Harlow Lad

Hello all expats,

This thread probably have been discuss, but I'll start again to get some more comment.

Our family were planning to migrate to JB, Malaysia and find work in Singapore.

My wife was having a knee jerk recently regard the working life in Singapore. I know that UK or EU worker have been spoil in the EU with lax working life. I wonder how different is in Singapore. Do you get any annual leave or sick pay.

Any expats with little children experience would be appreciate. In terms of spending time with family.

Many Thanks!

ex reg

Perhaps you could expand on your circumstances.

Englishmum

As for your questions above - the length of annual leave (14 days is the norm for local postings) and medical leave (with pay) all depends on the contract you have with your employer!

I'm under the impression that you and your family are Asian and are planning to make a permanent move to SE Asia? Unless you are being sent on an expat posting you will most likely be employed on local terms only (which generally are not as attractive of course as being on expat terms and conditions).

Most people on local contracts get a 13 month bonus, usually paid around Chinese New Year (then many of them quit their jobs immediately afterwards and move onto a new employer!) I understand that it's not really a 'bonus' as such, it's just that the salary is divided into 13 payments and not 12....

Anyway - here are some links with some info which you may find interesting, they're relevant but originally posted a long time ago:

http://www.expatsingapore.com/forum/...c,29165.0.html

http://www.expatsingapore.com/forum/...c,29091.0.html

http://www.expatsingapore.com/forum/...c,26818.0.html

http://www.expatsingapore.com/forum/...c,54232.0.html

You may realise that many locals treat MC's (Medical Certificates) as a days holiday in Singapore.

Doctors liberally issue MC's - I've even been offered them for trivial problems eg. I once had tonsilitis and needed to take a course of antibiotics (he said I had the flu lol!). Doctors give out tablets like Smarties - not even in childproof containers, they are issued at the receptionist's desk, where cut out the required dosage from the foil packs and give them out to you in plastic bags! For example, when I had the antibiotics I was also issued with tablets for a cough, tablets to dry up a runny nose, a generic aspirin for the pain.....totally over the top.

My spouse once had a secretary who consistently took Mondays off but produced an MC each time for 'food poisoning'. He found it irritating and asked how on earth she could be getting food poisoning every weekend? She replied that she went to a seafood centre for makan every Sunday, but the food made her sick. My spouse obviously asked why would she continue to go there then? She told him that the food there tasted so good that she didn't mind getting sick afterwards! (I think he would have fired her but she suddenly moved to Hong Kong with her spouse).

Paul2O

Work-life balance is not guaranteed by law. It depends on the type of companies you join. European MNCs have the best working environment followed by US MNCs. Local companies normally have terrible working environment. I have worked for all three types of companies, and I must say I very much prefer European MNCs.

ex reg

As usual Englishmum is spot on with her comments except in this instance re tablet dispensing.
In the private practice doctor's surgeries then tablets may be dispensed by 'receptionists'.
In the polyclinics then there is always a big pharmacy attached to or within the polyclinic which does all the dispensing via 'qualified' pharmacists.
Most tablets are bright vibrant colours and be sure to ask if there is a generic alternative otherwise you might get lumbered with a hefty bill.

Harlow Lad

Hi Englishmum,
Yes you're right we are Asian. Myself is Malaysian and my wife is Chinese. We have 2 children 4 & 1. Unfortunately we not been send by UK company. We just decided to go back to SE asia a bit closer to the Family.

Pay wise is doesnt seem that bad in Singapore. We planning to buy a house in JB & travel to Singapore to work. Situation getting a bit worse in the EU in terms of economy and pay wise.

We basically cant save any money at all in the UK. Everything just too expensive to live with. Transport is just too expensive, especially the Petrol in the UK. Child care is another thing, we have a live-in nanny for £1500 a month.

Pound to pound the living standard here gradually going down. I can have a mortgage free house in JB while anything that we earn in Singapore just the normal expense. Also we can afford private school for the kids, which we have no chance in the UK.

Thanks for all your comments.

ex reg

I used to live in JB, the Taman Pelangi and part of my job was in Singapore, not everyday and not all day and seldom requiring crossing the causeway during peak periods.

Thousands live in JB and work in Singapore.
But for me the daily grind of travel to the border and then the time to cross and then the time to get to place of work and back again would go a long way to negating any monetary benefit gained by employment in Singapore while living in JB.

But quite a few younger Singaporeans are considering moving across the border to live while keeping their job in Singapore.

It's not for me though.

Harlow Lad

Its no a smart thing to do but thats the only way to have a decent or liveable life. I do encourage those young Singaporean to move out of Singapore. S$1 = RM2.4 thats no brainer isnt it?

Buying property in Singapore is just out of the question for us. I done it before in London with a small flat then to a bigger house just outside London. Same story take 2 hrs for the commute, may be even worse next year when the Olympic is due.

Isnt the second link make thing better?

ex reg

Depends if you intend living near the second link.
But it's still a long drive into town and the roads during rush hour are bad whether you use the AYE or PIE.
Ditto if you come across the causeway and down the BKE/PIE etc.

Unusually for Singapore there are no relief roads under construction or even in the planning as far as I can see.
Years ago they'd build the road or infrastructure and for maybe 5 years or so it would be little used.
Now imo they are behind the curve.
There is a lot less space for road building nowadays unless they go under ground. Or build a second tier to the Expressways.

It may be 'better' for you to get into Singapore and then park up near the border and take the MRT to where you want. At least that way you can better estimate journey time as the MRT is usually constant on journey times.
It'll be crowded though.

bakedbean

This is very off topic and apologies to Harlow Lad, but it really amused us last road trip down to Singapore recently, our GPS (and we've got the British voice installed called Daniel) kept trying to pronounce the expressways as words. AYE pronounced "aye" (as in Aye up). The ECP was coming out something like "eckper". Ya.... sorry about that.

Is it so easy to find work in Singapore these days though? What about working in Malaysia?

ex reg

Traffic reports are great here for example:
'Traffic is heavy along the BKE in the direction of the PIE at the CTE turn off.'

Takes my attention completely away from driving just trying to figure out where the hell the jam is.

Harlow Lad

Well I'm not sure whether is easy to find job in Singapore or not. But I know that Malaysia will not pay as much as Singapore for the same job.

Paul2O

Currently, both Malaysia and Singapore economies are doing fine, so it should be easy to find jobs in both countries. Singapore's salaries are about twice of Malaysia's salaries on average.

Harlow Lad

Thank you Paul, for your assurance.

See you guy in Asia!

heartofdarkness

Problem is the Singapore Government is not handing out employment passes easily to foreigners anymore. Big push to give locals jobs..