# Move from Singapore to London



## togo_ornot (Jan 9, 2012)

Hi All,

I have subscribed to the forum to interact with Londoners and expats in london and to also get a general view of what more experienced lads here think about the following situation.

i have been offered an intra company transfer to london with the following details:

1) Singapore:
gross pay : 158k
bonus : 50k (2011)
wife has recently resigned her job to take care of our 5 month old baby, i wish i could too..he is too cute 

Been in Singapore for 12 years. 29 year old.

2) London:
gross pay: 100k
bonus : variable

i tried negotiating for a "net" salary equal offer in the UK (about 116k) but they denied it saying it is too high for london for my experience. the transfer is not one i asked for, but requested by the company. due to company policies they cant consider an expat package (although, i disagree, at a time when many europeans are coming here to singapore, the opposite move should be compensated better?)

they are offering 3 months accomodation at CW e14.

what do you reckon one should do?

More Info: although it is true that my wife and i think it is a good move to diversify my work experience having london on my cv and the scope for my wife to also start working in a years time when the baby can go to a day care centre (she earned 75k in singapore). 

so we are inclined towards this move, but we wouldnt want that to be considered in evaluating the offer 

i would appreciate it if you could give your thoughts on this.

thanks


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

togo_ornot said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I have subscribed to the forum to interact with Londoners and expats in london and to also get a general view of what more experienced lads here think about the following situation.
> 
> ...


London: gross pay: 100k
What currency is it in? If in sterling, very good pay even for London. If in SGD, it's only £50,000 and you will probably struggle (it's just under £3,000 a month net), unless you live modestly well out in the suburbs or in a not-so-desirable inner city area (not my idea with a baby).


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## togo_ornot (Jan 9, 2012)

hi joppa,

thanks for the reply. yes it is in GBP. 

i was wondering if i should insist (though i am sure it is going to be met with resistance from the HR department) on having a net salary equal.

people moving from london to singapore obviously are excited when the gross pay is converted!

thanks!


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

togo_ornot said:


> hi joppa,
> 
> thanks for the reply. yes it is in GBP.
> 
> ...


Market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in CW is around £400 a week, so with a net pay of around £5,400 a month, you can comfortably afford that (about 1/3 of your pay). 
I'd say go for it, as living and working in London doesn't just enhance your CV but it's an amazing experience for a young couple, with no language difficulties. And think of travel opportunities within UK and Europe!


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## togo_ornot (Jan 9, 2012)

Joppa said:


> Market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in CW is around £400 a week, so with a net pay of around £5,400 a month, you can comfortably afford that (about 1/3 of your pay).
> I'd say go for it, as living and working in London doesn't just enhance your CV but it's an amazing experience for a young couple, with no language difficulties. And think of travel opportunities within UK and Europe!


hi Joppa,

thanks again for the quick reply!

i just spent two months in London at CW (september and again in november) and i must agree it was absolutely great! 

thanks!


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Bring your brolly and your pullover. London in winter can be very cold and wet.


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## togo_ornot (Jan 9, 2012)

Hepa said:


> Bring your brolly and your pullover. London in winter can be very cold and wet.


Ha sure I will! 
And @Joppa: of course we look forward absolutely to the travel opportunities that London presents!
I remember when we visited Europe in 2010, how we wished we lived in one of those countries to do weekend trips to the rest! 

Another question that I would like to have your opinion on,
I have been asked to consider the following places to eventually rent a place,
1 Clapham
2 Shoreditch
3 Greenwich
4 CW (of course not by my European friends..in fact they preferred CW the least!)
5 Stratford (saying it is up and coming, I personally visited only the olympic site and of course the new casino)
6 Victoria 

Obviously you could guess that I asked quite a diverse crowd for opinion!!


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

togo_ornot said:


> Ha sure I will!
> And @Joppa: of course we look forward absolutely to the travel opportunities that London presents!
> I remember when we visited Europe in 2010, how we wished we lived in one of those countries to do weekend trips to the rest!
> 
> ...


Of the list I'd choose Greenwich any day. It's an older community with history - Cutty Sark, Royal Observatory, National Maritime Museum, with open space and lots of families. And it's an easy ride to CW by DLR train.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

togo_ornot said:


> Ha sure I will!
> 
> 
> Another question that I would like to have your opinion on,
> ...


Clapham is family friendly with some rough edges. You'd have to change tube lines to get to Canary Wharf which can be a nightmare at rush hour.

Shoreditch is more young, hip and edgy and all that goes along with it including loud clubs and late night revelers. Probably not the greatest for a young family.

Greenwich is nice and rather suburban with an easy commute to Canary Wharf, but not much else. If you are going to want to take advantage of all the city has to offer, this is a little remote.

I find Canary Wharf rather sterile and uninteresting.

I've only been to Stratford a couple of times and just remember it being out of the way.

While I know people do live there, I don't find Victoria to be very residential. There are a lot of offices and I think amenities are kind of spread out so I think would struggle to get grocery shopping, dry cleaning etc. done. Also, not a great commute to Canary Wharf.

I think you have to think about what kinds of things are important to you, like commute, green space, rental budget, etc. Looking at things along the Jubilee Line is a good place to start.


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## togo_ornot (Jan 9, 2012)

Hi Nyclon,

thanks for your reply!

i will have to do some more research on the different options i may have to find a good accommodation. 

in the meantime, as my wife will be a home-maker for at least a year, i was wondering if there were a group / get-together of sorts of young moms etc. during the day time so she could get to know the place and probably make friends as well.

do you know of any social networking website / link that we could find useful?

cheers


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

> in the meantime, as my wife will be a home-maker for at least a year, i was wondering if there were a group / get-together of sorts of young moms etc. during the day time so she could get to know the place and probably make friends as well.
> 
> do you know of any social networking website / link that we could find useful?


Check this link:

Mumsnet

Also, check leisure centres and local churches for programs.


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## SimonC1972 (Apr 4, 2013)

@Togo_ornot

Lots of groups are available, you just have to search when you arrive, is is however quite difficult to find new friends on arrival, especially in London.
You should look locally once you have chosen whew you are going to live.
I have lived in Ldn now for almost 20 years, heading out to SGP
Canary Wharf - Not for Families, esp with a young kid, nothing to do there
Find somewhere along Jubilee Line as per suggestion above


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

This thread is over a year old....


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