With more people looking to spend their money on experiences and their spare time on adventures we ask why more people aren’t considering a career move to Hong Kong. Truly a city that never sleeps, Hong Kong offers year-long summers, incredible travel destinations and a noncompetitive marketplace for you to begin an exceptional career. To find out what life in Hong Kong is like for a British expat, we caught up with our Head of Asset Management, Fergus Hardy, who having moved from London just three years ago says he’ll never look back.
How long was the adjustment period?
Recruitment in Hong Kong really isn’t all that different to recruitment in the UK. We may not use job boards and pull in bigger fees but, it’s not a completely new way of working it’s simply enhancing your current skill-set in an exciting culture and less competitive marketplace. In fact, moving to Hong Kong doesn’t require much of an adjustment period at all. We all speak English; we take off British Public Holidays (as well as our own) and have around 20 days of annual leave. The only differences are a shortened commute, an increased wellbeing and the opportunity to travel to incredible places that are now completely accessible.
Comparing the UK to HK
The average commute in Hong Kong is about five minutes and our Director of Hong Kong, Justin, has the longest commute in the office which is a 15-minute walk or a 5-minute taxi which costs £2.60 to be precise. Most of the team live just a three-minute walk away as everything is relative, you have city life, parties and beaches, all on your doorstep. When I come back to London it’s always the first thing I notice - The unreliable transport links hosting masses of people, the inability to breathe on the tube and after an hour on the central line you feel like you need a holiday. In Hong Kong, you walk everywhere. Everything is accessible and you may leave work at 6 or 7pm some nights, but you’ll be home by 5 minutes past. What’s more – you have more time to travel – a mix of British and HK public holidays and annual leave means you have nearly 30 days for yourself and with the likes of Bali, Fiji and Sri Lanka all just a short flight away, you have more to see on your days off. Hong Kong truly removes the stress that comes with living in the UK from the little things like avoiding TFL to affordability with tax sitting at just 15%. You pay once a year in January.
Why would you move to Hong Kong of all places?
It’s not just a practical move. Hong Kong is vibrant. It’s the perfect place to sit back and relax with beautiful beaches and scenic walks, an invigorating night life and incredible food. You meet people from around the world and it should be crowned the city that never sleeps. The marketplace is far less competitive than the UK and gives you the opportunity to make an exceptional career whether you are experienced or not and it’s simply a way to do the job you’re good at right now, in an entirely new place rich with culture and opportunity.
Hong Kong isn’t’ what you might expect
Hong Kong may be a bustling city but, it’s not a city as you may know it. There are multiple beaches 20 minutes away, a big social expat community of hockey, rugby, cricket and football. There are boat parties, brunches and bars wherever you look and in 25 minutes you can reach China or grab a cheap flight to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia - the perfect way to spend those extra holiday days! For longer trips you can visit places like Fiji, Australia and New Zealand which are all much more accessible from Hong Kong.
Hong Kong is a very active city and it doesn’t just offer the conventional sporting activities. Everyone tends to flock to the mountains at the weekends to see the beautiful views while after work you can find yourself Dragon Boating – a version of rowing which is extremely popular. There are also junk boats which allow 40 people to head out to the ocean on a yacht or boat and party with access to unlimited alcohol and food – essentially, a cooler way to bottomless brunch. There is also a huge wake boarding, scuba diving and surfing scene for those who are a little more adventurous!
What many don’t realise is there is also a huge skiing scene in Japan and Korea and temperatures in Hong Kong don’t tend to drop below 10 degrees while winter only last a few weeks – surely this is the main selling point!
So, you’re sold on the culture but is it a wise career move?
The recruitment market is less saturated here, there aren’t as many recruiters and standards are low so if you have good process and work well it’s easy to come over and make an exceptional and successful career. Fees are higher, salaries are higher, the way of life is better. People come to Hong Kong and they never want to leave.
It’s also not going to hinder your future life plans. When I first moved to Hong Kong I thought about my own security in the UK, would I make it back onto the property ladder? Would I settle down? Of course, these are all-natural worries but fast-forward several years and we have thriving careers, relationships, friendships, homes and happy lives. I have never regretted the move and would urge anyone contemplating a move abroad to see what Hong Kong has to offer.
If you have any more questions about life at Stanton House Hong Kong you can reach out to Fergus here.
