OK. Well as a recently arrived mid 30s gay male expat in Advertising, I can see why I was considered relevant to answer your questions:
- Sounds like your role will have some travel around the region. This is good if you like planes and hotels and being away from your new found buddies in HK. Best to check how regularly and how far away they expect you to go.
- This is a great region to explore and is certainly going to develop in the Marketing sector, notably in Mainland China. So being involved with a success story here won't hurt your career. The European advertising marketplace is still in recession. If this is a regional role it could be a great opportunity. If it is an HK agency, well the size of this market is declining in favour of the Mainland, but still not worth giving up on !
- The key brands may be unfamiliar to you. But then have you worked on international clients which are non US based before ? If you have a great campaign, win an award and get paid for it, does it matter if it isn't a US brand ? I would find it insulting to say that Asian clients are insignificant.
- Cost of living. There are people bringing up entire families on US$10,000 a year, so there are places to spend your money in all ranges. If you try to replicate your life in SF, then it will cost you, and personally i think you'd be a fool to try and do so. HK is a different city with a different way of life. I know that's a cliche, but I try to have weekends and evenings doing things which are more 'local' than 'expat'. There is no point in going abroad if you don't accept some change.
- Salary range. Well see what your employer is offering. Send me a private message if you want and include your job title and i'll check the statistics. Remember that income tax locally is 13-15%, but I know very little about what you still have to pay to the US while you are here.
- Where to live. There are decent websites giving the inventory of available apartments - try
http://www.gohome.com.hk/english/home.asp? for a while. I'd recommend searching for places on HK Island, around 1,000 sq ft. Expect to pay more for view. But if you are at work all day and out all night - you could live in a small place with no view and who cares ?
- There are a number of agencies in the Quarry Bay area. You can find your prospective employer online and match their address to the most convenient residential district. Don't expect to drive to work ! So checking out MTR lines and bus routes helps. Unless you can afford a taxi every day or like walking in the summer humidity.
Either way, the overall factor is this: How often does an offer like this come along ?
Drop me a message if you have any q's.
Graeme