# move from italy to hong kong to live there



## roberto_ita (Aug 10, 2009)

Hi, I think I'll move in honk kong very soon, my girlfriend lives and works there and she comes from there. Someone may gives to me some advices about finding a job?

thanks


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## Dave O'Dottu (Jul 15, 2009)

roberto_ita said:


> Hi, I think I'll move in honk kong very soon, my girlfriend lives and works there and she comes from there. Someone may gives to me some advices about finding a job?
> 
> thanks


It depends on what you know. 

See if there is a need for someone with your skills in HK. If you have a degree, look around to see if they are looking for it. 

There are always some people who want to learn Italian but the market may not be that big. 

You might try starting your own business, depending on what you like to do.


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## roberto_ita (Aug 10, 2009)

*thanks*

Thanks for your kind replay,
I've been working until now like director in a TruckStop Center in Italy with bar and restaurant and parking for trucks and I will look for food and beverage jobs in honk kong. I have not certificate in culinary or kitchen management but I have ten years experience in such field and I know european laws about Haccp e quality sistems concerning food management.

In your opinion, It's better to find something before I leave Italy or just coming to hong kong and try to find a job there??

best regards


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## Dave O'Dottu (Jul 15, 2009)

roberto_ita said:


> Thanks for your kind replay,
> I've been working until now like director in a TruckStop Center in Italy with bar and restaurant and parking for trucks and I will look for food and beverage jobs in honk kong. I have not certificate in culinary or kitchen management but I have ten years experience in such field and I know european laws about Haccp e quality sistems concerning food management.
> 
> In your opinion, It's better to find something before I leave Italy or just coming to hong kong and try to find a job there??
> ...


If you are sent here by a company from outside Hong Kong or hired by a Hong Kong company before you arrive, you will be in much better shape. 

It sounds like one of the major hotel chains might be interested in your skills, especially if you can communicate with Italian speaking guests. As you know all the major hotel chains have at least one hotel in HK. If you have ten years experience in kitchen work, then you obviously can manage a kitchen. 

I am not the one to ask about the intricacies of immigration law in HK, however. A visa agency in HK can tell you some of the options.

If you decide to set up your own business let me know, because this is closer to my interest.


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## roberto_ita (Aug 10, 2009)

*thanks again!*

Hi, yes I think you are right. Now I'm sending my CV to lots of companies in hong kong in the food and beverage sector and I'm waiting for replays. I would be able to set up my own business but I want to have a better knowledge of the hong kong business system before. In Italy I have some friends that make red and white wines in Asti (Piedmont, Italy) and I have to speak with them about it.
In my region there are a lot of very good wines and it might be an interesting business I think (such like an italian wine bar...).
I'll let you know if I want to start a business.
Thank you very much.

roberto


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## Dave O'Dottu (Jul 15, 2009)

roberto_ita said:


> Hi, yes I think you are right. Now I'm sending my CV to lots of companies in hong kong in the food and beverage sector and I'm waiting for replays. I would be able to set up my own business but I want to have a better knowledge of the hong kong business system before. In Italy I have some friends that make red and white wines in Asti (Piedmont, Italy) and I have to speak with them about it.
> In my region there are a lot of very good wines and it might be an interesting business I think (such like an italian wine bar...).
> I'll let you know if I want to start a business.
> Thank you very much.
> ...


In order to know if a business would work in HK, you need to know the type of people there and the market. 

The market in HK is huge. There are thousands of restaurants of all types and in the popular districts like Kowloon they are all crowded. 

I think my business model is different from yours because I am interested in a cafe and not a restaurant. There is a subtle difference between the two business models. A restaurant is for eating and the food is the main attraction. But a cafe is for meeting people, reading, and relaxing and the food is not very important. 
A restaurant has more pressure because it has to bring in a certain about of customers who will pay for the full dinner. So the restaurant must be in the right location. The cafe does not have this kind of pressure and can operate with lower overhead.


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## roberto_ita (Aug 10, 2009)

Dave O'Dottu said:


> In order to know if a business would work in HK, you need to know the type of people there and the market.
> 
> The market in HK is huge. There are thousands of restaurants of all types and in the popular districts like Kowloon they are all crowded.
> 
> ...




Really, I wasn't thinking about opening a restaurant. My idea, also, is for a more little business. I've been managing a restaurant with bar and I know how much is difficult to reach best results in a restaurant (in Italy as well as in the entire world the business is slowing down, at this moment and the overhead is almost the same, moreover the italy fees are very high). A cafè is a more simple business and the risk, I think, is less frustrating and so your kind of business is more interesting. I thought about something wines connected (i think I can solve the question of importing wines from italy because there are low import duties after a new italy-hong kong agreement about it) but also a cafè is in my interests. 
In this moment with the help from my girl-friend that lives in honk kong I'm trying to understand the market and the real costs to start a business.
Thanks
kind regards
roberto


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## Dave O'Dottu (Jul 15, 2009)

roberto_ita said:


> . . . . In this moment with the help from my girl-friend that lives in honk kong I'm trying to understand the market and the real costs to start a business.
> Thanks
> kind regards
> roberto


The first step might be to find a property management agency in HK. 

You can try to find from them a location, size, and price that will work for your business model. If you only act as a wine wholesale supplier to other restaurants, you can have a room anywhere. 

Perhaps you do not even need to rent a property. Your office can be your mobile phone number and you can keep samples in your apartment to take to clients.


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