Unusual Moving Experience

[Weeks]

I'm sure everyone has heard stories of guys coming to asia to find themselves a cute chick to bring back with them to whatever country they hail from...but my situation is a little different.

My fiance came to america on a student visa and we met in High School. We've been together for six years now and have a son. I just recently graduated (summa cum laude) in America and was going to continue my education, but she wants to move back to Hong Kong with me and the child.

A living area is not the issue; her mother is quite wealthy and owns many apartments we can live in free of charge. However, I am a bit reluctant to commit myself to a move to a strange land (even though I do love Hong Kong) for the very simple fact that I think it would be impossible to continue my education here or find any sort of job.

My question is this: Is there any way my good grades in the American system can transfer to somewhere here in HK so I can continue my education and hopefully find a respectable job here? And what could I possibly do to earn money in the meantime?

[hello_there]

Are you talking about going to college or grad school?

There are some other things you should consider before even thinking about moving here -
Will you be married yet? If not, you will not have, and will likely not qualify for, any sort of visa that will allow you to work and earn a living. In fact, you will only be allowed to stay in HK for 3 months at a time.
Do you speak Cantonese fluently? If not, assuming you do get married and get a dependent visa, you're still going to have a hard time finding a job that pays more than peanuts with only a HS education.
There are some university options here, but its a bit late in the year to be applying for 07-08, so you will likely have to wait a year to continue with higher education.

[Weeks]

I had actually meant grad school..

would it be a better idea to finish schooling in the US before coming here?

And is the only way to get a work visa in HK via marriage to a HK citizen?

[KnowItAll]

An employer can apply for a work visa -- but that will require them to prove (atleast theoretically) that they cannot hire someone with your skills locally AND those skills are important to their business.

[jayinhongkong]

You should apply for jobs before you get out here. What did you major in? You could always teach English if you don't mind stooping to that level...lol. I teach English myself, and it can be very rewarding. You're not going to get rich doing it, but it's nice to be able to help people. Hong Kong University (HKU) is among the top 20 schools in the world, so that's another option. I'm considering going there for grad school myself.

[Weeks]

I majored in Biology, minored in History; useless in HK from what I gather. I wouldn't be particularly averse to teaching English, or at least tutoring, but I'm curious what kind of money can be earned doing so? And what does it entail - teaching about adjectives, pronouns, subjectives, etc?

[sarpesius]

I majored in Biology, minored in History; useless in HK from what I gather. I wouldn't be particularly averse to teaching English, or at least tutoring, but I'm curious what kind of money can be earned doing so? And what does it entail - teaching about adjectives, pronouns, subjectives, etc?

Biology is one of the hottest fields in the world right now, because of biotech and environmental-protection work. If you majored in biology, do you have any original ideas that might be marketable and for which a private compay might fund your research?

Attending a particular university depends on whether it has a good department in fields you are specializing in. If your degree is a BS in biology, then you do not have enough specialized knowledge to work professionally in that field. You would be out-competed by locals. Another method is to ascertain the specialty of a good school here and pursue that.

You might also want to interview or read the bios of expats who have made it here to find out how they did it.

Dian Fossey did not have a professional degree in ethology or primatology yet she became a leader in the study of gorillas. Assuming you are committed to a field of study, you can make a name for yourself. But this is the path of the leader not the follower.

[jayinhongkong]

I majored in Biology, minored in History; useless in HK from what I gather. I wouldn't be particularly averse to teaching English, or at least tutoring, but I'm curious what kind of money can be earned doing so? And what does it entail - teaching about adjectives, pronouns, subjectives, etc?

Teaching English grammar to foreign learners is somewhat out of vogue now, since it tends to confuse people. It's still taught at primary and secondary schools here though. The emphasis in a lot of private places is now on teaching in a manner that mimics natural language acquisition. I do teach grammar on occasion, but only if a student can handle it. Confusing a student can destroy their confidence. Parts of speech, tenses and punctuation use make up a major part of the grammar that I do teach.

The Hong Kong government's Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) has a program which pays pretty well and includes a housing allowance to boot. They'll take a bio major, but you'll have to get a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) cert. either before or shortly after they offer you a position. You'd be looking at around $25,000 a month with the EMB.