Need Help - Deciding if I should move to Singapore.

[Johnson11]

I am currently living in NYC.
What is the general norm these days for expat?
Does expat still get perks like housing, schools etc?
Where do expat send their kids local or international?
Is it more expensive to live in Singapore than NY?
What is a good district to live for a family with two children?
If I were to move in March, can my 5 year old child who is in kindegarten enter the singapore school system mid-semester?
If I get same base, would it be better to live in NY or Singapore from a cost perspective?  The school cost seem to be the killer.
Thanks

[See Recent]

Excellent (for most part) Thread stretching 8 pages by JohnSIN on this exact subject.

Then if you have more questions ask them

[Some Answers]

There is no norm for expats these days, given that there are expats in every level of company position and not just at the top, as in the old days. The more senior ones are either still getting the perks, or, if not, they are getting large amounts of money to compensate them for taking on such responsibilities as the cost of rent, school, health, trips home, etc. Most senior expats send their kids to international schools. The more lowly paid ones would find it difficult or impossible to pay the fees. The better paid expats like to live in the Orchard, Holland and Bukit Timah areas, with a few choosing to live out in Woodlands due to proximity to the American School.

[Johnson11]

How long does it take on the MRT to get from woodland to get to the finacial district?  What district number is the financial center?
How would the children get into school from orchard district 9, bus?

What is a good area for a family with two kids?  I dont want to spend more than 4k per month.
If i move in March, would I be able to get my son into one of the international school mid year?  If we are planning to head back to the New York in 3-4 years, would it make more sense to go international or local? 

[Kayak]

You wont get too much apartment wise for $4k per month if you want to live centrally. The American school is way out in the burbs though so rents may be cheaper around there. Private schools are what everyone tends to do. The local system is very different to what your kids will be used to, i.e huge classes and many hours of homework. Expat kids get last preference when applying to local schools.  You may be able to start your kid mid-term, it depends on the school. many private schools have long waitlists. It's a matter of just calling around and seeing who has vacancies for the year level you need.

[Why Do It]

Why are you even thinking of doing this? Living in a cramped, substandard, tiny dogbox in the boonies of Singapore with little or no cash to spare for any of the niceties of life is not something that your family are going to thank you for. This place is no fun without money,

[Some Good Advice]

There is no "general norm".  It depends on your job, your skills, your industry, your experience, etc.

What is your salary going to be?  Once you know that, you can work backwards from there withy our expenses.

[another mover]

Why are you even thinking of doing this? Living in a cramped, substandard, tiny dogbox in the boonies of Singapore with little or no cash to spare for any of the niceties of life is not something that your family are going to thank you for. This place is no fun without money,

Thank you so much for the ineptness of your comment. Clearly a misguided post made from another 'cramped, substandard,tiny dogbox ' somewhere out of Singapore. The definition of 'fun' is so naive it is hard to equate the intelligence  of this poster with the general intelligence of like-minded people

Get a life!

[Shoot the messenger!]

Why are you even thinking of doing this? Living in a cramped, substandard, tiny dogbox in the boonies of Singapore with little or no cash to spare for any of the niceties of life is not something that your family are going to thank you for. This place is no fun without money,

Thank you so much for the ineptness of your comment. Clearly a misguided post made from another 'cramped, substandard,tiny dogbox ' somewhere out of Singapore. The definition of 'fun' is so naive it is hard to equate the intelligence  of this poster with the general intelligence of like-minded people

Get a life!

You might not like the sentiment but he actually hits on a good point.  Singapore ain't alot of fun on a tight budget and people should understand this before they leap in.  The romance of a new location soon wears off under the wrong conditions

[Johnson11]

So what do most expat do for their kids?  Do they put them in local or international schools?  This is a large increase in expenses and I might decide against moving if my living standard are lower.  I am not going to move my family half way around the world to so that I can get a lower living standard.

So do most expat put their children in international schools?


Many Thanks for your help
Johnson11

[Green Card Holder]

Yes, most expatriates put their children into International School.   

There will always those that don't consider it necessary, but personally I wouldn't have put my children in any school other than the American School - us coming to Singapore was always a short - medium term move, not a permanent life move and I didn't want to put my children's future education in jeopardy by taking them out of their home school system.

[Johnson11]

Yes, most expatriates put their children into International School.   

There will always those that don't consider it necessary, but personally I wouldn't have put my children in any school other than the American School - us coming to Singapore was always a short - medium term move, not a permanent life move and I didn't want to put my children's future education in jeopardy by taking them out of their home school system.

Greencard,

Isn't the American School in Woodland district 27?  What is a good district to live in?  How long does it take on the MRT to get to the financial district (raffle place) from Woodland?

Thanks,
Johnson11

[Common Sense]

Lay down a list of requirements to your (potential?) employer and say you want those matched or bettered.

Accommodation standard, international schooling, transport allowance, flights home etc etc

If they don't meet your requirements, don't do it.  Presumably you'd get a trip out here first to check out Singapore before you had to make a decision anyway