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UK Guy considering 2 year relocation to Hong Kong

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    UK Guy considering 2 year relocation to Hong Kong

    Looking for the pros and cons to moving to Hong Kong for 2 to 3 years with work. I'm a single 33 year old guy from the UK. I'd be interested to hear of any expereicnes good and bad, be it working, socialising, relationships in Hong Kong with both the expat community and locals. Also other considerations that I may not have considered with such a move. Apologies if this is in te wrong forum but have just joied and am finding my way round the site

    I'd apprecaite any feedback your able to offer!

    Thanks for your help!


  2. #2

    Join Date
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    The pros and cons are different for everyone. Some people come out here and love it, others can't wait to be on a plane out of here and the reasons vary.

    Here are my main plus and minus points mixed in with a few of the most common ones I hear from friends.

    Pros

    -Low tax and higher wages
    -Great career opportunities
    -Fantastic social scene. The expat scene is very friendly and you will get to know a good crowd of people very quickly.
    -Convenience. Most people live very close by to the office so commutes are minimal. You can get practically anything you like delivered any time. Domestic help is affordable if you want a full time helper or simply someone to clean for you once a week.
    -Hong Kong is a green city. Most of HK is country park with great hiking, watersports and beaches. You can be on a wonderful beach within 30 from Central.
    -Junk boats. A HK institution, basically drinking on a boat in one of the numerous beautiful bays dotted around the territory.
    -Public Holidays. There seems to be one every other week (there aren't actually that many, but there are loads!)
    -Great base to explore Asia. You can get almost anywhere in the region from Hong Kong easily.
    -The weather. It gets a little chilly in the winter but I wear shorts for 9 months of the year. It's great!

    Cons

    -Long hours culture. Some offices here work much longer hours than in the UK
    -Cost of living. Almost everything here will be more expensive than the UK. Rent is very high (if your company isn't paying it for you), supermarket shopping and going out will be more expensive than you are used to.
    -Pollution. The air here can be really nasty on a bad day.
    -Crowds. Hong Kong is a crowded place. It doesn't really bother me but some people really struggle with the lack of space in the city. Plus the flats are tiny compared with the UK so some people find it claustrophobic. A personal bugbear of mine is that people here walk very slowly.
    -The weather again. It can get very hot and humid in summer. Not nice when you're in a suit.
    -Getting things done can be hard. Dealing with any kind of company can lead to all kinds of frustration. Most businesses you will have to deal with on a personal level will have a very one sided policy which will not be deviated from, even when it makes no sense. Drives me mad sometimes!

    What I would say is, all in all moving to Hong Kong was one of the best decisions I have ever made. If you have any more questions please feel free to PM me.

    PDLM and MovingIn07 like this.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    5

    Thanks Stu, that provides with a lot of the info I was after, I can read all the guides but someones personal experience is invaluable.

    Saying that in the last week things have changed and everything has been put on hold, there is still a requirement so we will see what the new year brings.

    Again appreciate your feed back thanks


  4. #4

    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    4

    Hi Stu,
    I'll be very thankful if you can drop few lines of advise .. on another guys ( this time with family from UK )
    I've been offered position ( permanent) in HK, office is on Lantau near to airport and it's paying 75K per month ( excluding bonus etc ).
    Now problem is I have 2 kids ( 8 and 13 ),so will have to sort out their school . As it's Lantau I think closest ( per my search) is Discovery Bay International School which is for 2 of my monsters is around 16K per month.
    my wife will have to give up work ( well until she can find the job in HK) ,so I need any help I can get to find out whether family of 4 can leave on this sort of money ?
    Not sure about the food , house (flat ) , transport and other thinks as I wasn't able to explore the web .
    I suppose information on how my wife can drop kids in the morning to school ( tram , bus etc ) - approximate cost etc ..any information really .

    Rgds,
    bbllt26


  5. #5

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
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    Gold Coast Marina
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    From your post, I suggest you get a place to live in Discovery Bay - it's only 20 mins by bus for you to get to the office, and wife and kids can walk to school. If this is the plan, apply for the school NOW - schools here are hard to get into.

    Re the money - I know nothing about schooling costs but others will - but generally 75k would be quite enough for most families. You should find some accomodation for about 20-30k in DB, travel will be minimal with this location, utilities are only a few k per month. Food will vary considerably depending on whether you eat out in fancy restaurants (yikes - break the bank or what!) or whether you go for cheaper local places or eat at home. Supermarket groceries are abit more expensive than back home (especially in DB) especially if you insist on overseas brands, but if you start eating more local brands, which are fine, then costs come down considerably.

    so the only unknown is the school fees - which others will have to fill in.

    Stu79 likes this.

  6. #6

    Join Date
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    I agree with everything Moving07 says. Discovery Bay sounds ideal for what you need although you may also want to consider Tung Chung and Mui Wo if Discovery Bay isn't to your liking when you get there.

    Discovery Bay is a private community and there are no cars allowed (private or otherwise). Everyone gets around with by an internal bus system or on little golf buggies.

    Here is a link to the fees for the DB International School. As Moving07 says - enrol your kids quickly. International school places are hard to come by.

    Best of luck with the move!


  7. #7

    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    4

    Many thanks guys ...
    just checked Discovery Bay School only offer place until 12 years ,so we are need to look for schools elsewhere and I think this is going to be headache for us as we'll probably need to rent in more expensive part near Kowloon Tong.
    Does anyone have rough ideas on travel cost from Kowloon area to honk Kong airport on daily basis ?
    Thanks
    bbllt26


  8. #8

    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    4

    Although on second thought just checked the cost o f living near Kowloon Tong- scary in terms of apartment ,so lost a bit ..
    My kids will have to go to school with UK curriculum English School - any idea on which other schools offer this ?


  9. #9

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Gold Coast Marina
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    hmm - i'd have thought kowloon tong is one of the cheaper locations close to the english curriculum schools - many others are on hk island which is more expensive. at least in kowloon tong you could live up in the nt and not be too far away.


  10. #10

    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    HK
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    14,624
    Quote Originally Posted by MovingIn07:
    hmm - i'd have thought kowloon tong is one of the cheaper locations close to the english curriculum schools - many others are on hk island which is more expensive. at least in kowloon tong you could live up in the nt and not be too far away.
    Kowloon Tong is as (if not more) expensive than many area in HK islands. A lot of wealthy chinese living there. Really a lot. and the fact that all the very good local schools are located nearby (Kowloon Tong, Homantin..) helps push the prices up.

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