[LAGuy]

I am talking with headhunters about the possibilities moving from LA to HK for the jobs in the investment banking field.

Couple of Qs here:

1. What is the working and living environment like for gay professionals in HK? Will that be as easy as it is here in LA or SF?

2. The headhunter quoted the base salary is around US$250K, with bonus on performance. Is this the industry standard over there?
I heard that there is some kind of "guaranteed bonus" in the compensation pkg, so is there any one knows how it is normally structured?

Thanks for the input.

[fly]

1. No idea, but personally I don't think local culture would be as "open" as what you'd be accustomed to from US - it's not hostile, but really depends on where you'll be working/living. But having said that, there are locally well known to be gay (but may not be totally "out" celebrities) and there is a local gay community that makes itself heard now and again, so it's not like you'd be totally left on your own.
2. This is easier: You'd be in the higher income bracket, but that is typical for your field. Make sure what your bonus covers, how much is guaranteed vs. discretionary, i.e. performance based. No such thing as "normally structured" however, it really depends by the company. You didn't ask, but it may be worth asking for extras such as housing, homeleave, medical, and other benefits.

Good luck!

[Anne]

I'd say having briefly visited SF and lived in London for several years, that both cities (for example) considerably exceed HK in terms of gay visibility, acceptance and activities, SF vastly so. But then, I'm not 'behind the scenes', as it were - this is only an outsider's POV.

[atomboi24]

HK has quite a sizeable gay scene, and my impression is that people here are not overly hostile as long as you are quite about your sexuality.

That being said, I've also a few qualms about being a gay professional working in HK. It doesnt seem to be much of an issue for my local gay professional friends here (and there are quite a lot of them). However, it is customary that you do not come out in the workplace, and there are no anti discrimination provisions in the law that will help you should you choose to come out, or are outed, and then subsequently sacked. Also, if you have a partner, it is not possible to get him over here on a dependancy or defacto visa.

I myself will probably not stay here long term because of the above factors, and because I dont know how long I would be able to compromise...

[saltwater]

1) Being 'gay and proud' isn't the social norm in HK. Most gays here keep in much more 'under the carpet' than in other cities because its the way local culture works. There's still a large gay scene here - its just much more underground than elsewhere.

2) 250k isn't a lot of money here, especially if you're working in IBD which would involve massive working hours here in HK. You'd want to be on a huge bonus or have a heap of other benefits for it to be worth your while.

As with any bonus, I'd take 'guaranteed bonus' with a grain of salt because there are so many ways a boss could wiggle their way out of it with the slightest little glitch in your work performance.

[PDLM]

Originally Posted by saltwater

US$250k isn't a lot of money here

Yeah - it's only about 15 times the average income

[dropdedfwed]

Originally Posted by PDLM

Yeah - it's only about 15 times the average income

thank crikeys someone here has a relative grasp on things. 250K is about triple what the average well paid expat would get, and about, yeah 10-15 times the local pay. my heart bleeds for you. i think, somehow, u will survive ok, even without the soup kitchens.