This is my first post in this forum, and I would really appreciate any help I can get.
My company is opening an office in Hong Kong (Central) and I have been asked and accepted to relocate there permanently after the summer (late August or early September). I have a pregnant wife (due date in late November) and a 2-year old son, we are Swedish and are currently living in Sweden.
The company policy for relocation is that I get a lump sum to cover the moving costs, and then I will have to sort out the rest myself. The company will not pay for anything basically, but I have received a salary increase to cover for the extra costs.
I have a ton of questions:
1. LIVING. I want to live in a nice area for my family and at the same time not have too long commuting time for me to work. Our budget is around 70k/month for the apartment and we have been recommended Repulse Bay by some acquaintances. Any other recommendations?
2. GIVING BIRTH. Since my wife is already pregnant I would assume it is too late to get an insurance to cover anything so we are prepared to pay for it ourselves. But which hospital is the best? We have contacted Matilda but they are already fully booked in November... Any advice regarding hospital and/or insurance? We will need insurance for the whole family, so perhaps we can get some kind of package price?
3. NANNY. We want to find a good English speaking nanny as soon as possible. How much does that usually cost, and how do we find one? Do they normally expect to live in your apartment? This is completely new to us so.
4. PRE-SCHOOL. My son was born in February 2010 so he is going to be 2,5 years old in September. We want to put him in a good International school, perhaps a Montessori school, close to where we live. The most important thing is that he is in a caring and playful environment.
5. MOVING THINGS. We need to ship all our furniture from Sweden to Hong Kong. Can anyone recommend a company in Hong Kong that can facilitate that?
My wife and I are going on a scouting trip to HK in June, and the more questions we can find answers to before that, the better.
Thanks in advance!