I am currently 30 years old with 5+ years of working experience in the legal industry. For my current job I am drawing a salary of RM4600+. I work in Johor btw. I feel that I am somehow stuck due to my slow career progression so I have been thinking about moving to Singapore.

I found a potential job which offers SGD3.5k at most, which means most likely they will only be paying 3.2k (optimistic?). I know for a fact that if I move to KL I could land a job that would pay me MYR5k+. So the dilemma is should I go to SG for smaller pay (disregard the conversion) and start afresh or to KL?

Appreciate any constructive view. Thanks.

Edited:

Since some of you replied asking for more details before giving advice, i thought I should supplement more info:

1. Single. No plan to start a family. In fact no plan to get into a relationship. Can foresee myself single till the day I die.

2. My previous jobs include lawyer and legal editor. Now working as a legal exec (in house).


Update [15/06/2022]

Finally received an offer after months of job applications. Just to update anyone who read this topic. Thanks.

This post has been edited by weehournow: Jun 15 2022, 04:14 PM

I am in the same predicament bro. Moving to Singapore at 32…

shortest answer is Singapore

My opinion, go to SG.

Assume you are a JB or Johor native, so SG is nearer to your home base.

Exposure is subjective as depends on the cases you get.

Good luck.

What do you want in the long term?
To build your roots in a new country, or to use the shortest time to find the most money? Singapore is a new ball game, and you have to really be ready to start from zero, and be humble to learn everything again. Being a foreigner in someone's country, needs a lot of resilience and patience.

agreed and definitely sg for sure.

Of coz go to Singapore. After first job there, finding the next Singapore job will be much easier.
Also since u are in JB, another bonus for u.

U try to budget out 5 years’ earnings sg vs msia. After you realise you can pay off your home loan in JB in this 5 years, then the answer will be clear.

My hometown is in Muar and now I'm working in Senai. So it really is in the middle point of SG and KL.

This post has been edited by weehournow: Mar 1 2022, 10:03 AM

Ultimate goal is definitely financial freedom (or at least not having to worry about mortgage of healthcare cost once retired). Resilience and patience, then I should really move ASAP because I doubt I would have the energy to do both later.

This post has been edited by weehournow: Mar 1 2022, 10:02 AM

if you accept the social life there why not.. mind you.. it would not easy to work with singaporean.. they are very fast paced and high in result.

my friend work there for 5 years and salary is gooding (around 8k sgd) but he still eating alone everyday at canteen because all of his colleague are singaporean.
Note - he is friendly and talkative person

your choice

I am quite alright with eating alone. In fact, I have been eating alone for most of my meals after I graduated lmao.

But I get your point. You're saying it's not easy to integrate into the Singapore community? I think social life is really secondary to me as my current priority is really about work-life balance with extra ka-ching to spend. And I can manage work-life balance without much social life tbh...

Go Singapork. Don't look back.

When single, you can work anywhere. Easy decision unless you are the only child and having aged parents with some medical conditions.

Legal industry applicable to SG context? If applicable, just move to SG when really land and get job offer la. Just land a job offer first then you do further thinking. Disregard the conversion, pretty much what is costly in SG is rental of room and entertainment. At the end, see what is your goals and objective la..

Regardless of your industry, what is your job role / title?

SGD3.5K is in the middle of nowhere, not here not there. Worst if eventually you go for PR, 20% goes to CPF, you left with about 2.8K take home.

- rental - HDB common room with aircon 800
- public transport - 150 (depending on usage or distance, i take a higher estimation)
- meals - 30 x 2 x 5 = 300 - this is 30 days 2 meal each, in hawker, plus some breakfast, plus sometime eat out with friends and colleague - 600
- personal needs - 300
- entertainment - 150

total basic is 2k per month

Things to continue:
- $ for parent, $ for saving, $ for insurance
- Ok with just renting a room, most of the time you just stay in your small room?
- Ok for 3 meals eating outside
- Ok for nobody go out with you
- Ok to spend 4-6 hours for a return trip to stay in JB to save cost? 4-6 hours is the normal jam + queue + immigration for going in and out in normal day before covid
- Ok for having to always look at price of food and menu to decide what you gonna eat with your current salary?
- Ok to stay away from your family for 1 week? 1 month? 1 year? It will start with 1 week, then you hate the jam, then you will start going back Johor 1-2 time per month, then you have covid, I have friends staying 2 years straight before getting to come back
- If you buy house in Johor, you will have extra burden, if you dont buy, how you gonna start your own family?
- Every commitment in MY, everything you owe the bank still need to pay, like your car, house, etc. Willing to give up your car? But when you come back got extra car for you to use? If not selling, you ok to leave the car to rot in Johor?
- Ready for a more stressful and competitive life in SG? I'm not kidding you, Malaysia people working style is really relaxed and slow and calm compared to SG.
- You single? attached? have family? You think you can or you know you can handle long distance relationship?

Harsh questions to answer:
- How long you been working already? Why is your salary 4.6k at 30 years old? What exactly is the problem? not taking initiative? not competitive enough? not qualified enough?
- The same problem you identify now, will it impact your salary growth in KL? will it impact in SG? Which do you think you have higher chance of moving up?
- Even if you take the offer in SG, next time you try to move to another job, people will see, 30 years old, taking almost fresh grad salary, something must be wrong, either i low ball this candidate like previous company, or i reject him


All these questions are not to discourage you, just wanna make sure you think thru properly first, if you confident life will change for the better then i say go ahead. Never too late. Also good if you single and have no loan / commitment to worry about. If you are open for SG, maybe you can open up a bit more to any other countries, might as well right? But if you still wanna come back Johor often, then can keep the choice to SG.

This post has been edited by hungrygodzilla: Mar 1 2022, 11:55 AM

i same with u, age and working experience
but from kl
just married plan to have kids
but current income unable to feed my own enough bcz I already have huge commitments and debts (house, car, ptptn, cc)

I plan to work in SG so i can settle debt quicky, but many factors need to consider

if u are single, just go

Problem is with your friend. He might be friendly and talkative to you, but maybe he distanced himself from his SG colleague.

What if i tell you that it's easy to integrate into SG community, all the Malaysian I know that cant integrate, you know what's the common excuse? They just blame that all their colleagues are SG, but the real problem is always themselves, they discriminate SG people because they think that SG people discriminate them. I've worked in SG for more than 10 years, never in any company, big or small, old or startup will I have problem with SG and foreigners. And i never ever see any foreigner get outcasted, unless they themselves have some problem or is hard to mix with. We have meals together not just in canteen, going out for better meals away from office, good dinner, oversea holiday trips, game together, and also regular gathering after we left the company. If you cant make good friends with SG people, the problem is you.

Nothing is too late. Know a fella who move to SG around 40++. Now making big there. The key is yourself.

Confirm friend problem.
I've no such issues with my Singapore colleagues.
When I travel down to SG, they will offer accommodation and always insist on treating me meals.