hi, thinking of applying for a job in Hong Kong.... any one out there who has experienced working in HK? or who has friends / relatives working in HK? Can share??? thanks...
Anyone has worked in Hong Kong before?
- Thread starter insignificant.i
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Life there is pretty much the same as Singapore, fast paced. Transportation is not too bad, taxis are a bit expensive if you travel long distances.
Food is definitely BAGUS! Must eat! :bsmilie:
Food is definitely BAGUS! Must eat! :bsmilie:
can survive with no knowlegde of cantonese? how about hygiene.... with the not so recent SARS cases at the back of mind... my impression was that HK not as clean as Singapore, i've never been to HK....:embrass:
thanks.... will see how it goes, have applied for the job actually, now it's just the waiting game....:sweat:
insignificant.i said:
you still can survive without knowledge of cantonese because some of the staff still can understand mandarin(if they dun understand then u speak in english lor).
what i feel after two months stay at here is :
1) There is lots of people everywhere , anytime.
2) The house here are smaller than sg and their renter is higher than sg also.
3) Their living expenses is about 10-20% higher than sg (after calculation of food price about HKD20-30, S$4.25-6.38). if u eat wantan mee its HKD18=S$3.8.
But their photography equipment is more cheaper than SG
Yes.
The pace in Hong Kong is much faster than in Singapore, and the office is chaotic but they get the jobs done like miracle.
MRT is convenient and cheap, cars are cheap to buy but expensive to park, house are expensive, food are cheap and more variety, clothing are cheap but u need to change every season otherwise ppl will wonder why u always wear last year jacket or tie.
The pace in Hong Kong is much faster than in Singapore, and the office is chaotic but they get the jobs done like miracle.
MRT is convenient and cheap, cars are cheap to buy but expensive to park, house are expensive, food are cheap and more variety, clothing are cheap but u need to change every season otherwise ppl will wonder why u always wear last year jacket or tie.
Cleanliness definitley loses out to SG, but it's not as bad as MY.
You can speak english, most of the people there now can speak and understand english. The last time a captain talked to me in canto when I was in the hotel, I just gave a 'huh', and the captain immediately switched to english and talked to me.
One thing I don't like is that the walkways, sheltered covers are very little and very squeezy.
You can speak english, most of the people there now can speak and understand english. The last time a captain talked to me in canto when I was in the hotel, I just gave a 'huh', and the captain immediately switched to english and talked to me.
One thing I don't like is that the walkways, sheltered covers are very little and very squeezy.
There are high class and low class and maybe middle class in Hong Kong.
The high class places are x times cleaner and better than Singapore Orchard Road.
The low class places are x times dirtier than Singapore hawker centre.
If u cannot speak cantonese, u can still survive. The only problem is, when ppl make fun of u in cantonese u will not understand. But now there is a campaign in Hong Kong to be friendly to tourists and foreigners so u should not worry.
Most sign boards and instructions are in chinese, if u cannot even read chinese then u would be very inconvenient.
The high class places are x times cleaner and better than Singapore Orchard Road.
The low class places are x times dirtier than Singapore hawker centre.
If u cannot speak cantonese, u can still survive. The only problem is, when ppl make fun of u in cantonese u will not understand. But now there is a campaign in Hong Kong to be friendly to tourists and foreigners so u should not worry.
Most sign boards and instructions are in chinese, if u cannot even read chinese then u would be very inconvenient.
I think somehow you will know when they are talking about youinsignificant.i said:
I still can survive here without using cantonese
. I don't have working experience as I am not working here in an office environment. I do have the impresssion that most people here are very efficient, banks open longer hours compared to SG. People here work harder than in SG.......life is alot tougher, so be prepared.HS
my wife used to work there, and my brother in law is still there.
The only thing going for it is money. HK pays better than SG. Period.....Wife used to be a consultant so we have seen some cities. There are loads of places better than SG in my opinion, but HK, just the money.
That said, the type of company u keep will also affect the attractiveness quotient of a place.
Eric
The only thing going for it is money. HK pays better than SG. Period.....Wife used to be a consultant so we have seen some cities. There are loads of places better than SG in my opinion, but HK, just the money.
That said, the type of company u keep will also affect the attractiveness quotient of a place.
Eric
My company has been working with our HK counterparts and I must say there is a really big culture difference. So just be prepared.
But I think once you know them better, then the working relationship will improve a lot..else you may end up hitting the wall a lot times.
Best if you can speak Cantonese
But I think once you know them better, then the working relationship will improve a lot..else you may end up hitting the wall a lot times.
Best if you can speak Cantonese
kthan said:
I will have living allowance on top of my pay.... is the cost of living there higher? Accomodation is free, so i dun have to worry about rent.... the food, the entertainment?
insignificant.i said:
food and entertainment u can always make do...granted there are no $3 chicken rice, but you can still get many options for $10-15.
New Yorkers claim HK prices are more ex than NY, so that gives u an idea.
Anyway, good luck in your search.
insignificant.i said:
Accomodation is the bulk of the living cost unless you own a car. Its consoling to know that its taken care off. Cost of living is definitely much higher than Singapore but if you eat cheaply which is not adisable since you will miss out a lot, you can get by with about HK$30. Entertainment is more expensive, movies, clubbing etc.
Learning cantonese helps to close the gap with the locals. Watch the news, it comes with Chinese Subtitles which I picked up a sentence or two. Speak more and dun be afraid of people mocking at your broken cantonese. The more you use it the better you get. That being said, most people understand English and Mandarin especially since the last two years when you have more Chinese visiting HK.
HK folks are the "slow to warm up" type. They won't get friendly easily with you like most westerners. It takes a while and it helps for you to make your first move. Once they get accquainted they can be very warm.
Best of luck and enjoy your stay if it comes true.
He!he! This was exactly the same observation I made in SG, people are not so fast opening up.....don't feel disappointed, just open up yourself, and they will accept you. Hong Kong people like to chat, and chat, and chat, and chat..........alot!
Hong Sien
Hong Sien
must learn cantonese! you're kidding yourself if you think or hear from those that you don't need cantonese. i wonder what kind of work you are doing, but cantonese are commonly spoken in the office even in MNCs. you are gonna work with some locals.
you also need a social life. go check out several exclusive joints in LKF...'no speak cantonese' = 'no gals'.. there was this time, an Ang moh asked me for directions to a good pub in CANTONESE! I was amazed.. for once i see a foreigner respects a local culture!
but then you'll pick up cantonese fairly quickly i'm sure. but don't ever think that no cantonese is okay. it is NOT okay. heee.........
you also need a social life. go check out several exclusive joints in LKF...'no speak cantonese' = 'no gals'.. there was this time, an Ang moh asked me for directions to a good pub in CANTONESE! I was amazed.. for once i see a foreigner respects a local culture!
but then you'll pick up cantonese fairly quickly i'm sure. but don't ever think that no cantonese is okay. it is NOT okay. heee.........
Really? becos i see a lot of foreigners surviving pretty well w/o cantonese. i would agree it is good to have, but not end of the world if u don't.
Also Mandarin is very 'in' now in HK. But speak Beijing Mandarin, not Sinagpore Mandarin.:bsmilie:
as for no cantonese = no gals. I have seen guys picking gals in many cities w/o speaking the local language. (i am not referring those whom u need to pay). It all boils down to no guts, no glory
Also Mandarin is very 'in' now in HK. But speak Beijing Mandarin, not Sinagpore Mandarin.:bsmilie:
as for no cantonese = no gals. I have seen guys picking gals in many cities w/o speaking the local language. (i am not referring those whom u need to pay). It all boils down to no guts, no glory
litefoot said:
thanks.... no need a car as i dun have license... hope to go lah and get out of singapore for a while....
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