Needing help with HK salary!!

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  1. #1

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    Question Needing help with HK salary!!

    Hello everyone

    I am considering moving to Hong Kong for 9 months to Au Pair and have been offered a position working from Monday to Friday, 9 hours per day, weekends free and this includes food and accommodation. The MONTHLY wage will be 7,000 HK (84,000HK per annum). Is this an unacceptable wage? Will I be able to travel with this much money and decently enjoy my time away. Does anyone know the average wage for this type of work? I do hold a diploma and have considered english teaching, would this be a better idea? I am 23 years old Australian btw...... any advice would be great.

    Thanks


  2. #2

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    First things first, do you have the right to work in Hong Kong? If not, what sort of visa are you planning to get?

    Aupairs are very rare in Hong Kong. Everyone who wants a live-in helper gets a Foreign Domestic helper, whose normal wage is HK$3580 per month (it's a sort of slave labour scheme). But Australians aren't eligible for FDH visas.

    The only visa I see that you could get would be a Working Holiday Visa, but that prohibits you from working for more than 3 months for any one employer.

    If you can get the Visa sorted out then you wouldn't be liable for any tax, so with HK$7000 per month cash in hand with accommodation & food provided then you should be able to have a reasonably OK lifestyle.


  3. #3

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    PDLM, thank you for your reply. No I do not have a visa for Hong Kong, my employer has recommended that I cross the Chinese border every 3 months so as I may renew my 3 month stay in HK. Her previous au pair did not have a visa and crossed the border as I said. Therefore yes, 7k per mont would be cash in hand. Would you negotiate this pay or happily accept? Is it safe to work without a visa?


  4. #4

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    It is, of course, totally illegal. How do you feel about illegal immigrants in Australia? Both you and your employer could go to jail for up to 2 years if caught (and be fined up to HK$50,000).

    You would also have to pay full price for health care and things like that (any need for in -patient care would blow your entire 9 months pay immediately). Travel insurance isn't going to cover you if you are working illegally.

    Last edited by PDLM; 20-12-2009 at 02:29 PM.

  5. #5

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    you should also consider what kind of accommodation is included. Most FDHs in hong kong gets a 6' by 4' room.


  6. #6

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    Unless you know the employer very well, I would not advise you to do this... It is illegal although it's unlikely you would get caught, you could be refused entry at any time which could be inconvenient at best and you would have no recourse whatsoever against your employer in any dispute.

    You'd be much better to do this in Europe or North America...


  7. #7

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    You mentioned you have a diploma - in what? If you are a qualified nanny then you would be able to get an employment visa, and the pay would be much better than you mention (has to be for sponsored visas). If you are a qualified nanny then try a google search, there are several nanny agencies in HK that help find reputable employers and advise on the visa process etc.


  8. #8

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    Ok so how do I go about getting a visa? I didn't realise the complications with what they suggested and I definitely will be looking into obtaining a visa.

    What type of visa does an Australian need in order to Au Pair in Hong Kong?

    Thanks in advance!


  9. #9

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    I don't think there is a visa that would allow you to do that.

    The choices are either the Working Holiday Visa, but that has the stipulation that you come primarily for a holiday and don't work for any one employer for more than 3 months, or an Employment Visa, but those are only given for jobs where you have specific skills which cannot be filled in the local labour market, and not generally for roles paying less than HK$20,000/month.


  10. #10

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    That wage is very low. I would have thought a Au Pair in Australia, Europe or the North America would earn four times as much. It is less than A$1k a month - not even A$250 a week. An english teacher here would earn considerably more than that (but obviously not with accommodation and food).

    Someone might be able to tell you more about english teachers in Hong Kong.

    What other benefits does your "employment" include? I am assuming return airfares from Australia (that is about $8k). Another other trips back to Australia? Any travel within Asia with the family?


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