The International Schools Review Forum

Hi all just wondering what kind of information people have on the Chinese international school in HK. They don't seem to have much of an overall package but seem to pay a little higher ( my guess is around 65,000 USD before taxes). Is this enough to live on and save a little in HK? My (non-teacher) would like to move to HK as it suits her needs a finding a job better than other options. Also we may want to have kids in the near future-- CIS doesn't seem to provide and tuition assistance for staff-- Seems like it would be hard to have a family in HK...

Any other infor about the school or other HK schools would be great.

First, in my opinion Chinese International Schools where ever they are tend to have some of the least generous packages.

The salary for a BA+4 years is $69K, and for an MA +8 years is $70+K. They offer a relocation stipend of $7,500 which is pretty high and would equate to most schools packages if you added the individual components. Yes they pay a little higher, but this is offset by the lack of a housing package. Its very similar to a european package, and really they just want to simply the process. After all those benefits at the end of the day are just different forms of money. Id actually say its a plus, because you can control where you want to live and how much you want to spend as opposed to living in provided housing. You also dont have to haggle over dependents and spousal benefits. You get $7,500 you buy your tickets (which you can shop for cheaply0, and you find a short term apartment or hotel until you find something more long term. The school does provide support and assistance in sorting these things out.

The lack of tuition waiver is something i cant really excuse. The honest answer is they rally dont want teachers (single or couples) with kids.

I guess then the question becomes in HK, can that salary plus,for arguments sake a modest, secondary income allow you to support children in HK? Does HK have some more reasonable day care costs? What about housing off HK island or away from central and the mid-levels?

I hate to guess, because in a city like HK, "modest living" can mean very, very different things depending on who you are, how many kids you have, etc, etc.

Can two people live off two incomes at that level in HK, sure pretty well actually.
Can you find housing on the mainland, yeah, but youd make up for it with more costs to transportation.
Is there "reasonable" day care in HK, well depends on what you define as "reasonable"?
Honestly, HK is just an expensive city no matter how you cut it.

Here are some very general figures for living in HK (this is an AVERAGE, Discovery Bay/Victoria Bay would be a lot higher, etc.)

The Consumer Price Index is 80.5 (that means that HK is about 19.5% cheaper to live in then New York City (NYC)).

The Rent Index is 98.6 (meaning apartment rental costs are only 1.4% lower then NYC)

Local Purchasing Power Factor is 89.4 (meaning your discretionary income "buys" about 9.6% less then you could afford in NYC).

Some average prices (all prices are AVERAGES, and are in USD):

Restaurants:
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 7.57 $
Meal for 2, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 52.40 $
Combo Meal at McDonalds or Similar 4.16 $
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught) 4.14 $
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) 2.65 $
Cappuccino (regular) 4.57 $
Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle) 1.33 $
Water (0.33 liter bottle) 1.07 $

Markets:
Milk (regular), 1 liter 2.88 $
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) 1.82 $
Eggs (12) 2.55 $
Fresh Cheese (1kg) 15.15 $
Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1kg) 6.28 $
Apples (1kg) 3.05 $
Oranges (1kg) 2.63 $
Potato (1kg) 1.38 $
Lettuce (1 head) 1.03 $
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1.79 $
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 14.34 $
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.19 $
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) 1.52 $
Pack of Cigarettes (Marlboro) 5.61 $

Transportation:
One-way Ticket (local transport) 0.98 $
Monthly Pass 59.04 $
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 2.35 $
Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff) 2.22 $
Gasoline (1 liter) 2.02 $

Sports And Leisure:
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 82.49 $
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 5.37 $
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 10.35 $

Clothing And Shoes:
1 Pair of Levis 501 103.51 $
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 55.93 $
1 Pair of Nike Shoes 78.30 $
1 Pair of Men Leather Shoes 114.53 $

Utilities:
Basic (Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) 122.23 $
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff (no discounts or plans) 0.09 $
Internet (6 Mbps, Flat Rate, Cable/ADSL) 24.24 $

Rent (Per Month):
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,762.69$
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,112.67$
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 5,540.20$
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 3,164.25$

Thanks PsyGuy. Have you work in HK before? I do appreciate your input either way...
There must be other HK teachers on here? Doesn't anyone else have an opinion on CIS or HK in general?

Yes i worked as a consultant in HK. It was in education and involved some training but it wasnt actually teaching kids.

I'm also single, so my costs and expenses would be different then a happilly married couple with/without a family.