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Arriving in May

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Highland Chicken
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Arriving in May

Post by Highland Chicken » Sun, 02 Apr 2006 5:04 am

Hey there

My boyfriend has been offered a post in Singapore, they're looking for him to make a decision over the next few days and he would be looking to move over in May.

We both know Singapore a little having been there a few times on holiday and for business. Can you help me out with a barrage of questions?

Salary is circa S$130K, with an apartment at the Costa Del Sol. They will throw in a car, two return tickets a year back to the UK, private medical, etc. Given that it is a Sales Manager position and he is 31 does this sound about right?

I am in the process of selling my restaurant business here in Scotland and would move out after the sale has been tidied up, the question is what can I do, if anything, workwise? My background is Sales and Marketing/Key Account Management/BDM in both oil and call centre industries. A few weeks off in the sun is all very well but I'm used to working and need to do something. Study is a possibility as a career change may be an idea.

Also.......he's football daft....any teams out there looking for a goalkeeper? He's a miserable git if he doesn't play.

Lastly (I promise) got to take over our cat. Any idea on costs for shipping him over from the UK and whether there may be any issues with a cat in the apartment?

Thanks in advance for all your help, the Forum's great by the way.

dot dot dot
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Re: Arriving in May

Post by dot dot dot » Sun, 02 Apr 2006 5:42 am

Highland Chicken wrote: Salary is circa S$130K, with an apartment at the Costa Del Sol. They will throw in a car, two return tickets a year back to the UK, private medical, etc. Given that it is a Sales Manager position and he is 31 does this sound about right?
I'd say he is spoilt already before even landing here...

That's a deal not to be rejected.

Eric

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serendipity
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Post by serendipity » Tue, 04 Apr 2006 10:49 pm

It really sounds too good to be true I would say as well...
A friend who is of West Europe origin, is about 35 years old about by the time he finished his MBA programme in INSEAD here and in France, and of engineering background, got an offer S$10,000/month after he finished his MBA from an American company here.
He didn't mention the other perks, but it does seem to be more of a local package, even though a very good one, so no car nor condo nor air tickets are provided, insurance is included in one of the benefits though it seems.

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Vaucluse
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Post by Vaucluse » Tue, 04 Apr 2006 11:09 pm

Concur


(Actually just wanted to say I love your moniker, Serendipity. Used to go out with a serendipity, but she wanted to be called Ren . . . :( )
......................................................

'nuff said Image

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Carpe Diem
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Post by Carpe Diem » Tue, 04 Apr 2006 11:30 pm

What's the name of the company?
La vie est trop courte, profitons de chaque instant

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tiki
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Post by tiki » Wed, 05 Apr 2006 12:07 am

Vaucluse wrote:Concur


(Actually just wanted to say I love your moniker, Serendipity. Used to go out with a serendipity, but she wanted to be called Ren . . . :( )
Ren...

translated it means Perseverance?
'If you feel alive
in a darkened room
Do you know the name
of your solitude..'

uk-kiwi
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catty

Post by uk-kiwi » Sat, 08 Apr 2006 1:40 pm

we brought our cat over after we'd been here for two months already as we thought she was going to stay in the UK but it turned out she was too freaky to live with anyone else. so, had to get all the shots updated plus chlamidia and it was really expensive - although when i was in the UK i got a quote for £600 door to door. however, if you plan ahead and you already have an apartment to go to, you can bring catty with you on the flight as excess baggage so just paying by the kilo (put it on a crash diet now :) if you are staying in hotel or Serviced Apartment initially then you'll have to put it in the pet hotel (sorry, don't have dets) until you move. most people won't worry about cats in an apartment unless they are renting you their furniture too. another option is not to tell them - like us. they'll never know as she never goes outside. my advice - start getting all the paper work done now as some of the shots have to be given six weeks apart unless you're completely up to date which we weren't :(

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Baron Greenback
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Post by Baron Greenback » Tue, 11 Apr 2006 1:20 pm

Cat is not a problem as above poster mentions depends on your circumstances when you arrive, we had 2 weeks before we got our own place - so we used Par air services they ship RAF sniffer dogs to earthquake places. They put the cat in their cattery for a couple of weeks before shipping him over (cost around 600 pounds). No quarantine this side as no rabies in the UK. But you must keep up the rabies injections here to get your furry friend back. Have a look here for more info about the rules: http://www.ava.gov.sg/

Footy - not a problem, there are lots of sides, I would recommend the Pirates - good crowd of blokes. He might be grateful to be in goal as it is very hot & humid here to be running around. Send me a PM & I can get you in touch with them.

For yourself I would say settle down first here & get a feel for the place, I know you like to keep busy, but moving countries you will find yourself very busy initially. Depending on the type of pass you have decides whether you can work on not, with your other half's $ you could become the typical expat wife or if you want something more worthwhile get involved in charity work.

Good luck & hope you like it here :)


Ahh just re read your post one thing - as you are not married you do not get a dependancy pass so you will only have 1 month visa when you arrive here. You can get a letter from a solicitor to say that you are dependant on him, or you can get a social visitors 6 month visa, requires a deposit or local reference. If you can't find a job before you get here it gets harder when you are here. What I did was set up my own company & that got me my visa, then found work after a while but it is not easy as most jobs are offered to local or PR (permanaent residents).

That may be your biggest hurdle - my advice is look for a job in Singapore from Scotland or at least line up a few interviews.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools."
Hemingway

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