Moving to Hong Kong with kids (so many specific questions even after research!)

[Halfeatenlunch]

Hi everyone, we have two pre-school children in the UK and are looking to relocate to HK. Various reasons, but primarily to be closer to family to help with the children and a more "convenient" lifestyle.

1. Current home - what on earth do people do with belongings? We will be renting it out but most want it without furniture, so do we just put it all into storage (it costs so much!) or just have to give it all away? Sofas, TV, toys, beds, wardrobes and so on. Especially as HK homes are tiny in comparison.

1. Choosing a school - we have done a ton of research and most seem to suggest basing where we live depending on what schools we get into. Our little ones are currently in a fairly academic prep. Does anyone know if ESF is academic or just a happy/nice school? How does it compare to say a high achieving state school in the UK?

1. Actually applying - most seem to want an interview. So does that mean we have to relocate and live in a random serviced apartment, interview and hope to get a place and then pick our actual home to rent?

1. Timing - we are thinking we move after the end of their current school year i.e. in July, do those face to face interviews (one school wrote back asking to meet us when we get there), and then hopefully starting in August/Sept for school? Does that seem reasonable?

1. Day to day life - apartments are small compared to UK obviously but I had imagined we would be outside a lot more. For example just popping out to the shops by walking or MTR and less reliant on a car - right now we would drive to our nearest supermarket. Is this realistic to think we would be out and about (not necessarily hikes or beach) more?

To be honest one of the most nerve wracking part is the move itself - getting rid of so much stuff, packing, and then unpacking in HK!

I can answer a couple of questions. The HK lifestyle is very much "out and about" and you will have warm weather as well.

I went to an ESF primary and secondary school. It was quite a long time ago but I would say they were "academic". I did better there than if I had stayed in the UK. I would say that most of the other kids were motivated to do well to go onto further education.

You will love Hong Kong! How exciting to move there 😊

Hey I had friends in HK and also moved with fam to SE Asia so can give a bit of perspective.
Moving your furniture etc is only realistic by sea unless you are mega rich. This means that either you go in a short term place for a few months as you don't have any furniture until your stuff arrives or you buy all new stuff.
I'd recommend going for short trip in advance of moving to line up views on areas and get to grips with school trips etc. If you can find a relocation service then that can help or else find the expat groups who can be a really useful source of advice (even if you have family there, it's a different ball game moving continent!)
I'd push hard on sorting schools and that's probably your biggest decision. If you can persuade them to do zoom interviews or bring your kids on the quick trip. Again many of the schools may have Facebook groups etc and I'd get on those to get a sense of the school and see what the community is like.
Lifestyle, my friends definitely did a lot "out of apartment", they are very small! You will absolutely not need a car and will be far more "top up" shop etc.also don't forget you will be in prime.position to travel beyond HK across SE Asia for half terms etc.

Enjoy, it will be an amazing experience!

My specialist subject !

1. this depends on if you really are set on moving for good or going on a 'let's see basis'. Storage will cost a fortune, as will shipping, and HK apartments aren't really decided in the same size or shape as UK houses. I'd vote for selling as much as possible and starting again, only shipping things you love or things you need. A compromise here is to put things in storage for a year to see if you settle - but then it's much much harder to sell from a distance unless you have a really good friend or relative willing to take it on. Remember that with preschool kids, what you need now will change quickly so don't ship loads of toys. Stick to the favourites.

2. ESFs are great schools - some better than others, of course, but still great. Beware, their fees are rising quickly as the govt gets rid of the subsidies, so they are cheaper now than other international schools - however, it's a contentious issue if they will remain so and what impact curriculum changes may be enforced by the Govt, as they have been in local schools.

3. Mostly, the ESF schools do require you to be in a catchment area; getting into RC is brutal and can be difficult, especially for the more popular ones. But kids move all the time in HK, especially in primary, so if you don't get into RC at your chosen school, you can place elsewhere and then try again. International Schools rarely care about catchments and have fleets of buses bringing kids to school from all over. There are a plethora of agents who will help with this - but join Facebook groups British Mums in HK and Hong Kong Schools to get the best current advice.

4. Check with your preferred school if staff will be around in the summer for interviews. ESF, you should be okay but like the UK there are defined timelines for applications so check up on those as well. The internationals may be harder to get summer interviews at but not impossible. However, I'd suggest shifting forward a bit to get interviews in before the school year ends or if feasible time and money wise arranging a short trip to HK before hand to see schools and meet with admissions. At their age, your kids can fit into a preschool or take part in the thousands of summer activities pitched at little kids to keep them active and to make friends so they won't get bored.

5. day to day life - depends a lot on where you live. Centrally, people often order online and top up at wet markets or supermarkets. New Territories or Southside, more likely to need a car (all be it many don't). HK housing is small, so people plan to be out a lot, and there is a huge amount to do.

Hong Kong is just awesome; I left 18 months ago and miss it every single day. It is changing, but, meh, so does everywhere. If you have family there I'm sure you know the recent history. Anything else, just let me know happy to answer.

I've lived there for a couple of years a few years ago with a primary-aged child. I found that ESF wanted an address to apply. At the time I got a lot of the information from local school FB groups and here.
I think that ESF was less academic than some of the other ones, but still way ahead of the UK level.
I did all my big shopping online and had it delivered, just did top-ups locally.
Public transport is great and never felt the need for a car. Very much out and about. Pollution can get bad in the winter. The apartments are not equipped for cold weather either.
Our move was not a big one (we came with a couple of suitcases ) and we bought a lot of stuff there and then sold it before we left. We left our stuff in the storage here but ended up selling/ giving away a lot when we returned. We learned to live quite minimalistically...

I might be wrong but I heard that ESF has scrapped the catchment system now, so can apply where you like. However still makes sense to live close.

ESF teaches IB primary curriculum which would not be my first choice tbh- not enough structure/ focus on grounding the basics. Friends who moved back in late primary found that their DC were way behind the academic London preps- one issue is that HK international primaries don’t do much specialist teaching and do weird things like roll humanities and science into one thing called “topic” right up until year 6 so there’s a content gap. ESF class sizes are big (30). I’d personally choose Kellett over ESF. Also be aware that the ESF cut offs are different to uk so if your dc has a birthday between September to December they will be a year higher in the ESF system than in the Uk system.

However, you say your DC are pre- school age so are you targeting the ESF primary schools or the pre-schools as the applications are different? The preschools are very play based. My dc loved it and to be fair their school readiness was great, but they didn’t do any academic work there, to be clear.

I lived in HK for 14 years and we did have a car. You don’t need one but I found it handy with DC especially when the weather is crappy or you need to go somewhere at taxi changeover time. Also if you decide to live somewhere like sai kung/ Clearwater bay/ south Lantau then you’d benefit from one.

You are out and about a bit more I would say but mainly for leisure purposes vs admin purposes. If you have a helper you don’t need to go to the supermarket as they would do that. As pp mentioned, delivery also available. A lot of apartment buildings have communal facilities like a pool or a traffic free “podium” where kids can ride bikes and scooters or play ball games. These are great as you meet people and the dc have ready made play dates. You don’t feel like you always have to be finding something to do. That said, there are times when you still wish your apartment was bigger! If you don’t mind living further out ( sai kung, Clearwater bay, discovery bay) you get more for your money.