Getting a Job in HK

I am a 26 year old Chartered Accountant from Melbourne Australia looking to move to Hong Kong and work.

I dont have a HK ID as my parents were already naturalised in Australia at the time of my birth so i will have to look for a company to sponsor my visa.

Im having a little difficulty at the moment as most recruitment agencies i am dealing with aren't really considering me as i am not in the country or they think its too much of a logistical hassle for them.

As the recruiters aren't really helping me at the moment im not sure whether i should:

a - resign from my current employer, come to Hong Kong on a holiday visa and do an intensive employment search (seems pretty risky)

or

b - tell my work that i want to take a few weeks off and come to HK and try to get a job.

Just wanted to see if anyone had any advice on which option is better or if you have heard of any other stories in your travels on how people from Australia, or other parts of the world get a job in Hong Kong whilst still living overseas..

any advice would be great!

Getting a Job in HK

Also take a look at options 4 & 5 here.

You may already have checked option 4, based on your notes about your parents. If you haven't contacted immigration personally, I'd suggest you still try that in case there's a way for you to get your HK ID.

Then there's the working holiday visa option. Is there generally a lot of temp work available for chartered accountants? If yes you could try coming here on a working holiday visa, and taking several temping jobs as a chartered accountant. It will give you some local working experience on your resume, and also give you more time to build up local contacts to find a permanent job later.

Good luck, MrB

Why dont you come over here

Why dont you come over here on a "hoilday" and chat to a few agents while you are here to explore your options? You dont need to tell your employer until you have a firm offer. Also, even though your parents were naturalised in Australia at the time of your birth, you may still have a "right to land" (assuming one of your parents were born in HK)and an entitlement to a HK ID. Check it out with immigration.

Thanks for your suggestion

Thanks for your suggestion HK CHap!

I've done some research and I think i could be eligible for the Right to Land as my father was born in Hong Kong and held a British Overseas Territories Citizen passport and HK Citizenship which he never renounced although he became an Australian citizen by the time i was born.

i will contact immigration and see if this is the case, if i can get the RTL and HKID it will definitely open up the options i hope.

finding a job in hk

Hi there.. i chanced upon this website when i was googling for a list of charity/voluntary organisation in HK. I am a Singaporean, planning to live in HK for 2-3 yrs. But first I hv to find a job in HK, n that seems extremely difficult. I am an English, Maths and Art teacher here in Spore, n i've applied for almost all the schools in HK, to no avail. I believe they want a Native speaker to teach English. I've also looked for clerical jobs but most require one who can speak Cantonese (I can't!).

I've also thought of doing charity/voluntary work an am still looking for one. Any advise?

Thank u so much!

Did you try Singapore International School?

Try Singapore International School as a Maths teacher.

re: finding a job in hk

Singapore International School was the first that popped into my mind too. Even if they don't have a job opening for you (and I guess that with the new school year just started, this probably isn't the time they're hiring?), hopefully they can help with suggestions on other schools or voluntary groups that might be interested.

Your lack of Cantonese will be a disadvantage with local schools, but if you have Putonghua + English + your own subjects (eg Maths), I'd think that would be of interest to one of the international schools in Hong Kong that is running a bi-lingual English-Putonghua campus. eg Victoria, or one of these schools?

Good luck, MrB

re: finding a job in hk

Thanks Sophia n MrB!
The irony is that, i'm a Singaporean and i've apllied for SIngapore International School n couldnt get in!!! Although i hv been teaching in Spore for 10 yrs and i'm holding a position as HEad of Department, they didnt acept me. I don't know if it's becos i could not speak Mandarin nor Cantonese nor Putonghua.
It's ridiculous.. n i'm at the verge of giving up. sigh...

hi everyone here. I am a

hi everyone here. I am a chinese and wanna get a job in HK. i got master of accounting degree in UNSW Australia, and also can speak cantonese and madarin, is it easy or hard to get a accounting job in HK? thanks if anyone can give opinion.

Hi, I've just started looking

Hi,

I've just started looking into finding a job in Hong Kong as my partner is considering of locating to Hong Kong very soon. I currently hold an Australian passport. I speak some cantonese however, I can't read or write chinese.

Are there any companies that use English as the main form of communication?

Also where can I find suitable jobs for expats in my situation?

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

Caroline

cjmlim@hotmail.com

re: just started looking

Hi Caroline, please check out these threads for more information.