Salary.sg Forums

Originally Posted by roarke80

Thank you, these are good points, and it does look like a strong case for moving back.



Thank you, that's a really good idea. Yes I was thinking I can retrain while I'm here and try to get a better job. Right now though the last thing on my resume is a big brand name, whereas when I apply in future I would only have a small player as my most recent employer. Do you think it would make a difference?

I'm based in Central London. It's cold, dark, bleak, filthy with a bad transport system and high taxes which leaves us with little disposable income. It's great if you're childless, enjoy theatres / museums and love drinking, but not for me when I have two young kids. Don't get me wrong, there are brilliant things of course: fantastic people and a great work life balance.



I guess most of our experience is anecdotal, but I find it hard to ignore. It seems hard for them to get promoted in companies with mostly Chinese management, I've been approached by strangers on the streets making racist remarks, and just looking at a couple of replies here it seems to be ok to make racist comments casually online.

You're definitely right about racism in UK of course, it is part of human nature, just that we don't encounter as much in our daily lives in London. But you're absolutely right, he is wary about the long working hours here too, sadly there is nothing we can do about that.

Originally Posted by gerasimus

If you've already made the move back to SG, I hope everything has fallen into place smoothly. If you're still in the midst of deciding, it might be helpful to hear from those who've faced similar situations.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

My Burmese colleague told me that there Singapore is one of the most equal places in terms of race. As Long as you are hardworking, you get promoted.

I don’t think it is fair to use racism being extensive in Singapore. Most UK people are anti immigration (Brexit). As a Singaporean Indian myself, I do not see that I’m at a disadvantaged.

So his coming here has nothing to do with racism. But might be he doesn’t like the Long working hours here.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Now that you have shared more info, I see that:

(1) your husband has lived happily in SG in the past --> this means there's a good chance he may also live happily in SG in the future.

(2) you're concerned with giving up this rather attractive job offer --> then don't.

(3) you're concerned with not being about to get a similar job offer --> then accept the one on hand now.

(4) you don't see completely happy with living in UK --> since SG is familiar territory, why not give it a try again?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

You'll have higher quality of living but lower job satisfaction. Do you think they can compensate each other?

In the absence of consideration of your spouse, I'll personally move back to SG. Why? Higher quality of life, which offsets lower job satisfaction. Additionally, you can switch jobs after 2 years for higher job satisfaction - it's a win-win situation in this case. Moving to a smaller company but with larger job scope, in my opinion, is not a career killer especially since you have a strong rationale for doing so.

Separately, do you mind sharing which UK country you're working in, and why your quality of life is so low there?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

My Burmese colleague told me that there Singapore is one of the most equal places in terms of race. As Long as you are hardworking, you get promoted.

I don’t think it is fair to use racism being extensive in Singapore. Most UK people are anti immigration (Brexit). As a Singaporean Indian myself, I do not see that I’m at a disadvantaged.

So his coming here has nothing to do with racism. But might be he doesn’t like the Long working hours here.

Originally Posted by roarke80

Thank you! You're right, there is definitely selection bias here so I need to stop reading the forums. (Also everyone is very rich on these forums).

That's a good way of thinking about it. My husband lived in SG happily for a few years but after experiencing relative equality in UK is reluctant to deal with the racism here. (as evidenced by the replies I'm getting). I don't think I can stay much longer in UK as it is making me depressed. So we are quite stuck.

Is it stupid to reject a good job offer when I'm 38? Is it a career killer to go from a global leader in my field to a slightly larger role in a small local company? I'm planning to retrain to open up more employment opportunities in SG. Has anyone else done this successfully at around 40?

I know there are no definitive answers, but would love to hear your opinions. Many thanks!

Originally Posted by roarke80

Is it a career killer to move from an internationally well known company to a slightly larger role in a very small local company?

Originally Posted by roarke80

Thank you, that's true, there's definitely selection bias here and I think I should stop reading the forums.

That's a good question. My husband has lived in SG happily for years but after experiencing a relatively equal UK society he is unable to deal with the racism here (as evidenced by the replies I am getting). However I don't think I can stay long term in the UK as it is starting to make me depressed.

Do you think it is stupid to reject a good job offer at 38? Is it a career killer to move from an internationally well known company to a slightly larger role in a very small local company? Alternatively I am also going to start retraining this year to hopefully open up more employment opportunities for myself in SG. Has anyone done that successfully at this age?

I know there aren't any definitive answers to my questions, but I would love to hear your opinions.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Anyway since this is a job forum. So people on this site are already pre selected, and the threads will be regarding job loss and how hard it is to find a job. People who are having cushy jobs will be less likely to be here.


Since you mention it, now it becomes your husband long term happiness vs yours.

Is your husband able to adapt to Singapore environment? Or you think you might be able to adapt to the UK environment more.

I believe your child can excel in UK system or Singapore system.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Anyway since this is a job forum. So people on this site are already pre selected, and the threads will be regarding job loss and how hard it is to find a job. People who are having cushy jobs will be less likely to be here.


Since you mention it, now it becomes your husband long term happiness vs yours.

Is your husband able to adapt to Singapore environment? Or you think you might be able to adapt to the UK environment more.

I believe your child can excel in UK system or Singapore system.