Where can I get information about jobs and work visas.....
 

in Asian countries? Which websites should I use? Any tips from fodorites who have got job visas in Asia. Which countries are best? Hong Kong, Japan, Sinagapore? Please help. Thanks in advance.

Work Visas are applied for in all those countries by the company that employs you. What is your profession / experience? Unless you are looking at a teaching job in Japan/Korea/China etc you need top level qualifications and experience to land a job as an expatriate, and most of those jobs would be on transfer from an employer in your home country. Not trying to put a downer on any adventurous plans but at the same time these days it is, apart from teaching, extreamly difficult to find employment in Asia unless you are a top high flyer say in a Financial Company or Commercial business. In 'some' countries you can invest to open a business but that's another totally different ballgame and requires a large amount of money! Trust me, I speak from experience!!
If you 'are' keen on working overseas one area where there 'are' jobs to be found and the money is good is places like Dubai. From your 'name' it might be worth looking at some of the Gulf Airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways or Ethihad who employ a large number of Stewardesses from Europe, that is a great way to see the world and travel, the money is good, and they are always looking for people, maybe an idea you could look at. If you have knowledge of the say Spa or beuty business there can also be jobs to be found in Dubai, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, again, the money is 'very good' and the lifestyle is also very good.

JamesA, thank you for the information. Which part of Asia do you live in? Do you like it? I am looking for a short term teaching job. I would also consider a bar tending job. I prefer Japan, Hong Kong (not mainland China) or Singapore. I never thought of Dubai, since I am a single female, I am hesitant to live in the Islamic world.

what language are ya planning too teach?

English

uuhhhh. your going too have a tough time finding a job teaching english in Hongkong/singagore, thats is already one of thier official languages. if ya want too teach english the best places are mailnand china HUGE BOOM in english speaking courses. thailand is the usual favorite. well you have all your third world asian countries too pick from.. and japan and S korea stil look for verry qualifies teachers..

I lived and worked in Singapore and Hong Kong for 10 years and currently live in Switzerland. I found those jobs on my own. I have a professional degree, so in some ways can offer unique skills, but I did know several Europeans and Americans, with and without university degrees, who found jobs in both Singapore and Hong Kong, from private banking to teaching to travel agency work.

IMO, there are many jobs available in both Singapore and Hong Kong beyond teaching English. (I can't speak for Korea or Japan, but I understand you could find a job teaching English in either place quite easily, see some info below. I imagine Bangkok would be much like Singapore and Hong Kong in terms of other employment being available, and you could also get a job teaching English.) If you want to work in any of those countries, your employer would have to sponsor you for a work permit. Generally, an employer has to demonstrate that you possess a skill which a local person does not and therefore they need to hire you. While not automatically granted, a work permit not as difficult to obtain as some people may tell you. Singapore is a bit more protective of its local workforce and an employer may have a bit of a harder time, but as long as the employer is willing to sponsor you, the most you risk is a rejection. You most likely would have to be willing to take a "local" package, which generally means salary only and no housing allowance, home leave allowance, etc. However, if you are willing to share a flat or live in more outlying areas, I don't believe you would find a local salary a hardship in Singapore or Hong Kong. Remember that both have extremely low income tax rates (about 15%) compared to Germany, so you may have more income at your disposal than you imagine. Flat prices in Hong Kong have dropped about 15-20% in the last few years, making flats much more affordable.

IMO if you really want to do this, you have to commit yourself to go there and look in person. Most of the countries you are considering will let you stay for 90 days with no visa, and you can apply for a work permit while in the country on a tourist visa. If you know anyone you can stay with, so much the better. Otherwise, you would have to get a short-term let of a flat or a cheap hotel room and get out there and look. You can lay some groundwork before you go, but being there and available for interviews will be a big plus, IMO.

Remember that you possess a rather unique skill to begin with: you speak German. Your written English appears good as well, which is another plus. While many local people in both Singapore and Hong Kong speak English, there are far fewer local German speakers. I would promote your language skills as much as possible. If you speak other European language, that only adds to your attractiveness as an employee. Here are some suggestions.

1. German companies. Many German manufacturing, bank and service companies have offices in Hong Kong and Singapore. Do a search on the web for German companies which have offices in Singapore and/or Hong Kong. Send them letters about employment. Speak to everyone you know, and everyone they know to get further contacts. If you have a university degree, contact your alumni office and find out if there are any graduates of your university working in either place. Try German "headhunting" firms. Read the classified adds in Germany for overseas positions. Remember that "wanderlust" is a German word, and there are lots of Germans who travel, so consider a travel agency, tour group or hotel, esp a German or Swiss-German chain.

If you speak other language, i.e. French, then search out French companies, schools, etc as well.
2. German International Schools. There is a very-well regarded Swiss-German school in Hong Kong, the Deutsch-Schweizerische Internationale Schule. Instruction is mostly in English, they also have a German stream. I am not sure what type of qualifications they are looking for in instructors, but it is worth a try. Their website is gsis.edu.hk. The website has links to German schools in Tokyo, Kobe Japan, Seoul, Singapore, Bangkok, New Delhi, and. Jakarta. Take a look at the "GSIS Community" page and the "External Links" page within that page for that info, plus links to other German-speaking groups.

There is a website called Overseas Digest (overseasdigest.com) which has a section on teaching overseas. www.overseasdigest.com/odsamples/ambrose.html The site appears to have lots on information, links and contacts about teaching and living overseas.

3. Goethe Institute. There are Goethe Institutes in Hong Kong, Singapore and most other major Asian cities. AS you may know, these are cultural organizations offering language courses and other aspects of German culture. They may hire staff or have info on jobs for German-speakers. The Hong Kong institute seems to offer internships, but that portion of the website is in German and I can't understand most of it. The main website is goethe.de, the website for the Hong Kong institute is http://www.goethe.de/os/hon/, they have links to the other institutes throughout Asia.

4. Classified ads. Get a copy of The South China Morning Post, which is the main English-language newspaper in Hong Kong. You can look at classified ads on-line as well. Go to their website at scmp.com. On the main page, scroll to the very bottom and under "Specials" in the fine print you will see a link for "classifiedpost.com". Click this, and you will be brought t a new page, where you can job search by category, etc.

Get a copy of The Straits Times, which is the main English-language newspaper in Singapore. A newsstand may carry it, or your local library may be able to obtain copies for you. If you are really serious, it may be worth subscribing to the paper, although it will be a few days or a week old by the time it reaches you. They have a website at http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/, but they do not have classified ads.

In Bangkok, the local English daily paper is The Bangkok Post. Their website is http://www.bangkokpost.net/. Look at the left hand column for links to classified ads.

5. Teaching English. Run a search here, as there have been some threads on this. I understand it is fairly easy to get jobs and work permits to teach English in Seoul and Tokyo. The Overseas Digest, mentioned above, may also have info on teaching English. Some other sites to try for general information on being an "expat" are:

http://members.tripod.com
www.expatexchange.com
www.expat-essentials.com
www.expatforum.com
www.expatnetwork.com
www.escapeartist.com/expatriate1/expatriate1.htm
www.outpostexpat.nl

6. For an idea of housing costs in Hong Kong, take a look at the classified ads in The South China Morning Post. Go to their website at scmp.com. On the main page, scroll to the very bottom and under "Specials" in the fine print you will see a link for "classifiedpost.com". Click this, and you will be brought t a new page. Scroll all the way to the bottom of this and in the black shaded area, click on "Property". You will go to a new page. In the window on the upper left where it says "Choose Property Type", open the window and under "Residential" look in the following areas:

HK Island - To Let
Kowloon/NT - To Let
Serviced Apartments/Suites

Also click under "share flats" to see ads for people looking to share a flat. You may be able to do the same on the site for The Bangkok Post.

That is all I can think of for the moment. If I come up with other suggestions, I will post again. Good luck and don't give up, this is not as hard to do as some people make out.

IMO, forget Dubai and forget being a stewardess. You could not pay me enough to do that job, and you can certainly find more rewarding jobs out there.

To Cicerone's very comprehensive post I would only add think laterally, out of the box. While living in Bkk I met someone from Europe who was managing a business center which had mostly clients from her country. The intl schools and teaching are def an option. IMO Japan which is VERY expensive should be lower on your list than HK, S'pore, Thailand. Also, take a look at www.asiaxpat.com for your target countries - posts regarding cost of living in these countries are common. All the best!

Sorry to disagree but the chances of a Young Lady from Germany being offered a work permit to teach English in Singapore is absolutely zero! Singaporean teachers themselves speak excellent English. Japan and Korea 'maybe' for native speakers who have the qualifications. In Thailand there is oversupply of people wanting to do this, the pay is low, hours long, some enjoy it and get by but regulations have been tightened a great deal in recent years.

I am pretty sure my post said that getting jobs teaching English were obtainable in Korea and Tokyo, I did not say anything about Singapore, where I indicated that work permits were are problematic. As for Bangkok, I said I thought you could get a job teaching English, but don't think I implied that I was certain about that, and I think I also indicated that my main message concerned Singapore and Hong Kong. I also know Europeans in Singapore who obtained work permits for jobs for which locals were clearly as qualified, so it does depend a bit on the willingness of your employer to go to bat for you with regard to the permit.