INFORMATION FOR TWC NON-LOCAL STUDENTS Welcome Welcome to Tung Wah College (TWC)! We hope you have a smooth transition and feel at home at TWC and Hong Kong. This booklet helps you identify useful and important tips to kick start your study and life here. Contents Introducing SAO a.1. Housing Pre-arrival - Tenancy Guide b. Finance c. Medical Care and Insurance d. Students Under 18 e. What Should I Pack 2. a.Arriving How to Go to TWC HK b. Arrival Checklist c. Making Phone Calls d. How to Open a Bank Account e. Beware of Telephone Deception Cases 3. Settlinga. Adjustment in TWC b. Orientation Activities c. Cantonese 4. Lifea. Semester in Dates TWC b. Student Resources and Campus Facilities c. Smoke-free Campus d. Students’ Union and Student Societies 5. Contact Introducing SAO The Student Affairs Office (SAO) is dedicated to promoting the all-round development of students. In line with the College’s mission to nurture students as caring and socially responsible persons and to provide students with a holistic education, SAO provides a wide range of programmes to •support personal development and offer a rewarding learning experience: • • Personal Growth & Counselling Services • Career Planning & Development Student Development Programmes Non-academic Graduation Requirements – Work-Integrated Learning Programme (WILP) Internship and College Seminars For more information, please visit https://www.twc.edu.hk/en/Administration_Units/sao. 1. Pre-arrival • Housing – Tenancy Guide http://www.eaa.org.hk/Portals/0/Sections/CC/TenancyGuideForNonLocalStudentsInHongKong.pdf • Finance You may consider the following items in your budget planning. The information stated below is for reference only. Housing Expenses Lodging fee - Privately rented accommodation: Single room from $50 per sq.ft. up, excluding utilities Other Expenses Food, groceries and transportation - Around $5,000 per month up (depending on your lifestyle) Other Personal Expenses You also need to budget for your entertainment, overseas travel, insurance and medical expenses, etc. Meal Expenses Average Spending Per Meal/ Purchase (HK$) Breakfast 30 - 40 Lunch 35 - 70 Afternoon Tea 30 - 40 Dinner 50 - 90 Hot Beverages / Coffee 10 - 40 Cold Beverages / Coffee 10 - 45 Snack 8 - 25 For the updated tuition fees and other charges, please visit https://www.twc.edu.hk/en/Adminis- tration_Units/fo/our_service/student-area/fees-charges-hans. Transferring money to Hong Kong for use on arrival if I do not have a bank account in Hong Kong: • This can be done, either • by instructing an overseas bank one or two weeks prior to your departure. Arrange to send money in your name to a bank in Hong Kong; or by carrying traveller’s cheques or bank drafts for deposit into a local account (personal Amountcheques of moneycan also I beshould deposited bring but to Hongmay take Kong: up to three weeks to be cleared). There are usually significant extra expenses in the first month of your stay, such as rental charges, household items and textbooks. On top of the tuition fees, expenses for the first month can amount to HK$10,000 or more for a student. It is important to have a realistic idea of the amount of money you will need and plan accordingly. You are advised to bring enough cash, traveller’s cheques, or bank drafts to cover expenses of at least your first month. Do not, however, carry too much cash at any time. You can obtain a bank draft or transfer money to a bank account in Hong Kong through your local bank. Keep in mind that it may take some time to cash a bank draft with a large amount of money. Money transfers should be arranged well before your departure. The official currency of Hong Kong is Hong Kong Dollar (HK$). You can exchange Hong Kong Dollar with foreign currency or traveller’s cheques according to the daily exchange rates at any banks or money exchange shops. • Medical Care and Insurance Access to specialist care or hospitalisation: When specialist care and hospitalisation are required, you can consider using the services provided at public clinics and general wards of government hospitals. The charge for those holding a Hong Kong Identity Card (HKID card) is subsidised. Non-local students without a HKID card are required to pay full fees for services and hospitalisation in government hospi- tals. For details of the fees charged by government hospitals, please visit www.ha.org.hk (Services Insurance:Guides Fees and Charges). Non-local students who are going to spend more than 180 days in Hong Kong are eligible to apply for a Hong Kong Identity Card (HKID card). As it takes time to obtain the HKID card, you are strongly advised to get your own medical insurance to cover your first month of stay. Many insurance policies are strictly on a reimbursement basis. Non-local students, even with insurance coverage, may have to settle the medical bill first before you can claim reimburse- ment. It is important for you to check carefully with your insurance company on the extent of coverage and claim procedures, and set aside a sum of money for contingencies. • Students Under 18 Student Visa Application Your parent needs to nominate a local Hong Kong resident to be your guardian when applying for a student visa. Details of the guardian and nomination form should be attached to your visa application set. Please consult Registry or Immigration Department (https://www.immd.gov.hk/eng/forms/hk-visas.html) if Hong Kong Identity Card you have further enquiries. If your parents have nominated a relative to be your local guardian to the Hong Kong Immigration Department, you should be accompanied by that local guardian when you submit your Hong Kong Identity Card application at the Hong Kong Immigration Department. • WhatDocuments Should I Pack?We recommend that you carry the following documents with you. To be safe, make photocopies of them. • a valid passport or travel documents • a student visa (you have to present your visa label / entry permit at the immigration counter upon arrival) • an original letter/notice of Offer of Admission from Tung Wah College • proof of funds available (e.g. bank draft, transfer of funds, credit, scholarship or other) and/or credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard • address and telephone number of where you are going • your medical records, immunisation records and academic re- cords • documents with details of your insurance policy (if any) issued in your home country • a passport photo for student residence registration (if applicable) • a proof of your permanent address in your own country (e.g. original bank statements of the past 2 months in English, driving license) Clothes & Bedding You can expect sunny, bright and cool weather during winter, and oc- casional mist and showers from March to mid-May, so a shower proof jacket is desirable. There is no heating system in Hong Kong and some winter days can be very cold. You may consider bringing a quilt and a cold resistant jacket for the cooler days or alternatively buy one in Hong Kong. Electrical Equipment Electrical equipment you bring should be compatible with Hong Kong’s voltage, which is 220 volts, 50Hz. The plug being used in Hong Kong has 3 pins in rectangular shape (British style socket). Food Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan city. You will be able to find most, if not all, types of cuisine here. In case your flight arrives late at night, you may have difficulties locating a restaurant or catering outlet. You are advised to pack some light snacks such as biscuits or energy bars in your hand carry luggage. Sports Goods/ Music If you wish to participate in student sports teams or any other student Instrument clubs, you may wish to bring along your personal equipment or instru- ment. Study Tools You may wish to bring along your own laptop. Most of the campus areas have wireless network coverage for registered students. 2. Arriving HK How to Go to TWC Transportation Bus • 203C, 103 (Bus routes via Wylie Road) • 113, 170, 182 (Bus routes via Princess Margaret Road, opposite to Oi Man Estate Tun Man House, about 3-minute walk from King’s Park Campus) • 7B, 8, 17, 18, 41, 45, 109, E21A (Bus routes via King’s Park Campus Oi Man Estate. You may reach Wylie Road via footbridge next to Oi Man Estate Tun Man House, about 5-minute walk from King’s Park Campus) 31 Wylie Road, Homantin, Kowloon, Hong Kong MTR • Yau Ma Tei Station Exit A2/D: Waterloo Road -> Wylie Road • Mong Kok East Station: Yim Po Fong Street -> Wylie Road (10-minute walk from Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok East MTR Station to King’s BusPark Campus) • 203C, 103P (Bus routes via MacPherson Play- ground, about 1-minute walk from Mongkok Campus) Mongkok Campus • 6, 9, 104, 117 (Bus routes via Shantung Street, about 3-minute walk from Mongkok Campus) Nos. 90A & 98, Shantung Street, Mongkok, MTR Kowloon, Hong Kong • Mong Kok Station Exit E2: Sai Yeung Choi Street South -> Shantung Street • Mong Kok East Station: Yim Po Fong Street -> Shantung Street (5-minute walk from Mong Kok and Mong Kok East MTR Station to Mongkok Campus) • Arrival Checklist Things you need to do upon arrival: 1. Report to SAO directly from Hong Kong airport (if applicable). 2. Check into your rented unit, look for the contacts of the building (if applicable). 3. Collect Registration Package and Orientation Information. 4. Finalise visa and immigration matters, particularly if you have some unsettled matters prior to your arrival. 5. Settle any outstanding payment. (e.g. tuition fee, lodging fee for accomodation, caution money, etc.). Purchase housekeeping items like pillows, pillow cases and bed sheets, and stationery items, etc.