I got a course mate working there. Junior level's life is very good, peak period 9 to 5 go home on time, 9 am to 5 am.

If you are fine with the discrimination in MY, SG one is nothing. Most office people don't do that, only some self-thought-highly-educated people will look down on others who are worse off than him. Respect others, you will get the same in return. Speaking of which, where is my friend who discriminate against the village labourers?

This post has been edited by Fiona Chin: Nov 27 2013, 04:44 PM

Favors non-bumis also not good. What if competent bumis? Favors the competent can.

In SG I actually never been discriminated against before, at least not direct to my face, behind my back I don't know. Equal chance of opportunity, pay raise, promotion etc with all the colleagues. Not even in school when I am studying here.

Studio or 2 bedroom condo = 2k
Car installment = 2k
Petrol, ERP, Parking = 800
PUB, Mio, Cable, Broadband, Handphone = 800
Atas dining every weekend = 1200
Normal restaurant dining everyday = 1200
Grocery, Miscellaneous = 800
Tax = xxx

Wah lao, 8k where got enough. Recommend to stay IN JB, not near JB.

Or you can do the normal path:

1. Accoms SGD600 (varies)
2. Food SGD500 (varies)
3. Transport SGD60
4. Entertainment SGD300 (strip it off if wanna save)
5. Shopping $$$

We are all the same.

There will be always someone out there saying "Wow, didn't know you 20 days per month 9 to 5 is only worth (your pay) per month. Work like a slave for (your pay) for 20 days per month to me is a big NO."

Tell your boss employer's cpf contribution is 16% now . That 775 is 15.5% long long time ago. Car provided? COE is around 80k now. And you need 50% cash to get a car. Tax around 20k for 200k income. Your sign on bonus need to be tax too.

O sorry I thought I saw 100k sign on bonus lol. 130k income should be around 10k max, can't remember sometime ago.

11k SGD should be quite comfortable for 3. Rent will be around 2k. Normal expenses are not that expensive compared to MY, except for medical bills and childcare/education later maybe. If wife is not working then cook at home can save a lot. My house consists of 4 adults, 1 baby and 1 nanny.

Grocery for home cook breakfast and dinner around 2k
PUB - electricity, water and gas around 700-800 - 24 hours air con for the whole house
Petrol, parking and ERP (toll) around 800 for each car
Mio (Astro), broadband, HP etc 300-400
Nanny 2.5k on high side

What else you need to stay the same as your life style in MY?

COE will swing up and down. My old car COE 20+ k only . The recent one 90 k .You can either bid it yourself or ask agent do for you. I remember its only 50% of the COE will be deducted from your account, the rest lump with your 50% car loan.

3.8 for 3 bedroom. 5.2 for 4 bedroom. Upper Bukit Timah area. If you don't drive you can sublet your parking lot to your neighbours.

I heard some owner will trick you to pay the maintenance fee or sublet the parking lot themselves.

How you become your manager's manager? Your boss's boss? Should be managing a group of managers right?

Titles in banks are meaningless for now. When I joined fresh from school, my title was assistant manager, so much different from the job scope of assistant manager now. Job is to oversee the department for my boss who only come in once or twice a month. 30+ people, some AVPs and some VPs.

Banks in the old days will come out and grab those high performing people and start grooming them in a different way than normal employees. You will notice a different job opportunities. For fresh grads, they look for scholars/medalists, once you are scholars then the corporate ladder become a lift, with lift operator inside asking you which floor. Some titles are created for interim position. I was "parachuted" into the dept, no assistant manager position exist before that. They are preparing for the take over of my boss's position for me, so the temporary title and the position disappear after my promotion. 5 years bond, NCC for 6 months, but hefty sign on bonus .

You don't have many requirements but the government has many requirements on rental of residential units.

For residential, private or government, 6 months is the minimum by law to rent. I don't think you can stay in SG for 6 months also due to immigration. Your only choice are friends' place, hotel and landlords that try to make quick bucks while ignoring the law.

Those sales guys and atas boss maybe. Back office on average 5-6 months. Max was 8 months in a very good year but that was fresh grad time and the pay is peanuts.

Families, cost, sentiment, patriotism and so on. Just have to make use of the travelling time efficiently. There are some down time during travelling that you can use it to do some work/leisure or whatever you will be doing when you are not travelling. Emails/calls/read/drama etc.

Yes, refer to your student handbook.

Go down to ICA at Lavender or apply the extension online.

First light of the year in the East. Happy new year all. Huat ar.

Banks take both the IC and Passport no. Passport also have IC. no. in the front page. Some lazy one will scan only the passport for record. The IC no. is to prevent your same name brother or sister come saying passport expired donkey years ago and his passport is the new one to claim your money.

Good choice to raise the kids here for safety and education. But you need to sacrifice not seeing them often next time. Your kids won't want to go back Malaysia with you one. I am one of the kids half raised in SG, degree onwards but spent most my secondary school holidays here. Already felt so unfamiliar with MY after I graduate 4 years later. Your SG fully raised kids... MY only a holiday place to them when you bring them back during school holidays. My sis who study JC here hate this place though.

No free lunch one SG gahmen, you want rip the housing subsidy and baby bonus, they ripper you back later. If son he need to do 2 years NS and 10 years reservist. If financially affordable, give him the choice to decide later when he grow up. But if you really need the citizen subsidies then by all means.

If PR he can at least say "limpeh buay tahan, PR return back, wa run MY." If citizen then die die suck thumb liao.

You have to consider your case based on your situation, and the most important thing is discuss with your wife thoroughly as this decision will affect your family greatly, good or bad. Once you convert, it look like a one way street with no turning back with the government now.

The locals here have their fair share of problem. You need to look into these and see that is acceptable to you or not. Staying here for more than a decade, it feel so different when I first come here in 2002. As PR already feel frustrated with the change, the locals should be more furious.
1) Too crowded, with population of very different culture staying together, got to have more tolerance to cultural behaviour different from yours. White paper
2) Housing getting expensive too fast, salary hardly catch up. Cooling measures never work. Go up 50% and come down 10% is not useful for middle class. Say bye bye to landed where children can enjoy their time in the garden, hit solo ang pao ToTo also can't buy one now.
3) Influx of foreigners, with nothing much done to help the locals. When you convert you become one of the locals, you get rusty with age, some higher mountains outside with replace you one day and the foreigners will tell you, you become less competent you get replaced (sound like people here or not hehe).

And when you go back next time, one of you have to apply for MY PR/LTVP? If cannot get for some reason then come back to SG? Also check with your lawyer about the properties you own in MY, some properties especially land got limitation to MY citizen only. But you will be buying HDB so all those MY properties have to go also.

Good luck in your decision

Do all lah 30-ish uncle, and annually, prevention better than cure. Go Malaysia do also cheaper.

This post has been edited by Fiona Chin: Jan 6 2014, 10:43 AM

See, told ya hehe. Something for those who are considering taking up SG citizen to save some money now but face the problem locals have later. No where to run, can't get out, they are coming...

Anyway, I don't feel the living cost getting out of control in SG. Malaysia's one then yes, out of control.

If that work smoothly there won't be so many complains of high retirement cost now.

Maybank used to be the best and I still using Maybank now for our emergency fund. The 500 spending per month like forcing you to spend. Can get better cash rebate eh from other credit cards.

Since you saving it for your rainy day, suggest you save it else where. Singapore interest rate just can't make it...