On the move:
Ellen Chan travels to five provinces in the Mainland to represent Hong Kong, giving her a better understanding of the local culture and the Mainland government.
Peripatetic post:
To help break down communication barriers, Eddie Lee has studied foreign languages, including Russian and French.
HK Administrative Officers go global
September 05, 2011
“Administrative Officer” may sound like a dull, boring post limited to pushing paper around in an office all day. Hong Kong civil servants Ellen Chan and Eddie Lee, though, discovered the post can offer challenges that stretch their abilities, and can even open doors to overseas postings.
Ms Chan is now Deputy Director of the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in Guangdong, responsible for liaising on trade and economic activities with government officials and related organisations, throughout five provinces in the Mainland.
On the day of the interview, Ms Chan had been working at this post for less than two months, and was still adapting to her new environment. She had welcomed the chance to participate in preparations for the Universiade 2011 - the university games - in Shenzhen, and relished the challenges of her new position.
“This [posting] is a very good opportunity for us to learn about the culture here and how the Mainland government works,” she said. Since Hong Kong has an ever closer relationship with the Mainland, she added, civil servants will need to contact Mainland government officials more regularly.
For the past three and a half years, Ms Chan had been working in the Home Affairs Bureau and the Transport & Housing Bureau, dealing with religious and railway affairs. Having studied in the US before, she is used to taking care of herself alone in a new living environment. She always has her luggage at the ready, for frequent business trips in the Mainland.
Another administrative officer, Eddie Lee, works halfway round the globe, in Brussels, where he is Deputy Representative of the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office there.
In his past 12 years as an administrative officer, he has worked in two policy bureaus and spent two years in the Economic & Trade Office in London.
Mr Lee, his wife and two daughters, now make their home in Brussels. He spends most of his working day outside the office, meeting different countries’ government officials and business leaders, to seek economic and trade co-operation opportunities.
Fitting in
When he first arrives in a new place, he closely surveys his surroundings, to understand the local culture and economic circumstances.
“I pay a lot of attention to the local news, the news of government about the new policies and new measures, and even market prices in supermarkets and transport fares,” he said.
Mr Lee enjoys his work, especially as it allows him to travel a great deal. To help break down communication barriers, he has studied foreign languages, including Russian and French.
He recalled some awkward moments in the course of learning.
After his first Russian lesson, he met with a Russian associate, and greeted him by saying “goodbye” in Russian, instead of “hello”, but immediately corrected himself. The associate did not laugh, but appreciated his attempt to learn the language.
“After that, our co-operation grew closer and closer,” Mr Lee said.
International exposure
He makes frequent business trips within Europe, and recalls a particularly peripatetic day when he found himself in London in the morning, flying to Finland in the afternoon, and then on to Russia at midnight.
He is always ready to help Hong Kongers abroad who are in need. Last December, he assisted hundreds of students who were stranded at Heathrow Airport, due to heavy snowstorms. After the students made it back to Hong Kong, he received a number of thank you cards and emails, which gave him a lot of satisfaction.
“I can happily say that I made the right decision in applying for the Economic & Trade Office post. Representing the Hong Kong government in European countries is a very precious opportunity for me, where I can really live and work in foreign countries, to experience something new and to gain more international exposure,” he said.
The Government is now seeking about 25 Administrative Officers. The application period runs from September 3 to 26. Recruitment advertisements can be found on the Civil Service Bureau's
website, and
www.gov.hk. More information is also available
here.
