Hi all,

Im an US citizen and if it is possible to go to HK (can stay for 90 days without visa) and look for an employment then switch/apply for work permit? Is this doable? What's the best way to find employment? Is it beneficial to use recruiting agencies such as Michael Page International, Manpower, and etc? Currently, I'm working at a fortune 500 co in US
Is it helpful in my case if I can speak daily cantonese but not written? I can speak fluent Indonesian but I dont think it is relevant since I want to work in HK.  

Your inputs are greatly appreciated!!!

If you're working for a F500 company then you should getyourself transfered out here instead !

Of course being able to speak Cantonese helps, if you also speak fluent Indo you should look for work
related with the 30,000 Indo domestic helpers working here in HK ... but if you work in another field here,
then your fluent Indo can be put to good use in picking up free Indo pussy during the weekends  

PM Marsupal, I'm sure he knows all the ins and outs here !  

What's your field?  If it is finance, then you are in luck as those jobs a hot now--just come and look around.  Networking here works best, but headhunters can be good.  Forget the want ads for real jobs (high paying, professional) as most are posted just to meet company/government requirments for a public posting--the candidate is likely already choosen.  Cantonese will help, but Mandarin is better.

It is easy to get a job in HK if u have professional experience and well qualified.

HK and China..is the modern land of opportunity........but yet US still treat us like refugee and bloodsucker when we land in US for work or leisure.......maybe just me and i look like a terrorist ......

They look at you like that cause the're worried to let you into their country and slap their women around !

FCUK Me very much....per say Darklord!!!.......hahahahaha.......

I am working now as a sr financial analyst in a Wireless Telecom industry.. primary focus in corporate budget/forecast/planning, monthly analysis/variance. I wish my company has office in HK but unfortunately not.

good luck.........in your job hunting and punting

do you decide to come to HK because of 141?

Ha thats a stupid reason to come to HK , I'm thinking of moving to HK 2010-11 , as cost of living in the UK is insane, and curiously enough I'm working in finance.

But I have residency and somewhere to live so no major problems

I have been living and working in US as solo for almost 15 years, close to half of my life. Since I know I will not be relocating to another office in US. I'm just going to take my severance pckg and move somewhere. Original plan is to move to CA, but after thoughtful considerations, I said to myself why  don't I try to find employment in HK. I have been to HK just 5 times and everytime I visited, there's something attached to me personally.  Also, I have relatives live there and would like to gain working experience in APAC region. Another reason is since I'm chinese background, I feel I am a much happier person in HK than in US and I know it deep inside me.  So, 141 is not the reason I want to move to HK but I will pay visits. up:  

I want to start a new chapter of my life and hopefully it will be in HK. If you guys have any pointers about jobs, please advise.

I've decided once I got myself enough money saved up I'm planning on leaving UK not just because of the cost of living but the way we are getting taxed stupid, stupid P/C brigade, Chav's  and another 101 reasons why UK is going to the dogs

Fingers crossed my numbers come up on this weeks lottery

it's very difficult or close to impossible to obtain a working visa, except if you have connection or you're a big shot or talented individual which qualified under certain scheme otherwise you can forget about H.K.

You can diffinately come to HK and look for work - and then have a compay sponsor you.  But the job market in HK is not nearly has hot as it was a few months ago.  I think a foriegner without sponsorhip will find it hard until the job market picks up.  The job market is alos tradtionally a bit slow the last 3 or 4 months of the year as people sit tight for the year end bonus before making a move to a new job.  I think it will be hard to find a job in HK if you are unsponsored until at least next year.  That's my opinion anyway.  Good luck though

That's complete rubbish.

It's not very difficult to get a working permit at all, you just need a job offer here, a degree, and the more experience the better. Plenty of fresh graduate native English teachers come to HK and get work permits, as do many other more qualified people.

are you talking about english teacher? yes they can get their visa because they qualified under certain scheme but unfortunately our friend here although he speak fluent english but he is asian not caucasion.  Like you dont know many school prefer caucasion instead of asian. maybe you will say that i'm crazy but that's what happen in H.K, you just dont know it yet or havent seen it all.

I'm not talking specifically about English teachers. Though for them it's even easier (there's no "special" English teacher work permit scheme, it's exactly the same process as every other work permit application) as their 'unique' selling point for them to fill a job that a local can't, is that they speak native English.

Getting a work permit if you're qualified is NOT difficult. I'm a European working as a Designer in Hong Kong, with some years of good experience, and a degree of course. It wasn't difficult for me to get a work permit for Hong Kong (I don't speak Chinese much, yet, and I didn't have a load of 'big shot' contacts before I came - I got a job purely on the strength of my experience).

You basically just need to have your employer give a valid reason why you should be employed over a local person for the same position. Which basically comes down to a 'unique' skill (eg; native English) or your experience level (eg; you're pretty good).

I know plenty of friends who are expats in HK, most recently moved over. Some got transferred from their jobs back home, others came here and looked for jobs, all had no real problem getting a job and no major difficulties with work permits other than the slightly random and slow processing time.

The HK job market is pretty good at the moment, it's not super difficult to get a job here. It depends on your field a bit though. If you're in finance, it's absolutely easy to move to HK, get a good job and a work permit. You don't even need ANY special skills or experience to come and get a finance job in HK, there's plenty of European and US fresh graduate investment banker types. If the company you're working for is big enough and bribes the government sufficiently, they'll even overlook your skills and abilities and hire any old rubbish investment banker.


Conclusion: Ain't that difficult. Compared to the other way around - ie; Asian's trying to come to Europe and get a work permit - it's a hundred times easier.

"Bribe goverment".......bro, not in HK......u see too much movies........

Rubbish Investment Banker.......this I 100% agree.

Is there any other kind?    

Hong Kong's as corrupt as they come. The entire country's practically run by 3 cartels, Li Ka-shing, SHK and Jardine Matheson... heck, Jardine Matheson was founded by the drug smuggling Dr. Jardine and build on the Opium Wars. Hong Kong's entire existing is due to piracy, war and corruption. Not that I'm complaining or anything!

Just because you see a bunch of "Corruption: Keep your hands clean!" adverts on TVB doesn't mean Hong Kong's not a cesspit of corruption, just that here the corrupt cartels use bureaucratic loop holes to screw the people over and the lower down criminals are all prosecuted. But frankly the illegal activities of the 'legitimate' cartels here (eg; Li Ka-shing forcing Carrefour out of Hong Kong by blocking them from leasing any property) is just as bad as the more obvious, low-down corruption in some other parts of S.E Asia.

*ugh* late night rant, sorry about that.

Investment bankers: cocks.