Questions and Answers Forum

Hi

We will be moving to Singapore in December and wish to decide on the locality of living based on the following factors:

Budget : max 4000 sgd
Proximity to mrt , close to my husband workplace which is raffles  
Good medical services or one of the top hospitals wrt pregnancy  

It would only be advantageous if there were other expats staying in the same area . We are Indians but not really looking to stay in an India based locality only. We are ok on that aspect.

I am considering buying a property in Austria (Tyrol) and in the future moving there (within 3 - 5 yrs). I have been retired now for two years having taken a voluntary redundancy package. I am in receipt of my private pension that includes what is termed a 'stepped' arrangement whereby I receive my state pension as an inclusion all the way through my lifetime, but the state amount is taken from me from my 65th year. I am now just recently 60yrs old. My question is with regard to my pension options at the point I elect to live in Austria full time.

Hey there,

I was wondering are there any expats on this forum living in Manchester, United Kingdom. I am from Australia, and I just got made a job offer to work for an international media company in who have the UK operations based in Manchester.

I've been to London before and I have family there but I have never had the chance to visit other places in the UK. What is Manchester like ? Is it cosmopolitan like London ? What are the major drawcards for expats living in the city?

Is the city safe ? Where are the best places to live?

Hi there

We've settled on moving to the northern suburbs in Athens and I was wondering about the best way to get around. I will probably be doing some island hopping for business (and pleasure!) as well and would really appreciate any advice.

All the best

Phil Reece

Hi, We are looking to employ a UK passport holder in Turkey. What kind of expat benefit package should we expect to provide ?

Hi, have read about European and American curriculam, wanted to understand if there are any Indian schools in Capetown ?? and if not which other curriculam is closer to the Indian CBSE curriculam ?? what is the difference between ISCT and AISCT ?? what is the age criteria for a 4 or 5 yr old child ?? Thanks. Richa Kalra

Hi,

I will be moving to Sydney soon :) and have a four year old - she turns five next August. Just wanted to know what her day in a preschool will be like and how many hours a week will she be in preschool.

What is the difference betweena child care centre and pre-school. Can you please let me know on this or suggest a site where i can find info on this. I did check out mychild.gov.au but did not find information on what a typical day in a preschool is like or what all do they learn there?

Your reply will be of great help!

Thanks

Comparing the most suitable international school for 3 irish boys aged 15,13 and 12. My husband is moving to Muscat .I am an experienced Secondary school Teacher but wish to know the problems that my boys will encounter in the education curriculum only They're expats so socialisation is not a problem

Hello there. I'd like to know if there are any groups/forums for South Africans in Lagos Nigeria.

I am in need of advice to stay in turkey for one week.

I am a Nazmun Nahar .I am bangladeshi. And I am a computer engineer. I want to work in south korea. Is there any offer for m and how much money need to go there.

Hi - We am relocating to Hong Kong for work and I was looking to understand job market in Hong Kong to find an opportunity for my wife. She is a qualified chartered accountant from India and I was wondering if you could tell: (a) How difficult will it be for her find job due to language as a barrier in HK. She does speaks fluent English. (b) How open is the job market in Hong Kong (c) Is it just online applications that work or consultants meet and actively engage to assist candidates in finding job. (d) Any other tip for find job. Thanks and Regards Inderdeep

I've been working in Malaysia from last year on a work permit and my spouse and children have dependent visa till 2016. I do have a plan to change job in next couple of months after getting release letter and new work permit from second employer. Here I wanted to confirm that the dependent visa of my spouse and children would expire or not if I'll be able to get new work permit smoothly without leaving Malaysia? Thanks for your help!

Hi again

Thanks for the help on the healthcare question. Athens or Thessaloniki it is. I'll just have to stay away from the protests. I have to admit, I am a bit worried about the financial situation there. Will my money be safe in a bank over there? Or can I keep my account in the UK?

Thanks again

Phil Reece

Hello there. Planning to relocate to Dubai or Abu Dhabi for work. Am I allowed to sponsor my same sex spouse?

Hi 

Thanks again for all the help with finding property in Greece. I guess I have more to think about than I anticipated. Another thing for instance, is the standard of hospitals in Greece. My little one has a congenital heart defect and while it isn't too bad (as far as these things go), having access to a good hospital is a must. 

Thanks again guys

Phil Reece

I will move to Munich with my wife for a long time as my wife will be located to Munich to work by her company from China. I will be as her relative, life partner move to Munich together, for taking care of the child and her. so i will have not the Job Visa. but when she go to work and the child go to school, i will have free time all day, so is there any possible i can get somthing to do for spending my free time a day? is there any possible to study in Munich?

Hi there,

I am planning on spending my gap year in Kenya volunteering at an orphanage. I was really excited about the move and discovering a country I have heard such wonderful things about but following the Westgate Mall attacks at the weekend I am starting to rethink my decision to choose Kenya.

Is Nairobi safe for expats ? Do expats still living in Kenya feel safe or are there always security concerns ? Do you think the situation is going to be worse after these Al Shabaab attacks on Westgate Mall? And are expats the target of these violent attacks?

Hi there

Thanks to Xavier for answering my last question. Culture shock will happen anywhere, I guess. A more realistic concern is property in Greece. I hear it's cheap at the moment, but is there anything else I should consider?

Thanks in advance

Phil Reece

So I am looking at a move to Jubail, my wife has M.S. and I want to make sure that it will fairly easy to find a neurologist for her in order to maintain her problem under control.

I have accepted an offer for a role in Abu Dhabi. Base Salary: 164000 AED per annum Housing allowance: 100000 AED per annum Living Assistance: 1500 AED per month Travel assistance: 1500 AED per month offer includes Medical Education (3 kids upto the age of 18) Annual flight tickets (cash) Relocation allowance 1500 USD My concern is the housing allowance too low? I am going with family (1 child)

Hi, I have been working with a Saudi Arabian Firm during AY 10-11 and 11-12 am I liable to income tax in India. If yes, how does the calculation go for a salary of more than 10 Lacs INR p.a. post conversion. However, I had expenses in Saudi Arabia too and the actual money transferred was much less to my Indian Bank Account. Regards, Saagar

Call me crazy, but my wife and I are moving to Greece. I was wondering if anyone could tell me whether or not I can expect to suffer any culture shock there. I mean, are the Greeks as friendly as people say? What should I be prepared for?

Would really appreciate any help you guys can give- I know we're taking a big risk.

All the best

Phil Reece

I'm thinking of looking for work in Africa. I'm an engineer and I've heard there are lots of opportunities in Zambia for expats. Is this true? What's the working environment like? Is it easy to find well-paid work in Zambia?

Here are the views of some of our contributors on the best areas to live in Mumbai.