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Questions - Relocating to Singapore

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Patrick
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Questions - Relocating to Singapore

Post by Patrick » Thu, 13 May 2004 5:04 pm

Hi @ All,

I`m 21 years old and from Germany. I have the chance to do a
practical training at a company in singapore for a period of a half year.

It would be very nice, if you could help me with a few questions:

1. Which Visa I need for working in Singapore for a half year ?
2. How are the people in Singapore ? (nice, hard worker,...)
3. Is it easy to find friends there ?

I would be very pleased about some answers of you.
Thank you very much !!! :)

Patrick

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jpatokal
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Post by jpatokal » Thu, 13 May 2004 8:50 pm

1) Employment Pass, your employer should arrange this for you.
2) Working hours are generally longer and vacations shorter than in Europe. Some people are nice, some people are naughty, what kind of answer are you expecting to get...?
3) If you're German, 21 and in reasonably good shape finding company shoudln't be hard at all 8)

Patrick
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Thank you

Post by Patrick » Thu, 13 May 2004 9:36 pm

Hi,

Thank you for your answers.

At the first point I hope you are right that the employer will do this for me. I still have to wait for a response of the company. But it is good to know, that there exist a pass which I need.

At the second point I mean how the reactions of people is in normal situations. What do Singaporeans think about people from Europe ?

Patrick

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Post by NBB » Thu, 13 May 2004 10:18 pm

Yeah JP, wrap your keyboard around that one, why don't you?

;-)

Patrick, this isn't Mars. Nor Venus. You'll be surprised how accustomed to Caucasions Singaporeans are. It's an extremely cosmopolitan place. Keep in mind that Singapore is the gateway to the Orient.

I lived there for 4 years; they were the greatest 4 years of my life. In fact, I'm moving back to Singapore this August.

You'll like, probably even love it! No worries.

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Post by Bafana » Fri, 14 May 2004 12:12 am

Patrick

Singapore is free and easy even if there are a lot of rules and regulations.

You say you will have an initial six months stay which is a good taster but not really long enough as like NBB says Singapore can be a fantastic place to live + from here you have the whole of SE Asia at your finger tips, a long weekend does'nt mean a drive in the country - It means a one hour flight to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia or any number of really interesting preimium tourist destinations. In fact why fly you can hit Malayasia and Indonesia by car and/or ferry.

One thing is - Use this forum...

I spent the first six months here not knowing anything, it cost me a bomb and I did'nt have the fun I could have had - Ask more questions, read the posts and get well prepared 8)

Patrick
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Sounds nice

Post by Patrick » Fri, 14 May 2004 12:17 am

Hi NBB,

This sounds very good what you said. I think my problem is, that I worry to much what could happen in the future, because this is my first trip abroad for a longer time.

Thank you for your help. I`m so happy, that I have the chance to live there. I hope that I`ll get response as soon as possible from the company.

Maybe there is a possibility to meet there in August !?!

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Post by NBB » Fri, 14 May 2004 12:37 am

Sure Patrick, let's keep in touch. Just drop by here every so often, we're bound to catch up.

BTW, there's a considerable German expat presence here as well; they'll assimilate you, no sweat.

Socially, there won't be any issues, just stick to the good side of the law and you'll be cool.

Let me warn you of one thing that blew me away my first few days/weeks. As soon as you step out of the airport, expect a lot of hustle and bustle, a lot of ambient noise and a LOT of heat with really high humidity. You might fight the latter 2 initially, get annoyed by the weather. But I find that considering the heat and heavy moist air your friend really helps me to accept it. It's the way it is here, go with the flow ;-)

What activity will you be in? And who thought of Singapore, you or your company? And, finally, what company :?:

Cu,

NBB

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Re: Questions

Post by Guest » Fri, 14 May 2004 12:50 pm

Patrick wrote:Hi @ All,

I`m 21 years old and from Germany. I have the chance to do a
practical training at a company in singapore for a period of a half year.

It would be very nice, if you could help me with a few questions:

1. Which Visa I need for working in Singapore for a half year ?
2. How are the people in Singapore ? (nice, hard worker,...)
3. Is it easy to find friends there ?

I would be very pleased about some answers of you.
Thank you very much !!! :)

Patrick

Natalia

Re: Questions

Post by Natalia » Fri, 14 May 2004 12:55 pm

Patrick wrote:Hi @ All,

2. How are the people in Singapore ? (nice, hard worker,...)
3. Is it easy to find friends there ?

I would be very pleased about some answers of you.
Thank you very much !!! :)

Patrick

Hi Patrick,

The weather in Singapore will be tough for you. It's hot and humid.
Singaporean aren't really friendly to stranger. But once you know them, they are okay. People here are quite hardworking. They need to. Singapore relies a lot on human reources.

It should be easy for you to find nwe friends. Just keep in touch with some people through this website. There are quite a lot of German as well.
I met 3 of them. Came here for training as well. 2 I met in the club. 1 I met in the bus stop. But I guess they all have left Singapore.

Good luck to you.
:)

zcarz

Post by zcarz » Fri, 14 May 2004 2:19 pm

You might find that people in Singapore walk very fast and are constantly searching for $$$.They are friendly and nice.

Patrick
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Wonderful

Post by Patrick » Fri, 14 May 2004 4:58 pm

Hi there,

I am so happy, that I found this board two days ago. The feedback is wonderful. These days I am feeling more confident to have a nice half year in Singapore.

@NBB: I will work in the IT department. I thought of Singapore, because I heared about the nice weather there, and I love the Sun so much. I heared about the culture and the less crime there, too. And I think for the first stay in a foreign country for a longer time - Singpore is one of the best places in the world. I hope I can improve my english there, too ! :)
The company I will work for is "Siemens".

Cu,

Patrick

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Post by Pal » Fri, 14 May 2004 5:14 pm

Hi Patrick,

Glad you join this forum, do not worry too much, you will be enjoying your stay in Singapore!

Siemens at Macpherson Road ... We have a few clients from there too :)


Pal
Last edited by Pal on Sat, 22 May 2004 10:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
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NBB
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Post by NBB » Sat, 15 May 2004 3:12 am

Yeah, the weather is great here 8) . It rains a fair bit, mind you in terms of mm, but it tends to come in quick bursts, leaving plenty of time for sunny spells. (Sounding like the weather-guy now.)

All in all, Singapore is my favorite country to live in by far. It's safe, the locals are generally cool, the food is top-notch, and it's cheap by European standards. Plus, there's lots to do, both in and around Singapore.

I'll see you in August; we have quite a lot in common you know. My mobile phone is a Siemens, :)

P.S. What do you do for their IT? (I'm an IT guy myself, running an IT business in Europe.)

Patrick
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New Question

Post by Patrick » Mon, 17 May 2004 9:54 pm

Hi,

Yeah !! I will be in Singapore in July. I am so happy. Yesterday I got the information when I can start.

I have a new question, and I hope you can give me some ideas:

Do you know, how I can connect my laptop to the internet in an appartement in Sinapore ? Which internet providers are there ? What is the best I can do for a period of 6 months ?


@NBB: In Germany I did a 3 years apprenticeship in a little company. I learnded to be an software developer. But I don`t like this type of job. So I changed my job and now I am in the IT-Support. But I don`t know what I will have to do at Siemens. They have my CV and my skills, and they will say what I have to do, because it is a practical training. I hope we will meet us there in August. Cu.

Patrick

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Post by Pal » Mon, 17 May 2004 10:22 pm

3 main Internet Service Providers in Singapore:

1. SingNet http://www.singnet.com.sg - Dial-up 56k or ADSL Broadband
2. Pacific Internet http://www.pacific.net.sg - Dial-up 56k or ADSL Broadband
3. Starhub http://www.starhub.com/online/ - Dial-up 56k or Cable Internet

You can check the rates at their websites :)
Last edited by Pal on Sat, 22 May 2004 10:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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