**IT Pro looking for employment advice**

[ericke]

Ok so I’m yet another expat looking to come to Singapore for a job. However some advice would be greatly appreciated.

I’m currently working in the UK as a Senior Systems Engineer (Wintel) for one of the biggest European systems integration companies. I have loads of experience in design & implementation LAN’s, WAN’s, SAN’s, NAS, Clustering, server support, Cisco & Nortel routers/switches, large scale desktop roll-outs (XP, W2K) including build design & validation etc etc.

Certification wise I have a MCSE (NT4 & W2K), CNA, & I’m a HP/Compaq ASE (Proliant & Primary StorageWorks)

So why do I want to come to Singapore? Well my wife is Singaporean and is very homesick, also I’m sick of the UK as well, so we booked one way tickets for 07/09/2003.

I do understand from postings on here that the job situation isn’t great at the moment however we could sit here and wait and the right time would never come. I already have Singapore PR so that’s one hurdle out of the way, also I’m not expecting a huge Expat package, a liveable salary would do just fine!

So does anyone know of any good employment agencies / head hunters or indeed are any of you guys reading this looking fo someone with my skill set??            

[MadMac]

...very very bad. Sorry mate, you probably have to take down your expectations. But when you have already PR you can use your time...... I wish you good luck!

Mac

[ericke]

Well my expectations aren’t that high, I do realise that I will probably have to take a step or 2 backwards to go forward in Singapore. However that’s a price I would be prepared to pay until the market improves.

[Wolfgang]

Hi Enricke,
Also currently the situation is limited for System integrators but I would suggest to contact recruitment companies in the UK that have access to the Asian market.

Any way, I wish you good luck and welcome back.

Wolfgang
wholzem2002@yahoo.com.sg

[ericke]

I have tried the route of the agencies here in the UK to no avail. I have also sent my CV to around 10 agencies in Singapore and not one has even had the courtesy of acknowledging the receipt of my CV, which perplexed me some-what! Maybe I just don’t have the right contacts. Anyone got any bright ideas??
Coz this Scotsman aint going to give up!!

[inter]

Ericke, have you tried Robert Walters? (www.robertwalters.com.sg) In my view one of the view professional recruitment companies here.

[ericke]

Thanks inter, I'll fire my CV off to them this afternoon!!

[inter]

ericke, good luck!

[Go direct]

Ericke,
I would also try some of the big boys! you might find that some companies are still hiring and like the idea of an expat without the salary/finders fees.
IBM, Cisco, CSFB, SIA, HP

[Me2]

The UK aint that bad mate.   I married a chinese Singaporean too 8 years ago and
Id love to go back home with our 3 kids The school system here is real hard on the kids.   It makes me sad to see the amount of books they have to drag home and the amount of homework they get.    Unless of course you can afford international school rates.  We cant.

Then if I come home I wouldnt have to pay steep medical bills, school fees, text books etc etc as its all given to us via the taxman back home.  

Theres heaps of scottish guys here too married to chinese girls so youll fit right in.  The locals seem to love the jocks somehow.

I would return tomorrow to England if I could get my lovely wife to leave this island !!!  Funny how women always get their way....

[Singapore Ah Boy]

To Me2,

Just wonder where does the taxman in UK get the money from? Is it not the tax that UK people have been paying? Maybe you can tell me, how much income tax do u have to pay in UK EVERY MONTH? How much is the VAT again?

[ericke]

To answer your question about tax in the UK:

I pay 22% tax on the first £28,500 of my salary & 40% on the rest, we also pay 17.5% VAT (GST) on almost all goods purchased. On top of that there is a council tax that householders have to pay. I pay £120.00 per month & that’s for a fairly modest flat in Glasgow.
Now as for medical stuff, yes you can take the NHS (State) route however if you want to wait months for an appointment then maybe 1 year for surgery that’s fine. So really you do need some sort of medical insurance so you can go to a private hospital. Joint cover for my wife & me costs £90.00 per month.
As well as all that there are a whole host of stealth taxes that the UK government have introduced.
So you would think with all this money that’s going into the government coffers that we would have:
Good schools
Good public transport infrastructure
Good health care
A safe environment
A clean environment
Good roads
I’m sad to say we have none of the above!!!!!  
Hence I would much rather live in Singapore.

Oh yes & I forgot about the 11% deduction for national insurance....

[This message has been edited by ericke (edited 20-05-2003).]

[expat2]

Please dont quit a good job in case you end up unemployed here like me.  

The IT sector here is knackered because of the big boys office relocations to Bombay and Bangkok, also knackered because of Filipino, Indonesian and Indian IT pros working for peanuts and flooding the job market.

Even as little as 3 years ago it was totally different they tell me.

When you apply for a job here, the w@nkers dont even have the decency to send a letter to confirm receipt of your CV or even a letter to say you were unsuccessful.   Tossers.

I am a Scot too but my Singaporean wife hated the life in the UK (like most singaporeans seem to ), she could not survive there without the MRT, sbs bus and cheap food , so I got dragged out here and been jobless now for 8 months since we arrived.  

Scotland is a lovely, green, open and free country and I really really miss it (apart from the weather) and really regret coming to this place.  I never realised just how good the UK was until I moved here.

Try your hardest to get a job from your end, then make the move.  It will save you a lot of grief.

[expat2]

"Good schools" - (the international ones are if you can afford the steep fees)

" Good public transport infrastructure "  - ( true -  because cars cost in excess of $100k here  and also COE cert is $20k and more. A car space outside the HDB flats costs over $100/month. You will spend around 200 bucks each per head on MRT and SBS if you rely on public transport )

" Good health care"  - (true, its the best I ever seen as long as you pay for proper cover)

"A safe environment " (true)

"A clean environment " (not any cleaner than Scotland. In fact some parts of Singapore are downright filthy especially those HDB coffee shops in with stinking mangy stray dogs and cats sniffing and rubbing against you as you eat and the ignoramus's picking their noses and gobbing on the floor. Also ask anyone about the public toilets here...)

"Good roads" - (yes true,  in terms of maintenance etc but roads are congested a lot of the time and you pay money to use the main ones just like the Forth Road Bridge toll back home-  its called ERP as the taxi drivers whinge goes 'Every Road Pay'   The CTE in the morning sucks.  That is, of course  assuming you can afford a car.  Even if you own a car where can you drive it to ? You can only go to the East Coast and Changi Village so many times)

"I’m sad to say we have none of the above!!!!! " (you got much more MUCH more and dont knock your home country like that)

"Hence I would much rather live in Singapore "  (you mean the missus would rather live in Singapore ! )

Come and join us and see for yourself !

[inter]

expat2, 3 years it was indeed different. I used to get interviews or calls from almost any job agency I wrote to. Nowadays, as you stated, it's a complete different story. There have been a few threads here about how unprofessional job agencies here are and I have to agree.