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Spelunker
Joined: 03 Nov 2013
Posts: 392
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 Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 2:36 pm Post subject: re: yeap |
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| Cheaper prices you see are SHARED rooms which no one would want to do. |
Agreed. If you want somewhere decent it will cost. A shared room may be cheaper, but as you rightly say, who wants to do that? I saw one place out in Yuen Long, 5,000 a month, but shared bathroom....a no go, and you would be on the bus to get anywhere from there. Even with a nice place it will still be SMALL. If a business visa could be gained for Shenzhen, then renting there, even staying in a hotel like Motel 168 (forgot the name) would be ok for a month and cheap, until you get a better place. HK is bad for rents, sadly, and no cheap beer or bbq on the street. |
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lugubregondola
Joined: 01 Sep 2016
Posts: 92
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| Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 2:46 pm Post subject: |
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| I wouldn't work in HK for less than $60k US PLUS accommodation allowance. |
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joe30
Joined: 07 Jul 2016
Posts: 112
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| Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 3:18 pm Post subject: |
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| lugubregondola wrote: |
| joe30 wrote: |
| lugubregondola wrote: |
| why would the OP want to consider the NET scheme when she's a qualified UK teacher? She can earn more at an international school in HK I think with a proper package that includes flight, flight allowance, free accommodation in HK etc. You just get a housing allowance on the NET scheme. I think the NET schme prefer teachers with a BA in English than other subjects not sure. I have just sent off an application for a job at an EDF international school. Don'tknow how much they pay but it had better be over $60k USD a year plus free accommodation |
50,000hkd is 4,860GBP. That's 3x what a PGCE newly qualified teacher would take home working in the UK. Even if it will adversely affect you when applying for a non-ESL job later...3x the cash is still an awful lot of money. I'll certainly be getting my application in this year. |
Yes but look at how much a room or studio will cost you to rent in HK. https://www.airbnb.com/s/Hong-Kong?guests=1&checkin=10%2F01%2F2016&checkout=10%2F31%2F2016&ss_id=88xwve7v&source=bb&s_tag=lSn9-OFD
A studio costs £1120 per month and a SINGLE room costs £1067. Cheaper prices you see are SHARED rooms which no one would want to do. So already that £4860 a month is down to £3700 a month BEFORE tax and health insurance. |
3700 a month after accommodation is paid is the sort of cash most UK teachers could only dream about. That's still a seriously large amount of cash. Could save 2500 a month easily, maybe more if you live frugally.
The gratuity of 20% counterbalances the tax.
I might agree the very top level of ESF or international schools pay more (If you made it to a leadership role) but the NET scheme is still extremely good. |
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Spelunker
Joined: 03 Nov 2013
Posts: 392
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| Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 3:28 pm Post subject: re: fair points, joe |
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| It's decent money AND you would not have to be in a boring place like Saudi Arabia to earn it. As long as not going out eating western food all the time, pissing it up in LKF, savings can be made I reckon. |
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lugubregondola
Joined: 01 Sep 2016
Posts: 92
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| Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 3:33 pm Post subject: |
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yeh agreed but only one very big problem. There will be a very large number of applicants with English degrees for any openings so if you have any other subject you may as well just forget it. also Saudi Arabia doesn't pay 3700 pounds a month.
NQTs in England earn 22k yeh but experienced teachers can earn as much as 35-40k. The most a teacher can earn in the UK is 107k. |
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Spelunker
Joined: 03 Nov 2013
Posts: 392
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| Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 3:48 pm Post subject: re: agreed, but... |
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There will be a very large number of applicants with English degrees for any openings so if you have any other subject you may as well just forget it. also Saudi Arabia doesn't pay 3700 pounds a month.
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I agree there is a large number of applicants at the moment, I've emailed jobs and literally had nothing back, and I have an English Degree, it's mad.
It can pay near enough, one job I have recently applied for pays around 3,500 a month, but that one may not suit everyone as it is in a very isolated place. When you factor in the free flat and no bills, then all of that 3,500 or 3,700 or whatever you get paid is yours to spend/save....and there ain't much to spend it on really. I'd still agree HK is better socially, of course. |
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Jmbf
Joined: 29 Jun 2014
Posts: 663
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| Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 3:49 pm Post subject: |
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Let me get this straight. We're talking about a city which has some of the highest ESL salaries in the world and some of you guys are complaining about having to pay more rent? What do you actually want? Why don't you just cherry pick the best parts of cities from all around the world and combine them into a magical utopia where everything is perfect and move there?
As for flat sharing, plenty of people flat share, from teachers to young professionals in a wide variety of industries. Some flat shares are very nice. Others not so much. Are they suitable for everyone? No of course not, but to say NOBODY would want to flat share is just nonsense. These overgeneralisations are getting to the point where it's tricky to tell if people are serious or just trolling. |
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Spelunker
Joined: 03 Nov 2013
Posts: 392
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| Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 3:53 pm Post subject: re: ok |
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| OK! But rent should be covered for an apartment with working A/C and internet (Ethernet), just my humble opinion. Everyone can have their own opinion, no worries there. |
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joe30
Joined: 07 Jul 2016
Posts: 112
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| Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 4:00 pm Post subject: |
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Come work in the UK. Here you won't get any of your rent paid, flatshare or not. You'll also pay higher taxes and have a much lower salary. Work in the South, and you'll have similar rent costs too.
Anyone seriously suggesting a UK teacher is better off in the UK than on the NET scheme must be smoking something. |
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lugubregondola
Joined: 01 Sep 2016
Posts: 92
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| Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 8:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Jmbf wrote: |
Let me get this straight. We're talking about a city which has some of the highest ESL salaries in the world and some of you guys are complaining about having to pay more rent? What do you actually want? Why don't you just cherry pick the best parts of cities from all around the world and combine them into a magical utopia where everything is perfect and move there?
As for flat sharing, plenty of people flat share, from teachers to young professionals in a wide variety of industries. Some flat shares are very nice. Others not so much. Are they suitable for everyone? No of course not, but to say NOBODY would want to flat share is just nonsense. These overgeneralisations are getting to the point where it's tricky to tell if people are serious or just trolling. |
Because people have to purchase houses in the UK to retire in someday and houses in the UK anywhere decent or south of Birmingham are NOT CHEAP. You are looking at over 200k POUNDS ($300k) MINIMUM for a house in these areas. A 1 bed flat in central London would be £1million pounds PLus. A house in LONDON central costs £10 million pounds and up. It takes many years to pay off 200k pounds and live mortgage free that's why people want a higher salary and don't want to spend it all on higher rents.
I was not talking about flat share. I said that it costs £1000 odd to rent a studio or room in Hong Kong (see airbandb link above). I said the lower prices are for sharing a ROOM not a flat. Even in stupid London they have room shares now. If you want your own room it costs a lot more. So that's why I said who would want to do that. I am therefore not trolling you have misread what I said |
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lugubregondola
Joined: 01 Sep 2016
Posts: 92
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| Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 8:18 pm Post subject: |
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| joe30 wrote: |
Anyone seriously suggesting a UK teacher is better off in the UK than on the NET scheme must be smoking something. |
another one who didn't read my post. I said UK teachers can earn 35-40k and a top teacher/head teacher as much as 107k pounds. It's therefore the same as a NET 40k but HK is more expensive than the UK to rent costing 1000 plus for a studio and 2000 or more for more desirable accommodation. so you'll spend 12000 pounds on a studio or nice room in HK and only about 4000 pounds in the UK except for London. If you are a top teacher/head teacher on 107k you will obviously be on more than a NET. That's 107k gross though. don't know what tax is in HK. |
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joe30
Joined: 07 Jul 2016
Posts: 112
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| Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 9:45 pm Post subject: |
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| lugubregondola wrote: |
| joe30 wrote: |
Anyone seriously suggesting a UK teacher is better off in the UK than on the NET scheme must be smoking something. |
another one who didn't read my post. I said UK teachers can earn 35-40k and a top teacher/head teacher as much as 107k pounds. It's therefore the same as a NET 40k but HK is more expensive than the UK to rent costing 1000 plus for a studio and 2000 or more for more desirable accommodation. so you'll spend 12000 pounds on a studio or nice room in HK and only about 4000 pounds in the UK except for London. If you are a top teacher/head teacher on 107k you will obviously be on more than a NET. That's 107k gross though. don't know what tax is in HK. |
Well then you're not comparing entry level with entry level. At all steps however, the NET scheme is clearly better, since if you're comparing a £107k UK headteacher then you have to compare with the top of the NET scheme. At 50k HKD+20k HKD a month for the special allowance, that's 840k HKD a year, so £84k GBP a year. Plus the 10% retention allowance (so add another £6k to basic salary) and you're up to £90k. Yes, it's taxed, but you've got the gratuity which largely cancels out the tax. £90k net is a ton better than £107k gross, which can easily be verified by looking at any UK tax calculator.
Also, I suspect the number of head teachers on £107k in the UK is in the single digits. |
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Jmbf
Joined: 29 Jun 2014
Posts: 663
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| Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2016 3:56 am Post subject: |
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| lugubregondola wrote: |
I was not talking about flat share. I said that it costs £1000 odd to rent a studio or room in Hong Kong (see airbandb link above). I said the lower prices are for sharing a ROOM not a flat. Even in stupid London they have room shares now. If you want your own room it costs a lot more. So that's why I said who would want to do that. I am therefore not trolling you have misread what I said |
Ok I'll admit I skimmed over your previous post and assumed you made a typo. Let me clarify a few things. Firstly, airbnb is a website designed for tourists and those who want short-term accommodation (usually counted in days but occasionally extending up to a couple of months). I don't know of anyone who lives and works full-time in HK who arranged their apartment through airbnb. It does not reflect the residential rental market in Hong Kong at all. If you want to get a more accurate picture of the rental market in Hong Kong you should take a look at one of the following:
http://www.28hse.com/en/
https://www.squarefoot.com.hk
Even these are not 100% accurate, but they will give you much better information than airbnb. To get realistic up-to-date information you'd have to walk the streets and talk to some real estate agents. Regardless, if you bother to search either of these sites, you'd see that for 10K there are a plethora of apartments available, some old, some new, some studios, some 1 beds etc etc. Many are even available for less than 10K. If you venture out into the New Territories you can find lots of 1 bedroom apartments (usually a floor of a village house) for 5-7K. Use the links I provided if you don't believe me. If you wanted to flat share, there are plenty available at a wide range of prices, from 5K and upwards. Here's a fairly typical example: https://geoexpat.com/classifieds/apartments/shared-flats-available/ad/397612
There's no need for ROOM sharing unless you're really desperate to keep your accommodation costs down to 2-3K / month. Here's an example: https://geoexpat.com/classifieds/apartments/shared-flats-available/ad/372239 |
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Jmbf
Joined: 29 Jun 2014
Posts: 663
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| Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2016 7:35 am Post subject: |
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| lugubregondola wrote: |
| Because people have to purchase houses in the UK to retire in someday and houses in the UK anywhere decent or south of Birmingham are NOT CHEAP. You are looking at over 200k POUNDS ($300k) MINIMUM for a house in these areas. A 1 bed flat in central London would be £1million pounds PLus. A house in LONDON central costs £10 million pounds and up. It takes many years to pay off 200k pounds and live mortgage free that's why people want a higher salary and don't want to spend it all on higher rents. |
All the more reason to ensure that your savings translates into a useable amount when converted back into your home country's currency. Hong Kong salaries are good in this regard once you get above entry-level grade.
You may be able to live more cheaply in other countries but there's no point being able to save 90% of your income when you are earning only 5,000 - 10,000 RMB in China for example. You'd be lucky to save much more than US 10,000 / year. |
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Spelunker
Joined: 03 Nov 2013
Posts: 392
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| Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2016 10:39 am Post subject: re: good points... |
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| The HKD is easily convertible, and it is easy to change money with no questions asked in Hong Kong. Savings in China would not be as good as saving in HK I reckon, and you have the benefit of cheaper flights from HKIA also. |
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