[brainy babe]

Hello!

I was just offered a job in Hongkong (North Point) beginning this July. I've been browsing the ads to see how much it will cost to rent an apartment there. Honestly, I'm a little confused. It ranged from $500 HK to as much as 100,000, I think. Should I be worried if a place only costs $500HK/month to rent? I will be on a budget when I start working in Hongkong and I would really rather splurge on shopping there than pay a huge amount for rent. I'm sure the girls in this forum can understand. ;-) Now my questions are:

1.) For those of you who ARE in Hongkong or have worked in Hongkong, how much is the normal cost range for rent? How much is the cheapest apartment that you found which is at least, decent enough to live in?

2.) I will be staying in Hongkong a year for sure and possibly more. Would it be smarter to find a furnished apartment which costs a bit more to rent or just buy the appliances and furniture myself? I heard that everything in Hongkong is ridiculously cheap, anyway.

Thanks for all your help!

[berryplucker]

I believe HK$500 per month will get you what is essential a cubicle with shared bathroom.

The cheapest you will get a standalone apartment on HK Island would be about $3000 per month, and that would get you something about the size of one small room in most western countries.

Shopping is cheap for some things and expensive for others. The only thing that I would describe as very cheap is the public transport.

If your salary is lest than about HK$15000 per month you are going to find it tough coming from a western environment. (And have you got an employment visa?)

[nivantj]

Brainy,
(1) HK$500/Month is a rediculously low amount to rent a flat.. Just to draw an analogy, even maids pay more than that to share small room. In my opinion, decent apartment should cost anything above $5000/mth.
(2) Furnished apartments or Serviced apartments are good options in HK but dont expect anything below $9000/Mth, i guess.

[fly]

I would be very curious to find out what kind of space HKD500 will rent!!

Brainy, maybe you mean US$, or there is a 0 missing?

[brainy babe]

My employer is working on my employment visa at the moment. Though I'm a little concerned about that too because this may be a very complicated process. You see, I am a Canadian citizen but I just changed my residency when I left for Asia so that I won't have to pay taxes twice. When I arrived in the Philippines (where I was born), I asked to retain my Filipino citizenship so I can work. There is an agreement between the Philippines and Canada and so it IS possible to have dual citizenship. Since it sounds so complicated, should I be worried about getting an employment visa? I was hired for the job already. I emailed the company regarding my citizenship information and it's been 2 days now and he hasn't responded back yet. Would this affect it? Is it possible for them to change their minds? It probably isn't a discrimination thing because I'm physically Asian. They have a couple of Chinese teachers working there based on my research. Any thoughts?

[brainy babe]

Hello Fly!

No, it's for $500 HK a month! I'm serious. Just to prove this to you, look at the classifieds and find Po Tin Building. I checked it 5 times just to be sure! ;-)

[shri]

You will not find anything for $500 a month. It might be a bed in a shared dorm room with 6 to 8 people in there...

Get that number out of your brainy head.

[HKFella]

Originally Posted by brainy babe

My employer is working on my employment visa at the moment. Though I'm a little concerned about that too because this may be a very complicated process. You see, I am a Canadian citizen but I just changed my residency when I left for Asia so that I won't have to pay taxes twice. When I arrived in the Philippines (where I was born), I asked to retain my Filipino citizenship so I can work. There is an agreement between the Philippines and Canada and so it IS possible to have dual citizenship. Since it sounds so complicated, should I be worried about getting an employment visa? I was hired for the job already. I emailed the company regarding my citizenship information and it's been 2 days now and he hasn't responded back yet. Would this affect it? Is it possible for them to change their minds? It probably isn't a discrimination thing because I'm physically Asian. They have a couple of Chinese teachers working there based on my research. Any thoughts?

It's not uncommon for people from the Phil to be hired in HK for their English capabilities in hotels, marketing, PR firms, and int'l schools (teaching assistants), so I doubt if the drama school will be ignorant or prejudiced. Still, suggest you phone them and ask them if all is well and if there's anything else you might need. I expect it will be more straightforward for your application to be on the strength of Canadian citizenship. To have dual Canadian citizenship and be residing outside Canada is nothing abnormal, so I suggest going forward you don't project it to them or anyone else as something "complicated" or volunteer explanations for your decisions etc etc unasked.

[nivantj]

Brainy,
Once again, your dual citizenship should not affect HK work visa. However, your disclosure of not being canadian citizen and originally asian might affect his decision or simply your employer is not quite sure about immigration laws regarding dual citizenship and may be in the process of consultation... So dont think too much, just cross your finger, wait and watch...

[brainy babe]

Thanks everyone for your insight. I'm new to this forum and I'm lovin' it! ;-)

You're right, HK fella. I should stop hanging around worry warts and negative people at work. They're putting ideas into my head that aren't even issues! ;-)