Should I Move?

[indianprogrammer]

Hi all,

I have a very difficult decision to make and I need your help with that.

Background
I am 33 year old married male with 2 kids - 4.5 yr and 1.5 yr olds. I am in cyber security (11+ years of exp in security). I am currently in Bangalore. My wife is a home maker.

Offer
I have two equally good offers, one in Bangalore and another in Singapore. Bangalore offer hovers around 60L ($117K SGD) and Singapore one hovers around $168K SGD. Both base salaries. Job profiles are equally good as well.

Confusion
I know that I have a very good problem. As both offers are very good, I am now confused whether I should move to Singapore or not. My question to you is that given my condition is it worth moving to Singapore. What will I gain by moving to Singapore? I am thinking in terms of Education of kids, quality of life, opportunities to grow, etc. I have put the following list as the points in favor of both places.

Bangalore
-----

• Already settled, no need to hustle.
  Near to home
  Bigger living spaces
  Social life
  Cheaper schooling
  Weather
  Car
  Can purchase house

Singapore
------

• Opportunities to grow / move to other countries
  Safety
  Idea of Abroad living
  Education is good (subjective, need research)
  Easy commute

[singaporeflyer]

Hi all,

I have a very difficult decision to make and I need your help with that.

Background
I am 33 year old married male with 2 kids - 4.5 yr and 1.5 yr olds. I am in cyber security. I am currently in Bangalore.

Offer
I have two equally good offers, one in Bangalore and another in Singapore. Bangalore offer hovers around 60L ($117K SGD) and Singapore one hovers around $168K SGD. Both base salaries. Job profiles are equally good as well.

Confusion
I know that I have a very good problem. As both offers are very good, I am now confused whether I should move to Singapore or not. My question to you is that given my condition is it worth moving to Singapore. What will I gain by moving to Singapore? I am thinking in terms of Education of kids, quality of life, opportunities to grow, etc. I have put the following list as the points in favor of both places.

Bangalore
-----

• Already settled, no need to hustle.
  Near to home
  Bigger living spaces
  Social life
  Cheaper schooling
  Weather
  Car
  Can purchase house

Singapore
------

• Opportunities to grow / move to other countries
  Safety
  Idea of Abroad living
  Education is good (subjective, need research)
  Easy commute

How many years of experience in IT and cybersecurity?

[indianprogrammer]

11+ years

[singaporeflyer]

11+ years

If you are able to find schools for your kids, then you can move. Should not be an issue.

[sheshen]

Do you like challenge? if yes, move to Singapore

[DeepBlue80]

If I were you, I'd move ... in a heartbeat ...

[indianprogrammer]

If I were you, I'd move ... in a heartbeat ...

Any particular reason?

[bro75]

I can not recommend a choice for you not knowing how you are living in Bangalore.
But there are some points to consider
- Private schools are expensive. When your child begins primary 1, there is a great chance that he/she will not be able to get a spot on the local school. So your future budget must prepare for that.
- Car ownership is expensive. But there a lot of great alternatives here like public transport, taxis, private hire vehicles and leasing.
- Taxes are lower (generally, not sure how it compares at your site).
- If you are planning to apply for PR, applicants from the subcontinent have low chances of approval based on anecdotal evidence. It is not impossible though. The application costs about 100 dollars per applicant.
- Make sure that your family's medical needs are covered by employer plans, personal insurance, or both. Medical costs are very expensive here.
- Housing depends on what you are renting (hdb, condo, bungalo) and where. You may be used to living in a large house. It may be possible that your budget will only allow you to stay in a small condo.

[indianprogrammer]

Thanks @bro75, really appreciate your inputs. My kid is supposed to go upper KG (KG2 / Mont2) this year. So, I think I have another year to think about the possibilities for local schools.

Can you comment on the stress levels of employees and kids in Singapore?

[bro75]

My kid is in private school. I believe both the school system and parents cause the stress level of the kid to increase. A lot of things will depend on how you respond to her performance in school. In local schools, it is said that the higher ranked schools have more stress due to lots of homework but it is only second hand info. Ranking of local schools is unofficial and based on historical exam performance and location.

The employee's stress level will depend mostly on your immediate superior and the company culture. It differs a lot in my experience. i have been with 3 different employers. Two caused moderate stress and one caused high stress levels for me.

[sundaymorningstaple]

I'd say stay in India. Singapore's IT scene is downsizing and moving offshore for a lot of industries. Albeit, recently the need for good Cybersecurity folks here has become rather obvious. But. Singapore has never been opposed to downsizing it foreign workforce. In fact, your country has been the biggest target since the 2011 General Election due to unethical business practice when Indian Nationals are placed into positions of authority in the realm of hiring decisions. Some of the IT departments were 100% Indian Nationals. So, with that in mind, the whole time you are here you will be watching for the sword to drop and your and your family uprooted again. If you & your family are game for it, however, go for it. Forewarned is forearmed.

[PNGMK]

I'd move to the US or Canada or Europe or the UK etc first. Some of the former USSR satellite countries are really pushing ahead in the IT / Engineering space (Slovakia, Czech, Estonia).