Living in Singapore Questions
Apr 3rd, 2014, 11:48 AM
#1
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Living in Singapore Questions
My daughter's family may be moving to Singapore with two children (ages 6 and 4) with company. What is the best advice you Fodorites can give? What to expect culturally, living expenses, education, friendliness, shopping, transportation availability, etc. Not sure where they will be living.
Apr 3rd, 2014, 12:08 PM
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These are questions they should be asking the employer who is moving them.
Singapore is one of the cleanest, safest cities in the world. Singapore is a multi-cultural city-state, so the children will get exposure to children from many cultures.
Singapore is an expensive city to live in or to visit. It has excellent infrastructure. It has a clean, air-conditioned metro system. There is excellent (though expensive) shopping. Anything you can get at home, you can buy in Singapore. There are excellent schools and universities in Singapore.
It's also a wonderful jumping-off point to visit other parts of Asia.
Singapore has wonderful food of many types.
Singapore is one of the cleanest, safest cities in the world. Singapore is a multi-cultural city-state, so the children will get exposure to children from many cultures.
Singapore is an expensive city to live in or to visit. It has excellent infrastructure. It has a clean, air-conditioned metro system. There is excellent (though expensive) shopping. Anything you can get at home, you can buy in Singapore. There are excellent schools and universities in Singapore.
It's also a wonderful jumping-off point to visit other parts of Asia.
Singapore has wonderful food of many types.
Apr 3rd, 2014, 04:20 PM
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I've never lived in Singapore, but I have many expatriate friends there.
Singapore is clean, safe and orderly. There is a lively and engaged expatriate community from all over the world. Public transportation, health care and private international schools are excellent. If your daughter intends to be a stay-at-home mom, she will find a supportive group of expat women and affordable domestic help.
If she intends to work, getting a work permit is a whole other complication.
If her husband's company has several expats in country she will find a ready made social circle. If it's just him, she'll have to reach out, but there are lots of expat organizations that provide information.
The most important point is for your son-in-law to understand exactly what's included in his package -- what the company will pay for and what your family has to absorb. Housing and private schools are costly, and tax liability can be confusing, so be clear on who's paying.
Most critically and commonly expat packages include visas, moving expenses, housing, home leave airfare, tuition and health insurance. There are many, many fine points to ask about, though, so read the fine print carefully.
Every family has its own wishlist, but my requests would include
Coverage for emergency medical evacuation, not so much in Singapore, but when traveling in the region.
Tax equalization, tax relief or at least tax preparation. Tax laws and liability vary depending on their home country. They need an accountant who understands the complexities of both countries.
Transitional assistance on arrival -- a furnished apartment for an agreed length of time, help with payment of rental deposits and brokers' fees which can be burdensome.
Singapore is clean, safe and orderly. There is a lively and engaged expatriate community from all over the world. Public transportation, health care and private international schools are excellent. If your daughter intends to be a stay-at-home mom, she will find a supportive group of expat women and affordable domestic help.
If she intends to work, getting a work permit is a whole other complication.
If her husband's company has several expats in country she will find a ready made social circle. If it's just him, she'll have to reach out, but there are lots of expat organizations that provide information.
The most important point is for your son-in-law to understand exactly what's included in his package -- what the company will pay for and what your family has to absorb. Housing and private schools are costly, and tax liability can be confusing, so be clear on who's paying.
Most critically and commonly expat packages include visas, moving expenses, housing, home leave airfare, tuition and health insurance. There are many, many fine points to ask about, though, so read the fine print carefully.
Every family has its own wishlist, but my requests would include
Coverage for emergency medical evacuation, not so much in Singapore, but when traveling in the region.
Tax equalization, tax relief or at least tax preparation. Tax laws and liability vary depending on their home country. They need an accountant who understands the complexities of both countries.
Transitional assistance on arrival -- a furnished apartment for an agreed length of time, help with payment of rental deposits and brokers' fees which can be burdensome.
Apr 3rd, 2014, 05:48 PM
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This BBC item about "Misery City" drew quite a response recently:
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26546169
Three ministers, including the Prime Minister weighed in, urging
Singaporeans to be kinder:
http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapo...misery-article
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26546169
Three ministers, including the Prime Minister weighed in, urging
Singaporeans to be kinder:
http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapo...misery-article
Apr 9th, 2014, 03:32 AM
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The company I work for is full of people who did or are doing a stint in Singapore or who might be going there for anywhere from three months to three years. DH lived there for three years as a kid and I'm hoping to be going on a three-month assignment next year (cross your fingers for me).
The general advice all these former/current/future Singapore residents give is enjoy the food, figure out a way to adapt to the heat and humidity, be close to mass transit and it's really nice if your apartment building has a good-sized on-site pool.
As for me, if I get the thumb's up for the rotation in Singapore, I'd be happy as a clam if I could have a temp apartment in a building with a pool in Tiong Bahru.
The general advice all these former/current/future Singapore residents give is enjoy the food, figure out a way to adapt to the heat and humidity, be close to mass transit and it's really nice if your apartment building has a good-sized on-site pool.
As for me, if I get the thumb's up for the rotation in Singapore, I'd be happy as a clam if I could have a temp apartment in a building with a pool in Tiong Bahru.
Apr 20th, 2014, 05:23 AM
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The most important thing for a person moving to Singapore to know is that it is high authoritarian, bordering on being a police state. It all looks very familiar and western on the surface, but it is not. It is a one party country where the part rules with an iron hand. They have gerrymandered the electoral system so that they have 95% percent of the seats in the government. You tow the line there or else. What would be considered minor infractions can result in severe punishment in Singapore.
There is also a huge amount of ethnic tension simmering with signs that it might be rising to the surface. They had the first ethnic riot in a long time last fall. The percentage of the population that is poor immigrants is very high.
Before moving there, I'd do some real research.
There is also a huge amount of ethnic tension simmering with signs that it might be rising to the surface. They had the first ethnic riot in a long time last fall. The percentage of the population that is poor immigrants is very high.
Before moving there, I'd do some real research.
