London -> Singapore/HK pay cut?

Considering move from sellside BB front office London (research) to Singapore or Hong Kong in a similar role on the buyside. Will there be a significant pay cut? If so how much, and in negotiating salary has anyone maintained their average London pay package (assuming pay cut). Is career progression (onto VP, etc. etc) slower in Asia?

7 Comments
 

Can't talk about your specific job, but:

  • HR/recruiters in HK know that they have to pitch high(ish) to retain talent from the UK or US
  • cost of living in some areas will be lower in HK (food, going out), but may be much higher elsewhere (rent, car insurance,..)
  • don't forget: income tax will be slashed to 15-18% ish, so this is where you make a lot
  • do not give up on your payments in your home country, ie private pension funds, insurances or coverages
  • don't forget to add cost of flight tickets home 2-3x a year

Good luck, a friend just moved from London -> HK. He is very happy.

 

How do you advise going about positioning such a move. In london myself looking to consider asia e.g. HK/SG. Any leads/personal recommendations on recruiters (front office/m&a roles) would be appreciated via PM/Here

 
Most Helpful

My friend was contacted by a recruitment consultant, after he posted his resume on a job board (I believe it was monster.co.uk and the posted residence was London - international recruiters do have access to the other locations and candidate listings). However, nothing blocks you from getting in touch with good recruitment consultants. I personally only know 1 person in the HK/CN/SG area, she is really good at her job and I highly recommend her. Also, large recruitment companies like Huxley (or similar) also have a presence in Asia. You could simply ask them. Lastly, you could also just go ahead with a general application with the BB banks on their own web presence. The recruitment processes for global players are more or less the same across the world.

Further prep would be more about getting accustomed to the local culture, the differences in attitudes at the workplace and also how networking and personal advancement would look like. Many hobbies can be carried out in the same way as in a Western country (i.e. gym/sports, technical hobbies), but some might be difficult (i.e. "you are into monster trucks" or demolition derbies just to give extreme examples).

Please note that this upcoming week https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/festival/national.htm</a">is slow in China due to their National Day (most/many people won't work for a week).

PM me for details.

 

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