Exchange in Hong Kong, how can I salvage this?
So earlier this year I got a letter from my faculty prompting me to apply for exchange because I had good grades etc, and as a result, I will be finishing my final semester next year in Hong Kong.
This was all occurring during recruitment season for summer interns here in Aus, and while it was happening I was reaching out to a number of firms in HK. I managed to hook up a couple interviews for when I land to do some interning while I'm studying there next year. Because of this, I didn't pursue the local first rounds (fucking moronic move I know).
I recently got word from HK immigration that because I will be there for only one semester I am not allowed to work or intern, whether it is paid or unpaid.
I still have the contacts in HK that I will be meeting, but what can I do to salvage the situation?
Without an internship I know that I will not get a job in banking, so right now it seems like an absolute waste of time to even go on exchange to HK (since I was deciding between HK and Berlin). Having said that, I've already set everything up so I may as well utilise my time there as efficiently as possible.
Should I enquire about interning with these firms after my semester during the summer? I have enough money to support myself to go unpaid, but it seems fruitless if it won't help my career progression.The kicker is that they would need to sponsor me to intern during the summer.
Cheers
I think it is harder to intern in HK unpaid (or in other words, without signing an official contract). HK has a minimum wage of HKD28 per hour and most unpaid internships will pay their interns the minimum wage (allowances). At the same time, they will require you to sign a contract with your ID documents for them to protect their rights and etc.
Yeah, in general, Mainland China would be easier to work without a contract. Maybe you can ask firms to sponsor your work visa? I know that if a firm helps you apply for a work visa from the immigration, it will be a lot easier.
Cheers for the response. I am now planning on enquiring about visa sponsorship when I meet them, although I'm not sure how I should tackle the subject with them since they will not be expecting to be asked to sponsor me. I'm worried if I send an email before hand they will just outright cancel the meetings, but if I put them on the spot when we meet I may offend them.
Any advice on how I can handle it?
I think you should just let them know your situation on the spot, but not go too deep into it. To be honest, I don't know how much it will cost the employer to sponsor in HK and I doubt that your contact will know the details of sponsorship as well. Perhaps, just briefly let your contact know and ask if he/she can confirm with the HR/Admin on the process and stuff to see if its possible?
I dont think it should be a problem - a lot of non-HK kids get internships in HK quite easily.
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