Moving to HK - Salary Negotiation Help

[HK_Katherine]

Any company who refuses to pay for the flight is not a company I would work for. We have even paid flight cost for interns. Sure, free housing for a month might be a stretch on a "local" contract, but the flight to get you here is more like "expenses" than "benefits" - it's a no brainer. I would suggest also a few days in a hotel (days, not weeks) might fall into the same category.

[thegame181]

I can see flights and maybe a week in a hotel but I don't see food being included. When I moved here, I got a week in a hotel and relocation money.

[Claudiau120]

HK_Katherine & thegame181:

Thank you both for your responses. I am supposed to have a call later today with the HR Manager to discuss this in further detail. I will bring up the flight and few days in a hotel.

[Trebor]

I would ask for flight definitely, an international flight would include checked in luggage anyway, it's only short haul budget airlines who would charge for that separately.

Also it seems it's fairly common for people to get 1 month in a serviced apartment included.

If you are only relocating with suitcases i think this is reasonable.

If you are planning on shipping larger items then reconsider.

For the record all i got was my flight paid for but then I requested the relocation within my company rather than being sent here.

[Claudiau120]

I just finished my call with the HR Manager. After bringing up the flight and hotel costs, she stated that the offer was going to stay the way it is and they were not offering me anything additional. She expressed her "concerns" about this international move possibly being a financial burden for me, at least for the first few months, given the higher cost of living among other reasons. I have until Monday night PST to give them a definite answer, but from this call I'm feeling like maybe this is not the right opportunity for me at this time.

While I am definitely appreciative for this amazing opportunity, given my age and work experience, the fact that the Director of Marketing stated that I would indeed have relocation assistance and now is refusing to offer it makes me question the company's motive for even wanting to hire me.

In any case thank you to everyone who offered their opinions and insight on this matter. Each response is greatly appreciated.

[Fiona in HKG]

I just finished my call with the HR Manager. After bringing up the flight and hotel costs, she stated that the offer was going to stay the way it is and they were not offering me anything additional. She expressed her "concerns" about this international move possibly being a financial burden for me, at least for the first few months, given the higher cost of living among other reasons. I have until Monday night PST to give them a definite answer, but from this call I'm feeling like maybe this is not the right opportunity for me at this time.

While I am definitely appreciative for this amazing opportunity, given my age and work experience, the fact that the Director of Marketing stated that I would indeed have relocation assistance and now is refusing to offer it makes me question the company's motive for even wanting to hire me.

In any case thank you to everyone who offered their opinions and insight on this matter. Each response is greatly appreciated.

A. Have you worked out your budget for living in HK on the salary offered?

B. Do you have some savings to cover your relocation and costs on arrival - apart from anything else you will have to cough up 2 months' rental for security deposit and 1 month rent in advance, plus potentially a half-month commission for the property agent who helps you find accommodation?

[usehername]

It's odd that the hr manager seems to be trying to put you off the job.

38k per month is plenty to live on in hk. I don't know how it compares with your life in the us though. You need to look at this long term: is this job likely to be a step in the right direction? Will it give you experience that will be useful down the line? If it will, I would pay the relocation costs and treat them as an investment in your future.

[Fiona in HKG]

It's odd that the hr manager seems to be trying to put you off the job.

38k per month is plenty to live on in hk. I don't know how it compares with your life in the us though. You need to look at this long term: is this job likely to be a step in the right direction? Will it give you experience that will be useful down the line? If it will, I would pay the relocation costs and treat them as an investment in your future.

Totally agree that if comfortable with budget then go for it! But for her to be sure she knows how much things cost here before making the plunge.

Re the HR Manager, could be that she may not want to deal with the visa issue or in her mind she doesn't believe an 'expat' can live at those levels Like so many in these parts have tried to argue!

[cookie09]

if you can afford it and would be happy to walk away, i would turn them down stating the missing pieces. they might then come back with an improved offer if they care.

there's also a distinct possibility that the HR manager is reading this forum and essentially gets your views first hand.

[Claudiau120]

A. Have you worked out your budget for living in HK on the salary offered?

B. Do you have some savings to cover your relocation and costs on arrival - apart from anything else you will have to cough up 2 months' rental for security deposit and 1 month rent in advance, plus potentially a half-month commission for the property agent who helps you find accommodation?

A. I have worked out my monthly budget for living in HK and the salary being offered is more than enough for me to live comfortably as well as put some of it away for savings.

B. I do have some savings that could cover part of the relocation costs, but not enough for everything. As you probably saw from my earlier posts, this new offer is substantially higher in pay than my current position so it's not like I am making a lot of money that could go towards the remaining costs of the relocation.