Moving to Singapore... Any tips?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m about to move to Singapore, from the UK, with my husband and two daughters (6 and just about 2). It’s imminent - husband leaves 26th May, the rest of us move sometime over the summer once our house here is sold.

I think we’re looking at an international school for my older daughter and a childcare centre for my younger. We’re going on a recce visit at the end on May to find these, plus somewhere to live. My husband is transferring through work and I’m expecting to, but not straight away - either way jobs aren’t an issue and we’ll be comfortably off, if not rolling in money on a traditional ex-pat package. We have our visas already, and we plan to stay a couple of years, then move on to Australia.

I’ve done a metric shitload of research, and I’m lurking on a number of ex-pat boards (although everyone has their own agenda, clearly, and the spelling and grammar kind of depress me!). I reckon I’ve got the theory down fine, but I’m looking for personal experiences. Anyone lived there? What are the good bits, what are the bad bits, what should I look out for? I’ve spent a grand total of 24 hours there, my husband has never left the airport - but the opportunity came up, we fancy the adventure and hell, why not?

2

I lived in Singapore for about a year and a half in 1998 and 1999, so it’s been a while. I’m American, so a few things that were foreign to me will be less so to a Brit. A few thoughts:

As a relatively young person (24-25) who spent a lot of time not employed (currency crisis), it was hard to make friends. I spent a lot of time being mildly bored and lonely. I think that will be a lot easier for you, with the kids’ school and activities and whatnot.

It’s a very easy place for an ex-pat to live. There will certainly be moments of culture shock, but most of Singapore will be fairly easy to navigate. The accent is super fast, but you’ll get used to it pretty quickly.

You can go on great vacations from Singapore! This was the best part. We took the ferry to nearby islands in Indonesia for beach time on a few occasions. We also went to
Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Myanmar, Bali, and Malaysia at various times for long weekends. Take advantage of the opportunity to travel!

You’ll probably be able to get most of the consumer goods you’re used to there, but I found it difficult to buy women’s clothes. By American standards, I’m pretty small, but I had a hard time finding age-appropriate clothes that fit in Singapore. I’m assuming that there are probably better options for ordering online now, but you might want to do a little stocking up on summer clothes before you go.

It’s hot. And humid. You’ll get used to it. Eventually.

The one thing I was never able to cope with about living in the tropics is the critters. Could not deal with the cockroaches. Shudder. Not super fond of the geckos, either. I hate being cold, but living in a temperate climate is so worth it from an insect-control perspective!

Good luck!

3

Eat, eat, eat!

Colour me green with envy! I hope to visit in December myself!

You’re going to be just fine, truly. In a month you’ll wonder what you were fussing about, I promise! You’re all going to have a blast!

4

Ditto that. The food is fabulous.

Except for durian.

5

Black Pepper Crab! Chili Crab! YUMMY!

6

I think the UK and Singapore are already quite similar, especially compared to the other European countries - almost everything is in English, they drive on the right side of the road, they even have exactly the same power sockets so all your appliances can be used. There are also lots of shops you’ll find familiar if you get homesick, such as Marks & Spencer. There’s no Harrods, though.

The biggest change will be the weather. Yes it’s hot and humid, more than you’d expect. You may never get used to it. But most public places are air conditioned so you can avoid most of it. At least it’s predictable and all you have to wonder is if it will rain.

If you really want to, you should be able to find Western food. But you can also enjoy the local food, if you don’t have an aversion to rice or something similar. If you cook, I think you can get most ingredients, although they may be more expensive. The quality of beef is lower.

I suppose you know about the high prices of cars? I estimate they’re at least 3x the price compared to other countries. Also, public transport is very crowded, due to being so densely populated. That’s another thing that might come as a shock to you.

7

Give up the chewing gum

8

Thank you all, glad to get confirmation of the food thing, which I’m very excited about. The travel possibilities is one of our biggest draws for this move, especially as we’ll also be about halfway to our family in Australia, which is our ultimate location. We’re accepting defeat over owning a car, and it will be interesting to live without one for a while. This is the first time I’ve hear that the public transport is very crowded - that’s good to be prepared for. Are we talking London tube at rush hour sardines? Or Tokyo people employed to shove you into the carriage squished?

One specific thing, which is my current biggest anxiety… Housing. Based on my budgeting I think we’re looking at around S$7000 a month for rent. But (quite a big but, in fact, a couple) ironically considering where we’re headed, neither of us are mad city people. We are looking forward to the adventure of the change, don’t get me wrong. But, our instinct is more to look at landed houses than condos. “But number two” is that we are possibly (maybe even probably) taking a 6 year old chocolate Labrador with us. :smack:

So … are we sensible to think landed? Will we be missing out on too many condo advantages? Thank the heavens for Google street view - I think we’ve seen some places that reassured us from the outside, and I’m tending to concentrate on areas described by guidebooks as “far too quiet”, but is the landed house plan a no-go, in your opinion?

Thank you again for all the opinions, and especially to AaronX - will definitely get back to you!

9

I found it quite chilly inside actually, and startling when coming in from the heat. I understand there was not only the cost of the car, but you needed a permit to buy one?

10

Check out ‘weekend’ cars, much cheaper, but you can only drive them on the weekends! No, really, they have that there!

11

It’s called a Certificate of Entitlement. Here’s more on driving in Singapore.

12

Ah yes, the air conditioning in some places like cinemas can be too enthusiastic, especially if you’re sensitive to cold.

Yes, you need a “Certificate Of Entitlement” to buy a car. Right now they’re SGD$60,000 - 70,000. They only last 10 years and have no value after that. There are “weekend” (off-peak) cars that can be driven at night and on weekends. I hear they’re about $20,000 cheaper. You can buy a day pass for days when you want to drive during the day. If you buy a car and you’re adventurous, you can drive in Malaysia.

Not sure what London Tube is like, but I think this is more crowded. Not quite Tokyo yet, but people have already suggested hiring those people-pushers so it’s getting there :smiley:

Hmm don’t think I know enough about housing, sorry.

13

All I remember about housing was what a Singaporean was telling me - that the government restricted the type/cost of apartment one could rent. So, if you made enough money, you would have a minimum amount that you had to be paying towards rent.

This “reserved” the lower-cost places for people that couldn’t afford better (unfortunately it also limited how much a family could save, as one cab driver complained to me one morning).

I have no idea what the rules would be for a non-citizen, or even if this is still accurate, but I found it interesting.

14

Don’t spray paint graffiti anywhere, unless you enjoy extreme caning.

15

The OP should also refrain from illegal drug use, and her husband should be discreet about engaging in sodomy with other men. :wink:

[QUOTE=Poysyn]
All I remember about housing was what a Singaporean was telling me - that the government restricted the type/cost of apartment one could rent. So, if you made enough money, you would have a minimum amount that you had to be paying towards rent.

[/QUOTE]

Most Singaporeans live in public housing, and while there are income & ethnic quotas involved I don’t think expatriates are allowed to live in them. They can only get housing on the private market or through their employer.

16

No drug use- check. No graffiti - check. No chewing gum - check. No husbandly sodomy - check. Jeez, there’s our weekends right out.

Is my impression of clean and efficient accurate, generally speaking? I’m comparing this to London, which is generally dirty, bad-tempered and always seems to be teetering on the verge of collapse (and that’s said with reasonable affection). Getting stuff done here as a resident always seems to involve a couple of layers of petty bureaucracy and some light queueing. How does this compare to life in Singapore? Am I going to be frustrated by rules? Charmed but irritated by haphazard chaos? Impressed by organisation? If the visa process is anything to go by, it’ll be a dream - there was one form to fill in, they sent us the right form first time and cleared the visas in well under the time they’d promised. Although we’ve got to go and ratify them, so maybe there’s still time.

Thanks for the tips about heat and aircon, will have to manage that one.

17

Public transport here is about the same as public transport in central London, but how convenient it is depends really on where you’re working and where the daycare centre is. Most daycare centers will have you collect your kid by 7, so I hope your work can accommodate. Check google maps for transit directions and plan accordingly. Also note that child care is in relatively high demand, with long waiting lists at some of the more popular locations, and so you may do well to confirm a place before you even arrive.

As a local who lived in London for a while, I do see many expats in landed properties, but generally they would have a car. Landed property is generally not well served by public transport in Singapore, with exception of the Holland road area (which is very popular with expats).

You said you wanted land and space, but don’t expect sprawling anything in Singapore. One good thing about condos are the inbuilt expat community. I happen to live in a Japanese expat condo, and the obasans and their kids seem to enjoy themselves, and should help with the feelings of isolation.

It’s probably better to hear from the expat forums on what areas are more suited to you, and where most of your countrymen have congregated, though.

18

Generally cleaner (and greener!) than London. Mostly cheaper, and food in particular is a LOT cheaper. Not as many things online, so you may have to know where to look in the real world to get stuff done/call and ask.

Public transport is cheaper and more reliable. We complain about the trains here, but the tube was always out, it seemed to me at the time. No strikes for government, ever. Exceedingly few strikes in the private sector, as striking is illegal.

I didn’t have a terrible time in London, but there’s generally not much to complain about here in terms of things getting done. I certainly don’t expect a service to fail, and if it does, I expect that it is fixed promptly, and it generally does, but then it’s hard to see your flaws from the inside. :slight_smile:

19

Awesome Hard Rock Cafe there, that should take care of one weekend. :wink:

20

Yeah, I think oral sex still isn’t allowed either, just a heads up.

Reliability of public transport: train breakdowns make the news, unlike in Melbourne where they’re just announced with a tired voice in the stations. Unfortunately they seem to be getting more and more common. But on the whole, public transport is very good - a 15 minute wait for a bus is considered very long. Buses run so often that there are no timetables.

For housing, yes, foreigners are only allowed to rent private condos or landed properties. All I’ve got is: advantages of condos: swimming pool and gym, better security, usually more accessible if you don’t have a car (Tabby_Cat is right). Advantages of landed properties: you have a garden (good for your dog), less chance of being troubled by your neighbours.

Long waiting lists for childcare are true, that’s a good point.

I think “clean” is an accurate description. Not sure how efficient it is compared to London. If it’s any indication, there are 24 hour clinics, meaning if you get food poisoning on Saturday night, you won’t have to wait until Monday morning to look for a doctor who isn’t fully booked. Another sign is in a bank, you can just walk up to a counter to open an account. In Westpac bank in Australia, you have to make an appointment to open another account - even if you already have an account :smack:

You won’t be able to escape queuing. You have to queue for transport, for any services, and queues are a sign of great food :smiley:

About online services, ironically they’re rather backward, especially shopping. I think because of the proximity, most services were done in person for as long as possible before they were finally forced to switch online, while in other countries they switched earlier. Examples: online banking and eBay Singapore. There are no online only savings accounts (meaning you can only deposit/withdraw using Internet banking) like in Australia, and interbank transfers are a mess.