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Living overseas

Whether you're considering emigrating or an expat abroad, you'll find likeminds on this forum.

Anyone here live in Hong Kong?

6 replies

hk88 · 09/01/2021 20:46

DH has a potential opportunity to move to HK for work once the borders reopen and the world returns to normal. Me and 2 DC (and a dog) will follow him.

DC are preschool age but DD1 will be starting reception in September 2022. I'd like to find an area close to a British school with a large British expat community but also somewhere dog friendly. Can anyone recommend a school? Any schools or areas to avoid?

We currently live in London so are used to paying a lot for little space! Our budget for rent in HK is around £5k a month.

OP posts:
hk88 · 10/01/2021 07:53

Hopeful bump now that I'm taking the time difference in to account Blush

OP posts:
couldhavegonethen · 12/01/2021 05:29

I’m in HK but don’t have children in school here. There are FB groups that you may find useful..
Hong Moms FB....family related questions.
Hong Kong Schools FB....school related questions.
Hong Kong Quarantine Group .....very important at the moment due to entry restrictions.
There has been a bit of an expat exodus recently so finding a school place should be a little easier than in previous years.

Insert1x20p · 12/01/2021 13:00

@hk88 [long]

I've lived in HK for 12 years and both my kids are at the British international school (Kellett). The other schools that teach the English curriculum are Harrow and Nord Anglia. There are loads of other English medium schools but they usually teach the PYP (IB) curriculum or a country specific curriculum (eg Australian School). Be aware that cut offs for years vary, so if your daughter was born between September and December she'd be in a higher year in some schools (e.g. ESF) than in the UK system. Kellett usually has a long waitlist but is culturally still quite British (very "happy" school - great pastoral care and holistic focus, as inclusive as it gets). Harrow is an international school in name only (90%+ local kids). Nord Anglia has a good reputation and is somewhere between the two on demographics. Why am I telling you this and probably sounding slightly racist? Because ultimately, whatever curriculum they teach, if there's a heavy majority of local students, the culture will be local (lots of homework, heavy academic focus, minimal playdates because they all have tutoring after school). Just be aware of that because that approach wouldn't have worked for my kids. Caveat: I have friends with kids in the local (government) system and it works for them, so depends on your kid. Issue is, they built a tonne of new franchise international schools (Malvern, Shrewsbury etc) and now cant fill them as not enough expats.

Anyway, to back up a bit, I would firstly do your research on whether this is a good move. You probably know the recent history - we had major political protests here in H2 2019 which has had fallout. There is no doubt in most people's minds that HK is now undergoing an accelerated process of political, legal and economic reintegration into China, and in particular, into the Greater Bay Area, which also comprises the Chinese cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen. This, combined with the impact of Covid means that HK is on limited time as the truly international city that has given it its unique "vibe". It also implies far more limited opportunities for non-Mandarin speakers. HK is basically having one mother of an identity/ mid life crisis.

Re. exodus mentioned above, it's a bit hard to tell at the moment as there are some temporary moves but my observation is that far more people are going than coming - partly by choice, partly because it's harder to get a visa. Cathay downgraded a load of old (generous) contracts which means that a lot of expat pilots' families are going home as financially ruinous to stay.

My advice would be, if it makes sense financially (low taxes) or career-wise, then probably worth coming but really do your sums. There are upsides, albeit they come at a cost as it is a very very expensive city.- a kids gym class can easily be 20 quid a time. It's a great base to explore Asia if flights open up, although likely to be way more expensive/ hassle than previously- I suspect casual weekends in Thailand or Singapore wont happen for a longtime. Financially , really do the sums as 5k (50,000 HKD) is actually not a large housing budget in HK- I know that sounds ridiculous. We pay almost 70k for a 3 bed apartment in mid levels with a very old finish (the kitchen dates from the 80's). If your dd went to Nord Anglia or Kellett in Kowloon Bay then Clearwater Bay and Sai Kung would be your best bets for your budget, especially as you have a dog. That is a longer commute into Central but if you're in London now you're possibly used to that and there's a big expat contingent up there.

Best FB groups - British Mums in HK is genuinely a nice group but be aware that there's a large "HK born" contingent who would have a different perspective on the benefits of HK vs UK than maybe a shorter term expat (weird mix of "keep calm and carry on" nostalgia and a view of UK as the badlands). Avoid HK Moms. Very trolly and fighty. Just not nice or constructive.

HTH. Don't want to be doom and gloom but as you don't have to make a quick decision, worth really kicking the tyres and weighing it up. See how things pan out for us over the next 6 months at least.

hk88 · 12/01/2021 13:30

Thank you @couldhavegonethen I'll check those out!

And thank you @Insert1x20p, your post was incredibly useful and insightful. This is exactly the kind of info I need! I was looking at Harrow as a schooling option and didn't know about the huge local population, so that's really useful! Malvern and Kellett (Kowloon campus) were also on my list. Do you think it's worth me emailing Kellett now and registering my DC/start enquiring about places for 2022?

Re the changing tide of HK, we are aware and prepared. DH needs to be close to the Chinese and will likely set up a sister office in Shenzhen (as well as HK), so further integration with China isn't a big factor in our considering to move. There was even talk of moving to mainland China but I'm not quite up for that. The other alternative is me and DC stay here in London and DH will "commute" to HK, few weeks on/few weeks off type of thing. Not sure how viable that is?! We have in our minds this will be a short-to-medium term move (5yrs-ish) and eventually return to the UK.

Right... I'll have to up the rent budget then 😬 We currently live in central London and pay close to £5k a month for a large apartment in a nice and central area, but in HK we will happily consider living out of the City for a little more space and access to green space for the dog. Are there expat communities that don't live in the City/downtown, or will we be outliers?

OP posts:
Insert1x20p · 13/01/2021 02:06

Ok- makes sense. Yeah- if your DH is doing a lot of cross border work then the reintegration is a definite plus and seems like you have a good sense of the political implications of that.

Definitely email Kellett now if you want a place for 2022 but I would not restrict yourself to Kellett as it is not selective (i.e no chance people ahead of you on the list fail the assessment and get bumped off), it's a first choice school (unlikely anyone ahead of you would decline in favour of another school) and reception likely to be oversubscribed. I would definitely also look at Nord Anglia. Kellett has two campuses and the admissions is run on a combined basis although you can express a preference. Once you're in, you're not allowed to change campus, even if you move.

Main expat hubs on the island are Pok Fu Lam, Southside (Repulse Bay and Stanley/Tai Tam in particular, Shek O to an extent but it's a long way from anywhere) and parts of Mid Levels. Off HK island, Clearwater Bay, Sai Kung and Discovery Bay are also popular. The expat population is very mixed and not dominated by one nationality and is a mix of short term, long term and "lifers" - i.e. overseas passport holders who are second/third generation HK born. If you have a dog I'd probably not do mid levels, although plenty of people have dogs here. It would be very concrete dog walking :-). Also, where you live kind of depends on the school and your husband's office- is he setting up a new office or is there one already? If he has to go to Shenzhen a lot, then proximity to the HK terminus in Kowloon West might be a consideration but there aren't many obvious expat hubs round there.

Re the international commute, I know people who have done it but more out of necessity and usually at the "other end"- i.e. mum goes home with kids, dad stays a bit longer due to work commitments. Mixed success rate but that may be because those people were on brink of splitting up anyway. I wouldn't do it for 5 years. It's a long flight and the jet lag sucks.

citychick · 16/01/2021 06:17

I've been in HK with family for almost 6 years and time spent here also in early 2000's.

I wouldn't recommend the commute.
Covid has meant flights back and forth are unreliable. Plus the added expense and emotional push and pull of it all. And yes, sadly there is always the chance of relationship breakdown.

Others above have given great advice. Personally I would find an expat hub closer to husband's work. Sai Kung, Clearwater Bay and other areas in the new territories are a couple to mention of course. There's a huge population in Sai Kung and there is a lively and supportive lifestyle to be had. Plus housing is more affordable and spacious.

I would say that whilst the international schools are present please remember that there may ( or may not) be a much larger number of pupils for whom Cantonese or mandarin is the first language. And we have found this tricky for DS to make friends. It's just something to bare in mind.

A friend did say to me..." If you want a school where it's mostly English, blond hair and blue eyed, go to Kellet"

Those were his words not mine, but it's just something to file away for use as and when you do come to HK

Good luck 🤞

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