single person moving for work

[poppy]

Hi
Im considering moving to Singapore next year in february to work as professional in my field. ( Employment in progress)
I am a 22 year old female and will probably be coming on my own.
I am interested if anyone had any insights into what life in singapore would be like for a caucasion aussi female.

I probably will be working with an income of about S$2000-3000 per month
I am a new graduate and used to living like a poor student
Would like to live like the locals
Have spent some time in other parts of asia and enjoy the culture but have never been an expat or travelled alone.

Any advice or experiences from others would be appreciated
Cheers!

[Guest]

depending on which field you are in. If the job scope is too common/general, you might not even get 2000-3000 for a graduate salary. Mind you you would be competing with local grads ,Unless you know someone in a company who is willing to take you in or take a low cut.

[Guest]

My job is allready in negotiation. I was more interested in knowing what lifestyle singapore has to offer a 22 year old female and if it would be difficult to adjust to the country being on my own..

[dchasser]

I think you'd enjoy the lifestyle here because the city's awake 24/7. For a single lady like you i think you'd manage. If you want to live like the locals i suggest finding a few local friends to show you the best places to eat, live, play etc.

Finding other expats like yourself from Australia or from any other country for that matter isnt very hard, there are many avenues for socialising. Good luck

[Javaguy]

All the best in that case. Do you mind hot and humid weather ?

[little_bold_bear]

You'll be fine here! I just moved from Canberra 9 months ago (but I am American). I have some Aussie friends here, and I'm sure they'd love to meet someone their age.

[dwrigh10]

Hello Poppy

I am 23 years old and have just moved over here from Australia about 9 weeks ago. So far Singapore has met my expectations and is proving to be a great hub to explore Asia from. The nightlife is great and the locals are very welcoming.
Some advice for you based on my experiences:
* Setup a bank account and a credit card ASAP – This can take a long time here and I have found that many purchases require a credit card.
* Bring through as much Duty Free as possible as drinking in Singapore is very expensive
* If your company does not provide health insurance I would highly recommend getting it. Expats apparently pay a lot more than locals for health insurance.

I think that being so young you will easily adapt to the Singaporean culture and really enjoy Singapore. I find that most people who do not enjoy Singapore do not try and make the most of it and complain that there is nothing to do! I have found that if you like the outdoors and playing sports you will never be board on the weekends.

If you have any specific questions please let me know.

Daniel

[jhkim]

haha...do not worry about booze if you are female.....Most bars have free booze and cover charge for the ladies on wednesday and thursday.....smoking can be prohibitively expensive for people making 2-3000 /month salary.

Condo rooms could be found for 550-600. It all comes down to food and entertainment...if you could eat like locals you would be spending about 300-400 a month on food.

errr...so far I could not find any other form of entertainment in singapore besides booze..... so I think you'll be doing a lot of that...

Singaporeans in general loves caucasian.....so you won't have hard time making friends here~

[k1w1]

The absolute minimum pay for someone on an EP is $2500 a month. Do not move for less. If you do not have an EP you will have real trouble doing anything (partly because of paperwork needed for stuff, and the rest of it due to a lack of funds). Your company should know this. Regardless of local graduates, this will be your lowest pay.

[ma-ri-a]

Condo rooms could be found for 550-600. It all comes down to food and entertainment...if you could eat like locals you would be spending about 300-400 a month on food.

hi. what does a condo room look like? so one would probably incur S$1,000 for lodging and food only. how about utilities?

thanks a lot!

[jhkim]

Well for 550-600 you will get a condo with a swimming pool, gym, BBQ pit and tennis court but it varies. Usually utilities are not included and it will take another 100-150 including your cell phone bills if any.

Condos room are generally clean...well its the best you can get anyway.
Government apartment aka HDB are really crappy. try to avoid if possible.

Location is very important. it is more expensive if it is near the city or MRT stations. I've seen luxurious 3 room condo fully furnished for 1200 in yio chu kang to 1100 just for a room in orchard area.

[ma-ri-a]

Well for 550-600 you will get a condo with a swimming pool, gym, BBQ pit and tennis court but it varies. Usually utilities are not included and it will take another 100-150 including your cell phone bills if any.

Condos room are generally clean...well its the best you can get anyway.
Government apartment aka HDB are really crappy. try to avoid if possible.

Location is very important. it is more expensive if it is near the city or MRT stations. I've seen luxurious 3 room condo fully furnished for 1200 in yio chu kang to 1100 just for a room in orchard area.

Are the condo rooms furnished already? i am offered a job there located at shenton way. i'm computing for the estimated monthly expense i could incur there.

thanks!

[dot dot dot]

If 'fully' furnished expact it to be basic. A bed, couch and a table with a chair.

Indeed I will second that you could get a room around 500 -600 Sing per month or your own studio, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom or even 3 bedroom as of 1200 - 1400 Sing per month, depending on location. Since you gonna work at Shenton, there's many options, as public transport with both bus and mrt (subway) is all going there.

You could look at east coast are, which is a 40 minute busride or 25 min mrt ride from shenton way, cloese to the beach and a relatively relaxed, laid back area, condos in the range as mentioned.

Downtown area is more expensive, exptect to pay the 1000 Sing at least for a decent room.

Utilities all depend how your lifestyle is. aircon on all day is expensive here. If only a few hours (sleeping and at night), for a room expect around 100 sing per month, for a condo appartment at least 250 sing per month.

Public transport is cheap, check for example www.mrt.com.sg for the prices for the MRt subway and http://www.ezlink.com.sg/index.html for the ez link card, your 'bankcard' for all public transportation. Even cabs here are affordable when needed (late at night).

Eric

[ma-ri-a]

Indeed I will second that you could get a room around 500 -600 Sing per month or your own studio, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom or even 3 bedroom as of 1200 - 1400 Sing per month, depending on location. Since you gonna work at Shenton, there's many options, as public transport with both bus and mrt (subway) is all going there.

You could look at east coast are, which is a 40 minute busride or 25 min mrt ride from shenton way, cloese to the beach and a relatively relaxed, laid back area, condos in the range as mentioned.


Eric

thanks, eric.
studio has the same price with a condo room? 1 bedroom? thanks a lot! do they require rental deposit and/or advance?

thanks!

[ma-ri-a]

and, hows the traffic there?

thanks again!