Fight once, three generations stronger? Parents go to Hong Kong to study a new path for becoming a chicken baby
Recently, the heat of Hong Kong identity has risen again. First, at the end of last year, the "Gao Cai Tong" scheme was launched, which was called "the most liberal talent entry scheme in history", and then middle-aged parents went to Hong Kong to study for master's degrees, paving the way for their children to move to Hong Kong.
Why Hong Kong? Obviously, Hong Kong's educational resources are too impressive.
International primary and secondary education, relaxed college enrollment policies, seamless connection to top universities in Europe and the United States, which is not as fragrant as the college entrance examination in the mainland!
Image source: Weibo
More and more parents are beginning to admit that the fact of raising a puwa is difficult to change, and "chickens are not as good as chickens themselves", if they can obtain Hong Kong identity, children can participate in Hong Kong's "college entrance examination", and the difficulty of attending prestigious schools plummets.
However, for the vast majority of parents, there are still serious information barriers to going to Hong Kong, how to obtain Hong Kong identity? What is it like to study graduate school in Hong Kong? What are the pathways for my child to go on to school?
If you want to help your children find a way to school, parents need to explore these issues one by one.
01
Have a Hong Kong identity and set foot on a new continent of study
In order for your child to obtain Hong Kong status and sit for the entrance examination in Hong Kong, the following three steps need to be followed:
In the first step, parents obtain Hong Kong resident status through work, study, or talent introduction;
The second step is to obtain Hong Kong permanent resident status by residing in Hong Kong for seven consecutive years;
In the third step, unmarried dependent children under the age of 18 can join their parents and apply to become Hong Kong permanent residents.
Image source: Hong Kong Immigration Department
The first step, obtaining residency, is often the most testing of parents' strength.
The more common entry methods, including the High-Talent Scheme, the Talent Scheme, and the Science and Technology Program, correspond to the graduates of the world's top 100 universities, high-tech talents and R&D talents respectively.
These entry programs not only put forward higher requirements for academic qualifications, but also require immigrants to have work experience in related fields, and properly "think of chicken babies, fight first".
Many parents find it difficult to meet the mandatory requirements for talent introduction, so they have to set their sights on the "Employment Arrangement for Non-local Graduates in Hong Kong", and study full-time undergraduate or higher qualifications in Hong Kong before staying in Hong Kong to find a job.
Starting from the end of 2022, the period of stay mode for graduates has been changed from "1+2+2+3" to "2+2+3", which means that even if they are not hired by the company immediately after graduation, they can slowly find a job for 2 years, which also encourages more mothers to study in Hong Kong.
Image source: Hong Kong Immigration Department
If they want their children to obtain Hong Kong status before the age of 18, parents must start planning at least before the child is 11 years old. Why is such a long investment period still attracting more and more parents?
The reason is simple, the return on investment is so fruitful! Children taking the "college entrance examination" in Hong Kong have both the advantage of school places and scores, which is equivalent to fewer people competing and reducing the difficulty.
Image source: Little Red Book @ Future
If you take the overseas Chinese students joint examination, the score of entering the 985 schools will drop by 200+. Children can also take the DSE exam, whether it is to study in first-class universities in Hong Kong and the mainland, or to apply to international famous universities, which has more advantages than the mainland.
No wonder mothers gamble on their careers and lives, but also fight for the future of their children.
02
How are the mothers who went to Hong Kong to study for master's degrees?
A closer look at the Hong Kong Shuo moms who are active on social media reveals that they have a lot of similarities.
First of all, most of them live in the Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta and surrounding coastal cities, with Shenzhen as the primary gathering place. This is because mothers have to complete 7 years of study and residence in Hong Kong, as well as take care of their families and maintain their work, and distance will be a big hindrance.
Secondly, they tend to have strong economic strength, strong psychological quality and sense of purpose, and know what they want.
After the first three years of study and transition, if you want to get permanent resident status, you also need to maintain your visa for the next 4 years, find a job in Hong Kong, or live in Hong Kong for a long time, which is not an easy task for mothers.
Image source: University of Hong Kong website
Finally, they are a group of people who have a clear and long-term plan for their children's education, are familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of each path to higher education, and have a clear understanding of the characteristics of children.
Shenzhen-Hong Kong mommy Awan was like this, in her thirties, she decided to go to Hong Kong for graduate school, and went to the relatively easy to apply for Hong Kong Metropolitan University, and studied for a one-year "water master".
It is said that it is "water master", mainly because it is easy to admit, short school duration, good graduation, only need to take 7 months of classes, and even do not have to run to Hong Kong often, so the impact on the family is not very large.
She said that she initially chose this track because the children of relatives had average grades since childhood, but with their Hong Kong identity, they were admitted to Hong Kong's top three universities, Hong Kong Polytechnic Computer Science.
Thinking of his own children: "My husband and I don't expect him to get into a top school, we just hope that he will be a little relaxed and happy on the road to further education." ”
Image source: @深港妈咪阿婉
In this way, on the one hand, for the sake of her child's education, Ah Wan chose to go to Hong Kong for graduate school to pave the way for her child's future.
On the other hand, Ah Wan also believes that studying for a master's degree is a way to improve herself.
As a mother who graduated from a double non-undergraduate degree, she no longer has an advantage in the domestic job market, and went to Hong Kong to study graduate school, and after returning to China, she is a full-fledged international student, and her workplace competitiveness has been greatly improved.
It's usually hard to make decisions, but when it's time to actually take this step, you're much calmer. There are even many mothers who sigh, "I regret not coming sooner." ”
03
The diversification of further education paths tests the comprehensive strength of the family
After the 2023 Tsinghua Peking University enrollment results came out, many people discovered an amazing fact: less than half of the total number of children admitted with naked scores in the college entrance examination!
Taking Peking University as an example, a total of 4,483 new students were enrolled this year, including 419 international students, 898 under the Qiangji Program, 277 in national special projects, 194 in competition escort, and more than 300 in high-level sports teams and art troupes, and mathematical physics elite classes.
It can be seen that the diversification of enrollment methods and further education paths has become an important trend.
Image source: Peking University Admissions Office
Among the many admission pathways, the requirements for grades of international students and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan students are undoubtedly low, and it is also the goal of families with ability and conditions.
In addition to Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand have also become educational highlands sought after by the Chinese. Compared with studying in European and American countries, the cost of studying in Asian countries is relatively low, the transportation is more convenient, and the living environment and cultural environment are similar to those in China.
In recent years, the internationalization of primary and secondary education in Thailand has been increasing, and Singapore has been known as a golden springboard for European and American universities.
In order to qualify as an international student, studying abroad at a young age has become the first choice for many families. In primary school or even kindergarten, send children abroad to study and attend international schools in Thailand, Singapore and other countries.
In the future, children can apply for world-renowned schools with O/A level courses, and can apply for domestic 985 and 211 schools as international students, which can be described as worry-free.
Image source: Bangkok International School website
The "oil king" Rockefeller's family education experience is widely spread, he once said: "If you want to succeed, you should move on a new path, not follow the path of success that has been trampled on." ”
For children, one more path is one more opportunity to try, and one more possibility for the future.
Nowadays, the channel to further education is no longer limited to the child's test scores, but the integration of the family's resources and strength, the parents' knowledge and vision, and the child's comprehensive quality.
More and more people are realizing that "chickens are not as good as chickens themselves".
The so-called chicken itself is not for parents to study hard and play hard, but to stimulate the family's resource integration ability and escort the child's future.