Job Discussion Forums

[cherryblossom80]

My husband and I are considering a move to Hong Kong. My husband is a certified teacher and is thinking about going through Teach Away. I work in a specialized field in which there would be jobs for me.

We had previously taught English in Korea for a year in 2009-2010. We didn't love Korea, but we liked being expats and the ability to travel in Asia.

Here are some questions I have, to help us begin our research...

Most important for me, is that we have 2 dogs that I don't want to leave behind. It's kind of a deal breaker. One is a rescue we had brought home from Korea (a Jindo about 30lbs.) the other is a Jack russell/beagle (about 23 lbs). What difficulties will we face bringing in dogs? I know in Korea, there's always the fear that if your dog escapes it will be eaten. I don't know if expats have to worry about this in HK. Also, is finding housing with pets a problem? Are people generally accepting of dogs, how are dogs treated, etc.???

Secondly, what is the cost of living like in HK? Is it hard to save money? In Korea, we were able to save half our salary without even trying. Back in the US, we haven't been able to save anything--even with a much higher income! I'd accept something in the middle....

Any experiences with Teach Away in Hong Kong?

What is the expat attitude about HK? I know in Korea it was largely negative..mostly I guess because Koreans are mistrustful of outsiders. I imagine HK would be different though.

Any advice would be great!

[Perilla]

I have a dog here, but don't know anything about bringing dogs in. I imagine it's perfectly doable, though it may mean a week or two (or more) in quarantine as HK has strict anti-rabies laws. And you'll need all your papers to be in order etc. Many people would advise against bringing dogs here on the grounds that most people live in small high-rise accomodation. This advice is valid unless you live away from the dense urban areas (like I do), such as out on the islands (eg. Lamma or Lantau) or in the New Territories.

HK has a high cost of living, which means you need to be on a fairly decent income before you start saving. The subject of income/savings potential in HK crops up regularly - I suggest you do a search of the forum. But you will save a rather smaller proportion of your income here compared to Korea (I worked in Korea before I came to HK, so I know this to be the case).

I dunno about Teach Away, though it sounds like a language mill? If so, you'll be at the lower end of the TEFL income range in HK.

Expat attitude? You mean the attitude of local people towards expats? I'd say generally quite indifferent. Hongkongers are very used to foreigners, so generally you're "invisible" in the same way you are in the UK or US. They generally keep themselves to themselves, though they are friendly enough if you make the effort. I interacted with locals much more in Korea than I have here, partly because I found Koreans to be much more inquisitive about me, and they were inclined to invite me out for meals and day trips etc. - something that just doesn't happen in HK in the same way.