# Looking For Info



## gTorrance (Sep 11, 2012)

Hey there...

Sorry to come barging in with a load of questions that have been asked hundreds of times before, I am sure. But when I have asked things like this before I have simply been made fun of, so here's to hoping you guys can give me some answers. 

I am a 24 year old British native, currently living in Turkey and married to a Turkish/Bulgarian woman. We are both interested (and have been for many years) in moving to either Hong Kong or Japan, and finally have settled on Hong Kong being the better option for us.

However, we now have a few questions, which we have some idea about the answers for but want to make sure we are correct.

Now, my wife has 2 university degrees, both from Bulgaria, and about 2 years working experience in Administration and Import/Export management. 

Me, i I don't have a university degree, just A-Levels since I didn't have the cash to go to University and my mother was unable to pay for it. However, I have been working in Web Design since I was about 14, starting off as a part time worker whilst learning how to do it, before getting various promotions and new positions in new companies and making my way up to Web Design and SEO Manager.

However, in Turkey there were not that many web design jobs so I have spent the last year working as an English Teacher for students aged between 3 years old and 50 years old.

So, with that info out of the way, I want to ask what our best options are in terms of employment. I understand the requirements for the visa, so for me it would be more difficult because it would rely on my skills and experience. So would it make more sense to apply for a web design or SEO position rather than a teaching position, and would I get a decent enough wage for said position?

I have seen some ads online offering between 24k and 32k per month depending on experience, and not asking for a degree. Is a job like that worthwhile in HK? Of course my wife would work as well, hopefully in Import/Export as she enjoys it, but we will see.

Do you have any advice on what we should look for and how much pay we should be searching for?

Also, I have found a few apartments to rent for about 15k per month, most either near Quarry Bay or Hang Hau. Are these good places to live for people who enjoy going out for dinner, have a relaxed drink (not going to a club and getting wasted), going for walks, learning about culture, and relaxing at home?

Sorry about the wall of text but I figured this may be the best place to get the information.  Thanks for taking the time to read all this.


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## JadaYuen (Sep 13, 2012)

Hi gTorrance,

I have experience in the web-development industry. Your profile has both it's plus and minuses in this industry in Hong Kong - there are less amounts of highly experienced web-designers and SEO expertise in Hong Kong, but at the same time, most of these company cater to clients which need Chinese websites - which could be a disadvantage for you.

As for Quarry Bay, if you are near the water front, there is a long park there that is good for a walk. If you walk to Sai Wan Ho there are quite a few nice small restaurants to go for a drink.

Jada


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## gTorrance (Sep 11, 2012)

Hi JadaYuen,

Thanks for the reply. I purchased the Teach Yourself Cantonese series yesterday evening and have just got started. Hopefully I will be able to learn a reasonable amount quickly. It only took my 6 months to get to conversation level in Turkish by listening to people (no course or book etc).

But is Cantonese better to learn than Mandarin? Or should I learn both?

I have received some interest from companies in and around the HK Science Park, so I also started looking at places to rent near there, and most of them seem to be "Village Houses". Some even look good. But is it a good idea to rent one?

I ask because I did a similar thing in Bulgaria and later found a lot of problems with the landlord.

Also, how often do rental places come furnished? And is furniture cheap to get? Just normal things like beds and stuff?


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## JadaYuen (Sep 13, 2012)

I'm guessing Mandarin should be better - since a majority of Hong Kong firms target main-lander Chinese clients nowadays. 

But generally, most Hong Kong people speak some Mandarin - and those who come down to work often can listen to Cantonese.

HK Science park in Sha Tin? I've heard those house nearby can be quite expensive! But I'm not too certain about this.


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