Like Tree7Likes

Making the move to HK -- your experiences now and then

Closed Thread
Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 1 2 3 LastLast
  1. #11

    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Posts
    5,110
    Quote Originally Posted by CapitalCBC:
    Hello everyone,

    I recently visited Hong Kong and other mainland cities for the third time in my life and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I was very impressed by the people of Hong Kong -- local and expatriate alike. I came across some very interesting, ambitious, and polite individuals in all corners of the Hong Kong area from the subways, to Causeway Bay, to LKF, etc.. Moreover, I was impressed by the visible progress of China writ large.
    Are you sure you are talking about the same Hong Kong we are in? HK locals are known for many things, but one thing they aren't known for is being polite!
    (Only kidding, yes, polite and even friendly HK locals are known to exist from the sea of...not-so polite locals).
    Last edited by Watercooler; 25-09-2012 at 02:12 PM.

  2. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by threelittlepigs:
    "I was born and raised in Canada, and I am working in that country now." Sorry, being Canadian, I am somewhat bothered by this particular sentence as you are seemingly well written. You are Canadian, yet it seems to me that you have not accepted your Canadianess. It is not that country, it is your country.
    I assure you that I am a proud Canadian. Please don't let grammar choices mislead you into thinking otherwise.

    Quote Originally Posted by threelittlepigs:
    Get yourself familiar with Dodd Frank, Volker Rule, UK Bribery Act, OFAC sanctions, Basle 3, that sort of thing. You should be aiming at the expat market (ie MNCs) and not try to compete with the locals since you will be at a disadvantage in terms of communication.
    Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me! I'll do some review tonight.

  3. #13

    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    HK
    Posts
    1,781

    My apologies for jumping to conclusions then.


  4. #14

    Thanks to everyone who has contributed something. I'd like to ask a couple of more specific questions.

    Firstly, for those of you who made your move to Hong Kong in the earlier part of your career, let's say approximately five years in, did you find that employers could generally match or exceed your previous salary with your former employer?

    I've gone through a number of other threads on this forum, and I am finding that a lot of people are reporting offered salaries between $35,000 HKD to $50,000 HKD per month. These monthly figures are generally reported by people who are taking on their first job in Hong Kong after leaving their home country. I am also finding that the helpful posters on this forum usually confirm that salaries within the range noted above are competitive. The second question is this: could someone confirm, based on their own opinion, that those monthly figures are common of entry level positions by expats and not to more senior working-level positions offered to expats?

    I'm trying to get a sense of what my reasonable expectation should be with respect to salary.


  5. #15

    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Sai Kung
    Posts
    8,561

    whether or not it is their first job in hk, they need to have had experience in their home country to command a $35-50,000 salary.

    salaries offered to expats can be anywhere from $20,000/month up to $300,000/month and more, even if it is their first job in hk. what is offered all depends on the field, just like anywhere else. as i know nothing about your field, i can't comment on whether it is a reasonable expectation to pull in $35-50,000.

    the term "expats" covers a huge range of people and circumstances. you can't lump everyone into the same group and expect to get a pat answer to your question.


  6. #16

    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    HK
    Posts
    14,624
    Quote Originally Posted by carang:
    whether or not it is their first job in hk, they need to have had experience in their home country to command a $35-50,000 salary.
    Carang, I sort of agree with ur post but on the above part I would say it depends on the industry.

    35k per month is an entry level position in my field (fresh off uni with 1 year internship for example).



    Sent from my GT-I9210 using GeoClicks Mobile

  7. #17

    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Sai Kung
    Posts
    8,561

    thanks, mat....

    that's why i went on to write:
    "what is offered all depends on the field, just like anywhere else. as i know nothing about your field, i can't comment on whether it is a reasonable expectation to pull in $35-50,000."

    z754103 likes this.

  8. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by carang:
    whether or not it is their first job in hk, they need to have had experience in their home country to command a $35-50,000 salary.

    salaries offered to expats can be anywhere from $20,000/month up to $300,000/month and more, even if it is their first job in hk. what is offered all depends on the field, just like anywhere else. as i know nothing about your field, i can't comment on whether it is a reasonable expectation to pull in $35-50,000.

    the term "expats" covers a huge range of people and circumstances. you can't lump everyone into the same group and expect to get a pat answer to your question.
    Hi carang and anyone else,

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts; I appreciate them. While I certainly don't expect anyone else to take as much interest in this thread as I do, I have shared certain facts about myself already that would help narrow the scope of what information would be relevant or irrelevant to me. Perhaps it would be easier for those who are interested in keeping this discussion going to have all of that information consolidated here in this post. Here is some information that I have shared already:

    • the fields that I am most suitable for in HK would include public relations, communications, and regulatory affairs concerning pharmaceuticals and medical devices;
    • I have approximately five years of working experience in the aforementioned fields that I believe I am well suited to;
    • I am able to speak Cantonese quite well as a second language, and I can read and write non-technical documents in Chinese; and,
    • as a new piece of information, I hold two university degrees that are relevant to the above noted fields.

    I take your point that the term "expats" covers a wide range of individuals, all with varying competencies and experiences. Despite that, I'm hoping to get a sense of what I should reasonably expect salary-wise. With the information that I have shared throughout this thread, I'm hoping that those individuals who are or were in a similar situation as I am in now or those individuals who have an opinion based on the situation of other people who they may know that are or were in a similar situation as I am in now can offer their thoughts.
    Many thanks to all of you geoexpat posters who can share your opinions!

  9. #19

    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    HK
    Posts
    1,781

    Firstly - PR work in HK will require English and Canto/Mando, sometimes all three. Written and spoken. Most of them also have journalist backgrounds. Secondly, PR in a Bank (aka Corp Comm) and PR in an agency or corporate pay differently. A rough guide - you should expect the same level of pay here (maybe a little more) than in Canada. Where you make more comes from the difference in tax rates (16% vs over 40%). But you will spend more here (for housing which is largest component). Overall, you should be able to save some money (more than in Canada), else there is no reason to come - most expats come here due to opportunity and money, unless they have family or acquire a family). My advice, get your foot in the door and then look for something better. Build your network while here, but at least have a steady source of income first - ie don't be too picky on job for now.

    chris_yang22 and CapitalCBC like this.

  10. #20

    It is getting harder to get sponsored here as many companies are becoming more reluctant to shell out the bucks to ship you out here and set you up.

    For example, when I came here in 2007 my company -- a VERY large MNC -- paid for my flight, hotels, a chauffeur holding a sign with my name at the airport, a fat settling-in allowance, etc etc etc, the whole nine yards.

    Then the financial crisis happened in 2008 and things crashed.

    In 2010 I left HKG for a while when my husband got transferred, and earlier this year prepared to return to HKG. I could not get a company to sponsor me on a work visa for a job so I ended up coming on my husband's visa as a spouse. They were VERY happy to hire me once I had the spouse visa. How much things can change in just a few short years! They were practically rolling out the red carpet in 2007. Now they prefer people who are already here and have the right to work here.

    Anyway that was just my experience -- again a lot does depend on what kind of industry you work in. If you're with an investment bank for example I'm sure it's no problem....

    Last edited by Maracas Bay; 08-10-2012 at 02:29 PM. Reason: clarity
    CapitalCBC likes this.