Singapore Interview Trip

[newproductsmanager]

Folks.

Thanks in advance for skimming through this mail. I would appreciate your insight into determining the right time to visit Singapore for preliminary job search interviews.

Fyi, I am currently based in the US (married with a new baby). Here are my qualifications for context :

* MBA (Top 10 US Bschool)
* Engineering Undergrad
* 6 Sigma Black Belt
* PMP Project Mgmt Certification
* 5 yrs post MBA work experience (US)
* 3 yrs pre MBA work experience (UK)

I am looking to move to Singapore for 2 reasons :
1) Be closer to family
2) Benefit from the strong growth opportunities that Asia is witnessing

I've already checked out Singapore for a couple of weeks (Dec'05) and liked what I saw (the recent rise in rents notwithstanding!). Singapore comes across as a nice mix of East and West, and the fact that English is the primary business language is a big plus vs HongKong, etc.

I was planning to visit Singapore for a week in November to visit a few headhunters and get the job search seriously underway. In this context I have 2 questions :

1) Are there any significant nuances (hiring lull in Nov, holidays in Nov, etc?) that I should be aware of prior to visiting Singapore in Nov mid/end for a week with the intention of meeting with Headhunters and a few companies...I realize it would take at several months to find a decent job commensurate with my skills & experience (it doesnt have to be an expat job), but figured I should kick off my job search in Singapore in person, and assess the market one more time before making the decision to relocate (early Q1).

2) Whats the job market for Mkt/Business Dev/Gen Mgmt/Product Mgmt looking like this time of the year? Any suggestions for specialist headhunters in these sectors?

I would appreciate any feedback/insights.

Thanks,
NewProductsManager

[steffi]

Are you a US citizen/resident?

Have you thought thru the tax implications of moving to Singapore?

Just curious how US citizens handle this issue in general.

[Strong Eagle]

Are you a US citizen/resident?

Have you thought thru the tax implications of moving to Singapore?

Just curious how US citizens handle this issue in general.

You get thoroughly screwed as a US citizen or permanent resident.

You get an exclusion of USD 82,400 on foreign EARNED income but note that the tax rates for the non-included income are computed on the total amount of income earned... so it is a back door tax on the excluded income. When income exceeds USD 82,400, US tax kicks in and then you are granted a tax credit for foreign tax paid.

The housing allowance changes in 2006 have hosed a huge number of people who find their exclusions much lower than in prior years.

Unearned income is never excluded, no matter the source. In short, if you are making any real money you pay at US tax rates, just as though you were living in the US.

[question]

Hi

I am also planning to land in singapore in dec / jan for a week see the situation on ground. I m currently working in germany and would like to move for the same reasons you quoated although i see that the housing exepenses shot up , i feel after some initial difficulties it will be possible toget better pays . fyi i m working as software developer here

Lets see how this plan works out

Regards

[Makan24-7]

Haha I've said this several times so I risk sounding like a broken record:
if you came from a top 10/15 MBA school like HBS, Stanford, Wharton, Kellogg, Chicago, Columbia, Sloan, Darden, Dartmouth, Fuqua, Haas, Anderson, Johnson, Ross etc..... your best bets are your alumni career services office AND your alumni network out here in Singapore. You really want to be hired from the US for a position here.

You can definitely find something eventually with your credentials but my observations are that if you get hired from Singapore itself, the best you get is a "local plus" package which still involves a significant adjustment from the average MBA from a top 10 school earns.