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18K Per month good enough for a bachelor ?

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  1. #31

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    Those poor, poverty-stricken staff you see camping out around Central on Sundays are the domestic helpers of HK's middle and upper classes. They have sent most of their hard-earned pay back to support their families in the Philippines (if you go to Causeway Bay, most of those you'll see there send their money back home to Indonesia).

    Yes, people in HK do tend to work long hours for what looks like ridiculously low pay by the standards of many western countries, but not only do they pay very little (if any) tax, if they are locals they are also eligible to apply for heavily subsidised housing.

    I'm not for a minute saying there's no poverty here (I work with an NGO that deals with that sector of society), but the previous poster seems to have concluded that 1+1=3 from his couple of visits here.

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  2. #32

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    FWIW, I'm a java developer with 4+ years experience but I'm a uni dropout so your master's trump me there and I've been offered 20k, which I took. I had another offer at 16k. imo you should be looking to get more than 20k given your education.

    Also, I had started putting 24k as my expected salary and was ignored, bumped it down to 20k and started getting interviews.


  3. #33

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    Unless that Masters is from an elite university, I'd say that years of work experience will trump time spent in school.

    Last edited by jgl; 14-09-2012 at 12:27 AM.

  4. #34

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    Quote Originally Posted by love life:
    Actually I have had connections with HK since 1984, my neices and nephew are now back in the uk because they cant afford to live/work in HK like their father has, not to the standard they have been used too. Whilst I may have visited twice this year it does not detract from the fact that most of the foreign people I saw living there are has beens, they went there made their money spent it and now have no where to go, I saw soo many drunks, who's partying days are well over, I am sorry to say I dont see HK as a vibrant city or a land of opportunities, I think the hustle that once was has up and left. If HK insisted on creating a minimum wage or a proper living wage structure perhaps lives would improve and the beautiful apartment buildings that up close look like tramps live there were so disappointing and not as impressive as the skyline photos make out.
    HK does have a minimum wage.
    Those ugly buildings often have beautifully renovated flats inside - the climate here makes keeping the OUTSIDE of buildings challenging.
    Plenty of people here are creating opportunities - I have started my business here and know others who are starting and creating and innovating.
    Take your preconceptions home with you - the western world is dead compared to Asia; THIS is where it's happening. At least here it's safe to ride public transport all hours of the day and night; no stabblngs; no "no go zones" ....crazy post.

  5. #35

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    What are you getting out of posting all this vitriolic stuff? You are not contributing anything to help the OP, just ranting about somewhere you clearly know very little about. You don't live here, never have done but apparently hate the place so what are you doing even looking at this forum?


  6. #36

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    Quote Originally Posted by love life:
    I replied to the original post, of 18,000hkd being enough to live on. When you have adverts advertising jobs in HK for 5-6000hkd, for working a six day week I would conclude 18,000 to be a good wage, my question is why would anyone want or be able to live in a place that clearly offers so little. I am not as naive as some would suggest, I have asked what would encourage people to want to live there, this is all, claiming it to be a utopia of fun peace and harmony, is indeed a misconception. Hong Kong is a hard faced, fast paced place to live, offering very little in the way of a decent lifestyle for many. If my honesty about the well documented pollution from China and crimes just like any city anywhere else upset you, then I can only assume you want to perpetuate a a false description of living in Hong kong. One person has suggested HK has a minumum wage but didn't post what that was, I can only assume out of embarrassment.
    As compared to where?

    Are you thinking from the point of view of say an American, Western European who has access to excellent facilities back home, a good lifestyle... Or are you from an underdevopped country where most people live below the poverty line, have no access to decent medical facilities, pollution is dire (think mumbai, Kolkata, etc etc...)


    not everyone come from a highly developed country, many comes from poorer countries for whom HK represents a huge step up and a much better life style, access to world class health care, rule of law, freedom of speech.....


    Btw, minimum wage is 28hkd/hour.

  7. #37

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    I regularly employed people on around $9k a month with commissions on top. Generally totalling around $11k a month for them. There are many people in HK (if not millions) earn less than $10k a month.

    Compare that to China where the average wage is around $6k RMB we have some in our company earning around $3-$4k a month.

    Many people here will drop $3k a weekend shopping or going out.


  8. #38

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    Quote Originally Posted by love life:
    I am confused by this thread however, I have found Hk to be a very poorly paid for wages across the board, expect to be working long hours for very poor pay. blah blah
    Are you sure you don't want to go back and change your username? Your six out of six posts so far have been quite bitter.

    Or are you trying for irony?
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  9. #39

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    they live in the gov't subsidised housing! rent is cheap. my assistant and her family finally got into theirs, rent for the family of 4 is $1800/month. she was so excited to finally get in after a long time on the waiting list. and, no, she doesn't get paid minimum. she gets more than that. she's worth it.

    why do people come here? opportunity. be it for a better life (not everyone lives in massive homes in the uk), for their family, for an adventure.... there are lots of reasons. just because you cannot fathom them, doesn't mean they don't exist.

    bookblogger and Satay Sue like this.

  10. #40

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    Quote Originally Posted by love life:
    where are people that earn 28hkd an hour approx £2.70 an hour supposed to live in HK? with high rents and overcrowding. I am not bitter at all, I just dont see or fail to see, what HK has to offer unless you are there working for some giant company. My Boyfriend is currently living there, he is a graphic designer, in a 1 bedroomed apartment, his neighbours have whole families living in the same space, sleeping in shifts (The whole apartment the size of my living room) I had hoped to find a wealth of opportunities to earn a decsent wage but unfortunately found little. I couldn't possibly give up my luxurious home for whats on offer in HK. There was nothing worth looking at for less than 20,000hkd a month. So to take a pay cut from my reasonably low paid job in the uk to live in HK in a property less the half the size of my home is not so inviting, one can only assume that, those of you in this thread that have taken exception to my posts have lived alot worse off than me. Or are taking advantage of the less well off.
    You obviously know little about Hong Kong but that's fine, Hong Kong is not for everyone and we are all different. you prefer UK and that is great for you. enjoy your life there.

    similarlay lots of people enjoy there life here.

    for the record, I never paid 20k for a flat and always had at least 650 to 900 Sqf with full facilities (swimming pool, tennis...). I do not need bigger since in HK compare to UK or other part of Europe you tend to spend less time at home (very very active social life).

    But as I said, not everyone likes Hong Kong, like not everyone likes the UK. Everyone's taste is different.

    For the record also, you do not have to work for a big company to make $ in HK, I have many entrepreneur friends who earn more than me (am in banking).