Oldest Australians in Singapore?

[angieh]

Hi everyone,
My partner relocated from Brisbane to Singapore 6 weeks ago and I am currently visiting him and finding permanent accommodation (helped hugely by advice from Forum members re location).

We are both 50 and we consider ourselves to be in the prime of our lives (fit and healthy, children all grown up, no responsibilities!). He is really busy with his job and hasn't been bothered about socialising as yet.

I am looking at also relocating in coming months but am aware that finding a job will be difficult at best. Although I have always worked, I am preparing myself for career change to "Domestic Goddess" but that still mean I will have a lot of spare time.

It seems that most expats are much younger than us, and that many of the meeting groups are focussed on drinking as an activity. I appreciate a glass of wine myself but am keen to find people who are older, or at least, less focussed on a drinking culture.

Can anyone point me toward connections with older expats?
Cheers,
Angela

[maneo]

Hey youngster,
Some of us don't think that you are "old" if you've only just made it to 50.
You've still got a long way to go.

[nakatago]

The other cranky curmudgeon in the forums:

http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/member ... e&u=155257

[the lynx]

Hi everyone,
My partner relocated from Brisbane to Singapore 6 weeks ago and I am currently visiting him and finding permanent accommodation (helped hugely by advice from Forum members re location).

We are both 50 and we consider ourselves to be in the prime of our lives (fit and healthy, children all grown up, no responsibilities!). He is really busy with his job and hasn't been bothered about socialising as yet.

I am looking at also relocating in coming months but am aware that finding a job will be difficult at best. Although I have always worked, I am preparing myself for career change to "Domestic Goddess" but that still mean I will have a lot of spare time.

It seems that most expats are much younger than us, and that many of the meeting groups are focussed on drinking as an activity. I appreciate a glass of wine myself but am keen to find people who are older, or at least, less focussed on a drinking culture.

Can anyone point me toward connections with older expats?
Cheers,
Angela

To be honest, we have quite a number of expats at your age group. Usually business owners, MNC CEOs etc. Of course, the social subforum is very skewed to the very young but if you stick around, you will notice that the regulars who interact here on current issues, politics, finance etc are actually in your age group.

Welcome, by the way, and you will enjoy it.

[bgd]

ANZA seems to be have a lot of Australian members in your age range. That's a good place to start when you first get here. Just google for more info.

[angieh]

Hi everyone, thank you for the info and the assurance that we are NOT the oldest expats in Singapore. My partner is a GM and he is having the time of his life. It was an unexpected career turn and he is enjoying it enormously. He loves Singapore and his enthusiasm is contagious!

I will check out ANZA though I would like to also meet people of wider nationalities.
We are going to be living in district 15 and I would like to get to know people out that way. I am a keen reader and also like to run in the evenings. I am no athlete, slow and steady is an accurate description. I run because frankly am too uncoordinated for most other sports!
Cheers,
Angela

[JR8]

50 phhht My advice to you would be to just not read the 'Friday/Wednesday [etc] drinking club night' threads, you're beyond that.
Many of the regulars here in other social threads..... ooooh, let's say might be 35-60, and of course there are those beyond either end of that range. [Lynx don't bite me, that was for you!!]
I think it's more about reading the forum and identifying a sub-sector that you might fit into. I know the one I slot right into doesn't define itself by it's age, (it's completely irrelevant as far as I can see), And it has little desire to go out and simply get 'smashed as cheaply as possible'.
The tendency for there to be a focus around F+B is perhaps a) because we're expats and socialising with wine/beer is normal, and b) we're not kids, and we're more interested in hanging out with an experienced and stimulating bunch... and exchanging experiences and so on... By no way does that mean everyone drinks, it's completely irrelevant.

p.s. This stint in town as a 'stay-at-home' I have had the privilege of striving to be my own domestic goddess of 'SEA cuisine' If I wished mastering that to fill all my waking hours it could. You certainly will not be bored.

[PNGMK]

Enjoy. You'll find it hard to move back I suspect to Bris-boring-bane.

[JR8]

Enjoy. You'll find it hard to move back I suspect to Bris-boring-bane.

It's an interesting point. I think 'going home' is perhaps harder than moving here, as with the latter you have necessarily limited knowledge and few preconceptions - whereas 'going home', it's all preconceptions. But when you return you find many assumed aspects no longer apply or exist, hence you find yourself a stranger on your own home-turf.

Not only the neighbourhood, but your friends and family... e-mail, call, Facebook all you like... but that doesn't seem to prepare you for it.

[I hate it!]

[angieh]

Yep, I suspect you could be right about finding BRISBANE boring, especially now that I know we are NOT the oldest expats here! My partner just loves his new job and I love him, so following him seems right.

We are not married though and getting a long term visitor pass for me may be problematic. I am hoping to avoid the drastic step of a registry wedding by getting a job and my own employment pass. But I actually can't work out where my skill set fits in Singapore. My career is mostly in community services, currently senior manager in large disability organisation focussing on strategies in readiness for the implementation of National Disability Scheme. From what I see in the vacancies in Singapore, community service roles are virtually non-existent.
If anyone has any suggestions, please don't hold back.
Angela

[JR8]

Modern Western mores meet politically enforced Asian family values => boosh.
This scenario has been discussed many times before over past years, but the legislation and options are ever-shifting, so it's not as easy as 'here's the link to the last time someone discussed this...'.

Evidencing that you have a 'Common Law marriage' used to be enough. But I forget if that still applies.
I think you'll find topics in the [?] 'Moving To' section where this has been raised before. That might be a starting point.

[JR8]

p.s. for the sake of simplicity I'd assume you won't get employment here.
FT's here are tolerated to temporarily bring in niche or high-end skills local don't have.
What the government won't allow is FT's competing in the job market where the locals have the same skills.

p.s. I'm not trying to be blunt, more realistic and honest.

[angieh]

Blunt is fine. Perhaps I can volunteer in some capacity? It's not all altruistic and perhaps would serve to keep me busy and meet people.

[JR8]

Blunt is fine. Perhaps I can volunteer in some capacity? It's not all altruistic and perhaps would serve to keep me busy and meet people.

Do you think you might get membership of any 'clubs' here. For example there is
http://www.anza.org.sg/
It used to be all the thing to be a member of some club or other. Expensive, but then it used to be that the employer paid for it. With the attrition of expat benefits these days it seems less common. Either way perhaps look at their site and see the kind of thing that they're up to.
http://www.singapore.embassy.gov.au/sing/events.html
Also worth keeping an eye on what your embassy are up to. Don't expect much 'social' from them, but every now and again...

What pass are you on/applying for? I think applying for one that is an avenue or has a right to work might be beneficial. With a Dependent Pass you can apply for a 'letter of consent' [LOC] to take up employment. If on an LTVP, if you apply for the 'LTVP+', similarly you can take up employment. Even if you don't work, knowing that you legally can is ... well, part way there, and I found simply getting the '+' made a notable difference about how I felt about time and status here.

A social scene comes primarily through work, and that network. So in some ways the 'dependent's' social life is relying on that.
First time I was posted here we had a hell of a social scene that originally formed amongst a dozen+ of us who used to simply hang-out poolside on the weekends. I've not seen/experienced anything like that since, so count of getting to know no one at your condo, that seems to be the rule these days. Weird but true, since you'd have thought it the perfect meeting point for like minds.

I would recommend joining up with one of the social nights here. We're not all boozers (or teenagers), and indeed some are tea-total (and 'old', lol), it matters not one jot. You'll probably get more leads/ideas out of 3 hours out on a 'social' than 3 months digging around on the internet.

[x9200]

We are not married though and getting a long term visitor pass for me may be problematic. I am hoping to avoid the drastic step of a registry wedding by getting a job and my own employment pass. But I actually can't work out where my skill set fits in Singapore. My career is mostly in community services, currently senior manager in large disability organisation focussing on strategies in readiness for the implementation of National Disability Scheme. From what I see in the vacancies in Singapore, community service roles are virtually non-existent.
If anyone has any suggestions, please don't hold back.
Angela

Unfortunately this is probably what it is in Singapore with the likely reason that, only recently (say, last decade) people with disabilities seem getting a bit more of attention.

As of your first point. It used to be possible to get LTVP based on a common law (or de facto) marriage status in your home country. Typical approach involved proving your co-habitation (bills under your both names etc) and getting a letter from your embassy confirming your status. I am aware that British High Commission stopped issuing such letters but not sure about Australia.

See this thread: http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/viewto ... 0&p=711321