ABOUT
Phil Rosen is a bestselling author and senior reporter at Insider. He was born in California and currently lives in New York City. His mom is from Hong Kong, and he has an extensive family there and lived there from 2018-2020. His dad is from New York.
He speaks Cantonese (different from Mandarin, which is spoken in mainland China).
He speaks Cantonese (different from Mandarin, which is spoken in mainland China).
Moving to Hong Kong
When did you move to Hong Kong? What for?
I moved there after I graduated from college in 2018, and I taught English to preschoolers for 6 months. I went initially to travel and live overseas, and it helped that I was able to live with my relatives.
I had started a blog when I moved there, and that blog actually helped me land a job at an English newspaper, which I did for the duration of my time until I left just before 2020.
I had started a blog when I moved there, and that blog actually helped me land a job at an English newspaper, which I did for the duration of my time until I left just before 2020.
How did you get set up? (phone plan, bank ..)
I remember I immediately got a SIM card, so I could have data and phone calls while I was there. I also switched over from iMessage to WhatsApp, which is far more prevalent outside the US. Everyone communicates with it. And I also quickly got used to using the voice messaging feature on Whatsapp, instead of typing out texts.
I set up a local bank account too, since it was required for my job at the time.
I set up a local bank account too, since it was required for my job at the time.
How to find a job in Hong Kong? Are there any useful websites or apps?
I just did a Google search of English teaching jobs in Hong Kong, and a bunch of results came up. Mainly, the requirement is a college degree and a Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate, which is a pretty fast and easy course online. Pick a country you’re interested in, and look for English teaching jobs there, and it should be fairly straightforward.
What did you bring with you?
I was lucky enough to be able to pack fairly lightly, since I moved in with my relatives there. So I believe I had only one check-in bag and a carry on!
Living in Hong Kong
How much money do you need to live comfortably in HK?
When I moved there, I was making just about $40,000 USD, but saving money on rent. Hong Kong is an incredibly expensive place to live, similar to London or New York. I remember being fairly conservative with my spending. Most of my money actually went toward flights and travel.
Do you need to speak Cantonese to be comfortable living in HK?
Not necessarily. There is a huge expat community in Hong Kong, though maybe less so now than 2018 due to political protests and emigration since 2020. It’s such an international hub that English can get you around decently well.
How does living in HK compare to other cities in LA or NY?
Hong Kong and NYC have a ton of similarities, in that they are both incredibly fast-paced, expensive, metropolitan concrete jungles. Both are business and finance centers of the world, and very international. You never know who you are going to bump into in either city, and there’s also access to anything you can imagine, 24/7 in both places.
What books should people look at to learn more about HK?
I actually wrote a memoir from my time living in Hong Kong and traveling through Southeast Asia! In it, I describe much of my experience there teaching English as an expat. It’s called Everywhere But Home: Life Overseas as Told by a Travel Blogger, and I think it presents some solid anecdotes of what it’s like to live there.
Final Thoughts
What has been the hardest aspect of living in HK?
I think this goes for any situation of living abroad, but the homesickness was difficult. You miss friends and family, yes, but also the mere familiarity of things and places you grew up with. All that is taken away immediately, and you’re forced to adapt to new everything.
You have to get used to new food, surroundings, and standard of living. The loneliness aspect of travel is always there. That’s hard. Especially with a 16 hour time difference too — much of your waking hours are when your friends back home are asleep.
You have to get used to new food, surroundings, and standard of living. The loneliness aspect of travel is always there. That’s hard. Especially with a 16 hour time difference too — much of your waking hours are when your friends back home are asleep.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE? ARE YOU WORKING ON ANYTHING PARTICULAR?
I am currently a journalist for Business Insider, and recently my new fiction book came out. It’s called Life Between Moments: New York Stories.
Thank you so much Phil, it looks like you’ve taken that opportunity to both develop professionally and learn about your roots as well! You have so much to share through your books as well. I can’t wait to see what your can-do attitude will take you next!
