Expat Pacakge (Junior) -what should we ask for?

[offshoreoildude]

k, so here goes:

Preliminary contract offered by the company includes:

S$4000 basic salary per month (after tax)
S$4000 rent per month
company mobile phone contract for husband
private insurance
yearly plane ticket for family
relocation fees

So far we have said NO to this ; they have not taken into account the school fees and as many of you have mentioned above, it can be costly. If, out of the $4000 we have to pay school, transport, bills and food, it just doesn't seem viable (Of course I will get a job too, but as I mentioned earlier, I don't want to have to rely on that). My husband has shown his boss the education costs and he was surprised at how expensive it is, so I hope they will reconsider the offer...

That's less than some mid level locals get. That's not an expat deal - that's repackaged local deal.

[zzm9980]

Yeah that's not too great. If your heart is set on Singapore,\ you're better off trying to get all of it in a flat salary so you can rent something cheaper and pocket the difference. You won't save much though. At most $1500.

[Prune]

yeah... I knew you guys would say that, damn So we have said no to it. I think the boss assumed we would take any ol' offer. Anyway apparently they are redrafting the offer and will show it to us by the end of the week. Pray for us that some miracle will happen to them (nothing fatal, ) and give us a decent offer!

zzm9980, I asked my husband about that now, and he said that the boss said if we find cheaper rent, any leftover will be given to us regardless -so I guess that just counts as flat salary, but assumably without the goodies (ie. deposit, agent fees). But considering we want a 3bedroom condo, I very much doubt we'd have any left over, if we don't go over

[zzm9980]

zzm9980, I asked my husband about that now, and he said that the boss said if we find cheaper rent, any leftover will be given to us regardless -so I guess that just counts as flat salary, but assumably without the goodies (ie. deposit, agent fees). But considering we want a 3bedroom condo, I very much doubt we'd have any left over, if we don't go over

I've been doing this search myself a bit. If you're willing to live 15+ minutes away by MRT from CBD area, you can find a 3bd Condo ~3500 within .5km of a station. There isn't a huge inventory of them, but they're out there.

[offshoreoildude]

If you could get your kids into a local school - you _might_ be ok but it means not a lot of eating out or entertainment or vacations away (at least ones that involve planes not buses).

[aargon]

I would also suggest getting a reality check. As you mentioned at the start of the post and in the title - its a JUNIOR role.

And I`m surprised any firm is willing to re-locate junior staff when its probably a lot easier and cost efficient to hire locally - unless of course you have a specialised skill that no one has here - maybe IT?

[freshmeat]

You should also take a look at this website.

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/comparison.jsp

It will give you some idea, based upon your current living standards, of what you will need to live in Singapore.

It's all based on user contributions, and I've found the numbers to be mostly correct.

This is awesome site! Thanks!