Moving to Singapore from brisbane for career

[ruzzi]

Hey guys, got some great advice on this board over the years.

I'm an in-house lawyer with about 5 years experience and not really going anywhere due to resume not having any "brand names" on it. But I get paid decent and have a great life here.

I was casually looking and I've been offered a 12 month contract in sg with a global market leader, f500, top 10 global tech company etc etc.

Pros:
- Resume improves, flexibility in jobs I can apply for and future earning potential
- Will help me get a better paying jobs for next 15-25 years (I'm 31)

Cons:
- 12 mth contract only
- Higher living expenses
- Package not great (local package not expat package and will get taxed as an Aussie due to short stint and earn a little less after tax) coupled with higher living expenses
- In long term relationship and girl will leave her established and secure job to follow

That's all I got for now... Thoughts?

I thought it was a no brainer to make the move but as I have a tendency to overthink things I'm now questioning whether its worth it

 

[Delente]

Singapore is a fantastic place to live...if you can stand the heat. Most expats will live in condos which have pools etc. Good variety of food (to my tastes anyway and if you're not bothered by sitting on stools at Lau Pau Sat etc.). I had a fantastic time living there for a year, and many a fantastic evening drinking beers at a coffeeshop/hawker centre eating chilli crab till the early hours of the morning. It's a very "easy" place to live and you should have a very enjoyable life style. Make the most of the year and take long weekends in Bali or Thailand when there are public holidays.

It also sounds like a great way to get a fantastic brand name on your CV and some international exposure which can be a good thing.

 

[Matt]

Originally Posted by ruzzi

Hey guys, got some great advice on this board over the years. I'm an in-house lawyer with about 5 years experience and not really going anywhere due to resume not having any "brand names" on it. But I get paid decent and have a great life here. I was casually looking and I've been offered a 12 month contract in sg with a global market leader, f500, top 10 global tech company etc etc. Pros: - Resume improves, flexibility in jobs I can apply for and future earning potential - Will help me get a better paying jobs for next 15-25 years (I'm 31) Cons: - 12 mth contract only - Higher living expenses - Package not great (local package not expat package and will get taxed as an Aussie due to short stint and earn a little less after tax) coupled with higher living expenses - In long term relationship and girl will leave her established and secure job to follow That's all I got for now... Thoughts? I thought it was a no brainer to make the move but as I have a tendency to overthink things I'm now questioning whether its worth it
theres a pretty big thread on Singapore already that is worth reading. I think a few things though. 1. having spent a week in Singapore and a week in Australia in the past month or so, don't assume that your cost of living will go up. Australia is damn expensive man. Basically everything other than beer and rent will be cheaper than Singapore. 2. why would you be paying Australian tax? Just delist yourself there and pay Singapore tax. 3. how do you define "local package"? On the whole, it is totally worth a year out of your life, I spent just under two years there myself, the best thing about Singapore is the ability to get anywhere else in Asia cheaply, so take advantage of the time. You'll love it, and the year will fly by.

 

[Eason]

It's like there's a big conspiracy to make me take the job in SG

 

[ruzzi]

lol do it eason!!!!!!!!!!!!!

to be honest i think ive been going through the same kind of stuff you have.

at the moment i'm waiting to hear in relation to salary... i need it to be above market otherwise the numbers don't stack up due to the high rent there. if they can match what i need, which isnt all that much anyway, i'm over there!

sg doesn't appeal to me as much as say hk, but i've been stuck in bris for the last 6-7 years. time to see something new.

fingers crossed.

 

[Eason]

Depends on if I get what I want at my current job lar~ IMO HK is really nothing special, but then again I've never been to Sg.

 

[Yika]

Originally Posted by Eason

Depends on if I get what I want at my current job lar~ IMO HK is really nothing special, but then again I've never been to Sg.
Ok, you are ready for Singapore lar/la/lah.

 

[Eason]

The Chinese youth have a lot of affectations in grammar and slang, these days it's quite popular to add Singaporean Chinese modal particles to standard Chinese.

 

[Risque]

Originally Posted by ruzzi

Hey guys, got some great advice on this board over the years.

I'm an in-house lawyer with about 5 years experience and not really going anywhere due to resume not having any "brand names" on it. But I get paid decent and have a great life here.

I was casually looking and I've been offered a 12 month contract in sg with a global market leader, f500, top 10 global tech company etc etc.

Pros:
- Resume improves, flexibility in jobs I can apply for and future earning potential
- Will help me get a better paying jobs for next 15-25 years (I'm 31)

Cons:
- 12 mth contract only
- Higher living expenses
- Package not great (local package not expat package and will get taxed as an Aussie due to short stint and earn a little less after tax) coupled with higher living expenses
- In long term relationship and girl will leave her established and secure job to follow

That's all I got for now... Thoughts?

I thought it was a no brainer to make the move but as I have a tendency to overthink things I'm now questioning whether its worth it

Having worked across both markets, I suggest going for it - SG has a lot more clout than AU.

I think this is definitely a 'thinking two steps ahead' move.

 

[gtl]

Singaporean here. Though prices are rising, I don't see how living expenses can be higher than Australia.

 

[bryannnn]

Ruzzi, it pretty much all hinges on where you are in your career at the moment. If you're doing well, plenty of prospects in sights and you're not too keen to gain overseas experience, then I'd think twice.

If the experience here will pay you back in kind later on in your career, because of what you get to know here and who you get to know here, then doing a stint here inSingers may well be worth it.

That said, keep in mind that the standard of living here has risen a lot over the past few years. Prices have shot up, especially accommodation will set you back a bundle. But food too is more expensive here compared to surrounding countries.

Singapore is safe, clean and stable. But in return it's a little sterile, a little dull, no real buzz to be had.

Then again, it's a great jumping point to quite a few cool countries with great beaches and lots of culture. Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand are all a short budget airline hop away.

And let's not forget the awesome "makan" here in Singapore

So, all in all, pros and cons, as always in life eh.