Moving from San Jose, Ca in Feb - Nervous wreck - help

[YML]

With your budget, you can definitely get a nice, fully furnished 3 bed room condo apt with full facilities that your family can enjoy if you are looking at house away from the CBD.

[Mary Hatch Bailey]

In most condos, units are privately owned, so there is a huge variance in how they are furnished (and less of a variance in there price. If the building and common areas are nice, than you are half way there, but within that complex some units will be lavish and others too tired. As the above poster mentioned ~ your money will go a lot farther if you get off Orchard Road, even by an MRT stop or two.

IKEA is a good option for short term kid furniture, no worries there.

Good luck with your move ~

[mummy mantras]

2. School: youngest is on wait list. and due to start kinder in fall, I assume I will home school until then - any other thoughts on schools? Feel like I have looked at all and wish I could just send her to a "public" singapore school! )

Well, why don't you? Lots of expat parents do (especially those who aren't on 'expat packages' and must make do with local salary rates).

My daughters go to My First Skool (yes, it really is spelt that way!) and they have tremendous fun and have just as many learning opportunities as kids whose parents pay 5 or 6 times more for an 'international preschool'. They now speak Mandarin fluently (to daddy anyway - they've figured out that mummy doesn't speak Chinese! ), love playing in the preschool's garden daily, and enjoy their weekly "Science Alive!" classes (this week they are learning all about eggs!).

And they have classmates from all over the world. In their nursery class alone, there's a French kid, a Korean kid, an Israeli kid, a Japanese kid, an Indonesian kid, and a cute half Chinese-half Ghanaian kid.

[jshin]

1. $6000 for 3bdrm near Orchard will be tough. If you find something, it will be old and with less amenities. Singapore is tropical so buildings age much more quickly than in dry California. Look at areas still close to MRT (subway), but a little furhter from Orchard. Places like Novena, Farrer Park, Toa Payoh are definitely cheaper but still convenient. Also more 'local' which can be good and bad. Compared to the states, furnitures is generally expensive if it's imported from US or Europe, cheaper if from the region. If you buy furniture here, it's easy to offload. Just list it on craigslist and on the boards at local supermarkets.

2. You can probably find something close to where you end up that you 2nd one can attend for a couple of years. If you end up living anywhere close to CBD, you probably wouldn't want your young one taking long bus rides to school anyway.

3. Don't know about iPhone and AT&T, but most US carriers have an opt out especially for those who are moving overseas. In which case, the breaking contract fee is waived. Many US carriers have int'l roaming plans but they're more for data than for voice. Definitely need a cell here. BTW: your husband will have to go with you to get the cell phone if you want a contract instead of prepay, because he's the one with work permit. But might also want to consider getting Vonage. I keep 2 US lines at home via Vonage.

4. For most jobs, you will need to at least get an exemption. Otherwise, you'll need a fuul employment pass (EP - work visa). now you know how foreigners feel when they arrive in the US. At least Singapore is relatively welcoming to foreign workers.

One thing you will find is that unlike the US, utility companies and are actually responsive and prompt. You can start your electricity, water, gas and trash all in one go online no less. And you will likely have just one provider for your internet, telephone, cell phone and cable, too.

[zzm9980]

One thing you will find is that unlike the US, utility companies and are actually responsive and prompt. You can start your electricity, water, gas and trash all in one go online no less. And you will likely have just one provider for your internet, telephone, cell phone and cable, too.

I have the exact opposite experience. Starting SP Services was easy, I'll give you that. Everything else in Singapore, and I mean *everything* must be done by phone or in person.

I hope the thread-starter doesn't enjoy shopping online. That's my biggest shock since coming to Singapore, that for such a 'modern' country, outside of the government, web sites here for most businesses look like they're still circa-1999.


Ok addendum: You *can* pay your Singtel bill online. Forgot about that one.

[Michelle Martin]

1. $6000 for 3bdrm near Orchard will be tough. If you find something, it will be old and with less amenities. Singapore is tropical so buildings age much more quickly than in dry California. Look at areas still close to MRT (subway), but a little furhter from Orchard. Places like Novena, Farrer Park, Toa Payoh are definitely cheaper but still convenient. Also more 'local' which can be good and bad. Compared to the states, furnitures is generally expensive if it's imported from US or Europe, cheaper if from the region. If you buy furniture here, it's easy to offload. Just list it on craigslist and on the boards at local supermarkets.

Just wanted to post a follow up as we are now here and have learned a few things.: we were able to find a great place that is 3 years old on River Valley and Kim Seng Road - for just a little over our budget - anything we looked at that was less than 6K was really NOT ok for my familily (tiny, loud and no privacy) Since we live in "suburbia" in california the high rise building was the way we wanted to go and I am SO glad we chose it. We did look at One Devonshire, great place and almost rented it but the construction around the building was/is way too loud and no one lives in the building yet - only 6 tenants, seems lonely.


3. Don't know about iPhone and AT&T, but most US carriers have an opt out especially for those who are moving overseas. In which case, the breaking contract fee is waived. Many US carriers have int'l roaming plans but they're more for data than for voice. Definitely need a cell here. BTW: your husband will have to go with you to get the cell phone if you want a contract instead of prepay, because he's the one with work permit. But might also want to consider getting Vonage. I keep 2 US lines at home via Vonage.

AT&T does NOT allow you out of your contract since you are leaving the country - just the opposite, you can pay $10 a month to suspend service, go international plan at $4.99 a minute and.50c a text (with a $50 fee to text in addition to your $119. plan) or you can pay $250 to cancel your contract (in my case since I was only a year in the contract) My husband works for Samsung - hence why we are here, so I guess I am retiring my iPhone and moving to a samsung phone.

4. For most jobs, you will need to at least get an exemption. Otherwise, you'll need a fuul employment pass (EP - work visa). now you know how foreigners feel when they arrive in the US. At least Singapore is relatively welcoming to foreign workers.

Not sure I even understand your comment here as I live in California and it feels like half he population in ca is illegal immigrants and they all seem to get jobs, some better paying the one I had and I am a college grad - but I have researched obtaining a job on a dependent pass and it's actually not as hard as you say, there are companies out there that will sponsor you

One thing you will find is that unlike the US, utility companies and are actually responsive and prompt. You can start your electricity, water, gas and trash all in one go online no less. And you will likely have just one provider for your internet, telephone, cell phone and cable, too.

Just FYI, you can have internet, cable, phone and cell through one provider in the US as well....AT&T Uverse

[sundaymorningstaple]

Have you found a job yet? Having an employer willing to sponsor you is only half the problem unless you are going to work on a "Letter of Consent". If not, they they have to apply for an Employment Pass for you and then they also have to pass muster as well. Working on a Letter of Consent is the easy way to go, but you will almost invariably be asked to work for local wages without any expat perks as they will know your spouse is on an Employment Pass and that you are the trailing spouse so would not normally need the "perks". While in fact that may not be true, it won't matter to them.

Welcome to Singapore and good luck on the employment side of things.

[illoyd1]

Could anyone advise as to whether many Brisitsh children attend My First Skool, thanks

[illoyd1]

Sorry that should have said British!