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Is Hong Kong really that undesirable when it comes to bringing up a child?

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  1. #1

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    Is Hong Kong really that undesirable when it comes to bringing up a child?

    Hi,

    We have a newborn at home and hubby just got an offer for a role in HK. We have been asking different people regarding their opinons on bringing up a child in HK, everyone have been saying all the negative things... Lack of space, air pollution and a highly pressured education system. All the answers were, if your priority is the well being of your children, don't come to HK! (We currently live in the UK).

    Is it really that bad in bringing up a child over there? It has always been my wish to live in HK, but I almost feel selfish now because this move seems to sacrifice my child's happiness???


  2. #2

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    Pollution...depends. HK has it's good days and bad. The key is whether you can (a. find someone to take care of your child if both of you are working and (b. get your child into a good nursery...and later a good school. As for high pressure schooling, only if you insist on putting your kid into the local system.

    Ultimately, do your own research and don't rely so much on hearsay on the forum. Each person's situation is a little different, so I would be careful to recommend someone like you to come or not without knowing your full background.

    Last edited by Watercooler; 05-06-2013 at 08:38 PM.
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  3. #3

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    if you're wealthy; as in you have lots of money, it's not too bad. If you don't, then it's bad. Well, not as bad as raising a child in Ethiopia or other underdeveloped countries I suppose!

    Last edited by YCC; 05-06-2013 at 08:41 PM.
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  4. #4

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    I wouldn't say the UK is a particularly good place to bring up kids.

    I'm a father of two. My boys are aged 3 and 5.

    Lack of space? HK is covered by country parks so open space is not an issue. Living space is more expensive for sure.

    Highly pressurised education system. My kids go to local kindergartens and are both fluent in Cantonese and speak Putonghua well also. I just got my 5 year old into the best local school in my district and it was a pretty awful experience if I'm honest.

    My kids do loads of activities, dance, martial arts and BMX. They also do lots of extra ed. Putonghua (Mandarin) and so on. The usual stuff is here - Scouts and so on.

    Money....for most of us we can earn a lot more here, consider this.....you can afford to give your kids better experiences, education and security.....that's how I feel anyway.

    Pollution....it's a negative for sure......

    On balance, a lot of us have kids and we all know where the airport is.....I for one feel the benefits outweigh the negatives and my kids are my number one priority.


  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by INXS:
    I wouldn't say the UK is a particularly good place to bring up kids.

    I'm a father of two. My boys are aged 3 and 5.

    Lack of space? HK is covered by country parks so open space is not an issue. Living space is more expensive for sure.

    Highly pressurised education system. My kids go to local kindergartens and are both fluent in Cantonese and speak Putonghua well also. I just got my 5 year old into the best local school in my district and it was a pretty awful experience if I'm honest.

    My kids do loads of activities, dance, martial arts and BMX. They also do lots of extra ed. Putonghua (Mandarin) and so on. The usual stuff is here - Scouts and so on.

    Money....for most of us we can earn a lot more here, consider this.....you can afford to give your kids better experiences, education and security.....that's how I feel anyway.

    Pollution....it's a negative for sure......

    On balance, a lot of us have kids and we all know where the airport is.....I for one feel the benefits outweigh the negatives and my kids are my number one priority.
    Assuming you're kids are fluent in English as well, what will they be doing for their English lessons when they go to local school?

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by arrowsmith:
    Assuming you're kids are fluent in English as well, what will they be doing for their English lessons when they go to local school?
    They already have English lessons at local school. They are fluent in Chinese and have Chinese lessons as well. Not sure I got the point of this question this morning to be honest?
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  7. #7

    Quite frankly, our education system is bad. If you are able to send your kid to international school here, that can nurture a distinctly different kid to you, compared with the local students from local schools.

    The temperature here also deserves a look. In summer, our city is very hot and humid, usually no breeze.

    Last edited by charlestang; 05-06-2013 at 09:39 PM.

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by charlestang:
    If you are able to send your kid to international school here, that can nurture a distinctly different kid to you, compared with the local students from local school.
    Really? Up until yesterday we still weren't sure my son had got into the school we liked, I'd decided with a heavy heart that we would send him to international school rather than some 3rd rate local school.

    The local school we got him into is, in my opinion, one of the best schools in the territory when you consider the secondary school it feeds to....

    I don't think it's possible to say International School is better than Local School or vice versa.......depends on the school!!!
    Last edited by INXS; 05-06-2013 at 09:42 PM.

  9. #9

    Lack of space: yes its correct. And unfortunately no easy solution unless you have tons of money.

    air pollution: yes its correct. No solution apparently.

    Education system: it all depends on which school you want to send you kids to. The Asian education system is of course more "pressurized" than the US. But there are plenty of international schools to choose from AFAIK.

    Every city has its pros and cons. But if you are from UK, I would guess it's not a big change as if you are from, say, mid-west USA.

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  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by INXS:
    They already have English lessons at local school. They are fluent in Chinese and have Chinese lessons as well. Not sure I got the point of this question this morning to be honest?
    I meant surely their English would be well above the standard of the local kids and therefore English lessons, taught as a foreign language, pitched at the level of your average local kid are not really going to be a challenge for them?

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