job offer

[brit worker]

I am a single, and my company have offered me a supervisory position in their Singapore office for a 2 year period. They are offering me an expat salary of SGD 120K with a monthly housing allowance of SGD 2500. What I want to know from expats out there is if this is a good offer. I am concerned about tax - I am told that Singapore has a low tax rate - certainly compared to the UK. Also, as I will have to keep paying a mortgage back home in London, is Singapore expensive.

Any feedback from expats out there would be much much appreciated.

[depends]

There are lots of similar threads on this board so have a read in the archives and you'll get some idea.

Tax is low here so out of 120 you'll take home about 108 or around 9K per month. With 2,500 housing you should be ok, although you could pay a lot more, particularly if you want a newer condo in a central area. $9k a month buys you a lot in Singapore.

Whether the offer is good depends on what you earn in the UK etc.

Think about other benefits. The most obvious one is healthcare which is expensive here if you have to provide it yourself and could be disastrous if you didn't have any and fell ill. A comprehensive BUPA or PPP international scheme would seem reasonable.

Depending on your bargaining position flights home once a year wouldn't be out of the question either. And make sure you keep your UK holiday allowance, which is likely to be more generous than the Singapore one. Other benefits depend on the strength of your bargaining position - for example my employer pays the letting and agency fees on my flat in London. These can he hefty - around 20% including vat so its worth having. Also ask them if they will continue making contributions to your UK pension scheme if you have one.