gradstudent

Dear All,

First of all, hats off to this wonderful forum and all its members. I have gained a lot of useful info from here. I am currently in US and have a job offer each from York and Singapore. I am thoroughly confused about which one to take. Salary wise, there isnt much difference in the two but UK taxes seem to be fairly high compared to Singapore along with depressing weather. As mentioned everywhere else on the forum, Singapore seems to be very expensive as well for all that it offers. However, I currently am single and expenses wont be as high as for a family. Asia is a preference since its closer to the subcontinent but Europe has always attracted me due to its unique and relaxed lifestyle. I saw many people from UK living in Singapore on this forum. I was wondering which place you members would prefer in my situation and why.

Thanks again in advance for your time! I appreciate all your help.

ex reg

Is one location a better option for career development?

Because with UK higher taxes versus Singapore higher cost of living there may not be a great deal difference moneywise if the starting salaries are similar.

bakedbean

With apologies to anyone hailing from York (and I've not been there for quite a number of decades) but I reckon Singapore wins hands down.

Let's face it, UK going down the tube currently. I met with a couple today, moving to Penang from UK, and UK sounds bloody awful these days from the stories they were telling me.

Singapore, conversely, doing very nicely thank you. It's a great experience I would say. Warm weather (well, hot actually), good infrastructure, low income tax. You'll have a ball. Go for it

Bocat

I'd have to agree with Bakedbean. I'm from Scotland and while I still miss it, I'm very glad that we're in Singapore for the moment. The UK is in a sorry state just now (and that comes from all my friends back home - not just my opinion).

York is one of my favourite places in England so maybe if things improve in the future you could still consider it. Very touristy though so I'm not sure what it would be like to actually live there.

ex reg

I'm doing my 6 months penance in UK at the moment and except for the weather and some stuff I have to do around the house then everything is fine.

For me and the missus it's 50/50 between UK and Singapore.

Mind you being retired is different from working but except for the first year or two working in Singapore then it was still close between choosing either one.
It all came down to the weather on retirement.

And when I was working here or there the roads in Singapore were car free.
Mind you at that time so were the roads in UK

Is the OP or his family from the sub con originally.

I know it shouldn't make a difference but Singapore may be easier to integrate even though the OP may have been born in UK.

I hope that last comment doesn't upset anybody but it may be taken into account.
If anybody is upset by it then bb please remove it.
The edit facility will probably not be available so I won't be able to edit it myself.

bakedbean

Good on ya exReg, but thats the thing about UK, have to be PC these days. I dont delete, edit or anyfink. Just a meet n greet concierge. Mods do all the serious stuff. Enjoy ol blighty. Wet uh?

gradstudent

Dear ex reg, Bocat & bb, thanks for your candid replies! Hard to judge career growth right now. The Uk company is the food giant Nestle whereas in Singapore its is a very good research institute doing industrial projects. Chemical industry is the biggest industry for Singapore so plenty of opportunity there too. Having lived in the US for the past 6 years, I have come to realize that Asia is where the growth is. Just finishing my PhD so I feel like I have a little bit of flexibility as of now.

Yes, I am from the subcontinent and my gf lives in Korea. I am also a bit worried of the awful weather in England! It has been fairly hard to live here in the states where weather isnt that wonderful either.

Any advice on healthcare? I have heard wonderful things about both NHS and Singapore. Any comparison would be really appreciated

ex reg

Just on the health stuff.
We keep our house in UK just in case any serious health issue may require hospitalisation as it wouldn't cost there, but may be at the back of a long queue.
In Singapore you have to pay for any medical stuff but you can get it done a lot quicker than UK but you have to be wary of doctors who want to do a procedure without it being required.
That happened to me 5 or 6 years ago and luckily it happened just before I was due to return to UK so I waited had the tests done in UK and nothing required.
So be aware.
Not saying it happens all the time but it also happened to me at a dentist in HK.

gradstudent

Ah yes, thank you for the alert! Yes, certainly happens in my home country too and here in US I have heard nice things in this regard about NHS.

Bluenose1

For what it's worth - I used to live and work in York and I would say that it is a beautiful city to visit but (because it's so small) it's a helluva place to live! Don't get me wrong, I had some good times there, but from Easter through until about October, I wouldn't recommend venturing into the centre, because it is just so crowded! Well, it was back in the early 80's (I left to live in Leicester in 1985) and if there is a race meeting on the Knavesmire then forget it! However, if you like a tipple, you can have a drink in a different bar every night of the year, except a Leap Year because there are 365 pubs!

gradstudent

Thank you Bluenose1, that sounds fairly nice! Personally for me, although York's a small city, I am quite sure its much bigger than the place I have been going to school here in US since the past 6 years Nothing much to do here than research. If I do get to go there, I am sure I would welcome the chance of living in a tourist city. I did hear that the cost of living is lower compared to London. Is that true?

bakedbean

Agree with exReg pretty much on the health issues but i wouldnt want to have anything done NHS. Fact is though me n exReg are retirees and you are very young with a lot of opportunities ahead. I would still say go for Singapore, you'll probably get health insurance anyhow, and just learn the ropes in Singapore. Yeh 365 pubs in York, how many pubs n bars in Singapore? mmm quite a few, nice ones along the Singapore river, Brewerkz, along River Valley, Holland Village, East Coast

gradstudent

Sorry my late reply and thank you very much BakedbeanYes, the employer has offered insurance which seems to cover most of the things. Thanks for helping me make the right choice

Novocastrian

I don't think the choice should be between locations, but rather between career trajectories. Working for Nestle (wherever) and working in a good research institute (wherever) are quite different choices.

Up to you to decide.

But I had similar options at your age, after PhD (Oxford) and 2 years of Postdoc (Cambridge) I could have gone on a fast-track management job for Unilever, or gone to a top class Research Centre in California.

I chose the latter and have been a Professor of Chemistry at a very good University (in Canada) for 20+ years. If I'd gone to Unilever I might be even better off but I'd certainly have had a less interesting life.

HTH.

gradstudent

Sorry for my late reply yet again. Prof. HTH, I am precisely in the same position as you were and I fully agree with your advice that long term career prospects matter more than the location itself. However, I wish choice was simple for me. Nestle would certainly be the best choice career wise. But that might mean sacrificing my 1 year old relationship. With aging parents being in subcontinent (I am the only son) and gf being in Korea (already 1 year of distance relationship), its really a dilemma between career and family.

Thank you for very much for your constructive advice and I will carefully consider before making a choice!