Yea, it's according to your income bracket. I earn close to S$3k/mo and it's just 4% (or was it 3.5%?) tax for me last year. I spend moderately and even after big ticket spending (like vacations, computer stuff and my $$$ DSLR and lens), I can save close to 50% of my earnings.

Depending on your job, it can be either hell or heaven. For me, I'm just about getting used to hell. Otherwise, the environment here is very safe and secure and public facilities and amenities are tip-top. As to sian or not, it'll depend largely on the person. Why am I here in front of my computer on a fine Sunday afternoon??

They are already selling T-shirts with this joke here to tourists...

d2e_7, I eat up S$3 worth of lunch every day on average at the normal kopitiams and canteens where I work. Compared to your S$1.90 on-average lunch, I spend only an extra of S$33 for the whole month. That's not really a big savings. Maybe you should look elsewhere to cut living expenses... one big target is your calls (back home?) to M'sia. Use more of Skype or MSN chat that's free...

What do you eat for dinner? Nothing?

I know of people getting PRs within a few months. About 3 months fastest -given the processing time is already 2 months... For me I took my time and still got it after 8 months (I applied on the 6th month I was there).

Not sure if that 1 year minimum working period applies to all working visa types. Is it stipulated by MOM officially? Even if not, I'll bet those with Employment Passes might be more favoured compared to the more common Working Pass or S-Passes.

You mean higher?
COST of living, I feel, is a bit lower, dollar for ringgit.

However, owning even decent property will make you servitude to the bank for a number of decades.

If you get some executive post -it's almost guaranteed that you'll earn at least S$2.5k. It's part of the requirements for the MOM to issue you an Employment Pass and Employment Pass applications (by S'porean employers) have much higher chances of getting approved than the lower-tier S-pass or Working Pass. So the more highly sought-after you are, the more you will get paid by your S'pore employer to ensure your acceptance by the MOM. Even for the Employment Pass, there are several grades (eg. P1, P2, Q1, Q2, etc.) according to how much you are to be paid. You can browse the MOM site for more details as to the duration of validity and application requirements of the various work visas/passes: www.mom.gov.sg

You should start looking for places to stay about a couple of weeks before you're expected to have your working visa approved (Employment Passes can take up to 1 month for approval; not sure about the other working visas). Try www.adpost.com/sg. This is so you can have time to survey which places are best for you. Your life can be hell if stuck with the wrong housemates or landlords. Avoid landlords who have no experience renting out rooms or have bad things to say about their previous tenants. Talk to them to try and gauge their nature -the realty agents can only say good things about the landlords they are trying to match-make with you (they will ask for 0.5 month's rental from you as commission, BTW).

I think there are NINE (9) officially gazetted red-light districts in S'pore. Geylang is the more well-known one. Can't remember them all.

Yes, this is quite a valid concern. Most M'sian low-income earners (read: blue-collar workers) prefer to work in S'pore but live in JB for this reason.

You can probably live with just S$500 or even less per month in S'pore but you'll have to be very frugal and life would be quite miserable -like a uni student but without the uni subsidies and student-discounts... I'd say to live comfortably, and to afford the occasional gadget, it's more like S$800+ per month for living expenses.

BTW, the island-wide free internet thingy is expected to be fully operational only be the end of next year. Right now it's just major shopping malls and near gov't offices and the city centre.

No the S'pore ICA will not stamp your passport if you have a valid long-term immigrations pass like a work pass or student's pass. Now they even have a 'driver's pass' (or whatever it's called) to accomodate those ppl who frequently need to drive into S'pore to do business (like my S'pore company's chartered M'sian taxis). Their autogates only accept their own kind of pass card, and not our M'sian passport's RFID chips.

If you need to have your passport stamped everytime you have to go to work in S'pore... you're an illegal worker.

No... I think you're referring to the Cashcard for paying the daily VEP fees (if you don't have the ERP device in your car) for vehicles entering S'pore.

The card I'm referring to is a laminated, lime-green-coloured immigration pass card. You just need to present that card along with your passport to the S'pore immigrations officer. This is how the student/work/frequent travellers' pass is used at the S'pore checkpoint. No need to fill in the immigrations 'white card' if you have one of those long-term immigration passes.

Should be just the usual X-ray for TB, HIV and Hepatitis blood tests. Yes you can have those done in M'sia.

Yes, even after getting the job offer, you'd still have to wait for the Ministry of Manpower's approval for your working pass, and no law-abiding S'porean or PR there will rent a place to you if you have no confirmed long-term immigration pass. Your company's HR should keep you updated of the application process of your working pass -most of the time, the HR will do it for you but I've heard of small-time S'porean employers just leaving the entire working pass application process to the candidate employee.

Just tell the truth. You there just for an interview... and maybe afterwards go shopping in Orchard Road or whatever. It's normal.

BUT, if you tell them you're working in Singapore, and if you can't produce a valid work visa to show them, then they'll get very suspicious.

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Added on March 3, 2007, 2:28 pmYes it's possible.
But have to be on a tight budget.

It's usually the case for students, and if they eat mostly in campus where the food prices are subsidized, and outside you can get student discounts for most of everything.


This post has been edited by cjtune: Mar 3 2007, 02:28 PM

Your resume would look highly attractive to MNCs with operations in Singapore.
With MNCs and the more established local companies, you are guaranteed a starting pay of *at least* S$2500 because any lower and you'd have to get a lower-tier work visa (the S-pass, instead of the Employment Pass) that would have a higher chance of being not approved by the Ministry of Manpower (they have quotas for each sort of work visa per year). MNCs should have a no-discriminatory policy for hiring but I guess it's up to the hiring manager to interpret that.

I think right now most companies are doing OK and are expanding. I am seeing quite a number relatively young people getting managerial positions at my company. Most Malaysians I do know stay here for long term. Other foreigners like mainland Indians prefer to save up and then move back to India. Mainland Chinese are sort of 50-50 in preferring to settle down in S'pore or back in China.

If you know anybody studying in NTU or NUS, you can ask them to help find rooms for you. There are many active postings of "roommates wanted" sort of ads on the message boards, both the cork board type and online type in the campus network.

For me, I just browsed through www.adpost.com/sg . But be aware that most postings there are by property agents who expect a 0.5 month's commission from you (and sometimes they sneakily avoid mentioning that to you upfront, and who may not have your best interests at heart). Try also www.mocca.com.sg. Best if can deal with landlord or existing tenants directly.

I would rate the character of your future co-tenants and live-in landlord the highest criteria for choosing a suitable place, above location and amenities. You don't want to live with weirdos or unreasonable people. Notice if they complain a lot about past tenants to you. If they do, chances are that they will later find some fault with you too! Avoid senior citizens - they have this world-war-two era mentality of saving water and electricity and can be VERY particular about you sharing their flat's appliances (like fridge and washing machine) despite all the "yes" said earlier on. I got that sort for a previous landlord.

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Added on October 28, 2007, 12:07 pmI wonder what if you were to take 2 days' no-pay-leave later? Would it be the same as delaying your start-work day by 2 days?

This post has been edited by cjtune: Oct 28 2007, 12:07 PM

I think right now there is a glut of life-sciences and bio-medic or similar field freshies.
A lot of students took up this field due to institutional encouragement but I doubt the industry's demand for their talents has had a corresponding increase in demand for these specialisations.

Actually, I notice my S'porean colleagues in the above mentioned 'stingy-ass' mode - they want to save up for a home or car they say!

I guess the extra S$100 or so saved per month can add up to some nice lamp or sofa to furnish a new home?

Sounds like technician (aka "Technical Specialist") sort of jobs.
You could try asking for S$1.5 to 2k.
Living expenditure probably S$600 to 1000 per month depending on your lifestyle...

S$1=RM2.37 as of last Friday.

Competition very high from other foreigners and locals with qualifications.

Anyhow, just apply and try.
Not sure if it's still true, but Malaysians are still very much preferred over the other nationalities because frankly despite how much S'poreans b**** about us, we shine through with our hard work and can ngam better with nearly similar cultures and tongue, and of course we are 'competitively priced' compared to locals....

I am an R&D engineer.