Job Discussion Forums

[misutabiru]

Howdy, folks

I might be taking a job in Hong Kong with the NET scheme this year, but a major factor involved in the decision is whether or not my Wuhanian fiance can get a job and/or permission to live there, too. A previous student suggested the possibility of getting an apartment in Shenzhen and commuting every day. He told me that if I get a place near the Luohu "border crossing" it might be feasible.

For those of you living and working in Hong Kong or Shenzhen, or with experience moving about this region, does this seem like a realistic possibility? Do you know anyone who has tried this before?

Thanks a bazillion,

misutabiru
BO DO LI GE DAO

[lambada]

It would be a bit of a drag. You could use your smart ID to leave and enter HK provided you took your passport with you but you would rapidly use up your passport with China chops. Maybe you could get a school near the border. Rents in that part of HK are almost as cheap as Shenzhen. Might I suggest a new G/F

[ozman]

lambada is right. it can also take a long time to get through border. You could get a school and flat in Sheung Shui and keep your girlfriend in Shenzhen and visit over the weekend. Or get a new girlfriend as Lambada suggests. this might be easier.
ozman

[misutabiru]

Thanks for the information and suggestions, Lambada and Ozman. Once you join the NET scheme, are you able to choose which schools you are assigned to?

misuta

[lambada]

Not if you go through the EMB. If you find your own school there is no problem, but there is no guarantee of finding a job around there. Most NETs would not want to work near the border though. I wouldn't mind as it would be so much cheaper.

[misutabiru]

What is undesirable about schools near the border? Are there banditos roaming the foothills?

[anninhk]

I don't think it is the schools, but the fact that it is considered a long way from the heart of things. A lot of expats seem to think that Central is the only place to be!

[Steppenwolf]

Your fiancee most likely won't get a HK residency permit or a long-term visa (it's at the discretion of the mainland P.S.B.).
I would strongly suggest you prepare for a complicated life spending part of your time in Shenzhen and the rest in HK. Two flats!

The Luohu border is served by KCR trains; it closes at midnight and reopens at 6 a.m. Expect long queues on some days! As a HK resident you may be whisked through quickly on the HK side but not on the Shenzhen side! You will have to fill in a form every single time you arrive there... Then, if SARS breaks out it can get quite a bit dicey what with two jurisdictions that have legal duties and responsibilites that derive from WHO engagements.

There is another border that stays open 24 hours a day; it's called HUANGGANG on the Shenzhen side and LOK MA CHAU on the other side. You must use designated buses to cross the border!

Lastly, there is the ferry from HK to SHEKOU. If your fiancee lives in SHEKOU, perhaps you can manage better because many expats do the commute daily from Shekou and back to it. However, a single trip costs, I seem to recall, around $ or RMB 100...

Crossing the border nearly always is stressful! And costly to boot! Apart from that, you will have to be deployed on the HK side in schools near the KCR line or in Yuenlong New Town. OTherwise you might spend too much time on the road! Think of hot summer days waiting for a bus...

As said already, your passport pages will fill up quickly with stamps from the Shenzhen P.S.B. (immigration service). You can place around 10 chops on one page if neatly arranged!

[misutabiru]

cheers, that was extremely helpful. the two-flat, double-life option seems like it may be the best way to go, at least for the first year.