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Hong Kong - Glad you came ?

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  1. #11

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    Hong Kong is a great place to visit or live short term. However, if you plan to stay for some duration, it is best to be making good money. Most expats that stick around, do so because they have better opportunities and make more money here than they could at home. I have a lot of friends who make double or triple what could back home...and that is the real reason they are still here.

    Hong Kong is a very interesting, fun and easy place for expats to live. I jokingly call it 'Asia Light'. It is nothing like moving to Vietnam or Cambodia or even China. If you are thinking of living overseas..Hong Kong is certainly a good starting point.

    Be warned, after the initial excitement wears off in a year or two, you will come to grips with the massive crowds, small,noisy cramped living conditions, horrendous air quality and perhaps the distance from friends and loved ones back home. This is where $$$$ comes into play. Having a good job with good pay can help overcome a lot of the perceived drawbacks to Hong Kong. Honestly, I don't think I could still be here if I was on a teachers salary...but than again, I know teachers here that make twice as much as they would back home, so actually some teachers are here for the money as well.


    I am glad I came and have enjoyed it. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I would even consider living here long term if not for the lack of clean air, clean beaches, clean waterways. Once I reach my financial goals, I intend to more to greener pastures (literally).

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  2. #12

    thanks so far

    I have visited before , twice and liked it though I could not stand all the hustle of the city constantly. Is it easy to get away from that and have a quieter life, moments in nature etc on the weekends ?


  3. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by scubajunky:
    I have visited before , twice and liked it though I could not stand all the hustle of the city constantly. Is it easy to get away from that and have a quieter life, moments in nature etc on the weekends ?
    Very easy, I do it every weekend almost.
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  4. #14

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    we live out in the middle of nowhere... so, yes, it is easy to get away from it all! *best thing about it? it's so much cheaper than closer into "town"...

    yes, i like it here, but after almost 18 years, i'm ready for a change....


  5. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by scubajunky:
    I have visited before , twice and liked it though I could not stand all the hustle of the city constantly. Is it easy to get away from that and have a quieter life, moments in nature etc on the weekends ?

    If you could not stand the hustle and bustle of the city, than Hong Kong is probaly not the best place for you. It is one of, if not the most densely populated places in the world.

    Yes, you can get away from it on days off (sorta), but in general you will have to deal with crowds and the hustle and bustle. You could teach in parts of Korea, Japan or Thailand that would be far less crowded and urban.

  6. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by closedcasket:
    If you could not stand the hustle and bustle of the city, than Hong Kong is probaly not the best place for you. It is one of, if not the most densely populated places in the world.

    Yes, you can get away from it on days off (sorta), but in general you will have to deal with crowds and the hustle and bustle. You could teach in parts of Korea, Japan or Thailand that would be far less crowded and urban.
    I can directly refute this statement.

    I HATE hustle and bustle and worried hugely before coming here that I would hate the place on that account. I had nothing to worry about. Sure, places in HK are awful, but you just avoid them or go for strategic visits out of peak hours (Mongkok, a great place to buy hiking gear, comes to mind!).

    However, if you are planning to teach you can easily end up in a school in the New Territories, which is a very pleasant place to live and also close to all the FABULOUS hiking here. I lead hikes at weekends - most newbies are amazed at how much greenery and great scenery there is. We have coastal hikes, mountain hikes, beach hikes, forest hikes, hikes by reservoirs .... oh and of course a few urban and village hikes

    And when you want to party - Central is only a bus ride away.

    Come and find out. If you are a qualified teacher you should get a job. Look at the NET scheme for qualified teachers who speak Native english. Otherwise, it's harder, but give it a go anyway.

  7. #17

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    North Wales or Hong Kong, there's a choice! Get yourself over here. I came over at a similar age, suddenly didn't feel old and had a great time. Wish I'd come earlier.

    If you're prepared to work hard and take a few chances then you can make a success of your time here. Best to be prepared though, if you're thinking of teaching and have a degree, get a TESOL or similar, opens the door to better jobs.

    I think Hong Kong may provide the bit of excitement you're looking for.


  8. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by araucaria:
    ...but bear in mind that those who didn't like it haven't stuck around to answer - this is hardly an objective cross-section
    That's not true DG is still around

  9. #19

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    Happy I came. Will be happy to leave. But happy to stay. Confused? Me too. Life.

    Dankleness likes this.

  10. #20

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    HK is a fairly good place to work. Taxes are low and as a teacher, if you get a job in the better international school, it may be the best job you'll ever have.

    It's not hard to get away from the hustle and bustle but you still have to deal with it and it does wear on you at times. The pollution is bad and there's no getting away from that. If you go hiking/cycling/running on a bad day, you'll probably get back home with a cough.

    Loads of affordable traveling in the region. On a teacher's salary, you should be prepared to live in a small place unless you live away from the main areas which you might enjoy better anyway. Accommodation, pollution and the hot, humid and wet summer are the main drawbacks for me in HK.

    Some people love the place, some hate it. It's probably one of the easiest "exotic" locale to live in for an expat. As far as services and convenience, it's overall as good as the other western countries I've lived in. If you can find a decent job, give it a try and you'll see if it works for you. The rest of the world will still be there if you want to go back.

    Last edited by gilleshk; 10-01-2013 at 10:08 AM.
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