How is life as a doctor in Singapore?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I guess he’s not wrong when talking about concrete earnings. But if you factor in things like taxes which is higher in America and malpractice insurance, I would say it is about the same. So in a way it makes sense to compensate Doctors more in America since if they’re earning the same as if they’re in Singapore, then they would more or less be earning peanuts. If you calculate the income tax rate through online US tax calculators you would find that the take home pay is just max 130k+ for family physician and if you factor in the malpractice insurance, the number further drops by a significant amount. So on paper it is good, but in reality, the numbers adds up both in Singapore and America I would say.

There was a Canadian doctor here in the recent pages, yes he works like 4 days a week and earns a good amount. Consultant Doctors (excluding a significant minority) would tend to enjoy such a life.

To me, as long as you’re a decent doctor who has his intentions in the right place, would do well for himself in any first world country. Including Singapore.

In US & Canada, physicians often speak about their income (before tax), which is significantly different from the after-tax dollars.

In SG, even though pay is lower, the taxes are significantly lower too.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

$350k annual income, after tax would be $217K/annum (~$18k/month).

Originally Posted by Unregistered

are you australian med student or what?

only switch if you can get nus dentistry, getting difficult to find job in dentistry as overseas grad with new SDC restrictions without connections. with UK degree can work in UK easily though, don't think you can stay in AUS with aus degree.

What do you mean by new SDC restrictions without connections? Isn’t it as Long as you are from a school recognised you can work in Singapore as a Dentist?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

What do you mean by new SDC restrictions without connections? Isn’t it as Long as you are from a school recognised you can work in Singapore as a Dentist?

i think the poster was referring to finding a job in Singapore. Yes if you are from a school approved by SDC then shouldnt have a problem with conditional registration. But conditional registration is always contingent upon finding a job which may be hard to find.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I guess he’s not wrong when talking about concrete earnings. But if you factor in things like taxes which is higher in America and malpractice insurance, I would say it is about the same. So in a way it makes sense to compensate Doctors more in America since if they’re earning the same as if they’re in Singapore, then they would more or less be earning peanuts. If you calculate the income tax rate through online US tax calculators you would find that the take home pay is just max 130k+ for family physician and if you factor in the malpractice insurance, the number further drops by a significant amount. So on paper it is good, but in reality, the numbers adds up both in Singapore and America I would say.

There was a Canadian doctor here in the recent pages, yes he works like 4 days a week and earns a good amount. Consultant Doctors (excluding a significant minority) would tend to enjoy such a life.

To me, as long as you’re a decent doctor who has his intentions in the right place, would do well for himself in any first world country. Including Singapore.

Hi I am the Canadian family physician.

Yes American family physicians dont make as much as Canadian family physicians

I will be working 5 days a week mon to fri come 2020. So a pay rise for me. Lol.

You have to find your niche.

It has little to do with how "good" a doctor you are. Whatever that means anyway because what is "good" to patients varies from patient to patient and might have nothing to do with what other doctors would say is a "good" doctor.

Ultimately you are the business. You have to see where you want to take it.

I started with niche markets with Chinese and cantonese speaking patients. So I had tons of them. But later I felt it was just too much for me because PRC and HK patients are very demanding and really just want to exploit the system.

So I left. Then I found another niche.

If you just want to be like any family physician then you will probably earn just like any family physician too.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

i think the poster was referring to finding a job in Singapore. Yes if you are from a school approved by SDC then shouldnt have a problem with conditional registration. But conditional registration is always contingent upon finding a job which may be hard to find.

I don’t think finding a job as a Dentist in Singapore is any harder than doing the same as a Doctor.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

The guy is 69 years old.

I will tell you how he did it. He invested in Property in Singapore.

That's the only way to do it. And in his generation that's how the doctors all got rich. Don't even need to be specialist. GP also can.

I remember an old time GP telling me how every year he would buy a Terrace house in the 80s. By the 2000s he had over 20+ houses. Each bought for about 200-300k. Can sell for 2m each.

The pay of GPs hasnt changed much since the 80s.

Very true. One conveyancing lawyer told me when I was buying a place that one GP flipped so many properties that IRAS came after him and he had to declare himself a property trader. He would have to pay more tax then that way.

In US for family holiday now and things like food and property seem more expensive in SF than Sg. Only Macdonald's is similar and more reasonably priced. Makes me more appreciative of our yummy and economical hawker food.

I am only a locum GP and job opportunities r getting worse each year. Thankfully, I made some money in properties. They r people asking me to partner them in opening up new clinics, perhaps should really explore that.

Prepared to retire in Iskandar where I have a house. CPF life and rental income should help. Go read up about Malaysia My Second Home scheme. As my wise Malaysian uncle advised me long ago, work in Sg snd retire in Malaysia. Costs of living r 2 thirds that of Sg and our exchange rate is 3:1. So go figure.

Actually, I can retire there now in my mid forties if not for my kids and hubby who wants to stay here.

Don't even need to buy s house if u don't want to, can rent. But we prefer owning than renting.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I don’t think finding a job as a Dentist in Singapore is any harder than doing the same as a Doctor.

doctor is way easier, just apply to MOHH and slog in one of the public hospitals.

overseas grad dentist cannot apply to public dental hospitals because it is all full with nus dentistry grads. instead they have to find private dentists that can supervise them - i believe they need 2 supervisors at all times.

[hikaru91]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Prepared to retire in Iskandar where I have a house. CPF life and rental income should help. Go read up about Malaysia My Second Home scheme. As my wise Malaysian uncle advised me long ago, work in Sg snd retire in Malaysia. Costs of living r 2 thirds that of Sg and our exchange rate is 3:1. So go figure.

People keep saying this - yes it is cheap blah blah. But you are spending the next 30 years in a smaller gated community. How comfortable are you living there, can you walk down Iskander and neighbouring areas like you would do down Orchard Road? Are the amenities familiar and convenient like in SG, where you can walk from ngee ann to harbourfront to labrador park and enjoy the views without looking over your shoulders every time? And taking an evening jog after dinner like you would do at East Coast - safe in Malaysia? Or are you going to restrict your activities to your safe enclosed community?

Are the food clean (albeit tastier) in JB so you don't accumulate health risks for the next 30 years? Everyday 3 meals, for years and years, don't compromise food safety and cleanliness for taste hor.

Do you long to meet your friends and relatives in SG every other day and spend your hours waiting at checkpoints to go in and out? When your friends meet up at Holland V or Tanjong Pagar are they going have to consider you who live all the way in Iskandar, will they still think of you?

What about your kids' education? Study in SG? Or study in international schools in malaysia and act like an expat and put on an angmo accent to fit in?

So many issues to think of before deciding to retire in Malaysia.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

doctor is way easier, just apply to MOHH and slog in one of the public hospitals.

overseas grad dentist cannot apply to public dental hospitals because it is all full with nus dentistry grads. instead they have to find private dentists that can supervise them - i believe they need 2 supervisors at all times.

I thought we take in a lot of dentists in Hospitals? Idk how it works in the dental field, I keep getting the impression that there’s capacity for a massive volume of dentists seeing how many dental chairs in NDC setup like office cubicles.

Does MO get paid while put on standby calls?