Newbie in need of advice regarding job offer / budget

[ScoobyDoes]

Car Lease with insurance: $1,800pm - Standard saloon, company requirement to have a car.

I'd just like to go back on this one.... if it's a "company requirement to have a car" then get it to provide one. I have a feeling they are trying to shaft you a bit knowing that cars here are up there in costs with accommodation and schooling.

You've done research, you maybe know a new VW Passat, for example, costs in the region of GBP85,000 so if the company requires you to have a car, for your sales job it sounds fair, then they should provide it. Bought or leased, up to them but even in the UK a Sales Manager's post comes with a car so it should be to the same tune here.

[PNGMK]

I have almost the same position and most of the advice is ok. Salary seems a little on the light side to me but I might not be right on this - if it's ok to you, it's ok.

WATCH OUT FOR SCHOOL FEES! $24,000 p.a. MAke sure that your little one and others you make out here have their school fees covered in case you stay until they finish Uni!

Also cars are not assured in the oil and gas sector unless you are senior or have local sales role (usually - exceptions apply) - either have it written in or make sure the HR handbook and your role allow it.

[ray_scotland]

Hi,

Thank you everyone for your helpful and detailed responses!

I've revised my budget as follows and it now looks like this:

Rent - $3,500.00
Car Lease / Insurance - $1,800.00
Nursery / Playgroup - $1,000.00
Petrol / Parking / Toll Charges - $600.00 (would be mainly for business travel out west, parking in industrial areas rather than CBD)
Holidays / Short Breaks - $500.00 (put aside each month)
Maid - $300.00 (not required to live in, unless my wife and I were both working)
Groceries - $1,250.00
Socialising - $400.00
Annual return home airfares - $350.00 (put aside each month)
Gas, Water, Electricity - $500.00 (budgeted on the high side and would try to reduce this by minimising air-con use)
Eating Out - $400.00
Clothing / Classes / General Goods for Little One - $400.00
Cable TV - $60.00
Home Contents Insurance - $50.00
Internet / Phone / TV - $50.00
Mortgage / Life Assurance - $40.00
Mobile Phone for Other Half - $50.00

On the car front, it was discussed previously, and they want to play no part in leasing of cars but instead build the expected cost into the basic salary. Working location will be Tuas, and customer visits will be frequent.

For freight, they offered to pay $1k towards it, and this should hopefully cover the basics, bearing in mind that all furniture etc. will remain at home in Scotland.

2 months accommodation is now 1 month's accommodation with one-off costs for white goods etc.

A separate schooling allowance is a non-starter. We will have to take the costs for this and plan accordingly. However, an additional $8k has now been added to the salary to offset some of this.

In terms of where to live, I agree with the suggestions made. A big focus will be on the best place for the whole family, with transport and local facilities / amenities high on the list. The range of options is quite daunting, and we'll look into this in further detail if it all becomes official and the move is definitely going ahead.

All-in-all, definitely keen on the move, but going to spend the next couple of days reviewing the pro's and con's and decide from there. The biggest factors are going to be giving up two good jobs to, at least initially, take one job; and also leaving family and friends behind.

[JR8]

The biggest factors are ... leaving family and friends behind.

Perhaps ask your family and friends how they feel about it. Mine were all for it! I flatter myself and believe this was not about being rid of me, but because most professed to wish to come and visit

-- The line items in your list look pretty cogent now. Good luck wrapping it up.

[ScoobyDoes]

Perhaps ask your family and friends how they feel about it. Mine were all for it! I flatter myself and believe this was not about being rid of me, but because most professed to wish to come and visit

Yeah, 20yrs ago my father told me to get the **** out of his house and take the job in HK. Being retired, they now come out here every year, during hopefully the worst of Scottish winter, for a month. They've seen more of the world in the past 20yrs than they ever thought imaginable, treating my various locations as bases for extended visits to China, Cambodia, Indonesia.....you name it.

Ray, as someone said earlier, don't count on there being a time when both of you are working. It can happen, but not too often.

[ecureilx]

You've done research, you maybe know a new VW Passat, for example, costs in the region of GBP85,000 so if the company requires you to have a car, for your sales job it sounds fair, then they should provide it. Bought or leased, up to them but even in the UK a Sales Manager's post comes with a car so it should be to the same tune here.

In S$,Approx. prices, for a VW Passat

1.4 ~150,000
1.8 ~170,000
3.6 V6 ~250,000

Monthly rental should be within your budget anyway !!

[ScoobyDoes]

In S$,Approx. prices, for a VW Passat

1.4 ~150,000
1.8 ~170,000
3.6 V6 ~250,000

Let's be fair, you'd be a flake short of an ice cream cone to get either the 1.4L or the 3.6L......for different though similar reasons of course.

[brian_singapore]

Hi,

Thank you everyone for your helpful and detailed responses!

I've revised my budget as follows and it now looks like this:
Maid - $300.00 (not required to live in, unless my wife and I were both working)

SG will require the maid to be live-in.

[sundaymorningstaple]

$300/mo will give them a local maid for 4 hours a week/month. (20 hrs a month). But if they have a little'un they'll defo need one more than that unless the missus isn't working. If she get a job, then they can figure on 1100~1200/mo all in cost for a live-in maid.

[JR8]

For ref:
We have a cleaner. 3hrs a week @ $55.
Does an absolute bang-on job.


p.s. There is no way I'd want a 'maid' and all the parallel expense and responsibility.

[ray_scotland]

Hi, Yes, when I said maid I was meaning something along the lines of cleaning 3-4 hours per week.

On the car front, would lease one and see how it works out. If I'm using it regularly, all over the city, a few months down the line, then fair enough. If I could easily get by using taxis, then I could perhaps justify doing so.

Previously has an overseas posting in Cairo, and had a driver. Usually got most of my admin work done whilst in traffic between clients visits. Not so easy whilst doing the driving.

[x9200]

Hi,

Thank you everyone for your helpful and detailed responses!

I've revised my budget as follows and it now looks like this:
Maid - $300.00 (not required to live in, unless my wife and I were both working)

Singapore will require the maid to be live-in.

Not if the maid is a PR or SC. For $300/month nobody is going to live in anyway.

[Girl_Next_Door]

Hi, Yes, when I said maid I was meaning something along the lines of cleaning 3-4 hours per week.

On the car front, would lease one and see how it works out. If I'm using it regularly, all over the city, a few months down the line, then fair enough. If I could easily get by using taxis, then I could perhaps justify doing so.

Previously has an overseas posting in Cairo, and had a driver. Usually got most of my admin work done whilst in traffic between clients visits. Not so easy whilst doing the driving.

Another option is to chat with a good cab driver (when you spot one) and ask if he is keen to work part-time for you, on a private arrangement. At least, you have a semi-dedicated driver without the cost of a car. You can call/text him your schedule and he will work around them. Parking becomes a non-issue as well since the cab driver can continue to pick other customers in between driving you around.

[ecureilx]

On the car front, would lease one and see how it works out. If I'm using it regularly, all over the city, a few months down the line, then fair enough. If I could easily get by using taxis, then I could perhaps justify doing so.

Previously has an overseas posting in Cairo, and had a driver. Usually got most of my admin work done whilst in traffic between clients visits. Not so easy whilst doing the driving.

I would suggest you stick with taxis, and learn the call-numbers

Unless it rains or wrong time - i.e. morning/evening peak, getting taxis should be ok

And a bit of planning can help

As for driver, well, if you work across in Malaysia, you can have an SUV, driver and more, for what you will spend in Singapore

Anyway, while you are planning, I would recommend you not to get too worked up

A visit to Singapore, or a month here will help you decide what is what, and also you may decide to forego certain expenses in lieu of others