Wow, that was certainly taking a huge financial risk, wasn’t it? @-)
D also has issues with endometriosis so severe she had to have a significant surgery a couple of years ago. After being on a drug traditionally used to treat prostate cancer for several months post surgery, she was put on a "seasonal birth control pill that limits her periods to four times a year. She has heard from at least one friend that bringing that drug into Japan might be a problem. She has yet to find out definitively whether that might be so from either the American or Japanese embassies.
I have been in and out of Japan multiple times and no one has ever asked if I had prescription drugs and I bring along 3 or 4 prescription drugs (mostly antibiotics plus ambien) whenever I travel. Actually, my bags were never opened by customs.
S’s ex GF now lives in Singapore, and she posted on FB recently at her sadness at the death of Lee Kwan Yu, as She is so impressed with how citizens are cared for in Singapore, and this independent spirited young woman has lived in both Hong Kong and China.
Never have had my meds even glanced at traveling in Europe or Asia. Though a package to France with Ds meds disappeared in the postal system.
I would say yes, the housing thing would be a no-deal for me, if they would “help” but not guarantee housing that meets his needs.
As for whether to take it or not, will it lead to advancement? Will it help his career? Is this a completely new job, where his boss(es) will be in the US and he will be in Singapore? Will being paid more in Singapore translate to being paid more if he returns to the US job market?
One of the most difficult job experiences I have had was when I went on assignment for several months (weekends at home luckily!) at the start of a new job. After a few months, I was re-assigned to the home office again, and it was extremely weird, because from my point of view, I was an employee of three months, and to the people in the office, I was a new employee. I had to be introduced multiple times, I found out things like who was doing my time sheet and stuff I now had to do myself because the off-site location was at a client not our site. Would this be an assignment in Singapore and then return to the US to work for the company, or just a long-term temp assignment, or re-assignment to another country after a few years?
If it is a small and “not multinational” company trying to “break into” Singapore and there are no other employees there, I suggest he be cautious. Even a handful of people, two or three, from the new company would be better than if he was completely on his own. And I’d be suspicious for my son if there was “some compensation” for costs - can the details regarding costs to him to move and settle in be hashed out?
Working overseas usually has a definite pay bonus, but companies will try to save money in other ways.
Thanks again for all the comments, suggestions and experience. It is all helpful in looking rationally at the situation. The situation for him is that the salary would be fair for the field, adequate for Singapore standards but not generous enough to make apartment housing easy to afford. He was raised in a major US city in a small condominium, so his expectations aren’t lavish, but at this point in his life, he wants more than a bedroom and shared bath. There is certainly no extra pay or support for being a foreign national.
The company is small - he would be the only non-Asian. He has had Asian roommates, belonged to college groups with many Asians and has many close Asian friends, so he didn’t think this would be difficult for him. But, since the director is from Singapore, even though educated in the US colleges, he is beginning to think that they are not having a “meeting of the minds” as they discuss particulars. Her assumptions and realities are not matching his expectations and experiences.
He has specialized training and certification in the field which is unusual in Singapore. This makes him attractive as an employee and should help getting the work permit granted. The time frame being given, however, may force him to tell current employers he is leaving before he knows if the permit will be granted. If Singapore then falls through, he could be left with nothing - obviously not a good situation.
So, several more considerations to weigh. And, Mom has her own life. I’m going out of the country myself in a few hours - forgive me if this is my last post for a while. I really do appreciate the feedback from everyone. It helps put all the excitement and potentialities into a better perspective!
I’m not allowed to deviate from the answering the exact questions the OP posed? Will you please identify yourself earlier as the thread police going forward? I’m sure I’ll want to avoid future violations. :-<
To the OP: I don’t mean to alarm you, but you might want to read this book: Hard Drive: A Family’s Fight Against Three Countries. It is a quick, nonfiction read, and an important story. It involves a son’s employment in Singapore.
And, from the US Embassy’s website: “It is illegal to bring into Japan some over-the-counter medicines commonly used in the United States, including inhalers and some allergy and sinus medications. Specifically, products that contain stimulants (medicines that contain Pseudoephedrine, such as Actifed, Sudafed, and Vicks inhalers), or Codeine are prohibited.” http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-medimport.html
So the assurance that ‘you have nothing to worry about regarding prescription drugs; there’s no antihistamine police,’ is
not accurate when applied to Japan.
I would urge him to look at what a real expats deal would look like in Singapore, the lack of accommodation, flights home, etc really makes him way too financially vulnerable IMO. If it is such a short contract, he would really want a secondment out of the USA or a proper expt deal. There is the YOLO aspect if he is in his very early 20s but he still would need to get advice on his contract and his visa conditions.
My family dealt with the repatriation problems quite simply. By never moving home again.
Good article though, VeryHappy, and echoes some of what I learned about Rotary Youth exchanges, that the exchange period is best seen as a three phase process, the prep, the time abroad and the return period, which often is psychologically difficult. However, most, whether exchange students or expats in desirable locations, would not forgo the experience.
The coming home part is real - good article - and you see it too with kids returning from junior year abroad who just want to go back. That’s not a reason not to go, it’s a testament to the richness of the experience of living in a different culture.
Well duh, Aderrall is a SCHEDULE II drug. It’s a narcotic. If someone from overseas mailed to you in the US a three month supply of “repackaged” narcs, you’d be getting a knock on the door too.
@samuk said:
Even in the US , pseudoephedrine sales are restricted. Codeine is also a SCHEDULE II drug, a narcotic. Common sense should prevail. If the substance is a restricted or scheduled in the US, it probably is elsewhere.
The @poetsheart asked about Zyrtec. Zyrtec is not a controlled substance. And pseudoephedrine is not an antihistamine. Her daughter is only going to be in Japan for 2 weeks.
I thought Adderall was basically speed (amphetamine & dextroamphetamine). Not surprised that mailing it / getting it in mail in sketchy repackaging would land someone in jail.
Apparently I’m the triangle mom of a star kid. I like that.
On the question of “To Singapore or Not To Singapore?” I’d say the question is really about Singapore itself. Is the person in question attracted to Singapore specifically? Singapore isn’t India or Dubai or Chad or Ecuador or Italy. And while there are commonalities between “the expat experience,” there is no one “expat experience.” Case in point: I did the “What Kind of Expat Are You?” quiz that was in a link here. Or rather, I tried to.
Fun idea for a quiz, but I could not answer a single question after “how did you arrive” (answer: economy class). Nothing about it related to my life or the lives of any expats where I live, from embassy folks to business owners to young volunteers: not transportation, not housing, not clothing, not luggage. (And certainly not the insulting way of trying to get at whether you speak the country’s language – which I guess is supposed to be funny, if you find patronizing “funny.” But I digress.)
There are so many ways of being an “expat” that, while it makes sense to gather info about the so-called “expat life” – tax implications, how not to land in jail (!!!) – it’s such a broad topic that it’s like asking about “college life.” The process is really more like picking a specific college. You have “fit,” and you have “affordability.” So for this person, is Singapore a fit? Do they want to live in Singapore specifically? And is it financially doable? If the money is OK but not wonderful and will entail sacrifices, are those sacrifices worth if for the future?
So I’d suggest looking at it that way – like picking a college That’s my two Singapore dollars / Euro / rupees / rial / yuan / dinar / baht etc.
That’s my two Singapore dollars / Euro / rupees / rial / yuan / dinar / baht etc.