Hong Kong or Singapore? Advice please??

[giddybiddy]

DH has announced a move to Asia might be imminent though exactly where not sure. He may be able to influence location but not sure where we should express a preference for.... Have three DDs all primary school age so schools are of paramount import. I have completely succumbed to being an expat wife so my work centers around making family life work where ever we are. Any advice on life style, schools, location would be really welcomed. Many thanks!

Oh God- this thread is so useful but is depressing the pants off me as we really need a house next year and we are on local and cannot consider +$100k rent. Off to the NT with me I think and I really dont wanna go- waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh

Great Thread, We're hopefully moving out next eyar with our 2 kids agead 3 & 5 and schools and accomodation are the major worry.
Thanks for all the info!!! Will be interested to read how you get on progressing with the move

Baggedandtagged, looks like things might settle in the next few months.
The HK authorities have just introduced some measures to cool down the red hot resale market and it is expected, in view of the very sharp halt in resale transactions that it will have a knock on effect on the rental market at some point.
Too bad we just signed our lease!

The only problem is that private owners might become even greedier and that although prices may not be as outrageous, the standard of maintenance of properties will be poor and the better properties will rent even more quickly.
So enlist the help of a good agent or better keep on top of listings by developers and go to them direct if you are confident negotiating on your own and want to avoid paying commission.
That said in my experience, commissions are well deserved in the long run so choose you agent wisely.

I can wholeheartedly recommend Amy Landless from Colliers. Very efficient professional service. They have an excellent relationship with big developers due to the volume of business they bring them and are often in a good position to negotiate inclusive prices and perks that smaller agents could not request as they only do one offs.
She was very diligent and only showed the best properties within our budget whilst others were showing us our "dream Homes" at "in your dreams" prices.

Emma, good luck, but at the risk of repeating myself, get cracking on the school applications.

DH has come back from New York and announced we may be going there instead!!

Am about to go away and have a quiet nervous breakdown.......

See the bright side: If you have a good paying job, The US place is not a bad place to be at the moment.....
x

Giddy- I'm sooo jealous. I would love to have the chance of working in New York ( for a while a least)
Bagged- we're not all on expat packages :)

Hi, I don't mind New York in itself, it is just all the work I (and all of you!) have put into Hong Kong!! Thank you all for your help, it has been great, apparently Asia may come up again in 3 years so watch this space! In the meantime, I am slinking off to start a new thread about New York........

Good luck! how exciting!

Hi there, I realise this is a really old thread... but just in case any of you are getting notifications for it.... I was wondering how the situation with schools is looking now. Is it still as competitive and hard to get into? We might be moving to HK and my children will be going into reception and Year 1 in September (I think we'd look to move just before school starts. Many thanks!

Hi Fulham, you may want to look at my thread which is not as ancient as this one :) www.mumsnet.com/Talk/living_overseas/2517089-Hong-Kong-Come-and-talk-to-me

Basically there are new schools (Harrow, Nord Anglia) but it's still competitive and hard to get places. We're moving in July and my DCs will be in Y3 and Y1, so similar to yours. I'm told Y1 is the hardest to get in, but I think Nord Anglia has places.

I think looking at schools early is a good idea as most schools seem to have school buses, so the school you choose will determine where you live/how long the bus ride for your children.

Feel free to hijack/post on the other thread, I can't help much as still in the UK but some posters are very knowledgeable and will come to your rescue!

Hello, yes feel free to ask anything you want abt HK.
Plenty of us around. Many have been in HK/ Asia for a long time.
We have one DS in the Korean International School. We are not Korean. It's quite Asian, but there is a great bunch of western mums too.
It's a tiny school with no debenture. The teachers are very caring and committed. It's a school that definitely flies under the radar. Some use it as a holding school whilst on a wait list. Some intend to move and then stay.

We are very happy with it for now. Senior schooling will be another ball game altogether.

It's on the Island line in Sai Wan Ho. There are school buses and kids come in from all over the place. That goes for most schools.

HTH

For reception and year 1 most schools interviewed in january and acceptance letters were sent out this week.

It will be very hard getting a place in most schools but not impossible. Do apply without any further delay though.
There is a FB group called hong kkng schools that is a goid starting point to ask specific question to parents.
The group moderator is an educational consultant. Money well spent when you come late in the game. Worth building that into your allowance. Its not crazy expensive and definitely a better option than paying for multiple pointless applications.

For British curriculum there are 3 options- Kellett (where mine go), Nord Anglia and Harrow. Easiest to get into late in the day is Nord Anglia. It's a new school but I hear a lot of good things about it. However, as far as I know, it doesnt have a reception class (starts in Year 1) so your youngest would need to do another year of pre-school, for which there are many options- they are typically half day programs although some offer extension days.

The other "popular" option is ESF schools which follow the International Bacc. primary years program. They have a different cut off system - Jan 1-Dec 31 so your DC may be in a different year to what they'd be in in the UK, depending on how their birthdays fall. Again, there's no reception and you start Year 1 in the September of the calendar year in which you are 5. The reason I mention ESF is that they save some places for newcomers who don't have school places sorted. This is an endless source of resentment amongst longer term residents but may well work in your favour. ESF schools work on catchment basis so best thing to do is contact them, try to get a place and then live near whichever school is allocated.

As city mentioned, there are also loads of other international schools, and most are not restricted to that nationality, although they probably give priority. Some have international (English medium) streams in addition to their local language streams (French and German Swiss, for example). Some are also selective - if your DC are v bright, this can be an advantage.

Without wanting to offend anyone whose kids are there, I would avoid Canadian at the moment as it's going through a period of major upheaval.

Finally, just as a heads up, HK schools usually go back mid-August rather than early September, as they finish end of June.

Just to add to the great summary above, the Korean school has a lovely primary following the british curriculum with a good academic reputation and quite a few happy british families.

Thank you all so much, and sorry for the very late reply! Things are still in the discussion phase with my husband's work but they are flying us out to HK in 2 weeks to have a look and see if we want to move (neither of us have ever been). So, on that trip we want to have a short list of areas where we would potentially live, would love input on that front too please!!! Our only friends there live in Repluse Bay and really want us to live there too, have said there is a good pre-school at 101 replies and the HK international School. Even though we're in the UK now, we are not from the UK (Irish and Kiwi) so actually don't mind not going the British school system. Even though our friends are there, I really want to look at other areas and pick what is best for us - school dependent! So, husband has said his company do have debentures in a couple of schools, due to talk to HR today or tomorrow about it... he is useless at finding out details! I will update once I know.

Will have a look at that other thread too - thanks for that!

Look forward to any other information!! Best x

Good advice from your friends.
If you do have a corporate debenture then seriously consider.
Very few expats have this opportunity these days. Make every other decision ( where to live etc) easy!

Hi again, so we've spent a few days in HK, and have a question re where to live. If you had to decide between 101 repulse bay or parkview, what would you choose?! Do you know much about these? And re rental prices, from chatting to friends, they think rental prices are dropping, is it possible to negotiate prices on blocks like repulse bay or parkview?

Schools - only drove by them as its Easter holidays, but just wondering your thoughts on HKIS? I liked the location of it and think it could be one we could get a place at... How does it compare to FIS and Kellet?

Sorry, so many questions!!!

Thanks to anyone who can help!