Expats, are you treated by locals acceptably in Singapore?

[QRM]

I cannot believe the amount of respect with which Singapore treats legal aliens.

Like letting them live in window less room. Let them eat leftovers, no hot water, no holidays.

Transport legal aliens to sites in trucks designed to carry building materials, with no seat belts, and in many cases no seats, or weather protection.

I can see where you are coming from.

[soundmeister]

[QRM]

I think you will find its not an extreme example, and applies to the majority of the population. put it this way I have seen 8 new condos and only 1 had windows in the maids room, non had air conditioning, and non had hot water for one of the "legal aliens"

[sundaymorningstaple]

Funny how a quick education will change somebody's mind. Shame you all quoted his posts. Now it doesn't matter that he's deleted his posts. His blunder is out there for posterity.

Guess he thought only "educmacated" foreigners were considered "expats".

Yup! the vast majority of expats are treated worse than dogs here.

[valleyman]

I would like to respond to what I believe was sajeewaw's original intent of asking the question. I agree that maids & workers are sometimes poorly treated here.. but I guess he was not referring to either of those categories..

Now to share my experience.. I am an Asian expat and prior to Singapore I have lived in Europe for more than five years travelling widely for work related purposes. I have so many experiences of these so called "developed" nations and the discrimination that you face there if you are not white. Rentals are refused flat out in some countries, you are not supposed to go pubbing without white friends in some others, you are denied entry into some clubs as there might be "trouble".. and the list goes on....

I came to Singapore about 4 years back and I can safely say that I haven't seen another country which is as non-discriminatory as Singapore.. Sure there are some bad apples and some maid abusers, but by and large this is a very welcoming, polite and educated society!

[QRM]

I would like to respond to what I believe was sajeewaw's original intent of asking the question. I agree that maids & workers are sometimes poorly treated here.. but I guess he was not referring to either of those categories..

You mean they don't really count..

The treatment of its weakest and most vulnerable members is a good indicator of the development/education and maturity of the society.

[sundaymorningstaple]

In addition to QRM's spot-on comment. I'll have to add, try being an Indian Expat in Singapore and see how easy it is to rent a flat Or, to put it another way, how many they have to "try" to see before they are successful). It's one thing to practice discrimination. It's another to claim to the whole world that the country doesn't discriminate, but has government sanctioned housing discrimination.

[soundmeister]

"Expats, are you treated by locals acceptably in Singapore?"

HELL yes.

[Answers?]

I from Yangon. I have Bsc Mechanical and on S pass but employer only give me $900. I say nothing or lose job and sendt back to my country. He say good salary your country what so don't complain. I live with 7 other from my country in one small room. Agent makes each of of us pay $200/mo for that room. 3 bedroom in house so 38 man stay there as 14 stay in hall also. Supervisor take us work in morning and brings us back 14 hours later Monday to Saturday. We ride in back of big open truck sitting on hardware or garbage and when it rain we get wet. 2 month ago, one man of my country fall out when truck jerk at stoplight. Lucky not run over.

I lucky no discrimination here. Singapore boss treat all expat foreign worker same same.

So I think answer your question is yes. This expat feel discriminated. You very lucky.

[valleyman]

I totally agree with QRM's view... I was not at all discounting the ill treatment being meted out to the weaker sections(maids, workers etc)...

My comment was based purely on discrimination being meted out to people who do not fall in either of those two categories. Based on my own experience I still feel that I am MUCH better off living in Singapore and raising my children here than in some of the more "developed" countries in the western world, where you have "in your face" kind of discrimination...my two cents only

[soundmeister]

^^ What he said^^

[vbelle]

when i try to buy food..the aunty/uncle will speak to me in chinese..as i am chinese by blood but dont speak mandarin at all...then as soon as they realise i dont speak chinese...they speak to each other..adn laugh...very nice

thats the only annoying thing..other than that..no...singapore is pretty good...
i've had a paper thrown at me before for speaking in my language on a bus in sydney..

[Callalily]

yes

[sabs]

they are the most time very friendly (but i have a 6,5 months old boy so they are sometimes laughing and talking to him)

but there are "ugly Singaporeans" too.. they run into you (and in my stroller) and when u look at them they only say: ohh.. sorry...

i cannot hear a sorry anymore

but its not too bad


in my homecountry the people are not so pleasant!!!! they always look very bad.


i like singaporeans. (more than the most europe people )

[Callalily]

I suppose sorry is still better than Fox trot Oscar. That's the way I look at it.