Working in Asia - Singapore (construction)

Holly_Golightly

Hi there,

Has anyone ever worked in Singapore before, or do you know anyone working over there?

I had a job interview during the week for work in Singapore, I work in construction / architecture. I find out this week if I have the job, but they would expect me to be over there in 6 weeks. It is a good company and would be a good opportunity, but It would be a big move for me and completely out of my comfort zone.

Basically has anyone else ever done this? I have never been to Asia before. I am fortunate to be in employment but dont particularly enjoy my job so wont be too bothered about leaving it.

Any comments would be great,

thanks

Nody

Few standard things for any move like this:

1) Who pays for what? I.e. how much are they willing to pay for moving stuff over, what about gf/bf/wife/husband/children/pets status in terms of paper work?

2) How long do you need to stay to not have to pay back if you leave?

3) Who covers the move back, esp. if things don't work out?

4) Taxes and paperwork, exactly what is your employment set up going to be? Will you be a local contractor, will you be hired on Irish/UK/insert EU set up or would you be on local contract? This affects legal obligations such as redundancy, notice periods etc.

5) Healthcare, what will the company cover, what do you need to cover?

6) What about a place to live, will they have a place for you or will you have a fixed amount to time to find a house on your own? Will they supply help finding a place or?

thewing

Singapore is booming, i'd be gone in a flash

If the nature of your work is outdoors, be prepared for the heat - it's intense...

Best of luck

Holly_Golightly

Thanks guys for your comments. You might be interested in hearing about what happened to me today!

I got offered the job in Singapore, the recruitment agency called me this morning at 7am with the good news. I told them that I would be very interested in taking the job however I had a few questions or queries which I needed to have confirmed (which I think is pretty expected, normal). The woman in the agency said that was fine and to email them through.

So I did just that and specifically asked her to run through the questions I wanted to ask before I emailed them off to Singpore. She replied to say that everything was ok, that my questions were fine to ask.

So heres the bizzarre bit, I sent my questions through to the contact in Singapore, heard nothing back. After lunch time I recieved another call from the recruitment agency to say that the company in Singapore had retracted their offer as they did not like my questions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was dumbfounded. The questions I asked were as follows

Confirmation of my job role within the team?
My working hours
Would my salary be negotiable after my probabtion period of 6 months
where were my co-workers from, as in is there a mix of people, expats, asian etc

Do you think these questions were too much or am I going mad?????
The recruitment agency said they were offended by questions!?!

I told her I was quite suprised and disappointed. Do big international companies expected future employees not to ask basic questions????
And do they have the attitude that you should be just grateful for the opportunity and accept everything straight away???

helimachoptor

Very odd, maybe they were expecting slave labour? OP what level of position was it? Is it manual labour work or design work?

x in the city

we need more details on the role, was it a trained/skilled position?

You said it was out of your comfort zone, if thats the case then it might be for the best.

Singapore is a big change of lifestyle and culture.

It is weird alright, we need some more details..

dan_d

Wow.Odd.

Though I do know that the employee-employer relationship in Asian countries can be very different to here. The idea of politeness is a very different thing over there than it is here, and it's taken very seriously.

Cultural Advice
Western business practices are fairly common in Singapore, but in
general, businesses are run much like families. Deference is given to
the group and to authority, and relationships are more important
than the company. Women are respected in Singapore business and
make up about a third of the nation's workforce.

Singaporean men wear coats and ties only at formal functions, but
women do tend to dress a little more formally than in other countries.
The prevalent Muslim and Hindu beliefs in Singapore require that
women cover their arms, backs, and knees.

In business meetings, address your colleagues by title and last name,
keeping in mind that many Asian names follow the reverse order of
Western ones. Present your business cards to everyone present at a
meeting, especially if you have an impressive title. Print them in
English on one side and Chinese on the other, preferably in gold ink.

Most employers give their workers a bonus during the Chinese New
Year. Often, this is the equivalent of one month's salary.

Prior to a meeting, it is customary to engage in social banter. During
conversation, be enthusiastic, but try not to interrupt. Politeness is
the single most important attribute in developing any kind of
relationship in Singapore. Speak in low, modest tones and avoid
standing with arms akimbo, which indicates aggression to many
Singaporeans. Avoid gestures of any kind, as many may be
considered offensive.

Having said all that, I was under the impression that it was Japan where most of these things really applied.

Maybe somebody else out there can give a bit more input (I could be totally wrong!!)? Definitely a strange situation!

Holly_Golightly

Thanks for your feed back, the job was for design work (interior designer)
The company is a high profile American company who have branches world wide.

I asked the recruitment woman for a better explanation, she said that I had to understand that the ppl I was dealing with are the principals of the company and they don't have time to answer such questions. Also they found my questions offensive, because they felt I was questioning them. I told her that my questions were not negative, that I was hoping to collate as much information as possible about my future role before making the move from Ireland to Singapore. She replied saying that may be I caught them on a bad day because there so busy!

In ways I feel that this company, however great there profile is, was clearly not for me, if they cant take the time to answer my queries (they dont have a hr department it would seem)then may be I'm better off.

I since emailed Singapore to apologise and clarify that my questions were not meant to cause offense. I get the feeling that there issue was that I did not accept there offer straight away but told them I had some questions. (no reply and no reply from the recruitment agency)

On positive note, I am now more determined to find work abroad, with a good company that isnt so fical and doesnt growl at you for asking questions!