One thing to consider if you have children is the cost of education. This can whack away a sizeable amount of your paycheck if you don't have this in your contract. More and more operators are abandoning or shrinking the amount given to families who have children.:sad:

Sloppyjoe-Yeah, that was what I was thinking too, which would seem odd he had to decide between SQ or CX. I suspect my friend is actually going for a management position, which would make more sense. But he isn't forthcoming with the details, I suppose he isn't willing to diverge mangement job details to a pilot like me, some friend eh? hehehe.

Lathika-Mandarin is actually easier to learn then Cantonese. Singaporeans tend to speak Hokkien, which is another Chinese dialect spoken mostly in Fujian and parts of Taiwan. Of course, the Cantonese profanities are the easiest to learn, as you will hear them alot on a daily basis in Hong Kong (i.e. pok gai, diu lay low mou).

Hi guys not sure if I am missing something here. However, I travel to Hong Kong a lot and the pollution is not just a worry but alarming! we had the haze here in Singapore last week and there was a lot of discussion about it. I yhought to my self as worse as it was it like hong Kong on a good day. Also it is forrest fires and not industrial pollution.

I am sorry Singapore is a far more superior place to live!

Orangputi-Yes, pollution is bad in HK and is getting worse. However, I always found HK to be a more interesting place to live, it's not as stale or boring as Singapore can be. HongKongers are a rude lot, but they are not as inflexible and rigid in their thinking as Singaporeans are...which can be a good or bad thing depending on one's circumstances. So Hong Kong is a far more "interesting" place to live!


bartholomewrose-Good point. Although since SQ is owned indirectly by the Singaporean government..so SQ is backed by the power of the state...if I recalled, the the Singaporean gov has directly intervened in several occassions to mediate. Their unions however were far more divided and split by internal divisions, politics and feuding...although both the union and sia now states that their relations are more cordial both within their organization and between them...or so they claim.

But in other more general aspects, HK has greater freedoms..at least you won't get arrested for openly criticizing the gov, which you are liable to do in Singapore. Civil liberties are more protected in HK.

I know I'm digging up an old thread but 7 years on, I am facing this decision myself.

My wife and I would like to live and work in Singapore / HK. We have a few friends who live in both and whilst some say singapore is quieter and hk is more lively the rent is apparently very high for HK.

Getting the work may be harder coming from AUS, I was hoping to send the wife over and get a spousal PR as she has a job lined up which would make myself a more viable option for either.

Any thoughts

Future FO - you should study carefully the employment opportunities in both places.

May have changed but cadet places in SQ were highly contested and open only to Singaporeans and Malays, little or no other work for ex expatriate pilots.

Interesting - HKE in Hong Kong or Tiger in Singapore ?????
Any thoughts on that ???? Anybody worked for both ?

Is anybody that dumb? That's like giving yourself an uppercut.....twice.

haha !! Funny !!!

There are now more foreigners than Singaporeans -think about that.

Don't expect it to be the 'Miracle island'at once was. It's a horrible place now.



'Foreigners are taking our jobs' complain Singaporeans - Telegraph

That story is more than two years old, and yet I know that there are plenty of expats that have moved to SG in that time. A friend from SG (local) once told me, that it is not a young Singaporean's dream to lead, but to have a nice uneventful career in a multi-national company. Pilot seems to fit that (mostly).

For aviation, I don't think SQ is an option leaving Jetstar, and Tiger, and I've only met foreign pilots for Jetstar. Who knows about Scoot or Silk.

As for one city or the other. With children, school costs are the same, but in Singapore, local kids cannot attend international school, which means lower or no debentures, and easier to gain a spot. Rent is way cheaper in SG for a good location, food is about the same, alcohol way more expensive in SG, easier to get away for a weekend from SG. HK has better public transport and cheaper taxis and car ownership, but worse to get around in.

Ask yourself, what's important, then that should make the decision for you.

I find that to be true among many asian countries, including Hong Kong. Asians need more balls, like China.

...and all the water coming out of taps is made from re-cycled toilet water.

The price of the re-cycled toilet water coming out of the SIN taps will be expected to go up by 30% by July 2017 as announced in the recent budget speech by the finance minister.