New arrivals in Hong Kong usually find the city an exciting - if occasionally overwhelming - place. This is equally true of international recruits to the teaching staff of the English School Foundation (ESF).
'The first thing we saw was the [Victoria Harbour] light show and we fell in love with it,' says Noelle Du Puy who moved here a month ago with her partner so they could both take up posts at the ESF's Renaissance College. 'Hong Kong's a lot greener place than I imagined. And it's very welcoming to foreigners.'
Maddy Carr, head of French at ESF's South Island School, arrived about four years ago. 'I'd never even been to Asia and it was pretty overwhelming. It was mid-August so it was really, really hot. Things like the tall buildings, the bamboo scaffolding, the busyness, were all new and very exciting. It was great.'
While these teachers have found the cultural differences attractive, Carr highlights one of several challenges. 'This is an easy place to live but for me the most difficult thing was finding somewhere to live.'
However, help was at hand. 'The ESF has an induction programme, as does the school,' Carr says. 'The ESF organises a whole day that helps with the administrative side of living here - giving advice on opening a bank account and finding a flat - and then organises social events so you meet people from different schools.'
American-born Humanities and English teacher Du Puy has worked in Hungary and Vietnam, and she and her partner moved to Hong Kong after a stint in the Japanese educational system. 'We've been genuinely touched at how much the ESF and Renaissance College have done to ensure us settling in.'
Du Puy appreciates the very practical aid they received. 'They gave us financial assistance with security deposits - the massive lump sums you have to come up with,' she says.