Newbie question: how to temporarily live in Singapore

[GermanGuy]

Hi all,

I am from Germany. Only a few days ago I got a job offer as head of the IT department for our asian subsidiary in Singapore for a duration of 9 to 12 months. What a surprise!
In 2 days I will have to start negotiating.
I am absolutely uncertain what to ask for.

I want to bring my girl-friend with me for the complete duration of my stay. Do we have to expect problems in terms of immigration? Would things be easier if we were married?

What things are expensive in Singapore? I’ve read that driving a car is extremely expensive. Someone in this board mentioned 80 – 100K for a 5 year old used car.
What about cost for an apartment?
Is there anything that’s cheap in Singapore.

Can we buy non-Asian food easily, like cheese, milk, coffee, potatoes?

Can I opt for paying Singapore income tax? Would that make sense?

Any further tips for a complete beginner, pushed onto a career trip :-)

Thanks in advance

[Michelle]

Go for it: living in Singapore is a great experience, even if it' just for 9-12 mths. You might not want to get back afterwards anymore though! It's fairly easy to meet other people from everywhere and if you're up to the challenge you can have a great time here. Make sure that both of you are ok with the move, as it's very difficult when the partner is not happy.

* groceries -> you can find everything you might need in Singapore, asian or non-asian. There even is a Swiss Butcher, Swiss Bakery and a German supermarket and German Bakery here....so you don't have to miss out on the good bread. My guess is, that you will miss the availability of products here when you move away from Singapore and not the other way around.

* taxes -> I think you are required to pay income taxes here, but coming from Germany that would only be beneficial to you. Income tax is much lower - we pay around 18-20% with a salary of $100K+

* married/unmarried -> your girlfriend can stay here on a long term social visit pass, but this requires a sponsoring letter from your company - find out if they would be willing to do this. If not, she can only stay for 4 weeks if she arrives by plane or 14 days if she arrives by boat/land. Your girlfriend can't work on a long term social visit pass and if she were to find a job, her LTSV pass has to be cancelled before she can apply for a working permit, which is a risk, as you never know if the working permit will be granted.
If you're married, your wife would be here on a dependent's pass, which offers possibilities to work - her employer would have to apply for a letter of consent (working permit for dependent pass holders), and they are easily obtained. There are other possibilities, like setting up her own company and working through that company, but I would only look into these matters, if you're getting married.

[Pomp]

$80-100K can get you a new 1.6L Japanese car.  5-yr-old car will cost about $50K.

[GermanGuy]

Michelle,
Thank you so much. I really appreciate your detailed reply.
You have been taking away a lot of my pressure.
One of my major concerns was (and still is) that my girl-friend and future wife will be happy in Singapore.

Thanks to Pomp for the car info.

[Michelle]

Some other tips regarding negotatiations:
* Will the company provide you with an apartment or a serviced apartment? If you're going to live in an apartment - will it be furnished? If not, are you going to ship your own things (a container from Europe, incl. packing/unpacking costs around DM10.000) or does the company give you a budget to buy things here - make sure your contract says they pay for the move back as well! Apartments can be rented for all kinds of budgets - nice ones can be had from S$2500-S$5000 and above. I know a few people here where the company also pays for the telephone connection and airconditioning costs - if the airconditioning runs day and night it can be quite expensive.....We use fans, not because of the finances, but because we like it much better than living in a fridge.
* Household insurance - who pays?
* Health Insurance - will the company pay?
* How about home leave tickets - normally they provide one a year.
* Have you been to Singapore before? Will your company give you time off and tickets to check out the city before you decide to take the offer or not?
* Will you be entitled to German public holidays or Singpaorean?
* Cars are very expensive, but taxis are very cheap compared to Europe.

Have a look at this page: www.expatsingapore.com/getting/first.htm

Let me know if you have other questions!

[Pete]

Guess all bases have been covered already with some excellent advice.

The food is great here, and it is way easier to get decent german style food than in the US. It is easy to get decent bread or sausages, which is almost impossible in the US.

You can also get good beer, but all alcohol is pretty expensive (4 DM for a can of beer in the supermarket).

Pete
(also a german guy temp in S'pore)

[PhilM]

Take a look at living in the Siglap area on the East Coast. We have a great German bakery here with a small but good restaurant attached.

Lots of other good retaurants, wine bars, etc as well, close to East Coast park, and easy access to the city or even West Coast.

[GermanGuy]

I am deeply impressed by all the help I am getting from you people on this message board.
Thank you very much to all of you.

Your answers opened a few additional question:
- alcohol is expensive, Ok, no problem for us.
 what other things are expensive in Singapore?
 I already know that driving a car must be extremely expensive.
 How about going out for dinner.
 Buying food?
 Entertainment?

- is there a German "ghetto" :-) in Singapur, or a German community? I have already seen
 a link to a Swiss community. My girl-friend is from Austria.

Michelle, what is a "serviced" apartment? Does that mean furnished?
Thanks for all your tips and questions.

I have been to Singapore before, but that is at least 10 years ago.
My girl-friend has not been there before. I doubt that my employer will allow us
to visit the city in advance.

Bye
and thanks again

[Michelle]

A serviced apartment consists of a living room, kitchen and 1 or more bedrooms, is furnished and is cleaned daily just like a hotelroom. When new people arrive they usually either stay several weeks in a serviced apartment or in a hotel to look for accommodation - a serviced apartment would give you some more space, when you come with your girlfriend.

Dining out is great in Singapore and the national hobby! There are restaurants EVERYWHERE and most of them are very cheap compared to Europe. You also have hawker stands and eating houses (open air), where several stands are combined and you can order anything from Chinese to Indian food for very little money. How about eating soem nice curries in little India at 11pm? Restaurants are open long hours (mostly) and shops open from 10 or 11 am to 10pm - every day! As mentionned before, alcohol is extremely expensive in bars, restaurants and in the supermarkets as well. An average bottle of wine costs $20-25 in the supermarket!

On the cultural part, you might find that Singapore doesn't have that much to offer as Germany. But, theatre, music, museums, eveything is here. There is an online booking agency called Sistec - why don't you check out their website for ideas?
Cinemas are abundant and cheap.

And for the rest, there are a lot of destinations within easy reach of Singapore: islands in Malaysia, Indonesia (for a weekend get away) and Thailand, cities/countries like Hong Kong, Bangkok, Vietnam, Cambodia, etc. etc
You can fill your days here travelling! You'll love it!

Now that it's still summer in Europe I would buy some extra sommerclothes, as you might find it difficult regarding the sizes. there are European sizes around, but limited. I have a size 38 and have problems, especially when it comes to buying things with sleeves -asian shoulders aren't broad...And have your friend buy herself underwear before coming here, as almost everything is polyester and padded....if she already finds her size.

[Michelle]

I saw that you had some specific questions:
Yes, there is a German community here. The German Club has gone together with the Swiss Club - you might want to opt for a membership for social contacts - and there even is a German Business Center in the western part of the island. Lots of German expats as well.

Buying food in the supermarket is about the same price as in Europe - milkproducts are more expensive as they are all imported from Australia, but still affordable, don't worry.
We hardly ever cook at home - only to entertain friends - and always eat out and still aren't broke  

[Pete]

Good point about clothing sizes, Michelle !
You can have clothes made here fairly cheap, but don't expect too much choice off the rack in larger sizes.

I went through some of the more expensive malls searching for dress shoes, and the largest size I could find was 11. Ooops ! I have size 14 !

Eating out or groceries are very cheap when you stick to the local cousine. In the many food courts, you can get a great meal for 2-3 $US.
Of course, there are also plenty of EXPENSIVE restaurants, especially in the luxury hotels. I went to Morton's Steakhouse the other night, and the bill was 475 S$ (285 US$) for the two of us. Good steaks, though. ;-)

[Beatrice]

Ladies shoes available up to 40, but basically nothing above that, so if necessary your girl friend might want to consider that and buy loads of shoes before coming. And even if you find your size here, the quality is not always the best.

As for groceries, a good selection from Germany (and allover the world) can be found at Jason's in Orchard Towers. But, as mentioned above, once you're here, you'll probably much more appreciate the large variety of Asian food available and would want to try that instead of anything else.

[GermanGuy]

Thanks to all of you.
You have answered all our questions.