Expat spouse

Welcome Deedee

What do you think about SIngapore, is it a good place to live? (I heard they are looking for IT guys like me around there)

Here is one of our favourite poll: How many times have you moved?

I am sure you'll like Multi Tongue Kids' blog... Here is her presentation : https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=546

Take care,

Julien

Thanks Julien for the warm welcome to the site. The last 10 years of my career life was actually focused on the IT industry, even if only on the business development side. I used to work for a local Value Added Network (VAN) firm in the Phils covering Electronic Data Interchange (EDI- sounds so archaic now after the advent of the Internet) and then moved on to Managed Service Provisioning (MSP). The company was represented all over Asia and yes, HQ'd in Sing. Singapore is quite an IT hub and I would find it easy to live there. Not only does everyone speak english but the culture is so diverse that it's hard to feel left out - food is a mix of Malaysian, Chinese, Indian and a host of others are represented - there is an international feel to SG. The Singaporeans are very nice and straightforward and very used to foreigners and a breeze to work with, if you ask me. Regardless of the fines (I did look a lot over my shoulder the first time), I found the place very pleasant, clean and easy to navigate. Just one thing - coming from a country with 7K islands, I ended up in an artificial beach (where sand was imported - on Sentosa) and did not enjoy it much. Most Singaporeans cross over to Malaysia if they want to commune with nature.

It's a pleasure Deedee!

Thanks for the advice

Sorry to bother you with work stuff but do you think it's better to get a job once in Singapore or to be sent there by a foreign company?

No bother as I myself will soon need a lot of advice. Just putting thoughts into words for the moment

In my opinion, it is always best to secure an employment contract overseas as you get better compensation and living conditions. The IT industry is very competitive and Singapore's cost of living is quite high by asian standards. There is no guarantee of local employment as the Singaporeans themselves are quite skilled and although there are many foreign tech companies that has set-up asian hubs in Singapore, from experience, you do get a lot more out of an expat contract rather than a local one.

That's what I thought. Thanks for the advice!

Thank you for giving me the tips on living in jakarta.  I am about to venture what you did and become an expat wife (leaving my job and become a home maker indeed !).  It is amazing you move around the world quite a bit and lived in so many different countries.  Are you currently living in jakarta?

Hello malaykiwi, this thread is dated 2006.

Harmonie.

Hi Malaykiwi,

This was my first post in this forum when I introduced myself...5 years ago. Time does fly. I've seen this forum grow into a more and more helpful tool for people like us who choose to venture into the unknown.

Yes, we have just moved here in Jakarta as the newest post. As per the advise I gave you in the Jakarta forum, it is part of what I have learned along the way....the less complicated the arrangement the better your experience will be. The adjustment is hard enough, so why complicate it further. Spend your time exploring and making friends and leave the tedious details to the professionals. After all, your time in that country will be up before you know it so you're better off immersing yourself in what matters most to you (you'll find out soon enough). Good luck and make the most of your 'me' time....it is a gift not many receive everyday. Welcome to Jakarta.