# Thinking of moving from Singapore to Australia...need help please



## Wherenext (Oct 12, 2012)

Hi All,

Just a quick background about myself and my family : we are Indians currently living in Singapore. We have been here for 3.5 yrs now. Before moving to Singapore we were living in US (i lived there for 2.5 yrs) and my husband for 8 yrs. we have two yr son. 

We are currently trying to take an inventory of our skill sets + requirements before deciding where to move next. We would like to move to a new place may by the end of this year(hopefully by landing a proper job). Australia is one of the options we are checking out.
1. We would like to know which place is best suitable for families with small kids(basically because we are looking for places with good primary education facilities, child safety & good work life balance). We would like to be able to spend more time with our son.
2. My husband works in the oil & gas manufacturing industry and I work in the IT industry(SAP technical consultant). Which city would be the best for both of us to find a job?
3. How are the living expenses & taxes in Australia? can anyone give me snapshot of how the expenses would be for family with school/preschool kids.
4. Sorry to ask this and sorry if I am offending anyone here - I heard from quite some people here in Singapore that there is quite a lot of racism in Australia. How true is that?
5. How is the general work work environment in Australia and how friendly are people there?

Thanks in advance for the answers.

Thanks ,
Wherenext.


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## Maggie-May24 (May 19, 2015)

Have you confirmed either of you will qualify for a visa? I'd start with that before looking at schools, etc. Any state/city will have places that are suited to families with small children.


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## Wherenext (Oct 12, 2012)

Maggie-May24 said:


> Have you confirmed either of you will qualify for a visa? I'd start with that before looking at schools, etc. Any state/city will have places that are suited to families with small children.



Yes. I just checked online. With my hubby's and my educational/work qualifications, it looks like we will be eligible.


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## farerpark (Dec 4, 2012)

It seems you are well settled in SG. Taxes are low there and quality of education and life is good and no crime . I would like to know what motivates you to migrate to another country. 

The reason I ask is because few years back I was well settled in SG , but for some reason I was not entirely satisfied, and wanted to move to AU or Canada etc. The only reasons I could think were SG is too small, less adventurous. Did not have any strong reason though . Would like to know what are your reasons. Do you feel same as I did or some other reasons ?


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## Wherenext (Oct 12, 2012)

farerpark said:


> It seems you are well settled in SG. Taxes are low there and quality of education and life is good and no crime . I would like to know what motivates you to migrate to another country.
> 
> The reason I ask is because few years back I was well settled in SG , but for some reason I was not entirely satisfied, and wanted to move to AU or Canada etc. The only reasons I could think were SG is too small, less adventurous. Did not have any strong reason though . Would like to know what are your reasons. Do you feel same as I did or some other reasons ?


Hi farerpark,

The reason for planning a move is different. Work life here is too hectic and we seldom get any family time. I start for work from home at 7.30 and i return also also around 7 pm to 7.30 pm. Its the same with my husband too. By weekend we are too exhausted to do anything other than sleep. Also i have found the people here are not very friendly. Its my personal opinion - 3 years in Singapore and i have seen that people here are very materialist, selfish and racist. They are people who are never satisfied with anything in their lives - money, job, home, child's success etc. Also i do not think that the education here is world class. I have worked in local companies here and I have experienced that Singaporeans lack the ability to think outside the box. They are like horses who have blinkers(horse tack). I personally do not want my child to grow up in society where he will deem this to be normal. Then again, its my opinion. I do not wish to hurt the sentiments of anyone in this community.

Having said all of this, i do agree with you on the facet that Singapore taxation is low hence savings do increase but it is a very expensive place to live in. I also agree about the crime rate - it is the lowest I have seen in any country. Another advantage that I have experienced here is that it is very easy to impart Indian culture and values here as there is a large Indian community here. 

That is why we are taking and inventory and trying to find the pros and cons.

From your profile I see you are currently in Australia. What difference did you find after you moved from Singapore to Australia? What difficulties did you face there?

Any inputs will be highly appreciated.


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## aspiring_singh (Nov 12, 2013)

Wherenext said:


> Hi farerpark,
> 
> The reason for planning a move is different. Work life here is too hectic and we seldom get any family time. I start for work from home at 7.30 and i return also also around 7 pm to 7.30 pm. Its the same with my husband too. By weekend we are too exhausted to do anything other than sleep. Also i have found the people here are not very friendly. Its my personal opinion - 3 years in Singapore and i have seen that people here are very materialist, selfish and racist. They are people who are never satisfied with anything in their lives - money, job, home, child's success etc. Also i do not think that the education here is world class. I have worked in local companies here and I have experienced that Singaporeans lack the ability to think outside the box. They are like horses who have blinkers(horse tack). I personally do not want my child to grow up in society where he will deem this to be normal. Then again, its my opinion. I do not wish to hurt the sentiments of anyone in this community. /QUOTE]
> 
> ...


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## farerpark (Dec 4, 2012)

Wherenext said:


> Hi farerpark,
> 
> The reason for planning a move is different. Work life here is too hectic and we seldom get any family time. I start for work from home at 7.30 and i return also also around 7 pm to 7.30 pm. Its the same with my husband too. By weekend we are too exhausted to do anything other than sleep. Also i have found the people here are not very friendly. Its my personal opinion - 3 years in Singapore and i have seen that people here are very materialist, selfish and racist. They are people who are never satisfied with anything in their lives - money, job, home, child's success etc. Also i do not think that the education here is world class. I have worked in local companies here and I have experienced that Singaporeans lack the ability to think outside the box. They are like horses who have blinkers(horse tack). I personally do not want my child to grow up in society where he will deem this to be normal. Then again, its my opinion. I do not wish to hurt the sentiments of anyone in this community.
> 
> ...


Well, I am not in Australia , the forum somehow shows that for most of the potential members. (I live in London these days). I used to live in Sydney long time back though (Before I moved to SG). So I could draw some comparison. 

While I have sweet memories of my stay in SG, I still wanted to move back to AU. The cultures are vastly different. The work culture itself is quite contrasting. AU is about fun at work and fun after work  SG is about long hours, hard work with discipline and no fun when you are at work I guess. Too much work was probably one of the reasons I decided to leave (Hard work is good but too much is not )

Racism - Well, it may exist to an extent in SG , but I have heard worst stories about AU, specially against Indians. Still not sure how true these are or what is the real extent of these, but AU is infamous in this aspect in recent years. When I was there, I personally never felt it, infact I found the Australians warm and friendly. Not sure if and why they turned hostile after I left . Probably its media who hyped it too much.

The best part about SG is safety. You never feel scared day or night. I read about a riot breaking between two communities lately when a Bus driver did some mischief, which was hard to believe. But apart fro that I never heard anything adverse about SG.

If I have a choice , I would go for AU : its less suffocating and more adventurous inspite of its own hazards


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## Wherenext (Oct 12, 2012)

farerpark said:


> Well, I am not in Australia , the forum somehow shows that for most of the potential members. (I live in London these days). I used to live in Sydney long time back though (Before I moved to SG). So I could draw some comparison.
> 
> While I have sweet memories of my stay in SG, I still wanted to move back to AU. The cultures are vastly different. The work culture itself is quite contrasting. AU is about fun at work and fun after work  SG is about long hours, hard work with discipline and no fun when you are at work I guess. Too much work was probably one of the reasons I decided to leave (Hard work is good but too much is not )
> 
> ...


Hi Farerpark,

Thanks for the inputs. Yes, even i have heard a lot of stories about racism in Australia but really not able to make up my mind whether its just media hype.
Again I would also like to ask you about London, as UK is another place which is under consideration. Obviously to migrate to UK we would have to land a job there.

Since you have lived in all three of these countries, Singapore, Australia and UK, how would you compare these. Would you be able to give me some comparison between each country for education of kids, family life, work life balance, savings etc. Which place do you prefer now?

Thanks,
wherenext.


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## Wherenext (Oct 12, 2012)

aspiring_singh said:


> Wherenext said:
> 
> 
> > Hi farerpark,
> ...


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## aspiring_singh (Nov 12, 2013)

Wherenext said:


> aspiring_singh said:
> 
> 
> > Hi aspiring_singh,
> ...


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## farerpark (Dec 4, 2012)

Wherenext said:


> Hi Farerpark,
> 
> Thanks for the inputs. Yes, even i have heard a lot of stories about racism in Australia but really not able to make up my mind whether its just media hype.
> Again I would also like to ask you about London, as UK is another place which is under consideration. Obviously to migrate to UK we would have to land a job there.
> ...



I have also lived in New York and Hong Kong. Let me try to briefly summarize what I feel about each of these based on what I experienced:

AU - Scarcely populated. Very few people wherever you go. Lovely weather (apart from extensive heat on some summer days) with mild enjoyable winters. Excellent sports facilities even in small suburbs, beautiful beaches, great drives. Excellent work culture. Lenient Police 

SG - decent population , overcrowding in public transports but excellent service standards. Neat , clean , disciplined. humid weather with lots of rains. Lags in sports specially outdoor. Not too many places to go (Go to Sentosa or Malaysia and that's it ) . long working hours are norm. Police very strict. 

UK - this is my second stay here. Lot has changed in few years since my first one. London is overcrowded , too many migrants from Euro zone are here now. Manners and etiquette's are fading fast from daily life. Everybody is rushing. Weather was never a high point of this region. Cold wet and gloomy. Sunshine is limited. Working hours have become longer. Housing and transport have gone very costly. Still its a nice place and offers high quality life. Saving potential is high for expat due to strong pound. Lots of green parks and outdoor activity. Police - very friendly

US - Hmm, its still number one destination for expats. Liberal culture , less racial , more opportunities in every field. Work hard on weekdays, and spend hard on weekends. Work culture is balanced. Weather varies a lot from place to place. I was in New York where summers are great , and winters are very cold and snowy. I enjoyed both. Indian parents worry about kids a lot though, that they may lose their cultural values. Some of them do. Teenagers seems too have too much liberty. Public transport is poor. I heard car companies ensure that public transport doesn't grow much. Police is friendly

HK - Excellent public transport, modern housing and amenities (and cheaper too). Food is costly, but great street food available everywhere for non vegetarians. Less Indian community. Very crowded , full of high rise buildings. Too much vertical real estate has been developed , Sometimes I had to search the sky  . Getting work visa is easy but permanent immigration is hard. Work culture is similar to SG. Airport is amazing. Police very strict. Mild winters and humid in summers.

There is much more to tell but hope short summary is useful.


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## siddharthsingh02 (Mar 4, 2013)

Wherenext said:


> Yes. I just checked online. With my hubby's and my educational/work qualifications, it looks like we will be eligible.


Oil and Gas is good field, I think he can even get tier 2 sponsor for UK without any resident labour market test. AUS process is very long and demanding, keep on looking for jobs UK as well.

Regards,
Sid


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## mmauk11 (Mar 11, 2015)

Hi, 

I am also currently in SG. I am a Burmese engineer who has been in Singapore for 15 years. Yet I will be moving to Sydney since I got my PR visa 189 on 2 July. 

I am not in AU yet but have studied there and have many friends living there. SG is convenient, safe and food heaven. Lots of cheap food. That being said, I live in a HDB apartment that I bought but use public transport because cars are way too expensive and not worth to buy. 

Although I know that I may not be able to find proper engineering job in Australia within a short time, I am willing to take the risk, grab any permanent job and head to land down under. And let me tell you why. 

I do not wish to be stuck in a HDB flat here and squeeze in public transport all my life. I do not want my colleagues speaking Chinese at the meeting and me feeling like an outsider. I am tired of listening to all the complaints. I wanna live in a proper landed house , even if it is a small one where I can have my plants, keep pets and spend quality time with my family in a long term. That is almost " impossible " in Singapore. 

In future if I have kids, I don't want my kids having to compete to even go to university, feel extremely stressed and not being able to enjoy life. I rather want them go to normal local university in Australia just like any other kids and have a job after graduation. They say SG universities are top ones but what's the point after all?? How many of Singaporeans have got Nobel price for research or any other reason?? 

I am looking into long term, better lifestyles and higher living standard for myself and my family. 
Good luck to u


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