Singapore Expats

Hey guys, love the forum it has been a great source of info for me over the last few weeks. I am looking for some advice based on my current situation, here goes:

I am a 27 year old single male, currently based in North East England. I applied for and subsequently accepted a job in London, and am due to start in 2 weeks. Last week my current employers offered me a role in the Singapore office, on an expat package with an excellent housing allowance, car allowance etc. I accepted this package, although I have yet to tell the prospective employers in London of my intentions.

All of a sudden this morning it hit me that I am potentially moving across the world, by myself, in 6 weeks time. Now I don't know if it is just nerves that have gotten to me or the wow-factor of being wanted in a foreign land has worn off, but I did start to have doubts. I think if I knew I was going somewhere where I would have a group of friends and an active social life that I wouldn't have this worry. I do have a lot of close friends in London and know that I would be at home right away.

In terms of the jobs, whilst I would undoubtedly be better off in the short term by moving to Singapore with housing and costs paid for, both jobs have excellent prospects in the medium to long term.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation to this? I am interested in hearing about other peoples experiences of making the move, especially if you did it alone, and if it lived up to expectations? How did you find building up a social life in a new country, and what is your social life like now? What is the dating scene like in Singapore for westerners?

Thanks!

I moved to Singapore to start my own business... no expat package, no job, just the promise of a business that might work and knowing a couple of people in Singapore. I was 55 when I did it.

I remember getting on the flight in Los Angeles, a midnight flight, and as it took off, I remember looking out the window into the black void of the night and thinking to myself, "Oh, shit, what have I done?"

It turned out to be great, a wonderful opportunity to see this part of the world. If I, at your age, had this opportunity placed in front of me, I'd be in Singapore faster than you could say, "Yes!"

There is plenty of social life in Singapore and you'll have the ability to meet single women of every ethnicity. There is much to do on and off the island, and I think that most expats will agree there is a bond that forms when you meet someone who has also chosen to leave a home country to explore other opportunities.

Hi Strong Eagle - thanks for your reply!

I consider myself to be a very sociable person, so the thought of moving all the way to Singapore and building my social life up from scratch is a very daunting one. I am sure these emotions are normal though. I am very fortunate to have 2 such amazing opportunities to choose from, and I think it will boil down to what is best for me in my current situation, and where I could see myself being happy.

Well, if I was given the choice of London or Singapore I'd take Singapore any day of the week.

You'll struggle a little getting your social circle built up again, but, there are ways of doing that both through clubs and through here as well as work and hobbies/sports.

You'll be fine mate, take the bloody role, it's got to be better than the NE of England!

Strong Eagle wrote:
There is plenty of social life in Singapore and you'll have the ability to meet single women of every ethnicity. There is much to do on and off the island, and I think that most expats will agree

Please be very careful if you're interested in finding a long-term relationship. Some (not all, but SOME) Singaporean women are eager to get married to get out of their parent's home or just eager to leave Singapore and experience something different. It's common for Singaporeans to live with their parents until they get married, and sometimes even after they're married in certain situations.

Also, some (again, SOME, not all) Asian women are drawn to a man solely because he's white because they see white men as being wealthy.

I had to chuckle when I moved here and heard about the "Five Cs": Cash, credit card, car, country club, condo. Some people either want that for themselves or they want to marry someone who has as many of the Cs as possible. I've found Singapore to be somewhat materialistic in general.

Sorry about being too off-topic. I just saw Strong Eagle's comment about being able to meet women and thought I'd add my "two cents." However, there are plenty of nice things about Singapore and you'd probably enjoy it once settled in.

You've got a tough decision to make. Best of luck to you on whatever you decide.

As a relatively young guy to be offered a generous expat package which is rare nowadays, definitely my advice would be take it. Worst case you go back home after 2-3 years and resume where you are now, but I'd think it's an excellent time of life to gain such experience and broaden your horizon.

Frazzles wrote:I applied for and subsequently accepted a job in London, and am due to start in 2 weeks. Last week my current employers offered me a role in the Singapore office, on an expat package with an excellent housing allowance, car allowance etc. I accepted this package, although I have yet to tell the prospective employers in London of my intentions.

BTW, I also think you should inform your prospective employer in case you have changed your decision. I don't know if you will have some penalty or notice period since you say you already "accepted" their offer. Irrespective of contractual obligations/penalties, purely coming from an ethical perspective and in order to avoid burning bridges.... IMHO it is not right to accept two offers in this manner, and/or if you have you should make a decision ASAP and cancel one of the two.

Frazzles, I'm in a similar boat. My Fiancé has accepted a job and we are moving to Singapore in August but I will be "commuting" back to the UK for work every 4 weeks(I work in the North Sea) and I was worried about leaving my social circle and having to start again from scratch. However I've done a fair bit of research and both of us have now found plenty of hobbies and clubs that we want to get involved with when we arrive, not to mention the chance to travel to so many amazing places nearby. Personally, I think you should jump at the chance to move somewhere which will offer you so many opportunities to sample different cultures (and their foods!) and the fact you've got a generous resettlement package is a total bonus. Finally, make sure you get a decent place to live with spare bedrooms and that way you can always invite your friends and family to visit. Do It!

Congratulations.
I am sure that at times it will be daunting, it's natural

You should go for it mate - good experience on your CV and great life experience too! I've recently moved out here (1 month) - it's a fantastic city and easy to settle into life here!

Give me a shout when you get here and we can grab a couple of beers!