@Buzz85
like you i passed stage 1 and icao english test too so i cannot answer you regarding how i feel about being a SO at CX. For some reason it seems that once people land a job as SOs they stop reading and adding to this forum until after many years, when they come back resentful towards new cadets.
I can give you some ideas about what to expect should you move to HK though. I am not sure if you know these websites already, i list them anyways just in case:
Expat community forums (non-aviation related)
Hong Kong Expats - Hong Kong Apartments, Expat Classifieds, Forums, Serviced Apartments in Hong Kong :: Hong Kong GeoExpat
Hong Kong Expat - Hong Kong apartments, expat relocation, Hong Kong serviced apartments, Hong Kong property, Hong Kong property for rent, apartments for rent
Major real estate companies/websites:
Hong Kong Property, Apartments, Homes, Real Estate for Sale, rent and lease - Square Foot
Property Agency in Hong Kong - Midland Realty
there are 4 main types of houses in HK -
1. buildings for the "locals" (with rents mainly subsidised by the government), I do not recommend you staying in one of these places although some are better than others,
2. newer buildings with "clubhouse" facilities which are normally rented without furniture but with built in kitchen and bathrooms,
3. "village houses" in the new territories they are all the same except that some are newer and some older, they have 3 floors and a terrace on top of the last floor and every floor is 700 square feet, some have a small garden or courtyard at the ground floor,
4. extremely expensive villas/apartments.
On a CX SO income you would probably live in either category 2 or 3 of the above. Besides HK island, popular expats areas are Discovery Bay (very close to the airport but bear in mind that cars/taxis are not permitted there, there are buses and ferries that take you to other destinations in town), Sai Kung (if you like water activities that's the place for you), Yuen Long (there are some rare reasonably priced "villas" with gardens, check Fairvew Park listings on those property websites) and Tai Po for village houses.
HK IS an expensive city, however bear in mind that the price of most things (food, non-major-brand clothes, household items) tends to be cheaper than in Western Europe. Only the housing market is very expensive, but there are plenty of ways to keep the monthly rental below or around HKD 10k a month and living in a decently spacious flat if you move out of the central area (HK island/TST). Personally i live in the new territories in a 690-700 square feet house and the building has a "club house" with an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, a gym, 2 tennis courts, 2 badmington courts, kids playground, dogs playground, a small supermarket, laundry.. and i forgot what esle. It's all downstairs all i need to do is take the lift. I spend HKD 9k a month, utilities excluded, but the landlord pays for the management fees. I have a car and it takes me about 20-30 minutes to go downtown and 20 mins to reach the airport, obviously if there is an accident on the highway it can take much longer. Public transportation is quite efficient so you don't really need a car and in fact I am considering not to keep a car if I manage to get hired by CX. Taxis are cheap at least to my Western Europe standards and they are everywhere, so if waiting and sitting on a bus or on the underground train doesnt sound good you can always hop on a taxi for HKD 15 for i think the first 2-3Km. Then its HKD 1.5 every 200 meters. You cant really go too far in HK, so unless they cheat you you wont spend a fortune if you go around by taxi more often than not as I used to do before i got a car.
Hope that helps on the HK cost of living side. I wish i could give you some insights about being a CX SO... but can't atm.
