Moving to Singapore, where do I begin??!!

[Frankie754]

Hello all, my husband has just been offered a job in Singapore within his company, a great opportunity but a little daunting, as we have an 8 month old baby and another one on the way. The new baby isn't due until January, and I think I'd like to wait to move until its had its 16 weeks jabs, but I guess I need to do a lot of thinking and planning around the move now, before the first few weeks / months of newborn madness when I won't be thinking straight!

So, I just don't know where to begin with negotiating the right sort of package with his work, I hear Singapore is really expensive to live? I guess we'd like a condo with a pool, although I'm a bit worried about moving from a house here to one, and whether we need an outdoor area for the babies. Do we need to think about schools / nurseries, and whether we should ask for a car with the package? I'm not sure of the best areas, I guess with two little babies I won't be very mobile so need somewhere where it is easy to get around without too much hassle, has anyone got any suggestions? And what about meeting other mums out there, are there some good places to go? I'd like to do some some classes for both my toddler and the new baby if possible.

This is a lot of questions, so if anyone has any advice on places to live, what to look out for, and what to negotiate in an expat package, I would be very grateful, anything to make this all a little easier!

[acatcalledbob]

I'm in Singapore and off to bed, but a quick answer regarding negotiating ... you should ask for as much as possible! For example, rent, utilities (electricity, water, broadband, cable TV, landline telephone etc), school fees, school bus, company car, health and dental cover (ie BUPA), a flight home for all of you each year, all relocation costs, errm , think that's about it...

You won't need outdoor area for babies (I thought this, moved into a house with one and never used it - it's too hot and we were at the pool all the time). Getting around is easy enough, public transport is excellent and it probably depends where your DH is working. There's loads and loads to do with little ones, lots of classes, playgroups etc. Try www.nmsg-singapore.com and http://www.meetup.com/Singapore-active-toddlers and http://www.meetup.com/Blissful-Babies/

There have been some very comprehensive posts on here about moving to Singapore and costs of living - try one www.mumsnet.com/Talk/living_overseas/1175554-Please-come-and-talk-to-me-about-Singapore/AllOnOnePage

[acatcalledbob]

Gah, sorry about links, at least they're there! Must be past my bedtime!

[Frankie754]

Wow, this is fantastic, thank you so much, this has given me a very good starting point. Lots to read and think about!

[begonyabampot]

With very young children, I'd get a car for the convenience and safety of car seats etc. Also gives you so much more freedom to explore places you probably wouldn't normally bother to go to by taxi, bus etc. Very expensive though. Plenty of classes for little ones like gyms etc but again quite pricey as it's all about making money. Some of the clubs and churches run more informal type (and cheaper) baby and toddler groups which are more like you would get in the UK. Try ExpatSingapore site for more info and where you can ask questions though it can get a bit snarky (your used to MN so sure you can deal with it). Agree with PP about what to include in your package - living costs are very expensive - so make sure you are covered for as much as you can.