[desomniac]

Hi people,

I was wondering if there are any expat's that have been approved for a Work Visa in the design industry and/or are working for a design firm in Hong Kong...

I've got 4 years experience and quite specialised skills.

Anyone out there with some advice/experience?

Cheers,
K.

We have helped some people in such situations but it can be quite difficult, mainly based on the amount of experience a person has. You really need to have solid work experience behind you as well as a position that will pay you a suitable salary. We usually recommend around 20,000 per month.

[KnowItAll]

>> quite specialised skills.

This is relative ... point being, the company has to convice the immigration authority that they cannot find those skills in Hong Kong, after having tried.

[desomniac]

Thanks for the info guys, very helpful.

I am having difficulty finding a firm...
I've applied for a few already, though it seems as soon as they hear
'sponsor' or 'work visa' they shy away.

I had one firm which was unable to hire me because he himself because his visa is dependent upon hiring locals?

This is a longshot, but would anyone know of an IT/Design agency which is hiring new media designers/developers...?

Have my CV and site ready for review, and i'm willing to travel for an
interview first.

[sixfour]

I've been thinking about coming out to work in Hong Kong since I visited last year, and i'm in the same field. (plus I have family/friends over there!) I'm in Multimedia/Web Design, with 8 years experience and 5.5 in a top northern-uk based studio. I get the impression that image means quite a lot out there, and i'm lucky to have worked on projects for some large corporate clients such as adidas, reebok, tussauds groups etc. So I plan on name dropping like hell and only showing the best of my work.

Looking through all the job ads, there doesn't seem to be many decent design agencies advertising for jobs really. I think your best approach would be to get a really good portfolio together and apply directly to some companies you like the sound of. If your portfolio is good enough to cause a stir in the office, then you might have a good chance of them employing you. I feel that you'd really have to find an angle to present yourself in such a way that you would be an asset to the company. For example, see what sort of work they are doing and find an agency that maybe only dables in your specialist area, or perhaps they don't offer at all - employing you then expands their business offerings.

I've not got my portfolio together yet, but plan to sort it all out over the next few months (been in the same job for 5+ years, so never needed it!)

Any chance of a look at your work?

[sixfour]

oh yea, also - it appears to me from my research that in HK everyone is crazy mad for flash websites and there are loads of job listings for flash action scripters. The thing I don't really get with it though, is most of the websites i've seen (even design agency websites) don't really seem to be doing anything all that special! And looking through some of the portfolios of design agencies i've seen from HK, leads me to believe there isn't as much talent as people might lead you to believe to be honest. If you are good at what you do, then have confidence in your abilities and really try to impress.

[punk]

Originally Posted by sixfour

oh yea, also - it appears to me from my research that in HK everyone is crazy mad for flash websites and there are loads of job listings for flash action scripters. The thing I don't really get with it though, is most of the websites i've seen (even design agency websites) don't really seem to be doing anything all that special! And looking through some of the portfolios of design agencies i've seen from HK, leads me to believe there isn't as much talent as people might lead you to believe to be honest. If you are good at what you do, then have confidence in your abilities and really try to impress.

I'm a designer in HK and have found TRUE creatives to be a rarity. It's not a culture that encourages creative expression. The art scene is extremely limited. Thoughtful creative is an under appreciated commodity until it is displayed.

On the plus side, I think that offers a lot of opportunity for those with talent, an open mind, and the ability to unearth opportunity...

[punk]

Originally Posted by Emigra

We have helped some people in such situations but it can be quite difficult, mainly based on the amount of experience a person has. You really need to have solid work experience behind you as well as a position that will pay you a suitable salary. We usually recommend around 20,000 per month.

Low pay for an expat...

[punk]

Originally Posted by desomniac

Hi people,

I was wondering if there are any expat's that have been approved for a Work Visa in the design industry and/or are working for a design firm in Hong Kong...

I've got 4 years experience and quite specialised skills.

Anyone out there with some advice/experience?

Cheers,
K.

I got the approval. I have about 10 years experience (important), a pretty good portfolio (important), a BFA in Graphic Design (important) and a company willing to sponsor me. Prove you're better than the local equivalent at a firm with an opening. Shop your work around. Competition is probably not as good, but they get paid a lot less. I don't work for a design firm per se, but a firm with a creative department.
Finding work here is probably similar to anywhere else. Make it happen if it's what you want...