cosmoclaire

Anyone who can help,it would be grately appreciated!

A job offer has come up in the construction business,in Singapore.Everything I read about the country seems all good,but I am just wanting a bit of reasurance!
Is it a good place to work and live?Is the cost of living,and the quality of living good?Any preferable areas to live? Im after a villa or house.
Its a huge move for me so any info you can give me would be alot of help.

ex reg

Bit busy at the moment.
Worked there for 20 years.
Now retired there for 8 years.

Very enjoyable.
Don't worry it's great.

Englishmum

We lived there for a few years; it was great and an easy place to live and you do get 'island fever' (it's the same size as the Isle of Wight with 4 million people!)....but it's so easy to get to places like Thailand, Malaysia, Bali, Oz, NZ, Hong Kong etc. etc. We often had a weekend getaway in Desaru, Malaysia and you can get the ferry to the hotel resorts in Batam, Indonesia....once even went to Indonesia (Turi Beach hotel, Bintan) with some girlfriends on the high speed ferry for lunch LOL!

Do you have children? Are you going on your own, with a spouse or as a family unit?

Rents are now astronomical in Singers....hope you have a large budget if you want a house or a villa unless you're prepared to live way out near Changi or Pasir Ris for example, or amongst the locals. The lovely old black & white colonial houses are being demolished to make way for new developments (eg. at Seletar). Many people prefer to live on a condo (some condos are small) with a swimming pool, tennis courts etc. It's hard to advise without knowing your housing budget, many expats prefer districts 9 & 10 with easy access to the city centre - but these are the most expensive areas.

Will you have a company car or need to buy your own? (It's the most expensive place in the world to buy a car - many expats don't have them and use public transport...this will have a bearing on where you may choose to live).

Do check out the forums on http://www.expatsingapore.com (lots of info about landlords/rental prices and places to live.

You can get Western food everywhere - you will see all the 'chain' restaurants, coffee shops, clothing stores and Cold Storage and Tanglin Marketplace for British, Aussie and American groceries. It didn't seem very Asian TBH and Singapore is deemed amongst expats as "Asia for beginners".

PS: You will be shocked when you see the construction workers there: most are from Bangladesh, India or China and are taken to the worksites each day like human cattle in a pen on the back of an open truck. Many of them reside in portakabins eg. a 40ft container which has been converted into a dorm. Horrifying but it's cheap labour and they're indentured slaves basically....

cosmoclaire

thankyou so much for your words of wisdom!

we will be getting the housing budget,and company car,so hopefully if we want a nicer house,or condo we can just pay the extra.Dont know any of the details yet.
It has been a toss up between Singapore and Abu Dhabi,but i think singapore would be nicer.....the other half just goes along with me!!
Its his job taking us out there,but I wouldnt mind getting a part time job when i get there.We dont have any kids yet,so I dont want to sit around all day getting bored!
Bit worried about leaving my friends behind and having to be the new kid in school all over again! Is it easy to meet new friends?

Englishmum

We joined the British Club (company paid membership fees and monthly dues) which is a nice haven from the city centre.

Many expats on assignments have babies over there (Middle East and SE Asia)....it's easy when there isn't the pressure on the wives of having to work and the easy availability of part-time or live-in maids LOL! The healthcare is excellent.....

I worked as a volunteer in the ANZA office for a few years (the Australian & New Zealand Association) any expat can join as long as 51% of the members are from Oz & NZ - we are English - and it is more lively & fun than the 'sedate' British Association. If you are sporty you can play tennis with members or the netball team. I learned to play Mahjong. They have barbies, pub nights (sausage sizzle), the "Not the Melbourne Cup Night" which is a blast and the annual Black & White Ball (yes it's a good idea to have some cocktail/evening dresses in Singers) Here are some links:

http://www.britishclub.org.sg/Public...?id=2005000021

http://www.britishassociation.org.sg/

http://www.anza.org.sg

Just a warning: prices really have gone out of control on rents in Singapore. There are many established condos which have just been sold 'en-bloc' so are all slated for demolition and rebuilt on a denser scale (is this what your spouse will be doing LOL?!) so the landlords have become very greedy and rents have been going up by well over 100%...see below for just one example:

http://www.expatsingapore.com/forum/...c,36422.0.html


On the other hand....a friend of ours moved out to Abu Dhabi a couple of years ago and had their third baby delivered there and is enjoying life over there (she plays netball too!).

http://www.expatwomanabudhabi.com/

http://www.expatwoman.com (main site for the UAE)


I enjoyed Singapore (much nicer than here in New Jersey) and would happily live in the UAE too, although I've only been to Dubai. Best to go on a look-see to both places if you can.

Hope this helps!

cosmoclaire

thankyou so much for taking the time to help me,you have been really helpful.the link you gave me looks great,and hey,any excuse to buy new dresses is a plus in my book!
Do you have any plans on going back?

Kooky.

Hi cosmoclaire, I've been in Singapore for about 5 and a half years now and it's truly home. We lived in an expatty area (Holland Road) for 2 years then moved to Geylang, which is much more, erm, local We are also Permanent Residents. They only problem we're facing is the rent - we are local hire and don't get any help with bills, and our rent is about to double.

www.singaporeexpats.com is a great source of property info.

For working - unless you can get an EP in your own right you will need a Letter of Consent. The employer has to apply to MoM (Minisitry of Manpower) for it. I had one before we got PR but jobs for trailing spoouses can be hard to come by and pay a pittance. I've also done voluntary work.

We're not into the expat club scene - we don't have kids and we are members of a lovely gym and spa with pools (we live in a house so no facilities) so don't feel the need. We kicked off our social circles by joining message boards and going to events posted on them, then it spiralled from there. We have friends of all nationalities, something I really love.

As a non-working, childless spouse you really have to get out there and make friends, as there is no obvious way. See a post on a message board about a coffee morning - go to it. Don't be shy, we've all been there, and most of us are friendly You'll meet people you have nothing in common with, and the dreadful woman who boasts about her husband's "package" and bitches about her live-in maid - just quietly move on.

Just one word of warning on those dresses - if you're more than a UK 14 or even a 12 you will have limited choice. I'm a "16 just going back into a 14" and I've never worn so much M&S in my life! It's got much better lately - a lot of European chains have opened up or expanded. Top Shop, River Island, Warehouse, Zara...and we also got a Gap It's the slightly more upmarket but not designer ranges I struggle to find.

If the choice turns out to be Singapore, don't hesitate to contact me. I'd be happy to help you with the "where to buy", "how to do" and all that stuff. (I also run a message board here so have a lot of contacts.)

Good Luck with your move!

cosmoclaire

Thankyou seasider.
Yes,im a non working gal with no children,so coffee mornings here I come!
Its nice to know they are plentiful and easy to find.That makes all the difference.It really is hard when you are going to a new country not knowing anyone,but then you will know all about that!
And yes,typically i am a 14 so im going to have to go on a spree before i get there!I do shop alot in river island,so its good to know its out there too,lets just hope they have my size!
Thankyou for your help.We will know(hopefully)by the end of next week when we are coming out,and i will be sure to get in touch if we get there!!

Englishmum

Oh and another thing.

Stock up on bras! Especially cotton-rich (man-made fibres are dreadful in the tropical heat).

It's very hard to find anything to fit as the local women tend to be size 32AA and padded bras seem to be the main type stocked in the stores. You will find larger sizes in M&S but the selection is much smaller than in the UK.

When I was there (we were there for 51/2 years) I was a 34B and struggled to find nice bras....so you have been warned LOL!

The worst aspect for me was that there is a constant turnover of people so we were always saying goodbye to our friends as they left Singapore and that was very hard. I would happily move back there but it's not likely to happen as far as I know.

You may enjoy doing voluntary work; they always love to have helpers at the Riding for the Disabled, even if you know nothing about horses; they need people to help the children stay on the ponies or lead the ponies around the paddock. Another friend learned to 'sign' and helped at the deaf school. Other women volunteer at the hospitals or for children's charities and as previously mentioned I helped out at the ANZA office. In fact, do contact ANZA if you move there as they have a list of volunteer opportunities and it's a great way to 'feel good' and make new friends.

cosmoclaire

thankyou,
that really does sound great.I would love to do some volunteer work,and I used to ride all the time,so I will definately get in touch.......and as for the bra's..thanks for the tip!!

Kooky.

Oh yes, the bullet-proof bras It's slightly better these days as we now have La Senza. M&S is not bad although a lot of the range is now "petite" fit.

I forgot to mention that we now also have Principles, Coast and Ted Baker.

We go back to the UK once a year and I stock up on bras, bikinis and dresses. Also health supplements and Rimmel nailpolish

(Is it really sad that I stay in a city with a Harvey Nicks and get most excited about Boots and Debenhams?)

cosmoclaire

Great! It sounds like there are some pretty good shops out there,but if they only stock up on clothes that would fit Posh spice then im done for!
I will be ok in the nails department though! I do acrylic nails,so i will be bringing it all with me!!If you run out of nail varnish give me a bell!!!

cosmoclaire

just one more quick completely plastic question!!....
What are the hairdressers like over there? I know that asian hair is very different to european hair,and would just like to know if there are good hairdressers there!

Kooky.

Well I know a lot of people go to Toni & Guy - several salons and a school here but it's only a brand name and you have to find a good stylist there. I went when I first arrived and wasn't very happy but then tried a small salon recommended on expatsingapore and went there for years, until they decided to close The guy there that cut my hair was one of the best cutters I have come across; I used to model for well-known salons in the UK and I am very particular!

I've recently tried Le Salon at Takashimaya (a large mall and confusingly also the name of the department store there), but my new stylist has decided to leave the country Maybe it's me...

My hair is very short but also very thick and strong - quite Asian in a way - so I look for people who can razor cut. Longer hair seems ok, a lot of my friends have it and always look good. I can get you recommendations if and when you turn up.

Desert Dweller

If you're tossing up Abu Dhabi or Singapore you have definitely made the right choice in leaning towards Singapore (though not as good as Hong Kong!).
Singapopre is a great city and as the posters above have mentioned there is loads to do- I go down there to sail as well as a bit of work and really enjoy it.