Expert Info

Posted by
on 3 Jan 2013

Hi all Just a quick question regarding employment in Hong Kong. my friend moved to Hong Kong for a role in Recruitment around seven months ago and has been informing me of the pros and cons of life in the city. I visited for around three months but didn't attempt to secure a job as I was purely traveling and wanted to visit other country's and had to return to the UK due to the sale of my flat. I was very interested to find out if it would be possible to secure a role in Hong Kong without a degree, I am a thirty year old British citizen with twelve years Account management experience. I also have reference letters from my past employers outlining my achievements and ability if this would assist my employment search. thanks for any information.

Anonymous (not verified) on 7 Jan 2013 - 08:43
Hi Keithfox,

While degrees from British and American universities are held in high regard in Hong Kong, there are still good opportunities for those without degrees. It is just a case of applying and impressing the employer with your experience.

As your probably know from visiting the country and your friend's experience there are certain difficulties that expats working in Hong Kong face. For instance, the working week is long and you will be expected to put your all into your work. 

While it is not essential it maybe beneficial to learn some Cantonese as this will give you an advantage over other expats who do not speak the local language.

Lots of expats working in Hong Kong are head hunted and lured over by lucrative employement packages. It is worth signing up with some employment agencies and looking at company websites for job opputunities. 

Take a look at our Working in Hong Kong page for more information and tips for securing a job.

Good luck. 
Anonymous (not verified) on 17 Mar 2013 - 03:52
Shantalie, When you say that HK holds degrees from American universities in high regard, how high would you rate it? If a HK university is a 5 from a scale of 1-10, what is an American university degree from a big state school (not an ivy league school)? Also does a law degree from a 1st tier American school boost the prestige by a little or a lot? Thanks!
Anonymous (not verified) on 18 Mar 2013 - 07:05
Hi Anonymous,

It is quite difficult to answer your question. While degrees from US universities are respected and recognised by companies in Hong Kong - it depends on the company and field of work on how they treat US degrees in comparison to degrees from Hong Kong. 

Law degrees are often a special case. The legal system in each country is different and you'll often find that those with law degrees won't be able to practice in many other countries because of different systems. You will need to check with the law society in Hong Kong to see whether you can do any accelerated conversion courses.

I hope this helps.

Shantalie