September? Can employers be helpful in enrollment process?
- If I need a furnished apartment, do I need to find a serviced apartment or can I rent an unfurnished place and find a rental service that will furnish (higher end furnishings)?
- Has anybody recently negotiated / received any of the following expat perks (trying to decide where to push, how to prioritize):
- travel to US for two annual visits (Holidays + Summer) - what class of travel?
- driver / car
- Club membership (do large multinational corporations still maintain meberships to clubs like American Club, Royal HK Yacht Club, HK Country Club, etc?)
Sorry for the lengthy post and appreciate any and all repsonses.
Cheers!
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10-07-2007, 10:47 AM #1
Thinking about HK
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10-07-2007, 11:58 AM #2
I hope you hold a pretty senior position with your company. Your requests can be met - but at a pretty high cost.
The trade offs between the areas Repules Bay, Parkview, Disco Bay are discussed at length in other posts on this forum. A 2000+ sf apartment (unfurnished) in the first two areas you referenced will likely run in excess of 100k/ year. I haven't heard of any serviced apartments that are 2000+sf, but they may exist.
Regarding hospitals, take your pick. Matilda, Adventist, etc. all have fine facilities. Generally an OB/GYN will be in private practice, and have privileges at one or more hospitals. There are plenty of good English speaking docs.
Expat packages are highly variable. Car/ driver can be done, but is rare. I know of one managing director who got it. But, he was only here on a shortish term assignment. Furnished non-service apartments are also not the standard. Club membership, debentures for kids school, travel home are all possible, but depend on how much your company is willing to pay to get you to HK. It seems like you're asking for the high end of things.Last edited by hello_there; 10-07-2007 at 12:07 PM.
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10-07-2007, 12:38 PM #3
Forget about the car and driver. Taxis are so cheap its not worth fighting over.
Flights home are a must and the norm if you are on an expat package. You should start with 2 trips business class and reduce to 1 trip if required. Do not compromise on the business class.
Clubs - depends on whether you will use extensively, if yes then push for one membership but remember it will depend where you stay as to what you want, maybe you could agree a ceiling limit with them as reimbursement.
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10-07-2007, 01:38 PM #4
>> - Where are best hospitals if goal is Western-style labor
>> and delivery with English-speaking doctors?
The default expat choice is the Matilda. Note that I did not say, best hospital... they're competent but very expensive and the choice of doctors there is pretty much limited. They do have their services tuned finely for expats with insurance.
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18-09-2007, 09:54 PM #5
What to expect
Hi,
Sorry for bulging in, but I was wondering I you can help me out. I've reading several threads and the answer to my question would rather obvious: it depends.
So making very straightforward this is it: I'm about to be offered and expat contract to move to HK. I live in Italy and work with a big insurer in risk management. I've 5 years work experience, though only 2,5 with banking/insurance and, hence, in risk management.
What are the basics that I should expect from the package (besides a raise)?
This'd be my first expat contract (all other int. work experiences I've had I got a local one).
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20-09-2007, 01:12 PM #6
We only have one trip home, or the equivalent business class $$$ so we can swing other trips home in business using miles.
The American Club has no individual memberships and corporate memberships are on hold until October; expect to pay around HK$2 million. The Kowloon Cricket Club has no memberships of any type available and the Jockey Club costs $2.4million, if memory serves.
I'd also skip the car/driver unless you think you can get the whole ball of wax. To me the trips home will be handier and the membership will benefit the family more than the driver. We have friends who will send their driver to pick us up because he spends most of his time doing nothing.
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20-09-2007, 02:11 PM #7
What do you mean American Club has no individual memberships? I have many friends with individual memberships there; And they also have a much cheaper week but no-weekend membership which is good if your appartment doesn't have any facilities. They have a great after-school activities program.
http://www.americanclubhk.com/membership.aspx#171Last edited by ontheroad; 20-09-2007 at 02:14 PM.
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20-09-2007, 04:47 PM #8
ny-hkexpat -
Accommodation - you didn't say what is you budget. But all the places you mentioned are good. It is really comes to personal taste. IMO, Parkview is very nice and not very far from Central.
But since you said you don't care about commuting - I will for Stanly area. It is closer to the beach and you can have a great view - take a look at Pacific View at Tai Tam road (which is also close to the American club). I think you should ask your company to send you here for a week for house hunting. Take your wife with you, she will stay at home more than you.
If the landlord is a small one, you can negotiate for furniture. The big landlords are not so flexible.
Shanghaidante -
You should ask for housing allowance. Housing is very expensive here, so make sure you ask for the right amount. It is also common to get kids' education, good insurance coverage and trips home.
But there are no rules. I lived two years with expat package and then was willing to stay on local salary. It all comes to how much your company wants you here and how much you are willing to be here. If your company already have expat here, I guess they already have an idea of the package they are willing to give
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25-09-2007, 11:18 AM #9
When we contacted the American Club a few weeks ago they told us they weren't taking individual memberships and couldn't tell us how long the wait period might be. And corporate memberships are on hold until October. Kowloon Cricket Club has same story, although they estimate an individual membership will open up in the next 2 or 3 years.
I suppose it could have been personal.
Originally Posted by ontheroad:
