Originally Posted by
iggy
Hi Mr. Hamster,
From how you sound in your post it seems to me that you haven't been thinking about this long, otherwise most of your questions would have been answered already, i.e. "direct with airline or contract", "how are the medicals", "staff travel", "career progression", etc... Nothing wrong with that, at all. It is just that moving to Asia is about more than the salary or quality of schools, is about being in a place where, maybe, you just don't count as an individual or a professional. It is about living in your bubble, half of it by your own choice, the other half because you are not really wanted out of it.
I'm not trying to discourage you, but to make you realize that checking the T&C's doesn't even cover 10% of what the change is going to be, and you sound a bit oblivious about what will really involve moving here. I'm entering my 15th year living in South East Asia with my family, and I have seen many fine professionals giving up on this region after only a couple of years, and that was while being in higher payed positions than me or other long time stayers, so it is not all about the money.
Be ready not to be considered as part of the team, while being expected to accept it with a smile because "you have to understand that you are not one of us". Be ready to be lied, gaslighted, manipulated, being told half truths, all this being part of the normal routine of social relations here. Be ready to be attacked just for displaying an opinion different from that of the attacker, be ready to survive in a world where losing face is just not an option, no matter what the implications. Be ready to share your everyday activities and routines with people who don't know anything other than "the survival of the fittest". Be ready, in short, to leave not your own country, but the very set or rules that have governed your life for the last 35 years, down to the core.
If you plan to come here for just a couple of years then use all the money available to enjoy those years as a kind of tourist, "scratching" the surface of this part of the world. There is plenty to enjoy and you'll remember it as quite an experience. However, if you plan to stay longer, start by questioning how much of yourself you are willing to let go or transform so you can fit in this society. Sounds very philosophical, but the truth is that, despite the behaviours described above, I have met expats living here for way longer than me, many of them very wise people. If I had to describe them in a few words I'd say that they are people who, from the first moment, didn't judge this place, just accepted it as it came to them. Some of them live like locals and some others drive fancy cars, but all of them are defined by that same quality.
If you need more info, or another "coming of age" speech send me a PM.