UK and Singapore

[csu]

Dear friends

We are moving to Singapore in a month. It has been a very difficult decision for me since I have been in UK for many years and deeply love this country. I have never been to Singapore. Though very exciting about the move, I am still not sure if I have made the right decision. I will be grateful if anyone would like to share his/her experience with me. How are life and work in Singapore when comparing with UK? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

My package is around S$95K per year if taking account of housing subsidy etc and I will work in a research Institute (near NUS). Is this package reasonable? What kind of life can I afford for my son and me(6 year old) and me? Any suggestions and tips on how to manage life with this package?

I will come back to UK after my contract in Singapore has finished. Do you think my experience in Singapore will be very helpful for me to find a relevant job in UK?

Thanks

[Onneb]

Hi csu..

To me i think its a very nice & good experiece to visit another country for business... Everybody will want to hire someone with oversea experience.

The only disadvantage is that you have to make new friends around your area again... But folks here are so friendly, i don't think you'll have a hard time making new friends.

you can e-mail me.
I'll send you the beautiful photos of Singapore...

[cus]

Thanks!

[Neill]

I just moved from the Uk recently, I think you'll find 95 k will enable you to enjoy a high standard of living. I'm not sure how many dependents you have though.

You would need to factor in the cost of living; as an example public transport is very cheap here, so if you live near an MRT station (the undergorund system) and your work is also near an MRT station, your transport costs will be next to nothing. Buses are even cheaper, and taxis also reasonable when comparing to the uk.

Food is also much cheaper here. In fact the only thin more expensive is beer (about 4-5 pounds a pint) and cigarettes (same as in UK). I think a lot of ex-pats with families also employ live-in maids, but I can't offer any advice on that.

Any other questions, I'll be happy to answer

[Root1]

Hi Csu,

I am working in Singapore from six years. For me, it is very secure place and comfortable environment. Anybody can go middle of the night, even at 2 am and nobody will harm you. I have not travelled outside Asia. So, I cannot guide you as from UK.

Recently, my cousin had come from London to work here for one year. He do not like this place at all and mark it as village and going back within a month. I am just telling the fact from my cousin's experience. It may be bitter.

But don't worry. As per my experience, the place is nice. Since, you already accepted the offer, you may try for one year. If you will like, continue to stay here, if you don't like, you may go back.

Advantages of Singapore:
1. Very secure (but there may be terrorist risks)
2. Very disciplined
3. Very good customer service oriented attitude
4. Very systematic way of working
5. Clean

Disadvantages of Singapore:
1. Use of Singlish like OK lar! or aa! at the end of words
2. Small place, sometimes you feel suffocated, you may want to travel outside Singapore, preferable cheaper and good destination like Malaysia atleast once in a month
3. Artificial life, you may wants to enjoy natural life style. Please go to Malaysia for natural beaches
4. Night life is not good. Probably have to go other countries
5. No Casino

Welcome to Singapore...

[csu]

Thanks for all the advice. I appreciate your help very much. I believe I will have a good time in Singapore.

[Guest]

I moved from London at the end of April and so far, I'm very happy here. Other than family/friends, I'm not missing the UK at all. 80% of London is a crime-ridden, rat-infested toilet these days (make that 100% for East London)

As Niell points out, everything is much, cheaper than the UK, apart from beer. I'd say food (eating out, haven't bought any in the supermarket yet) is about a third of the cost, taxis probably one fifth of the cost of London. What I pay for my apartment in a month, reckon it would cost a week in London. Try to make do without a car though, they cost a fortune, but u really can get by without cos taxis are so cheap.

Your timing is excellent too. The UK is heading for the mother of all house price crashes and subsequent recession. It's gonna be a bleak, bleak place once people realise that just selling expensive houses to each other has actually not made the nation any richer in the slightest, but left with the highest personal debt levels in the world.

And Brown and Blair are making it 10x worse by wasting huge amounts of public money. It makes me weep.

They'll all be eating beans on toast.

Still, not to worry, I'm here now

[Guest]

CSU,

Singapore is, above all, a wonderful place to raise children. Take advantage of the good stuff (travel, ethnic diversity, safety) so that the bad stuff (homesickness, lack of real seasons, claustrophobia of a small urban setting) is minimized. Find a terrific maid to show you the ropes and take good care of your little one and you'll have a great time. Your compensation is generous so you'll have lots of options. Enjoy!

[riversandlakes]

95k kicks *ss. And if you drop by Malaysia from time to time to stock up on groceries you'll find you can eat like a King!

[Hakuna Matata]

I moved from London at the end of April and so far, I'm very happy here. Other than family/friends, I'm not missing the UK at all. 80% of London is a crime-ridden, rat-infested toilet these days (make that 100% for East London)

As Niell points out, everything is much, cheaper than the UK, apart from beer. I'd say food (eating out, haven't bought any in the supermarket yet) is about a third of the cost, taxis probably one fifth of the cost of London. What I pay for my apartment in a month, reckon it would cost a week in London. Try to make do without a car though, they cost a fortune, but u really can get by without because taxis are so cheap.

Your timing is excellent too. The UK is heading for the mother of all house price crashes and subsequent recession. It's gonna be a bleak, bleak place once people realise that just selling expensive houses to each other has actually not made the nation any richer in the slightest, but left with the highest personal debt levels in the world.

And Brown and Blair are making it 10x worse by wasting huge amounts of public money. It makes me weep.

They'll all be eating beans on toast.

Still, not to worry, I'm here now

To boot, now you may get shot at by the police who do not look like the police to you! Singapore, Here I come

Too bad beer is expensive. How about Budweiser. Is that sh*t pricey too ?

Peace