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| *Travel Tips>>>Singapore Travel Tips |
How does living in Singapore compare with London? |
Travel Info My work has asked me to move from London to Singapore. How far would an average London salary go out there? Has anyone made the move and have any tips or advice? Thanks! Travel Tips Well, both of my friends have left Singapore for studies in UK however, they still misses Singapore and the environment. They told me the main difference is the weather and the culture and they're not really used of living in UK even though they've been staying there for almost 6 yrs. They like Singapore for its all-year round sunny season and our local cultures, which is also a multi-racial nation. Different varieties of delicacies can be found here. You can almost find any delicious cuisines here. And our fantastic multi-racial cultures give us a sense of belonging to the nation, making Singapore a unique & strong country. For your info, most of the younger Singaporeans speak almost more than 1 languages. The common languages will be English & Mandarin. As for the older generations, they can speak several languages like their own dialects, Melayu & Tamil/Hindi etc. So you shouldn't have any difficulty getting a new life here. In addition, because Singapore is such a sunny country, that you can almost have any sports (land or water sports) during anytime. And in fact, Singapore's nightlife entertainment has been voted No.1 in Asia & featured on a few online websites and magazines. So in any fact, Singapore is not a dull country to be in. As for the government's system, we're much stricter than other nearby asian countries. In terms of drugs peddalings, ammunitions trafficking, car speedings etc, all these are considered serious crimes in our homeland. And for working system, I think our wages are paid relatively higher than any other asian countries. Job occupancies are more for foreign workers and I think if you're working under IT or Engineering companies as an executive level personnel, your salary should be either equivalent or slightly more than your UK's salary. The living standard will also be less taxing & stressful for you because expenses spent daily are almost 2 times lesser. Finally, I would like to say we do welcome foreign talents to join us as a big family!! Others Lots more Chinese out there!!!! I thought they were fairly comparable. Food and drink is not cheap (except in the hawker markets) when eating out, but then it isn't in London either. I was working there for 2 months in 2005 but I was put up in a hotel so had to eat out 3 times a day; I guess you will be in an apartment, so can buy food in and cook. Accommodation is quite expensive - check that carefully to compare with what you're paying here. One word of warning, Singapore is very humid and I found that books and papers got damp, even in an air-conditioned room. My Teva sandals got damp in a downpour and then stayed that way for 5 weeks (until I came home). Not sure how the Singaporeans deal with this but I suggest that you find out from a local once there. i found singapore to be sterile, and lifeless. Can't help in moving there, just to comment it seems to have no character and indeed no history, London any day. Singapore never again! Living in Bangkok I find Singapore a little dull now and again and very controlled. But having said that it is a place that I would love to live in, it is clean and tidy and things work there. Public transport is excellent both the buses and underground are excellent systems with interchangable ticketing. The people are generally pleasant, electricity is the same as in the UK, they drive on the same side of the road, they take a great deal of pride in their infrastructure. Cuisine is interesting and there are cheapish places to eat. It is near other interesting places like Kuala Lumpur, Sabha, Sarawak, Indonesia, and of course Thailand and its tourist attractions, even Australia is doable. But you will want to be sure of your expatriate package first. You will need to know: How many return flights to the UK each year, What is the salary plus the expat package, Removals of your goods and possesions there and back, Quality of the accommodation provided, Is the rent fully paid or do you have to contribute a portion, Will the be a relocation allowance in each direction, If you are married or co-habiting then you need to think of your wife/partner and his or her reactions, If you have kids schooling is not cheap, you will need to think about this too. Oh so many questions to ask. Why not suggest that they send you there for a few months so that you can make up your mind. I am sure you will want to stay. The weather can be humid, but air con helps, the rainy season is rainy but only for a couple of hours a day then it stops. I am sure you will enjoy it and it will look good on the CV too. i would say standard of living in London is twice higher than in Singapore. not a problem for Europeans and Americans. clean and save city to live in. plenty choice of food to choose from. one word: terrible |
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