Is there help finding work?
Mon, 2005-05-23 03:05 — Flanny
Hi,
I'm a computer geek with 6 years under my belt and just finished up an associates and bachelors in the U.S. (meaning I took 3 years off to do school full time year round). I've been working contracts since last december but I would like to do 2 things
1) Find work abroad (hopefully in Hong Kong)
2) be able to afford to bring family, even if Ihave to go over first then arrange family to come over.
Are there any websites, forums, suggestions, etc. that anyone has? A fried of mine suggested I get the TEFL (TESL and TESOL) certifications and try to come over as a teacher first THEN move into IT once I'm there. Is this the way it's done or are there companies willing to provide necessities to enable me to get a work visa?
I bring several things to the board
1) I'm willing to travel
2) I expect to have to learn the local languages in addition to english
3) I'm willing to cover my own relocation for the right opportunity
I also have a bunch of other questions such as:
1) are people coming into the country long term allowed to bring in pets? (dog/cat)
2) is govt schooling mandatory for children or is home/charter schooling allowed?
3) are there time restrictions on how long a u.s. citizen can work in the country or is there some way for it to become permanent (providing the job is long term)
4) is it more expensive or less expensive to live rural?
5) how affordable are fresh fruits and vegetables? (I'm raw vegan for health reasons)
6) is the bottled water the only drinkable or is there public water supplies that are drinkable?
etc. etc. etc.
Any direction, help, websites, advise, etc. would be greatly appreciated. thanks a ton.
Flannyman :)
Re:Is there help finding work?
If you are looking for programming work, I think you will find it difficult to get work unless you have some really niche speciality. Many local companies are moving development to China where the costs are much lower - why would they want to hire an expensive, troublesome foreigner, that can't speak the local language? Nothing is impossible, but give some serious thought about why an employer would find you attractive.
If you skim through this forum, you'll find other people have asked about looking for work, and some of the sites they mention will be helpful.
On to some of your other questions I can answer:
3) are there time restrictions on how long a u.s. citizen can work in the country or is there some way for it to become permanent (providing the job is long term)
- you can become a permanent resident after 7 years.
4) is it more expensive or less expensive to live rural?
- depends. rent is often cheaper, though travel will cost more.
5) how affordable are fresh fruits and vegetables? (I'm raw vegan for health reasons)
- very, especially if you eat what is fresh and in season at the local market.
6) is the bottled water the only drinkable or is there public water supplies that are drinkable?
- MrsB swears it will kill you, and only drinks it boiled.
- I've drunk it straight from the tap for 10+ years, and am still alive and kicking.
Good luck with the job search,
MrB
Re:Is there help finding work?
Thank you for the reply. Here's a question I have for you or anyone else who can answer it.
I'm seeing all kinds of advertising for Native English speakers teaching English in Asian countries. Is this mostly a scam or are there valid jobs opportunities for teaching English in places like HK, Taiwan, etc.?
Is this an avenue to pursue (I've been considering it for some time now) or should I just step away from that?
Thanks
scams?
Hi Flanny;
Just to follow up on what Mr B's said, I'll add a couple of comments.
First off, I'm an American as well, and can confirm there's no limit whatever on how long you can live and work here. As Mr B said, you're eligible for permant residency here after seven years. But you have to find someone to sponsor your employment here in order to get a work visa. Also, you've still got to file tax returns with the IRS, and although there is an exemption on foreign earned income, you may end up still paying US taxes.
I don't think HK is very tough on bringing in pets, but you're definitely going to want to look at this site: [url]http://www.afcd.gov.hk/quarantine/animals_e.htm[/url]
Technically, homeschooling isn't allowed in Hong Kong, although I've heard many rumors of expatriates just doing so 'under the radar' and having no problems, although I can't of course officially advocate this practice!
As for the teaching stuff, the range is vast. In some countries, especially Korea and Japan, some of these teaching posts may be dodgy, e.g. in commercial language training mills rather than schools, while others are fine. In Hong Kong, the NET scheme is very much legit, but I doubt you'd have much luck getting on it, as they're looking for people with English/language teaching degrees, and so far as I know it's hard for Americans to qualify, as they tend to favor those from the UK and commonwealth countries. Readers, correct me if I'm wrong on this!
There may be jobs available in language teaching institutes and such here that you could find, but that's a much less stable kind of environment, and it would likely be more difficult to get a work visa arranged. You would do yourself a huge favor, and be much more likely to qualify for more solid opportunities, if you had some kind of English teaching qualifidation.
Mr Tall