Project may go on hold.......Moving to China!

[EvilRufusKay]

So I have this opportunity to go to China / Hong Kong to supervise a huge project for work. It would be for 3-6 months (most likely 6) and would consist of me, my wife and boys living there for the entire time. My compant would take care of everything and put us up in a nice furnished house. I may even get them to pay my mortgage while i am gone. It is a lifetime opportunity but I am having a hard time trying to decide. I am making such serious progress on the Z, and the idea of living on the other side of the world for half a year is honestly a little intimidating. Especially since my whole family will be with me.

 

Do any of you guys have experience living in HK? What is it like? My boss tells me it is very cosmopoloitain and extremely safe. Is this true?

 

Thanks for the input...

 

Rufus

[Sparks280zt]

Hey Evil, my cousin recently traveled to HK and loved it. Most of the people there can speak English and there are lots of American franchises there, espicially food. And you said it your self, "once in a lifetime oppurtunity." I would put some wheels on your car if possible and place it in a nice storage faciilty if you are worried about it being at your house, Anyways out of curiosity what line of work are you in?

[Tim240z]

Will you be paid tax free? I believe that after 6+ months, you can get at least a very low tax rate.

[wheelman]

Go for it man, the Z will be waiting for you when you get back, your house will have been paid for by someone else while you're gone and you and your kids will have the memories of the experience for the rest of your lives.

 

Wheelman

[EvilRufusKay]

Sparks - I am an engineer for a Consumer Products Testing Facility. Kinda like consumer reports but my company is retained by major retailer. Target, Costco, Lowes just to name a few. If one of these retailers wants to sell chainsaws they would submitt various styles and I would check them first for compliance to the proper standards, then I would test them for performance / functionality. Retailers are like regular consumers, they want to pay as little as possible for the best product possible. I help them make the decision as to which brand of chainsaw would fit that criteria. Basically I get paid to break stuff.

 

 

Tim - good question...I will check into that.

 

Wheelman - my Z will be safe where it is..I just don't want to leave her...

[Z-TARD]

Dude, Hong Kong kicks ***. 6 months really isn't that long of a time, and it will be an experience you'll never forget. As said before, most of the people over there speak english, better than a lot of us do anyway. There are enough American food franchises over there that you'll never really feel completely homesick, and you'd be hard pressed to find more authentic Chinese food From my limited time spent there, I'd say it seemed safer than just about anywhere I've been stateside for sure. Contrary to what most martial arts films would have us believe, street wars are not the way of life over there. My recomendation is to go for it. The Z will wait another six months. Hell, mine has waited now for over 4 years! Being immersed in another culture will likely give you some different ideas for the Z when you get back as well.

 

Mike

[DemonZ]

I stayed in HK for about 3 weeks and in China Beijing area for 3 weeks last fall. HK is pretty cosmopolitan. HK is still an international hub, so business people of all kinds are there, however the minority. In HK, I saw possibly 10% non-chinese? Most of the bigger hotels and shops speak english. You can find steak, spaghetti, lobster, sushi, fried chicken, KFC, Mickey D's, 7-11's, etc.... most anything to eat there. It is pretty humid and hot in the summers, like DC, I am told. Felt pretty safe there.

 

 

Beijing and the mainland is a different story. The main cities are OK, smaller towns would be iffy. I would absolutely get a tour guide/bus tour from a reputable source. Buy a couple of travel books (Frommers). Definitely much more of an effort finding english speakers, as everyone speaks Mandarin. The hygiene can be sorta scary by US standards sometimes. Bring sanitary gel/wet wipes when you go out. Many restaurants and public bathrooms don't supply toilet paper and sometimes paper napkins, so always pack your own toilet paper. Don't drink the tap water.

 

 

Taxis and sub-way (Octopus Card in HK) are cheap. Subway is a snap once you get the hang of it. Internet access in bigger hotels, some HK coffee shops, and very hard to find scuzzy cyber cafes on Mainland.

 

 

 

Certainly an adventure!

[naplesZ]

To get the tax break you have to be out of country at least 330 days. If you split a year you have to wait until you have completed your time to file for back taxes. I would say go. I've been living in Italy for the last for years and I don't wont to go back. How old are your kids? I am sure It would be an experience that he would never forget and probably change his life by allowing him to see there is more to the world then just America.

Good luck

[Cody 82 ZXT]

I say go for it. If I had a chance to travel like that with my family in tow I know I would take it. The Z can wait just a little while.

[Pop N Wood]

Spent 5 days there when in the Navy. Very nice place. You will not own a car there, way too expensive. But you won't need one either.

 

Nice people, never felt unsafe. I am 6 foot and felt like a giant. English is common, you shouldn't have a problem there. Never had a problem with sanitation, but I stayed in the central part of the city.

 

You are definitely in for major culture shock going from the wide open spaces of Buffalo. That city is crowded. Unbelievably crowded. The harbor is amazing too. Giant hydrofoil ferries. Good thing you are getting paid housing, because that is super expensive there also.

 

Not sure how things have changed since Red China has taken over. When I was there it was somewhat comforting knowing the British could bail out a drunk American sailor if need be.

 

Big question is how old are your kids? Schools would be a big concern to me, but maybe your wife can home school for that short of a time? Not that I know any thing bad or good about their schools, I would just wonder about the language and culture barriers. Drugs were pretty common, maybe more so than here. Many things we list as illegal are OTC there. Stay out of the walled city. Other than the normal parental concerns it would be an excellent life experience for your children.

 

While you are there you may want to plan a vacation somewhere “localâ€. Think cross country flight radius and there are quite a number of interesting places to visit. Thailand comes to mind.

[BillZ260]

Sounds like a greate opp. Youv'e got to do it if they are paying your morgage while away. I think you'll regret it if you don't. Especially if it is something you've wanted to do.

[Sparky]

go for it!

 

How old are your kids? This is a good opp that every member of your family should benefit from. chances are, the Zcar may just as well outlive all of us...so take the time to go somewhere new and exciting...the Z car isnt going anywhere. Depending on how old your kids are, this may be a perfect time for them to absorb a new language. Mandarin is the most spoken language in the world and the demand for employees that can speak it is the highest its ever been. (Although H.K. is Cantonese right? still though the local schools should teach both.) An opp that you and your family will never forget.

 

this is my opinion though, and I have no idea what its like to up and move everything across the world....

[Sumo]

Great Food and Highest Rolls Royce per person ratio and of course they speak English! That ain't Texas....i mean Mexico.

[Meghan]

First, congrats on the opportunity.

 

 

Second, be VERY careful in how the employment contract is structured.

 

 

If at all possible, you need to view your time in HK as a semi-permanent move. Six month "other-side-of-the-world" opportunities have a way of expanding to years. (Ask me how I know.) In addition, there may occur further opportunities for you there that incentivize you to stay longer, along with kids and spouse who have made new friends, acclimated to a new city, new food, etc.

 

 

Even if your opportunity is contractually only 3-6 months, I would advise to structure the deal as an "ex-pat" package. One of the priorities here is taxes. It is in your best interest to understand ALL of the tax implications on such a move, and have an employment contract that specifically states that your taxes will be equalized back to US rates. In addition, many of the benefits (i.e., employer paid housing, schooling subsidies for your kids, etc.), may become a taxable event for you here. In addition, get realistic advice on the cost of education for you kids there. Private US schools in Asian cities can get very, very expensive. Like college-tuition type expensive in some cases. Best advice I can give here is to visit with a consultant/accountant who is experienced in International employment moves.

 

 

Third, if your employment is such that you're being offered a 10-15% raise to go live there for 3 months, you’re in for a rude awakening. Especially with kids. The cost of living there (and in other big Asian cities) is WAY above US standards. My last foreign assignment in Asia was 6 years in Japan. The cost of living there (in late 1990s) was 3.3 times NEW YORK CITY. Hong Kong usually rates within the top 5 most expensive cities, so be careful.

 

 

Fourth, try to angle for a membership in the American Club there. It's expensive, and a lot of companies won't do include that for a temporary assignment, but it's worth a try. It would provide a base of familiarity for your spouse and children.

 

 

 

Now with those caveats out of the way, I'll admit that I've done two foreign assignments in Asia. Singapore & Tokyo. Loved them both. The opportunities were the adventure of a lifetime...

 

 

Best of luck...

[EvilRufusKay]

Wow!! I am so thankful for this site. Besides all the great info I have gotten fo rthe Z here is a prime example of the stature of the members here!! Many thanks for the support and intuitive suggestions. Especially to Megan who seems to be a new member...welcome to HZ!!

 

 

My boys are both 4.25 (twins). They would be starting pre-K in September so this is a perfect time for them to go. I hope to find out the details pehaps today so I will keep you guys posted!!

 

Thanks again, your input is greatly appreciated!!

 

Rufus