I'm considering a job out there. It's me, 2 kids 10 and 12, plus DH (who would be a SAHD/tradie/volunteer - whatever he can do/get).
What is a good salary for a family of 4 / director level? HKD 1.5m + bonus? Is that a decent salary? As the main breadwinner I have to ensure it would work obviously and know that disrupting the kids now needs to be worth it. It would be a local contract but perhaps I'd be able to negotiate some financial assistance with with schooling.
Talking of which - we are looking at the French International Schools as we're currently in a French speaking country and keen to keep up the kids' French. So I guess Happy Valley or Wan Chai are good areas to live? What kind of budget is realistic?
What life is like there? How is work life balance? What do you do at weekends? How is the weather? Do you jet off elsewhere in Asia or does that not really happen in reality? We're very happy in our current location, though getting complacent so considering a change but it's got to be right.
We have no real intention of going back to the UK at any point (been away over 8 years now) - we've always said we're more likely to go somewhere else, so this could be our next somewhere else and guess we'd probably need to see the kids through the rest of schooling in this next move...
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HKdreaming · 12/03/2024 16:20
HKdreaming · 12/03/2024 16:42
Tradie = builder/electrician/carpenter type roles. We know that that is likely to be cheap foreign/local workers...
We are in the middle of Europe now...
Industry would be finance, but not in a front office role.
WatchandWaitorNot · 12/03/2024 16:48
Not a chance of working in a trade without Cantonese. Non-starter.
HKdreaming · 12/03/2024 16:42
Tradie = builder/electrician/carpenter type roles. We know that that is likely to be cheap foreign/local workers...
We are in the middle of Europe now...
Industry would be finance, but not in a front office role.
HKdreaming · 12/03/2024 16:53
Yes assumed this would be the case...
WatchandWaitorNot · 12/03/2024 16:48
Not a chance of working in a trade without Cantonese. Non-starter.
HKdreaming · 12/03/2024 16:42
Tradie = builder/electrician/carpenter type roles. We know that that is likely to be cheap foreign/local workers...
We are in the middle of Europe now...
Industry would be finance, but not in a front office role.
FunnyFinch · 12/03/2024 16:55
well why say it would be an option?
HKdreaming · 12/03/2024 16:53
Yes assumed this would be the case...
WatchandWaitorNot · 12/03/2024 16:48
Not a chance of working in a trade without Cantonese. Non-starter.
HKdreaming · 12/03/2024 16:42
Tradie = builder/electrician/carpenter type roles. We know that that is likely to be cheap foreign/local workers...
We are in the middle of Europe now...
Industry would be finance, but not in a front office role.
FunnyFinch · 12/03/2024 16:54
i know you have itchy feet op
but if your children are happy and settled, why not just stick there?
FunnyFinch · 12/03/2024 16:55
well why say it would be an option?
HKdreaming · 12/03/2024 16:53
Yes assumed this would be the case...
WatchandWaitorNot · 12/03/2024 16:48
Not a chance of working in a trade without Cantonese. Non-starter.
HKdreaming · 12/03/2024 16:42
Tradie = builder/electrician/carpenter type roles. We know that that is likely to be cheap foreign/local workers...
We are in the middle of Europe now...
Industry would be finance, but not in a front office role.
MBappse · 12/03/2024 18:29
Watch Expats. Currently on Netflix with Nicole Kidman and set in HK. Very good.
Kwasi · 12/03/2024 18:35
I would say that’s a low salary if you also need to pay rent and school fees. 50k a month will get you a small apartment. You could be looking at 100k per term per child in school fees too. Everything in HK is expensive too. You are looking at a few hundred dollars per person for a meal. If you want a bottle of beer, it could also cost few hundred dollars. I personally wouldn’t do it on that salary.
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Unexpectedlysinglemum · 12/03/2024 20:24
That's a great salary. You will have a great time there and get cheap domestic help.
The alarm bell for me is your DH not having a career there. There is a huge risk that he will become a party boy going out a lot- there is SO much social fun to be had out there and because everyone has live in helpers kids don't stop the nightlife- and have an affair with a single professional ex pat, local, or an ex pat wag.
ESPECIALLY if you think 'my DH isn't like that he's a good guy' you're most at risk as you won't spot the warning signs and won't put in place steps to prevent this. If you do go you need to have never clear agreement about how you socialize with and without each other, friendships with he opposite sex etc. affairs and cheating and causal sex are so normalized out there and being so far from home people can lose their moral compass too.
Go into this with your eyes open! (This is all based on experience btw)
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