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[Eoin]

hi

[leeg]

Hi,

In regards to the medical care in Singapore, it really depends on the type of hospital that you would like. The private hospital are really expensive and they do not have reduced fees for foreigners. However, you might want to check with your company regarding medical. Sometimes, companies do provide medical insurance that cover your spouse and you need to check which hospital as well. Hopsital that I would recommend is Thomson medical, Mount Alvernia. Do not go to KKH as they do not have very good gyn. As for childcare for babies, there are many in Singapore actually. There are Etonhouse, Pat's schoolhouse which charges about 1k plus a month. Alternatively, You can look for babysitter which charges about 10-15 depends on their qualifications. Hope this helps....

[ffsgrelier]

Hi Eoin
How is the craic ?
I believe ireland has had some awful weather this week, my sister is in Sligo and she was stuck in a lot with storms and what now.
Storms do happen very regularly in sg but they do not tend to last as long as in ireland.

I have relocated from London with my family in april 2007 while i was over 7 months pregnant. I had had 2 previous kids in the uk . It was not Ireland so cannot compare really if only by other people's stories but Sg has a fantastic healthcare system in place if you can afford a good cover, you should have no worries. You have plenty of private hospitals to choose from, all very clean and well run, it depends on where you live and where your preferred obgyn works. The choice of obgyn is nearly too much but you can get quite a lot of info from previous threads ( that's what i did before coming).A lot of names were recommended to me but depending on the stage of pregnancy , a few may not want to take you on. I chose someone who was really laid back and relaxed about what i wanted to happen, not too interventionist which is something a lot of westerners complain about. The cost varies quite a bit depending on the type of labour you end up having but you cannot always plan those things.

Singapore is a great place to live in , safe, friendly people,small, easy life. I consider it a fantastic experience even with 3 kids and a hubby who works a lot more than in the uk ( 15 hours /day is the norm for him since he has arrived)

As for your question re childcare, the most financially viable is to get a full time helper who lives in your place. The advantage are multiple, all the household chores are taken care of, meals ready for you , babysitter on the go without much notice but most of all, someone you can actually train to look after your kids like you and thus can trust that little bit more.
The irish community is present, our kids have started to play gaelic football with the gaelic singapore lions. There is the st patrick society that organise a few things like the annual ball next week.
Hope this message helps. If you have any other questions , feel free to contact me.
take care and good luck
frederique

[Noodles]

Thanks for all the information Frederique. (I've changed my username in case your wondering!)
Weather is Ireland at the moment can be described in one word - WINDY!!

I'll look into what health coverage my company are offering - but its good to know that the facilities in Sg are excellent. Great to here that Gaelic football has made it's way to Sg!!

15 hour days for your husband seems tough! I'm hoping to leave the long hours behind me here! (I'm working 12-15 hours a day at the moment, which is not good!!).

I like the sound of the live-in helper - it is possible to employee these helpers for a short period of time? (was thinking around 3 months?)

[ffsgrelier]

hi Eoin,
interesting change of name !
Your initial posting has now gone missing and I doubt you'll get any more replies unless you resend it.
Just to reply to your question, usual contract with live in helper is about 2 years i think but you can break it before or she canbreak it if it doesn't work. However, most helpers are only entitled to a paid return home at the end of the 2 year contract whch is already so long when they have kids and hubbies left in their country of origin. if you are looking at short time , you can get a confinement nanny for a month who will be there to help with the baba and the new mummy. Have not gone that route mself but if you ask on the forum, you may get a few replies with more insight. For our info, most helpers salaries range from 350 dollars to about 600 i believe per month ( depending on country of origin, experience, level of english, length of time in singapore to name of few criterias) plus about 300 for the government levy every month. You are responsible for their health bills and it is quit nice to give them a bonus too but as the agencies specify, it is in no way compulsory. It can be a kind gesture of your appreciation when they are working really hard for a small amount of what it would cost to get a creche in the West.
From my experience at trying to find one while heavily pregnant, it was stressful and a bit of a cultural shock but that's another story.
The one thing i found really really hard moving here pregnant was the heat. No matter how prepared i thought i was, it is a problem easily solved by going from air con places to air con taxis to another air con place ... not quite like in ireland where you try and find somewhere dry and heated up ( well my experience of our Crimbo there in 2007).
Hope this helps. Good luck.
Frederique