Sweet and Sour
Hmmm,
I think the negative posts do a good job of summing up life in SIA and SIN. It costs a lot of money to join - bond, house & school deposits, moving costs and the like that you all know about. It costs all of your money to live here - how it breaks down just depends on how you like to live, but it will take all your money, and you'll always be explaining to "Her Indoors" why all these days away are not translating into spare cash for family fun!
As one who is close to leaving, I can tell you for me that it is not about the work or the guys I go to work with (they're great), but about money and the unremitting anti-pilot stance of the government and very senior management.
To make Singapore able to stay competitive in the face of the improving abilities of its competitors, the government has decided to reduce Spore's cost base in general and fixed elements of salary in particular. To do this it needs all the unions to be springloaded to the obedient position. It sees the "a labourer is worthy of his hire..." approach of the pilot's union to be a direct challenge. All the signs are there that other current 'benefits' are under scrutiny. I can hardly wait! And probably won't.
I can hear some of you saying "Well if you are too expensive to be competitive, then you should be prepared to take a pay cut. The greater good and all that." Indeed. It's a matter of balance, staff welfare and the market. There are few airline groups making S$100 million a month profit as SIA does and even fewer paying all their staff substantially below the market rate. SIA's policy is even more perverse - it is actully content that the flood of "expensive" long-time, experienced mainline pilots that are leaving can be replaced by "cheap" cargo pilots. I seem to recall a core value that has something to do with 'Concern for Staff'.
Just in case you think I'm just worrying over nothing, at a time when the company is making S$100 million profit per month, I, like many others, have seen the value of my contract (sic) with SIA decrease in excess of 30%. Given the cost of living in SIN, the devaluation of the currency (around 20%, I believe, this year against most the world's major currencies) I simply cannot justify spending my earning days this way. Yes, the kit and colleagues are great, but what about quality of life, saving for the future, for pension....? This is the reality of my experience. It could be yours.
Of course, everybody's circumstances are unique. If you come to SCargo you'll fly a decent airplane, well maintained, do lots of flying and eat and drink down-route with good guys. Cargo line management and the DFO are quite OK and there will be opportunities for seat swaps and training in reasonably short time.
If your family moves easily, and is flexible, the chances are good that they will settle quickly and really enjoy living in Singapore - good food, good schools, low crime, safe streets.
Summary - If you don't need money, don't mind the tension of a working culture where your employer is routinely in breach of the spirit, to say nothing of the letter, of the contract they have signed with you, then for a short time this may be the place for you. I would only counsel that you are very realistic about what you need to make working here sustainable.
G'luck and as DUB ATC said when asked about the wx "If your half as good as the other man you'll be fine!"