The opportunity to develop professional skills in a real estate market like Hong Kong is once-in-a-lifetime. Hong Kong is home to some of the most expensive and sought-after real estate in the world. It’s a fast-paced and competitive market – ideal for young people looking to earn real-world experience that will take their skills to the next level.
A real estate intern in Hong Kong will learn first-hand about the city’s skyrocketing housing prices. Since 2003 prices have shot up 300%. The city’s thriving economy, which has expanded over the last 10 years, is attributable to the rise in prices. Moreover, an increased demand from the wealthy mainland Chinese combined with the finite land supply has further shot up prices.
A real estate professional needs to be social, well-organized, motivated and a solid negotiator. Learning how to communicate and negotiate with people from a different culture and in a foreign language will strengthen an intern’s interpersonal skills. Moreover, understanding how the real estate industry functions in a foreign country will give a real estate intern a fresh and unique perspective for when they look for work back home.
Living in Hong Kong
Hong Kong is a bustling, magical city with tons to offer someone looking to explore an exciting international city. During their stay, real estate interns live in the city’s safest areas. Interns live in shared apartment accommodations on either Hong Kong Island or Kowloon in areas like Wan Chai, Sheung Wan, Sai Ying Pun and Jorden.
The local languages
Real estate interns aren’t required to learn Mandarin or Cantonese, though they would remiss not to take advantage of the language learning opportunity an internship in Hong Kong offers. The Intern Group offers either Mandarin or Cantonese classes to interns. As a real estate professional, learning Mandarin, the most popular language in the world, is sure to open up client opportunities.
Buddhist traditions alongside modern marvels
Hong Kong is home to over 1,000 skyscrapers, the city’s sanctuaries to the financial world. The city’s buildings define its skyline, glimmering alongside the Victoria Harbour. Of the towers, The Center, is among the city’s most famous. It’s Hong Kong’s fifth-highest skyscraper and one of the 40 buildings used for the nightly light show called “Symphony of lights”. The spectacular lights and music presentation is on display alongside the Victoria Harbour and has been recognized by the Guinness World Records as “World’s Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show”.
Juxtaposing the tall symbols of capitalism’s power, Hong Kong’s less visible beautiful structures are Buddhist temples. The Chi Lin Nunnery, for example, is one of the well-known local Buddhist complexes and includes statues, temples, gardens and ponds. Other serene structures nearby include the Man temple, Ten Thousand Buddha Monastery and Big Buddha on Lantau Island.
Tastes of Hong Kong
Hong Kong cuisine has been influenced by both Cantonese and non-Cantonese Chinese traditions along with Western, Japanese and Southeast Asian plates. One popular Cantonese food tradition in Hong Kong is dim sum, or food served on small plates in small, snack-sized portions. Some typical dim sum plates include har gow shrimp dumplings, pot stickers and barbeque pork.
Hong Kong’s food scene includes street food called “hawker”, which often includes fish balls, a pudding cake called put chai ko and roasted chestnuts. Open-air food stalls called dai pai dongs are another way to dine casual in Hong Kong. These stalls usually cook up inexpensive dishes like a rice porridge called congee, rice and noodles, sweetened condensed milk toast and wonton noodles.
Beyond the metropolis
Nature lovers visiting in Hong Kong are in luck as some 40% of the overall territory is made up of national parks. The Tai Mo Shan Country Park is a popular spot to cool down during the summer, registering the coldest temperatures in the territory. The park also is home to Hong Kong’s highest waterfall, the 35-meter Long Falls. To get to know local wildlife, particularly primates, at the Kam Shan Country Park visitors are able to interact with macaques.
Real estate interns with The Intern Group are able to both tour Hong Kong’s largest island, Lantau and take a day trip to Macau, or “the vegas of Asia”. Lantau is a mountainous island home to the territory’s famous park, Lantau South Country Park, the largest in the territory. Lantau Island also is home to the impressive 85-foot Tian Tan Buddh. Macau, on the other hand, is famous for its extravagant casinos, spicy Macanese food and fun multicultural events. The colorful city also known for its blend of Chinese and Portuguese culture as it was once a Portuguese colony.
Learn all about Hong Kong’s competitive real estate industry with an internship abroad. Not only does an international internship offer unique professional experiences, but it will also expose a young person to a completely new culture and traditions. Living and working abroad will socialize a young professional, making them more adept at adapting to new cultures, cities and work places for years to come.
Apply now and boost your career!
Sources: NYTimes, HKTDC, Frommer’s, Wikipedia, discoverhongkong.com
Photo 1. based on Chinese Junk @ Hong Kong, by Kevin Poh, CC-by-2.0
Photo 2. based on Vue sur Hong Kong depuis Victoria Peak, by Nicolas Vollmer, CC-by-2.0