CultureShock! Singapore. A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette

Scheme for Housing of Foreign Talents (sHiFT)
In 1997, the large local corporation Jurong Town Corporation (JTC) launched the Scheme for Housing of Foreign Talent (sHiFT). A wide range of public housing apartments, houses and dormitory units specially aimed for foreign talents and workers are available for rent at affordable rates. Apartments are unfurnished. For more information and application forms visit their website at:
http://www.jtc.gov.sg

The classified section in the The Straits Times (the local English newspaper) or the Lianhe Zaobao (the main Chinese newspaper) is the best place to look for rooms and flats to rent.

Website: http://www.moveandstay.com/singapore

Serviced Apartments
Most people will probably stay in a serviced apartment for a few weeks to a month or more while they look for housing and wait for their possessions to arrive. Or if you know you will be here for a year or less, it may also be a good option. There are over 3,600 serviced apartments in Singapore offering gyms, pools, business centres and maid clean-up service. Most are found in the central area (Orchard Road, Tanglin Road, Holland Road) although there are some in the outskirts.

’s also possible to check if you qualify for an EP by using a self-assessment tool on the website: http://www.mom.gov.sg.

it is the pure joy of experiencing something new, refreshing, unexpected that makes living in Singapore such a unique experience

family to another country if you are not prepared to see, hear, taste and experience what the new culture has to offer?

what is the purpose of moving around the world, uprooting yourself and your

It’s always a tricky thing to try to explain, define and make sense of ‘how to fit in’ to another culture. Primarily because this depends so much on the individual, his or her experiences, cultural background, tolerance, education, interests, etc

Multi-everything’ makes us Singaporean: multi-lingual, multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-cultural, multi-tasking, not to forget our multi-storey car parks.