Moving to Singapore with 2 young children-am I crazy?

[Tigerlily1985]

My husband and I are thinking about moving abroad and looking at Singapore. We have 2 young children (2 and 6).

Ive always wanted to move abroad as I think life is too short to have any regrets but I worry about the impact it will have on the kids and my career. I am currently completing a masters and potentially going into headship in the next few years.

I'd love to know people's experiences of moving to Singapore, what it is like on a day to day basis (particularly working and having kids) and if you found career opportunities better or worse than the UK.
I am dedicated to working hard but do you get to spend evenings and weekends with your family? Is the pay worth it?

I am so excited at the prospect of it but I don't know if I'm kidding myself into believing its better than it is!

@Roxie99 one thing to be aware of is that Singapore is issuing fewer employment passes than they used to as don’t want to be overrun by expats. In finance there’s a bias towards senior positions in terms of who can get one and who can’t. Also rents and school places under huge pressure due to the mass exodus from Hong Kong. In Singapore you can’t work on a dependents visa- need your own employment pass. In terms of QOL, depends what you like. It’s very clean and safe. Food is amazing. It has a holiday vibe to it- I find it hard to be miserable in Singapore :-). However, It’s also very hot year round and small. Travel within Asia has opened up a lot but the days of mega cheap travel are past tense unfortunately so harder to jet off for long weekends and holidays all the time.

Hi @illiterato thank you for your advice. Do you live there? We are seriously considering it now. 2 primary aged kids. I wouldn't need to work initially (found out I can't get my own bank account though if I don't have a job!)

No- I used to live in HK but moved back to U.K. earlier this year. Quite a few people I know moved to Singapore though to escape HK’s zero covid policies. I also used to go to Singapore a lot for work. It’s definitely worth considering providing your dh can get an employment pass and you do the maths on the package.

Ok thanks @illiterato for the info, he might not get the job anyway. We were to move to HK just before COVID but then it didn't happen job wise. He's even suggesting HK now but I said no!

@Roxie99 i live in SG If you want to ask any specific questions. I don’t have kids though! My friends that do love it here, though.

Ah thanks I'll private message if that's ok! @Justcannot x