FRINGE BENEFITS PROVIDED BY HKUST

The types of benefits you are eligible for are defined in your Letter of Appointment and the accompanying terms of service document. This section serves to outline some appointment-related benefits that staff members may be entitled to.

Housing
  • Housing benefits are currently provided to eligible new appointees in two forms:
    • University on-campus accommodation at a rental contribution of 10% of their basic monthly salary; or
    • a non-accountable cash allowance (NCA) applicable to their respective substantive rank and basic salary on a scale of NCA rates, credited monthly in arrears to their payroll.
  • Details of the University accommodation provided are available in the section of “On-campus Housing” under “Housing in Hong Kong”.
  • If you opt for accommodation provided by the University, you should contact the Housing Section of the Campus Management Office for quarter allocation and reservation before you come to Hong Kong:
  • If you are interested in living off-campus, more details are available under the sections "Living Off Campus", "Renting an Apartment", "Serviced Apartment" under "Housing in Hong Kong".
Medical Benefits
  • If you are eligible for the University's provision of full medical benefits, you will be enrolled as a Member under the Staff Medical Insurance Scheme, which is currently underwritten by AIA International Limited (AIA) and receive a Medical Card issued by AIA.
  • In general, the Staff Medical Insurance Scheme covers three types of benefits, namely hospital and surgical benefits, outpatient benefits, and maternity benefits. Coverage is on a 24-hour worldwide basis.
  • With the Medical Card, you may seek general consultations with up to 5 days' basic necessary medication at Network Clinics (including the on-campus clinic) subject to payment of a nominal fee of $15 for each visit to the Network Clinics, and may enjoy credit facilities at all private hospitals in Hong Kong for hospital admission.
  • A booklet providing an outline explanation of the Scheme under the terms of an insurance policy is included in the appointment package together with the eligible staff member’s Letter of Appointment. You should familiarize yourself with the extent of the protection offered, the specific conditions and general exclusions for which benefits under the Scheme shall NOT be payable, relevant payment methods and procedures for reimbursement as described in the booklet.
  • If you consider the coverage under the Staff Medical Insurance Scheme insufficient, you may opt for taking out extra insurance coverage under the voluntary medical plans at a cost to be borne by yourself.
Dental Benefits
  • Primary dental care will be provided free of charge by an appointed dental group under the Staff Dental Scheme. Currently, the appointed dental group is Bayley & Jackson Dental Surgeons Ltd. (Bayley & Jackson).
  • Apart from primary dental services, Bayley & Jackson will also provide secondary dental treatment at discounted rates, but such treatment is not part of the Staff Dental Scheme and is to be provided at staff members’ own cost. Before seeking such treatment, you are advised to first obtain a quotation on the costs involved, and then decide whether or not to receive the treatment from Bayley & Jackson.
  • Detailed policies on dental benefits are available here.
Worldwide Emergency Assistance Facility
  • The emergency assistance facility is currently arranged by AIA International Limited (AIA) through its service provider, "AIAS Provider". Eligible Members of the current Staff Medical Insurance Scheme may receive emergency assistance including medical referral, emergency medical evacuation, repatriation, compassionate visit, return of minor children, guarantee of hospital admittance deposit, travel assistance service etc, should they suffer from "sudden injury or unexpected sickness" while traveling outside the "place of residence". Please refer to the Policy [English version / Chinese version] for details of the assistance. For the use of AIAS Medical Card in Mainland China and details of its network hospitals in the Mainland, please refer to AIA Employee Care App [English version / Chinese version] which can be downloaded from App Store or Google Play. Enquiries on the use of the emergency assistance benefits are to be made to AIAS' 24-hour hotline at (852) 2200 6399.
  • Staff members who are travelling overseas for business purpose and insured under the University's travel insurance policy, may obtain emergency assistance either under the AIAS' policy above or that provided under the travel insurance policy. Please refer to the travel insurance policy under Finance Office for details of coverage and claims procedure. Both policies provide emergency assistance, but subject to individual policies' own terms and conditions and scope of coverage. It is important to note that the provision of emergency assistance MUST be arranged/ booked/ authorized by the relevant service providers. For the Staff Medical Insurance Scheme, the service provider is currently AIAS, while the service provider for the travel insurance currently is Zurich Insurance Co Ltd. Emergency assistance arranged/booked/provided by any other service providers will not be acceptable for claims under the Staff Medical Insurance Scheme or the travel insurance policy.
Insurances

  • The University offers provisions of the following insurances:

    1. Life & Permanent Disability

      Applicable to Contract Employment for 2 years or more:
      Group Life Insurance* - covers death or permanent incapacity in the course of the period of contract irrespective of cause, with the sum insured equaling:
      1. thirty-six (36) months of the relevant staff member's final basic monthly salary for staff appointed on fixed-term contract of 2 years or more, or
      2. twelve (12) months of the relevant staff member's final basic monthly salary for staff appointed on fixed-term contract of at least 1 year to less than 24 months.
      * Coverage will normally start from the date of assumption of duty in the University up to the last day of contract, except for the following conditions:
      1. Should a contract staff member turn 65 during the period of coverage under the Scheme, benefit will be payable up to 30 June next following the date of 65th birthday, or up to the 65th birthday if the birthday is on 30 June.
      2. Coverage will be terminated at an earlier date or when the contract employee ceases to be covered under the University's Group Life Insurance Scheme for Contract Staff for whatever reasons.
         

      Applicable to Substantive Employment

      Under Staff Superannuation Scheme:
      Death benefit payable under the Staff Superannuation Scheme would be a lump sum equivalent to the greater of either:
      • Member Balance + HKUST balance, OR
      • 48 times Benefit Salary
         
      Under Mandatory Provident Fund Scheme:

      Death or permanent disablement benefits payable according to the statutory requirements under the MPF Scheme.

    2. Group Personal Accident Insurance (GPAI) - covers death or permanent disablement of eligible staff members caused by accidents arising out of and in the course of their employment, with the sum insured equaling to twenty-four (24) months of the relevant staff member’s basic monthly salary

  • If you are provided with the above insurances under your employment, and if you consider such insurances insufficient to cover your needs, you may consider joining the voluntary insurance schemes at your own expenses:
Passage & Baggage
  • Passage and baggage allowances may be provided to eligible staff members recruited from outside Hong Kong on their first appointment to subsidize their relocation expenses for taking up appointment in the University.
  • The level of subsidy depends on your place of departure and duration of appointment. The amounts of allowance, if provided, are specified in your terms of employment.
  • Both passage and baggage allowances are payable on a reimbursement basis.
  • Reimbursable expenses for passage allowance include the actual cost of a one-way economy class air ticket and travelling expenses (for the cheapest form of transport) from your residence to the nearest airport, together up to the amount of allowance specified in the terms of employment (whichever is the less).
  • Within the amount of the baggage allowance as specified in the terms of employment, baggage may be sent by air or by surface or partly by air and partly by surface at your discretion from your place of residence outside Hong Kong.
  • Applications for reimbursement should be submitted within 6 months after your assumption of duty.
  • If your eligible family members do not travel together with you to take up the appointment, their first appointment passages must be taken within 6 months after your commencement of duty; otherwise the passage allowance would be forfeited.
Leave
  • An appointee who wishes to take any kind of leave of absence must obtain prior approval from the relevant authority by applying the appropriate type of leave that suits the purpose of the leave of absence. Periods of absence during times when classes are suspended in the University are also regarded as periods of leave.
  • Various types of leave provided by the University to eligible staff are as follows:
    • Annual Leave
    • Bereavement Leave
    • Maternity Leave
    • Paternity Leave
    • Professional Leave
    • Sabbatical Leave (for academic staff only)
    • Sick Leave
    • Special Leave 
    • Study Leave (for non-academic staff only)
  • You are advised to go through the policies of the leave you are applying for before submitting your application to ensure that all the requirements are met.