# Moving to Singapore



## Racheew (Dec 2, 2010)

Hi,
I have been offered a position with my company to move to Singapore. 
It is a great opportunity and my boyfriend and I are keen to take up the opportunity and go. 
I am concerned however that he will NOT be able to find work, or even get a visa to try and find work.
He is an automotive mechanic by trade - a foreman. So we are unsure whether we should go or not?
Thanks
Rachel


----------



## Singapore Saint (Sep 24, 2010)

It may be tricky for your boyfriend to find work in that industry, due to the local company having to sort the permit for him when there will also be many locals who could do the same job, no disrespect to your boyfriend. However, I have no experience or contacts in that industry so hopefully someone else can provide better insight.

Also, your boyfriend would have to consider whether he would want to take a job in an industry that is likely to be a much lower salary than what is he is already on, this can be an issue for some, and was for me!

What industry will you be working in? If it’s anything to do with finance, it’s possible that you could live comfortably on your salary, giving your boyfriend the time and opportunity to find something else, something that he hadn't considered before.. In my experience, (I was the husband following my wife over here when her company moved her job over from the UK) the best way to approach the move is to be flexible in what your boyfriend will do. If he comes out here and only wants a job as a mechanic, he may be disappointed, but there are other opportunities around.

You will find Singapore a very easy place to meet people and network... it still amazes me how many of my friends who I know from different circles all seem to know each other – never mind the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon”, in Singapore I don’t think anyone is more than 3 steps away from each other!

I ended up setting up my own company 2yrs ago, based on the fact that a lot of the fellow expats I had met were in positions of authority, and were able to open doors for me, make introductions etc. I got over the whole Alpha-male thing of needing to provide, knowing that I could never compete with my wife's salary, and have found running my own company the most rewarding and fun thing I have ever done... with one of reasons I set it up being because I looked at the relatively low salaries I would have earnt working for someone else and thought that I can make that amount each month working for myself.

I know some other husbands / boyfriends who have moved over here from good stable careers / trades, such as policemen, who have ended up teaching - initially they took it to give them something do to, working with a language school, but I know some that have ended up in proper schools, even though they have no official teaching qualifications.

So although it may be dangerous for me to say so as I don’t know anything about your reasons for wanting to move, as someone who has already made the move in a similar situation, I would highly recommend coming, but I think the main thing is to be flexible and accept that it won't be as straightforward for your boyfriend to find something - if you aren't, the whole Singapore experience may not be as exciting as it could be. It's a great place to come, can be very easy to live within your means whatever salary you are on and still have a good time. The key for him would be to get out and about as soon as possible to meet people – the more people you know, the more chance someone will be able to help!
Hope this helps.
Dave


----------



## bryann (Aug 6, 2010)

Singapore Saint said:


> It may be tricky for your boyfriend to find work in that industry, due to the local company having to sort the permit for him when there will also be many locals who could do the same job, no disrespect to your boyfriend. However, I have no experience or contacts in that industry so hopefully someone else can provide better insight.
> 
> Also, your boyfriend would have to consider whether he would want to take a job in an industry that is likely to be a much lower salary than what is he is already on, this can be an issue for some, and was for me!
> 
> ...


Great reply Saint. Perhaps a little addition, in that it may not always be possible from the MOM point of view to go at it alone with your own biz.

I'd say chances increase if the biz concept is viable and "interesting". By that I mean that they won't be impressed much if you start a mee goreng stall, but they'd like it if you found a way to make buildings greener for example.

Apart from this, nothing further to add to your post.


----------



## Racheew (Dec 2, 2010)

Hi,

Thank you both for your insight, it was really helpful and helped settle my nerves a little bit. I will be moving over there to take up a management role of the region, so will hopefully be earning a decent enough wage for the both of us.

He is not fussed in working in his industry, and is open to working in any area. Especially, as the points you made, he probably will find it hard to get work in his trade. We have both lived in the UK, so are open to taking things as they come, but the visa situation just seemed a little trickier in Singapore, so I did have my concerns. We have heard a lot of stories about him not being allowed a visa full stop, but I guess we will need to cross that bridge if we come to it.

Teaching has crossed our minds, he had always thought about being a teacher, so you just never know.

We are definitely considering it, and your words have definitely helped. Thank you for taking the time to write. 

Cheers!!


----------

