Singapore Expats

We may be moving to Singapore and have an 8 year old and 10 year old. Are there waiting lists at the good schools? What are the schools with the best reputations??
Thanks!

UWC, Tanglin and Singapore American school are probably the ones with the longest waiting lists and best reputations.

As far as I know, Chatsworth doesn't have a waiting list at the moment. I'm not sure about ISS or OFS. You'd have to phone some of them up and see.

For us we chose Chatsworth based mainly on cost (company doesn't pay the fees). We'd be paying about $10,000 per year more for each child if we'd gone for one of the first three I mentioned.

Those three have the best reputation partly because they are non-profit. We too, are paying for our two at UWC but we feel it is worth it. Mom went back to work to help pay the school fees.

That said; I also have seen firsthand the benefits of a non-profit school. The uwc head said that around 80% of school fees go towards teacher salary and benefits. Not to say that all 100% of teachers are wonderful, but in my experience, it is close to 100%.

Not certain what the wait list at the UWC east campus is like, but I would encourage you to at least have a look. I know it is short to nonexistent at the higher grades.

Good luck...

Thanks for the info!
How do your kids like living there? We are looking at a 3-5 year stay. We just adopted a dog before we learned of the possible move and I'm very torn about what to do with her. Have you had experience with moving a pet and dealing with quarantine? I'm not sure I can stomach it!

We've been here for 9 years - kids were tiny when we got here. They like it mostly but do get fed up with the heat sometimes - we went camping in the UK a couple of years ago and I've never seen my kids run around so much in the cooler weather!

sorry, I don't have info about moving pets myself but I know plenty who've moved here with a pet and then off to other places too and their pets were fine.

JLow70 -

Ha ha - how do my kids like living here? When we go back to the states in the summer, people ask them this question all of the time. My kids have NO idea how to respond. I usually end up saying - "Well, you know - since they were born in Singapore, it is all they know. America is a strange country for them".

Most people then slap their heads because they realize they have asked a rather silly question.

Quarantine - since I went through this 20 years ago, I don't know how it is nowadays. I would check out their website - I heard that they did upgrade their facilities. 20 years ago - it was very basic. No air-con for anyone and my San Francisco cat did suffer a bit. I went out and saw her everyday I could (6X week). That is how I learned to drive on the left here.

That said, I would be careful about bringing a dog. Do you know what type of housing you will live in? If an apt and the dog is large, it may not be so great. Something to consider.

noodlemama wrote:
That said, I would be careful about bringing a dog. Do you know what type of housing you will live in? If an apt and the dog is large, it may not be so great. Something to consider.

Yep you have to know that a big dog closes you the door to the HDB and that you'll probably need a car to move him around in case you want to walk him any further than a park quickly accessible ( because you won't be accepted by most cabs)

We just moved this past summer (Americans but moved from the UK)
We brought our medium sized dog - no quarantine when coming from the UK. We found most condos would accepts dogs no problem - didn't look at HDB. Where we are, we don't have trouble walking the dog in our neighborhood. Lots of grass to sniff. We have had to kennel her twice in the early day when we were out of town and had no one to dog-sit. The kennel we used offered collection/delivery service. I know there is also a Pet Taxi you can book which we will use for vet appointments or something. Dogs are supposed to always be leashed here so I don't see much need to take her to the beach or something where she will still have to be on leash.

Our kids (Age 5 and 8) are also at Chatsworth. I chose it based on IB program, size, location and cost. We wanted to live centrally so we wouldn't need a car and Chatsworth is right off Orchard Road. I am very happy with it so far. I can only speak to the primary program though - not secondary which your eldest would be getting into next year I believe. It isn't nearly as big as SAS and there are almost certainly less extracurriculars than at the large schools, but what they have is plenty for my kids. Lots of kids here in Singapore go for private lessons anyway (piano, Mandarin, tennis, swimming, dance, etc).

I have a friend who didn't have to quarantine her dog at all as England is on the list of a non-rabies country. It was very smooth and only took a day for the dog and her to be reunited.

You will have to check on the list with AVA Singapore to see whether the country you are residing is on the list of approved countries.

I moved from the US a few years ago, and had to quarantine my dog. The facilities are much nicer than I expected. I chose an enclosure with a/c for my dog. I think my dog was cooler than I was. We visited him really often. The people who work at the quarantine station are really nice and great with the animals. My dog came down with a skin infection too, and they were very helpful in applying the medication and updating me when we couldn't come down. It's a long time to have a dog quarantined, but I have no complaints about the service and care my dog received. There's also an area that you can take your dog to run around and get some exercise too. Good luck!

BigSis,

Its interesting to read you've been here for 9 years. I've been here for 3 months and am planning for wife / kids to join as soon as we can sort out the schooling or go through the International Schools waiting list. A lot of people say they can't stomach being in Singapore for more than 2-3 years but I'd love to stay a lot longer for many reasons, including giving the kids some stability and not having to jump and put them through new schools etc ... So to my question What is it that's kept you here for 9 years and counting?

Thanks

Well, I see autogen got his five posts and can now PM, so has departed the scene.

Hey not at all ... i'm still here and keen to learn more (as well as reciprocate where possible)

Autogen - been here 20 years same as as most of our friends. Something happens around years 5-7 when you start to think of Singapore as your home and the country on your passport is a place you go to visit family.

If you want to stay longer and worried about the family reaction, then get in with a nice group of people - ideally those who have been here for awhile or at least hope to.

Move into a nice condo that has lots of kids the same age. If you can afford, join a club and do the social tennis thing...etc.

Noodlemama,

Thanks, that sounds like top advice, especially the part about finding the right social scene, friends, condo, etc..