Archive for the ‘Expats’ Category
New campus gives boost to education hub goal
Stamford American Int’l School will provide up to 2,500 places in long run
BARELY two years after taking over the Australian International School of Singapore, international education group Cognita is now busy counting down the days to the birth of its newest baby – the Stamford American International School.
As the finishing touches are applied to the campus in Lorong Chuan ahead of the big day on Aug 17, the availability of up to 2,500 places in the long run will be a boon to the Republic’s goal to be an education hub in the region, said Cognita chief executive (Asia-Pacific) Brian Rogove.
In a recent interview with BT, he said Stamford will have an initial intake of about 500-600 students – from nursery level to the fifth grade – for the first three years.
And once it moves to a permanent home in Upper Serangoon Road, the school will cater to a maximum of 2,500 students spread out in small class sizes of around 20.
This, said Mr Rogove, will help ease the perennially tight supply of places in schools here that offer a US-style education. Stamford will offer an American-style curriculum, with a strong focus on languages.
Last November, the Economic Development Board awarded UK-based Cognita a state site at the former Upper Serangoon secondary school in what was the government’s first request-for- interest exercise for foreign system schools. Cognita was chosen from almost 30 proposals received during the exercise.
‘In the past couple of months, the level of interest in our American school has increased tremendously, especially from overseas,’ Mr Rogove said. ‘The EDB has been incredibly supportive of us from day one, and has helped us achieve our target opening date.’
Singapore remains a key market for Cognita because of its strategic location, he said. ‘As it is a market where we see many opportunities, we will continue to explore the possibility of future expansion.’
Having opened its Asia-Pacific headquarters at The Central at Clarke Quay, Mr Rogove said the group plans to expand its existing portfolio of more than 50 schools worldwide, including in the UK and Spain.
In May this year it announced its first foray into Thailand with the acquisition of the St Andrews International School, with plans to pour in money to build a new secondary school as well.
It has been a non-stop journey for the group’s financiers since they set up the company just five years ago. Chairman Chris Woodhead, former chief inspector of schools in the UK, has said Cognita is on track to own up to 100 schools by 2013.
Asked about the other countries that Cognita has its eye on, Mr Rogove was guarded but gave an inkling into what he sees as the more lucrative markets
‘We are just getting into China,’ he said. ‘In the next couple of months we will announce some acquisitions in South-east Asia. Countries that we are keen on are Vietnam, Australia, Malaysia, China, to name a few.’
Source: Business Times, 3 Aug 2009
Expats here live the high life: HSBC survey
DESPITE the high cost of living for expatriates in Singapore, and cutbacks in luxury spending due to the recession, most expats here want to stay put, an HSBC survey has found.
HSBC’s Expat Economics survey, carried out from February to April this year, polled over 3,100 expats across 50 countries on their financial situation and lifestyle.
‘Expats in Singapore live the high life,’ says the survey report, released yesterday.
More than three-quarters of the 192 expats polled here said they have more disposable income than they had back home.
Three-quarters also said they save more here than they did back home. Among various wealth accumulation tools, the three most popular were savings accounts, managed funds and shares.
Sebastian Arcuri, head of personal financial services at HSBC Singapore, said: ‘Our expat clients have told us that reductions in rent over the past nine months have increased their disposable income. However, due to the uncertain economic times, most of them are opting not to spend this increase in their income.’
Two-thirds of the expats polled here said they have cut back on spending on luxury items.
The cost of living for expatriates in Singapore remains high. Forty-four per cent of those polled here spend more on accommodation than expats in other countries, and entertainment and healthcare costs are also above the global average, the HSBC survey found.
However, 91 per cent of those polled here said they have not considered returning home amid the economic crisis – higher than the 85 per cent global average.
Of those who have considered moving home, 28 per cent cited shorter work contracts as a key factor, compared with the global average of 15 per cent.
Overall, Singapore ranked sixth worldwide on the report’s league table of quality of life, as measured by expats’ annual income, disposable income, ability to save and possession of luxury items.
Hong Kong, another popular expat location in this region, ranked fourth. The Russian Federation, Qatar and Saudi Arabia took the top three spots.
Source: Business Times, 28 July 2009
New campus coming up for UWC
Filed under: Expats | Tags: Australian International School, Canadian International School, Global Indian International School, Tanglin Trust School, United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA)
Leave a Comment DEMAND for private education in top international schools remains strong despite the economic slump.
A few schools have waiting lists up to four years long, and a steady flow of inquiries about enrolment.
Yesterday, the United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) broke the ground for its new Tampines campus, which will boost its enrolment from 3,000 now to a targeted 5,500 by 2015.
The campus will open in parts from next August, starting with the infant school, where the wait-list is longest. The rest of the campus will open in 2011.
Its head of college, Mr Julian Whiteley, said there is significant demand for places in the school. All classes now are full.
Similar situations exist at the Tanglin Trust School, the Australian International School Singapore and the Canadian International School.
Tanglin Trust has no vacancies at all, while the Australian school has none for its preschool. The Canadian school is also running close to capacity.
The Australian International School has about 160 children pre-enrolled until 2013 so they can secure places early, while the Tanglin Trust School has a wait-list which grows at a healthy rate each month.
The Canadian International School also has a list of close to 100 people who have pre-enrolled their children in the school for the coming years.
With its new Tampines campus, UWCSEA will join a list of international schools which have expanded their premises or announced plans to do so because of an urgent need for space.
The Australian School opened its extension for preschoolers and junior schoolers in July last year. Barely three months later, it announced plans to build a new 35-classroom wing for senior students by next April.
Another school, Global Indian International School, opened its third campus in Balestier last August.
Schools pointed to several reasons for the demand: more younger international students coming in, the rising appeal of the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme offered by some schools, and the entry of many families into the Asia Pacific region.
Even if expatriates lose their jobs, the last thing they want to do is disrupt their children’s education, said Mr Whiteley.
The new 5.5ha UWCSEA campus, which has a 45-year lease, is being built at ‘extremely low’ cost, said Mr Charles Ormiston, a member of UWCSEA’s board of governors.
It missed the peak in the construction market because of the recession, and final costs will be about 15 per cent below initial estimates, he added.
At the ground-breaking ceremony yesterday, the school announced it would offer scholarships every year for two Singaporean students from neighbourhood schools, starting from 2011.
Applications will begin in August next year for entry to the school year in August 2011, Mr Whiteley said. Each scholarship is worth about $60,000, depending on whether the student chooses to stay in the boarding school, and will be to complete the school’s two-year IB diploma programme.
Over the next four to five years, Mr Whiteley added, the school will employ close to 200 teachers from Singapore and elsewhere.
Mr S. Iswaran, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Education, said that the Government’s support of UWCSEA’s expansion – JTC Corporation is leasing the building to the school – underlines its commitment to provide world-class educational facilities for the international community here.
He added: ‘Even as we tackle the pressing economic issues of today, we are also building the infrastructure and capabilities needed to realise our vision of a global city. International schools are an essential part of that architecture.’
Meanwhile, Mrs Joanna Bennett, whose two children, aged five and seven, are studying in UWCSEA’s interim Ang Mo Kio campus, is looking forward to the completion of the school in Tampines.
Said the 41-year-old housewife who is married to a Briton: ‘When we first applied in 2007, there was a waiting list of more than 200 people.
“We were very fortunate – three months later we got an e-mail informing us about a new Tampines campus.
‘But I would still have waited if I had to, because I want the best education for my children.’
Source: Straits Times, 18 June 2009
Singapore now ranks among top 10 most expensive cities in Asia for expatriates
SINGAPORE has become one of the 10 most expensive cities in Asia for expatriates to live, according to a new cost-of-living survey.
The Republic’s promotion from 13th spot last year to 10th in the ECA International survey, is largely down to price increases not slowing as quickly as elsewhere in Asia.
This is despite a weakening Singapore dollar making goods and services that much cheaper here for foreigners.
The strengthening of the yen saw the region’s top four spots taken up by Japanese cities.
Tokyo reclaimed its position as Asia’s most expensive city, followed by Nagoya, Yokohama and Kobe.
Explaining Singapore’s move up the ranks, Mr Lee Quane, regional director of ECA Asia, said: ‘Prices have not slowed down as much in Singapore as in other parts of Asia.’
The pace of increase in prices of goods and services in countries such as China and Malaysia, for instance, has slowed down by half. Prices are down by just one quarter in Singapore, said Mr Quane.
Still, Singapore remains a more affordable place than long-time rival Hong Kong, where the cost of living is being driven up by the strength of the Hong Kong dollar, which is pegged to the US dollar.
Hong Kong jumped from 98th spot to 29th in the global ranking, and is the seventh most costly city in Asia.
Globally, Singapore came in 72nd, up from being 114th last year.
Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Manila and New Delhi are among the Asian cities which have become relatively cheaper for expatriates.
The survey found that the cost of living in Asia has increased relative to the United States and Europe, given that the West has been hit hardest by the global financial crisis.
So, while inflation has slowed in many Asian cities compared to a year ago, it has fallen more dramatically in many Western countries where growth has been slower.
Singapore International Chamber of Commerce (SICC) chief executive Phillip Overmyer says global companies with operations in Singapore are feeling the pinch.
‘We’re seeing demand coming down, yet costs remain very high,’ making Singapore and some other Asian cities very expensive places to operate, he warned.
‘What I see going on right now are serious evaluations (by companies). Where do we go if we need to move? What do we do if recession is going to last for a few years?’
Ms Jane Fraser, 38, an advertising executive, said the cost of living in Singapore is still ‘reasonably bearable’. However, housing rents, which have been steadily declining of late, are still a bugbear, she said.
ECA carries out its survey twice a year to help multinational companies calculate remuneration packages and living costs for expatriates. The study compares a basket of 125 consumer goods and services commonly bought by expats in over 370 locations and measures these items against inflation, availability of goods and exchange rates.
Most expensive cities in Asia
1. Tokyo (1)
2. Nagoya (4)
3. Yokohama (2)
4. Kobe (5)
5. Beijing (10)
6. Shanghai (12)
7. Hong Kong (9)
8. Shenzhen (16)
9. Guangzhou (15)
10. Singapore (13)
Bracket indicates March 2008 ranking
Source: Straits Times, 11 Jun 2009
Rise in home buyers from China and India
Indonesians’ share of Q1 buys slips; Malaysians are biggest buyers
Indians’ contribution also rose from 9 per cent in Q4 2008 to 14 per cent in Q1 2009.
Rise in home buyers from China and India
Indonesians’ share of Q1 buys slips; Malaysians are biggest buyers
Indians’ contribution also rose from 9 per cent in Q4 2008 to 14 per cent in Q1 2009.
Canadian school’s campus rumpus
With work on Jurong West Campus stalling, some parents threaten to stop paying building fee
FOR an institution that is in the business of providing answers, the privately-owned Canadian International School (CIS) has left a group of irate parents with a $7.7 million question, now that the school’s new campus development has failed to materialise.
Since late 2007, $7.7 million has been raised from about 1,600 parents of students in three of CIS’s campuses who have been paying $1,100 per semester for what they believed had been contributions to a Building and Development fund set up for the construction of the school’s new Jurong West campus.
The new five-storey campus will consolidate three out of four of CIS’s campuses on the island. Construction on the campus – slated to open in February this year – has stopped since last October.
‘There has been no explanation for why the work has stopped and they have been less than precise about what will happen,’ said Anthony Phillips, who has paid $8,800 in building fees to date for his two children over four semesters. ‘The site appears to have come to a standstill, but we’ve been getting an invoice every six months for building and development fees.’
When contacted by BT yesterday, CIS’s head of school, Glenn Odland, said that the halt in construction was ‘a function of the change in global economic circumstances’.
‘We have reassured the parents that construction will resume by the end of this school term, which is June 12.
‘By then, we will also explain to our parents in detail the reasons behind the delay and how we’ve resolved them,’ said Mr Odland.
He was unable to provide BT with an estimated date of completion.
There are also conflicting views on what the fund was originally intended for.
‘We were told that the money went for maintenance purposes, but that was not what the Building and Development fee was for, and that is unacceptable,’ said Martine Guerin, who has contributed $4,400 for her son who is now in Grade 3 at CIS.
Mr Odland maintains, however, that this was never the case. ‘We have made it clear from the start that the building fee would go towards maintenance of existing structures as well as new developments; it is mentioned in our admissions policy online,’ he said.
In a letter – issued by the previous principal – dated October 2006, the new campus is mentioned as the reason for the Building and Development fee, but not the existing facilities.
The school will continue to include the fee on invoices. ‘The building fee is a common part of the fee structure in many international schools, and it will continue as a permanent element in the fee structure,’ said Mr Odland.
Fanning the furore, news of a Korean school’s impending takeover of CIS’s Bukit Tinggi campus in August 2010 has surfaced, leaving parents to wonder whether their children will still have a middle school campus if the Jurong West site is not ready by then. Mr Odland refused to elaborate on current negotiations with the Korean school. ‘While it is ongoing, it would be grossly unfair to the process for it to be published to the public,’ he said.
Despite a CIS email to parents on Tuesday that reassured them about ongoing negotiations with the Korean school and the resumption of work on the site before June 12, some of the parents remain unplacated.
‘With the new West Jurong campus running almost two years behind schedule, many parents are extremely disappointed at there being almost nothing to show for the multi-million dollar investment in the project,’ said Mr Phillips.
Mr Phillips and John Cappetta will be among the many parents who will not be paying future Building and Development fees. ‘I was initially happy to pay, because my son, who is in Grade 1, would get to use the new facilities. But there has been absolutely no transparency over what’s been happening to these funds,’ said Mr Cappetta.
Parents like them might find themselves in a standoff with the school as a result. ‘We will treat it as we would a delinquent account; we are pursuing and trying to facilitate payment. No family will be allowed to not pay,’ Mr Odland told BT.
Source: Business Times, 30 May 2009
More expats fall prey to rogue property agents
More expatriates have become victims of tricky landlords, dodgy tenancy agreements, disappearing deposits and other rental snares.
According to the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case), foreigners lodged 32, out of a total of 365, complaints against real estate agents from last October to March this year.
This was a 23 per cent increase from the 26, out of 516, complaints within the same period a year earlier .
The Institute of Estate Agents itself has received five complaints from foreigners since last October. None of the agents mentioned was registered with it.
Case executive director Seah Seng Choon said that most of the complaints it received concerned rental agreements.
Commonly cited were overcharging and failure to honour agreements, especially with regard to refunds.
The onset of the economic crisis, with many retrenched foreigners terminating their leases early, may be a push factor for rogue agents.
Mr Chris Koh, a director at realty company Dennis Wee Group, said: ‘There are probably dishonest agents acting alone, desperate to collect their full commission, who resorted to underhand tactics to withhold deposits.’
American technician Robert Jones, 36, and Mauritian IT professional Ashwin Ramdeehul, 29, spoke to The Sunday Times. They claimed they were cheated out of their deposits by the same person they had separately contacted.
Both had sought an HDB flat to rent, and had contacted an ‘agent’ through his advertisement.
When taken to view their prospective units, they were introduced to the ‘landlord’, a 40-year-old woman.
In Mr Jones’ case, he signed a tenancy agreement with her on Feb 20 to rent a four-room HDB flat in Woodlands for $1,050 a month. He wanted to move in without delay as his wife was due to give birth to their first child soon.
He said that in his haste to rent, he did not pursue the fact that the owner was listed as someone else, but the ‘landlord’ on the documents was listed as the woman.
After paying her $5,250 (the deposit plus four months’ rent), he then found he was unable to contact her. Anxious, he approached the owner’s family at the Woodlands flat on Feb 23 and was told that the unit was being rented to the woman from March 7.
The owner assured him that he could move in as agreed on March 20.
He later went to the flat again, just to be sure, but was told that the woman had found another tenant. ‘I was offered another flat in Ang Mo Kio, which I rejected,’ said Mr Jones, who then asked for a full refund from the woman.
However, he was told he would get only $4,200, or four months’ rent, as $1,050 was being forfeited because he ‘backed out’ of the agreement, a contention he disputed.
When contacted by The Sunday Times, the woman said: ‘The owner did not want to rent to him because he was a nuisance who harassed them even before he was allowed to move in.’
She said she was acting on behalf of the owner, and produced a written agreement that was signed by the owner.
To date, she said, she has refunded Mr Jones $1,889 and added she would repay him $4,200 eventually.
However, Mr Jones wants all his money back. ‘I paid $5,250, never got the house, and now she wants to return me $1,050 less?’ he said.
He made a police report on March 5 and furthered his case at the Small Claims Tribunal on March 25, where he was granted a money order to collect the full amount from her. However, he has yet to get the money as she has remained uncontactable.
Like Mr Jones, Mr Ramdeehul paid a deposit in December last year to the same woman after signing a tenancy agreement for a two-room flat in Ang Mo Kio. He said she even provided a set of keys.
But he claimed she later told him the owner no longer wanted to rent out the flat and offered to find him a similar unit. When he refused, she returned only $550 of his $3,200 deposit, he said.
He made two police reports after he used the keys she had given him. ‘When I opened the door, I saw a family who told me that she never gave them my deposit like she had promised,’ he said.
He, too, filed a complaint at the Small Claims Tribunal and was issued a money order to collect the full amount but, like Mr Jones, has been unable to contact her since.
A check by The Sunday Times found an advisory on the Chinese Embassy’s website which said that since many cases of rental disputes involve the sublease of property estates handled by that woman, ‘the embassy would like tenants to stay alert when working with her’.
The Sunday Times spoke to other foreigners here who found themselves involved in complicated rental disputes or were allegedly cheated of money.
Mrs Nadya Begum, 37, and her engineer husband from Manchester, England, said they have been cheated not once but thrice in their seven years here.
‘The first time, we were ignorant and did not ask for the agent’s personal details. We ended up paying a deposit for a flat which had already been ‘rented’ out to four other couples, also foreigners.
‘The second time, the agent cut off his phone line after he collected our deposit. The last time, in November 2008, we were smart enough to get the details of the agent and all the paperwork, but the landlord absconded with the money and is still uncontactable.’
ERA Reality associate director Eugene Lim said: ‘Some unethical agents prey on the ignorance of foreigners, especially those who cannot speak English or Chinese and face a language barrier.’
South Korean housewife and study mama Kim Ae Ran, 46, said she was cheated of a $6,000 housing deposit by a real estate agent who claimed to be working for PropNex agency.
When she decided on Dec 9 last year to terminate her lease early and return to South Korea because her husband’s business in Seoul was ailing, she gave two months’ notice via e-mail to her landlord through her agent.
The landlord replied, also via e-mail, that he would refund her the full deposit of $6,000 with the ‘expiry or lawful termination’ of her lease.
But it has been 11/2 months since she and her two children moved out. They are now staying with a friend and she has not received any of the promised money.
When contacted by The Sunday Times, the agent said that Mrs Kim had ‘unlawfully terminated’ her lease and was not entitled to her deposit. He added that he was ‘only an agent, not responsible for the sum’, and that the landlord was away in China and uncontactable.
When PropNex was contacted, it investigated and found that the agent had already left the company when he signed the tenancy agreement with Mrs Kim.
It also found that the tenancy agreement he drew up stated that commission would be paid to an agent of ‘PropNex Reality’, rather than ‘PropNex Realty’.
PropNex has since lodged a police report against the man.
Meanwhile, industry players say the recent announcement in Parliament to review and regulate agents could not have come sooner.
Mr Koh of Dennis Wee Group said: ‘At the moment, only about one-third of real estate agents here are CEHA-certified.’
CEHA is the Common Examination for House Agents started in 1996 to raise the standards of real estate agents here.
He added: ‘The industry badly needs both regulation and proper training, as well as penalties for rogue or scamming agents – it should be a two-pronged approach.’
Source: Straits Times, 5 April 2009
Those who stay are tightening their belts
For the Wild Geese families who are staying on here, cost-cutting is the order of the day.
Like many others, Madam An Li Ae, 41, has relocated to new quarters. She moved out of a three-bedroom condominium in Serangoon last October and into a three-room HDB flat in the area. She and her two sons, aged 12 and 15, share the flat with another kirogi family.
Like most kirogi mums, she has been getting $4,000 to $5,000 a month from her schoolteacher husband in South Korea for the past five years. But she will not get as much in a few months’ time.
‘After the won’s value dropped so much, I cannot afford to fork out $3,000 a month just for condominium rental,’ she said.
Associate Professor Kang Yoonhee, a sociologist at the National University of Singapore who does research on Korean migrant families, notes that many kirogi families have downgraded to HDB flats in cheaper areas.
Some provide ‘homestays’ for unaccompanied Korean students here to supplement their income.
Gone are expensive tuition or enrichment classes. Five out of seven kirogi mothers interviewed say they have cut it out entirely or switched to cheaper alternatives.
Mrs Natasha Park, 34, says she has stopped her two sons’ weekly tennis and piano lessons, which used to cost her $40 an hour.
She has also terminated the services of the boys’ English and Chinese private tutors, who charged $30 an hour, and enrolled them in group lessons at a tuition centre for half the price.
Indeed, some local tuition agencies here note that since the start of the recession, the number of Korean students has tripled.
Grocery shopping for many is now done in local supermarket chains like NTUC FairPrice and Sheng Siong.
‘The food does taste a little bit different, but I can save up to $300 a month by switching from more expensive supermarkets,’ said Mrs H.K. Moon, 39, who is here with two sons and a daughter.
Five out of six Korean supermarkets interviewed confirm that fewer Korean customers are coming in and they have seen a drop in business of at least 10 per cent.
Finally, cherished trips back home to South Korea and visits from fathers have been reduced or put on hold.
Said Mrs M.K. Lee, 36: ‘My husband has stopped visiting since September last year, and we now talk on the phone only once every three days. We communicate mostly by e-mail. My sons miss their father a lot, but there is nothing we can do.’
Those who stay are tightening their belts
For the Wild Geese families who are staying on here, cost-cutting is the order of the day.
Like many others, Madam An Li Ae, 41, has relocated to new quarters. She moved out of a three-bedroom condominium in Serangoon last October and into a three-room HDB flat in the area. She and her two sons, aged 12 and 15, share the flat with another kirogi family.
Like most kirogi mums, she has been getting $4,000 to $5,000 a month from her schoolteacher husband in South Korea for the past five years. But she will not get as much in a few months’ time.
‘After the won’s value dropped so much, I cannot afford to fork out $3,000 a month just for condominium rental,’ she said.
Associate Professor Kang Yoonhee, a sociologist at the National University of Singapore who does research on Korean migrant families, notes that many kirogi families have downgraded to HDB flats in cheaper areas.
Some provide ‘homestays’ for unaccompanied Korean students here to supplement their income.
Gone are expensive tuition or enrichment classes. Five out of seven kirogi mothers interviewed say they have cut it out entirely or switched to cheaper alternatives.
Mrs Natasha Park, 34, says she has stopped her two sons’ weekly tennis and piano lessons, which used to cost her $40 an hour.
She has also terminated the services of the boys’ English and Chinese private tutors, who charged $30 an hour, and enrolled them in group lessons at a tuition centre for half the price.
Indeed, some local tuition agencies here note that since the start of the recession, the number of Korean students has tripled.
Grocery shopping for many is now done in local supermarket chains like NTUC FairPrice and Sheng Siong.
‘The food does taste a little bit different, but I can save up to $300 a month by switching from more expensive supermarkets,’ said Mrs H.K. Moon, 39, who is here with two sons and a daughter.
Five out of six Korean supermarkets interviewed confirm that fewer Korean customers are coming in and they have seen a drop in business of at least 10 per cent.
Finally, cherished trips back home to South Korea and visits from fathers have been reduced or put on hold.
Said Mrs M.K. Lee, 36: ‘My husband has stopped visiting since September last year, and we now talk on the phone only once every three days. We communicate mostly by e-mail. My sons miss their father a lot, but there is nothing we can do.’
Source: Straits Times, 15 Mar 2009
