Why is HK such a good place to live/work?

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  1. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by PDLM:
    That really depends on how you choose to live your life and with whom. I knew people who worked 80 hour weeks in London, but in Hong Kong I can't think of anyone I know who works more than about 50 hours on average, and most average about 35-40 by the time you exclude lunch breaks.
    I didn't mention London actually. My comparison was Canada, Unless you are talking about London, Ontario than I think you have misread my message.

    I also said up to 80 hour workweeks in Hong Kong. I know many people who work from 9am - 11pm/12am daily. But, others who work 9am to 7 or 8 pm. Depends on job more than lifestyle I think.

  2. #12

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    I'm from Toronto too. IMO, if you make good money, it doesn't really matter where you decide to live. If you only make OK money, then I'd live in Hong Kong. In Toronto, your life will just be work and home cuz it's so expensive to go out. In HK, you can still have a life even if you are sometimes broke


  3. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by HKChigger:
    I didn't mention London actually. My comparison was Canada, Unless you are talking about London, Ontario than I think you have misread my message.

    I also said up to 80 hour workweeks in Hong Kong. I know many people who work from 9am - 11pm/12am daily. But, others who work 9am to 7 or 8 pm. Depends on job more than lifestyle I think.
    No I didn't misread, I was simply adding my own comparison with London (UK). Most of the people I know in Hong Kong start around 9:30 and are out of the office between 6 and 7pm. The job you do is a lifestyle choice.
    Last edited by PDLM; 25-02-2008 at 01:52 PM.

  4. #14

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    for us, as ex-californians/newyorkers, here:

    HK Pros -
    - transportation is a breeze
    - extremely convenient (eg. octopus / atm / 7elevens everywhere)
    - very clean and new facilities - bathrooms in the malls are spotless - esp the new ones
    - can eat cheaply but food quality is so-so
    - family (all here in HK)
    - subway is spotless
    - great airport
    - easy access to china / southeast asia - great hub for vacationing / discovering Asia
    - east meets west - literally have access to both worlds / cultures from music to mags
    - exciting citylife - makes Manhattan seem mellow

    HK cons (at least during the first 8 months we've noticed);
    - minimal historical architecture
    - even if you eat expensively - food quality is still so-so (compared to NYC)
    - too much body contact with strangers (subways / buses etc)
    - no decent pizza / taco / salads
    - apartments with tiny bedrooms
    - smog...

    Anthony Bourdain said it best, HK is a like a big pin-ball machine... ding ding bounce bounce... especially in the subway where you 'beep' in and 'beep' out. But you're 27, you'll have energy.


  5. #15

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    Just want to add to what others say.

    I'm sure that if most expats here couldn't make it here financially, they can always go back. One of my wife's uncles recently got acquired by another company and he got a 50% cut in his salary doing the same work. One of my Uncle got a green card to the US a few years back thinking that it is just a 'convience' to get one because they are quite happy in HK. Later that year he got laid off and he basically have no choice but to move into the US permanently.

    Also, for some reason alot of people don't want to have kids in HK. So if you want to have kids, HK is probably not the best place to go.


  6. #16

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    I agree with pdlm - anyone who works 15 hour days is making a lifestyle choice. I work 9 to 6, five days a week. that is the choice i made to suit the kind of life I wanted to live.

    as for the pros and cons of hk. having lived in europe, mainland china and singapore, without question for me the pros in hk greatly outweigh the cons (or maybe I just don't see squeezing into a subway for 8 minutes every morning that much of a con!).

    but for original poster, I don't think you are really ready for the move, based on my reading of your pros and cons list. I don't think you have yet identified the most important reasons for leaving one continent for another (and they are not about how much money you can earn and how far you can climb the career ladder).


  7. #17

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    hey shenwen,
    I like your opinion, and agree that I haven't found the right reasons for myself to move to HK.
    Sure we can weigh pros/cons of crowded subways in HK vs high taxes in canada, to clean washrooms in HK vs a better environment for kids to grow up in Canada...

    but im 27 and shouldnt really care about those things. atleast if Im just gonna try for 2-3 years...

    for now, I cant think of any other reasons other than higher-pay and career growth in HK... so I'll keep searching


  8. #18

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    i think international work experience may be a good reason to give HK a try for a few years. It won't hurt and you're young - hk is by far the highest energy city I've ever lived in / experienced - even compared to new york. it's worth spending a few years and beefing up your resume and expanding your horizon if nothing else. you can always have a family and 'settle down' back in canada.


  9. #19

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    Umm, international work experience may be a good thing, but it isn't always, particularly if you are going to be competing back in your home country for senior positions that don't require international experience, or exposure to Asia in particular. Make sure to consider exactly where spending 2-3 years in Asia will leave you in your career if you plan on going home. For example, a couple auditor friends of mine who were in HK for a few years (big 4 employed) spent almost a year (and this was before the market went bad) looking for similar positions in NY because they had spent too long in Asia and weren't as competitive for many positions. I'm not saying international work experience is bad, but it may not always be beneficial for all career paths, depending on certian institutional hiring needs.

    Last edited by hello_there; 03-03-2008 at 02:17 PM.

  10. #20

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    that's true, intl' experience is really dependent on what your field / role is. if it doesn't directly relate then it probably won't add to it - and may instead hold you back as you'll be deemed ' out of touch ' with the market when you get back to N.america...