Singapore - where to live, schools, where to start??

[soapnuts]

We're going to be moving to Singapore in Jan/Feb - I've been before but never really looked at it as a place to live (mainly cos I didn't want to but that's another story!). We already live elsewhere in Asia but things are complicated slightly by the fact that I'm 31 weeks pregnant with DC2 (DS1 is 3.5) so I won't be able to do a look-see trip before the baby is born (plus I'm now facing packing up our life here and getting back to the UK to have the baby instead of staying here as was planned!)

So my questions are:
Where should I be looking for apartments? (I'm finding the property sites a bit daunting!)
What schools are good for a 3.5 year old who is currently in a montessori school (was in an ECE school last year)? Do they take kids in the middle of the year? How long are their waiting lists?
DH's office will be on Alexander Rd (wherever that is!!)

Any advice on where to start would be much appreciated!

We've been living in S'pore since Feb12 with DS who is now 14months and really enjoy it, I hope you'll enjoy it too once you get here but sounds like you've a lot on your plate before that happens.
We found a good place on the west coast, we picked it for closeness to dh office, he now has a commute of 20mins compared to 1hr back in UK. You might find the app gothere.com.sg useful when planning where to live. Alex rd is pretty long and covers a fair few good areas to live, it's close to holland village and clementi which both have big expat enclaves but depends on what your priorities/budget is for finding the right area. The app might be a good guide for working out how close your area is to the amenities you need.
I can't comment too much on schools but one of the things I wish I'd done better with our move was DS's nursery. It took us a while to find ones we liked and they both have long waiting lists, I suppose the good ones always will but for some reason this caught me out:(. It might be worth enrolling on a few lists indiscriminately once you pick your area then do some inspecting when you get here?
The link below might help you but maybe someone with older kids who can offer better advice will come along.

www.childcarelink.gov.sg/ccls/home/CCLS_Home.jsp

Good luck with everything, I'm sure it will all work out for you

HI there, not much to add as this is my 2nd day here (!) but our first school visit is tomorrow which starts the ball rolling on decision making as far as that is concerned, and where we will live. Hoping to find somewhere before our shipment arrives in a few week.
Just wanted to say hello really as I hope to be on the forum more often and am about to write a post about toddler groups. Some stuff I find may be of some use to you too!
Good luck with your plans - you are way ahead of me as I am already here and still pretty clueless :-)
Louise

Hi OP, best way to start would be to do a search on here, there are loads of threads as there have been a few mn'ers moving over here recently. So theres loads of info to trawl through!

Re nurseries/kindergartens, yes they take kids at any time of the year, its so transient here so its the norm.

If your husband will work on Alexander Rd, its quite a long road, but one end you could live in Pasir Panjang to the West, or around Harbourfront, or at the other end, you are near Holland Village, Queenstown, River Valley.

Have you looked at property guru online? If you do a search in districts 3,4,5,9,10 that should cover those areas.

So I guess you will come over and stay in a serviced apt till you find somewhere? thats actually a good idea as then you can get a really good feel for the place and the areas and also I know loads of people meet good friends at the serviced apts!

good luck.