Tatiana Sheremetieva, Director and founder of RSBU:
Time flies inexorably, and it's been ten years since I moved to Singapore. Singapore is a tiny country, and during this time I managed to explore the small city-state up and down, both in terms of doing business and in terms of everyday life.
I will be honest, it was not love at first sight. It took me several years to adapt, get used to and love this country.
Over the years, I have formed a personal rating of "why I love this country," which I would like to share with you today.
Time flies inexorably, and it's been ten years since I moved to Singapore. Singapore is a tiny country, and during this time I managed to explore the small city-state up and down, both in terms of doing business and in terms of everyday life.
I will be honest, it was not love at first sight. It took me several years to adapt, get used to and love this country.
Over the years, I have formed a personal rating of "why I love this country," which I would like to share with you today.
1. safety
Perhaps the vast majority of expats living in Singapore cite security as the main reason for choosing Singapore to live in. Singapore is one of the top ten safest countries in the world. And the older you get, the more important this factor becomes, especially when you have children.
Violence and crime rates are very low here. A total ban on guns and the death penalty for drugs. What's the benefit of that? You're not afraid to go out at any time of the day, you're comfortable sending your child alone outside and to school.
2. Climate
Everyone has a different understanding of the ideal climate. For me it is +24˚... +30˚ all year round is heaven on earth. If you're a heat lover like me, then Singapore is your paradise. Here you can forget about warm clothes, boots and triple tights. Here you don't have to keep track of the weather forecast on a daily basis because you know for sure that the weather will be around +26˚ with the possibility of rain. Accordingly, you don't need to have four closets of clothes for each season.
3. Convenience of Life.
The theater begins with a hanger, and the country begins with the airport. In Singapore, when you arrive at Changi Airport, you are immediately transported into an aura of calm and comfort. And this convenience extends to almost everything - the layout of the city, every district, all residential complexes. Everything is thought out and done for the convenience of residents.
Most expats and about 15% of the population live in condominiums, that is private residential complexes. If you are among them, you have a swimming pool, gym, security, tennis courts, playgrounds, barbecue and jacuzzi on your property.
4. infrastructure.
This is a small country, but it is thoughtful and made for people. You won't find any ruins, but you'll be amazed by the latest architecture and technology. Not without reason Singapore is called the city of the future.
Metro and public transport runs like clockwork. The city is planned so that in each residential area within walking distance of stores, restaurants, pharmacies, children's clubs, kindergartens and schools. Also, the city is very compact, which means that at worst it will take you an hour to get from one end to the other.
5. Education
Singapore competes with China for first place in the ranking of countries with the best schooling in the world. There is a large number of public and private kindergartens, schools, technical colleges and universities to choose from. Apart from the Singaporean educational system, there are schools from all over the world, including American, British, Australian, French, Canadian and others.
Teaching is in English and a second language is required, so that after graduating from a local or international school your child can enter the best universities in the world without much trouble.
6. Multiculturalism
Singapore is a multicultural city formed at the crossroads of Chinese, Indian, Malay, and European cultures, and multiracialism is enshrined in the country's constitution. Despite the predominance of the Chinese population (as a percentage), tolerance and respect for other ethnic groups, religions and cultural traditions is in Singaporeans' blood. Every culture is equally respected here and religious festivals of each culture are celebrated.
There are a huge number of expats from all over the world. To take our family as an example, among my friends are Chinese, Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Kazakhs, Australians, Americans, Italians, Spaniards, Frenchmen, New Zealanders, Indonesians, Malaysians and many others. During the day you can easily communicate with several nationalities at once, and your children grow up with friends from all over the world.
Perhaps the vast majority of expats living in Singapore cite security as the main reason for choosing Singapore to live in. Singapore is one of the top ten safest countries in the world. And the older you get, the more important this factor becomes, especially when you have children.
Violence and crime rates are very low here. A total ban on guns and the death penalty for drugs. What's the benefit of that? You're not afraid to go out at any time of the day, you're comfortable sending your child alone outside and to school.
2. Climate
Everyone has a different understanding of the ideal climate. For me it is +24˚... +30˚ all year round is heaven on earth. If you're a heat lover like me, then Singapore is your paradise. Here you can forget about warm clothes, boots and triple tights. Here you don't have to keep track of the weather forecast on a daily basis because you know for sure that the weather will be around +26˚ with the possibility of rain. Accordingly, you don't need to have four closets of clothes for each season.
3. Convenience of Life.
The theater begins with a hanger, and the country begins with the airport. In Singapore, when you arrive at Changi Airport, you are immediately transported into an aura of calm and comfort. And this convenience extends to almost everything - the layout of the city, every district, all residential complexes. Everything is thought out and done for the convenience of residents.
Most expats and about 15% of the population live in condominiums, that is private residential complexes. If you are among them, you have a swimming pool, gym, security, tennis courts, playgrounds, barbecue and jacuzzi on your property.
4. infrastructure.
This is a small country, but it is thoughtful and made for people. You won't find any ruins, but you'll be amazed by the latest architecture and technology. Not without reason Singapore is called the city of the future.
Metro and public transport runs like clockwork. The city is planned so that in each residential area within walking distance of stores, restaurants, pharmacies, children's clubs, kindergartens and schools. Also, the city is very compact, which means that at worst it will take you an hour to get from one end to the other.
5. Education
Singapore competes with China for first place in the ranking of countries with the best schooling in the world. There is a large number of public and private kindergartens, schools, technical colleges and universities to choose from. Apart from the Singaporean educational system, there are schools from all over the world, including American, British, Australian, French, Canadian and others.
Teaching is in English and a second language is required, so that after graduating from a local or international school your child can enter the best universities in the world without much trouble.
6. Multiculturalism
Singapore is a multicultural city formed at the crossroads of Chinese, Indian, Malay, and European cultures, and multiracialism is enshrined in the country's constitution. Despite the predominance of the Chinese population (as a percentage), tolerance and respect for other ethnic groups, religions and cultural traditions is in Singaporeans' blood. Every culture is equally respected here and religious festivals of each culture are celebrated.
There are a huge number of expats from all over the world. To take our family as an example, among my friends are Chinese, Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Kazakhs, Australians, Americans, Italians, Spaniards, Frenchmen, New Zealanders, Indonesians, Malaysians and many others. During the day you can easily communicate with several nationalities at once, and your children grow up with friends from all over the world.
7. English Language
Although Singapore officially recognizes 4 languages: English, Malay, Mandarin Chinese and Indian (Tamil), the main language of communication, work and teaching in the country is English. This makes it much easier not only to adapt to the country, but also to travel and even to other countries of the world.
8. A Window to Asia
Singapore can rightly be called a window to Asia. And this applies to both business and tourism. Singapore's port is one of the world's three busiest seaports, and the famous Changi Airport receives more than 55 million tourists from all over the world.
China, India, USA, Australia, Great Britain, Russia, Eastern countries, other Asian countries - there are direct flights from Singapore to all major capitals of the world. That's as far as work is concerned.
In terms of life - a couple of hours by ferry, car or plane, and you're already on the best beaches of Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia and the Philippines.
9. Business Opportunities
This is probably the most important point that kept me from going back to Moscow. Clear rules of the game, huge opportunities for international business development and access to Asian markets, high level of trust in the jurisdiction, low taxes, government support for business and much more.
No wonder Singapore in recent years is at the top of the ranking of Doing Business Report from the World Bank, which compares all the countries in terms of ease of opening and doing business in the country. If you are interested in learning more, you can find a lot of videos on business in Singapore on my channel.
10. Quality of Life
When you put all of the above together - the safety, the climate, the infrastructure and the amenities, the education for your children, the low taxes and the international business and travel opportunities - it creates an unparalleled quality of life that makes me want to come back to Singapore again and again from anywhere in the world!
You may ask - are there any downsides? There are always and everywhere, but I will talk about them in another article and video.
Although Singapore officially recognizes 4 languages: English, Malay, Mandarin Chinese and Indian (Tamil), the main language of communication, work and teaching in the country is English. This makes it much easier not only to adapt to the country, but also to travel and even to other countries of the world.
8. A Window to Asia
Singapore can rightly be called a window to Asia. And this applies to both business and tourism. Singapore's port is one of the world's three busiest seaports, and the famous Changi Airport receives more than 55 million tourists from all over the world.
China, India, USA, Australia, Great Britain, Russia, Eastern countries, other Asian countries - there are direct flights from Singapore to all major capitals of the world. That's as far as work is concerned.
In terms of life - a couple of hours by ferry, car or plane, and you're already on the best beaches of Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia and the Philippines.
9. Business Opportunities
This is probably the most important point that kept me from going back to Moscow. Clear rules of the game, huge opportunities for international business development and access to Asian markets, high level of trust in the jurisdiction, low taxes, government support for business and much more.
No wonder Singapore in recent years is at the top of the ranking of Doing Business Report from the World Bank, which compares all the countries in terms of ease of opening and doing business in the country. If you are interested in learning more, you can find a lot of videos on business in Singapore on my channel.
10. Quality of Life
When you put all of the above together - the safety, the climate, the infrastructure and the amenities, the education for your children, the low taxes and the international business and travel opportunities - it creates an unparalleled quality of life that makes me want to come back to Singapore again and again from anywhere in the world!
You may ask - are there any downsides? There are always and everywhere, but I will talk about them in another article and video.