The best beers in Asia!

I thought I would write up a little peice on what are the best beers in the region, in my opinion ofcourse!

As there is a rather large drinking culture in Asia with the tourists and expats in the region I thought it would only be fair of me to give my side of the story, however not all views and opinions can be made totally sober so I can assure you that I have FULLY road tested my top ten to the extent where I was viewing them with my beer goggles on and off!

So before I start the count down, I think it is important that I point out that I am not going to name microbrewery beers and such only found in specific bars. So the main rule for this judgement is simple. They must be available from super markets as well as bars.

Number 10

Chang

A lot of people will be asking why is this even made the top 10. The answer is simple, anyone that has ever set foot in Thailand has had one or one too many of these bad boys. It is clearly a cheap made mass produced beer and the price in the bars and shops often reflect this. However it's not all doom and gloom, it is quite strong as beers in the region come as well as being the one that is often on offer during some of Thailand’s best happy hour deals, however watch out for that "Changover" It can be brutal.

Number 9

KingFisher

  

Those of you who really enjoy a good Indian meal will know about this beer already. In fact the only reason it is not up higher on the list is purely because it is very difficult to find outside of an Indian restaurant and I have never in my days heard someone say, "Man that KingFisher last night really got me hammered" Fair enough I have not been to India yet. But even then I am fairly sure they drink other beers there! You may ask why the hell is it on the list then, make way for this fictional beer. No chance as it is simply one of the best beers you could ask for... With an Indian meal of course.

Number 8

Singha

 

Pretty much the most popular beer in Thailand among both locals and foreigners alike. I actually really like the taste of Singha but can totally understand why some might not. Actually I remember flying Thai Airways to Hanoi from London once and me and this jolly nice young French lady decided to get absolutely wasted on this stuff, demanding more and more from the very cute Thai Airways hostesses. I could tell they thought by time we had our 12th can we clearly had enough, however they kept bringing them until we passed out. Ah good times. Anyways why is it number 8 in my opinion other than my awesome memory including French and Thai woman? It tastes good, it's cheap, quite strong and easily available across the most of South East Asia.

Number 7

Tiger

This will be a funny one, I know people that have drank it in Europe, America and Australia will demand that it is higher on the list. However any one that has been to South East Asia knows this is the beer that comes watered down in jug's and draught mugs causing you to piss like a dog with a urine infection, giving off a less than stellar taste and when you wake up it leaves you feeling like you have spent the majority of the night head butting the sidewalk, even if you didn’t... This time. But it is on the list as out of a bottle, chilled and with no Filipinos’ gyrating on your leg its one hell of an awesome beer. So my tip is enjoy it out of a bottle and avoid "Tiger Jug" & "Tiger Mug" deals, even if you’re in the lady bars... You dirty bastard.

Number 6

Tsingtao

 

I will own up and say I have not drunk too much of this beer over my time in the region. However I will admit whenever I did drink it I liked it. I know it has a rather large following with the expat communities in Hong Kong & China and is taking off across other regions. Personally I think if it’s not drank within a couple of minutes of opening the bottle/can it can taste a little funky but again, all round strong beer. Checks all the boxes. Just not a great beer. But good.

Number 5

San Miguel

First, this is not the same one from Spain. This is the one from the Philippines and it is a rather tasty little beer if I do say so myself. I have put it right in the middle of our list because outside of some bars it’s actually quite hard to find. Obviously I have seen it in the Philippines and really only ever found it in Singapore again. Well priced and often on happy our in the form of pints and bottles! Which is all win if you ask me, none of this can nonsense. Only real drawbacks are the lack of availability outside of the mentioned locations and the fact after happy hour there is cheaper choices. For me I would much prefer having one of these to the likes of a Tiger or Heineken. Which says a lot really? This beer really does need to find its way across the world a little bit more.

Number 4

Asahi

For me, this is a great beer, but for colder weather. I just never feel as refreshed after a nice cold bottle of Asahi. I can’t quite put my finger on it but the one excuse I could give it would be that it’s too dry! However the taste in my opinion is excellent out of a can or a bottle and is one of the few beers I could enjoy warm. I really can’t fault it and to be fair when I was in Hong Kong and Taiwan it was my beer of choice, always. I just loved it. One of the problems I have found inside and outside of Japan is this beer can get pricey in comparison to others. So with that fact alone it will sit at a respectable 4th in this very official ranking of tasty alcoholic beverages

Number 3

San Mig Light

Now anyone that knows me knows I think light beers are for woman... And Americans. This said San Mig Light is the lighter version of the previously mentioned Filipino San Miguel. However it is still holding a rather high percentage and seems the only thing light about it is the taste. I often refer to it as a better version of Corona which in itself is an enjoyable beer. The reason for such high placement is because this beer is very tasty, often cheap and very easy to find. Also it always seems to come in bottles which are my favourite. Great for nights out and sitting on the beach during the day. I couldn’t ask for more and some of the best times I have had have been around this beer. I once managed to consume 26 bottles of it over the course of an afternoon on the Indonesian Island of Batam which is a story for another day. For all of those reasons this beer sits proudly at number 3. Great beer.

Number 2

Sapporo

I must be honest this is a beer I have only really been drinking in the past year but I would much rather have it than anything else. I really do love it and the fact it is sold in 7/11's across South East Asia, in bars in Vietnam, Hong Kong, Mongolia, China and of course in its native Japan makes it clearly a popular choice. But fuck what others think I absolutely love it and for no other reason than it tastes great, is affordable, drinkable warm, excellent for all weathers and most importantly doesn’t leave me pissing like a racehorse or feeling bloated. I cannot sing its praises high enough and it would indeed be at my top spot of it was not for the sheer memories of the first choice. Sapporo I salute you for being the only beer I don't feel bad about drinking at 8 am. Such a great beer in fact I am having one as I write this!

Number 1

333 (Ba, Ba, Ba)

I totally love this beer and everything it stands for. Being the most common beer drank by the locals and westerners in Vietnam, especially the South it really is bloody fucking awesome. I have never had a beer that tastes so good for the price. I shit you not 1 can of this in a bar will set you back 30p/50cents fuck calculating in Euros but you get my point. Inside of a shop you are looking around 4/5Pounds & 6/7 Dollars which is a super bargain no matter which budget you’re on. This beer is not only cheap but excellent to drink. I honestly would have a can of this over any other beer in the world. It just was the best thing ever about living in Vietnam for me, which I know is sad but fuck it. I and my flat mate during good times and bad times would always have at least 24 of these bad boys stocked in the fridge. The beauty is you can drink and drink and drink then wake up not feeling one bit worse than before you started drinking, actually probably better! I don't want this beer to be pushed across the world as it is everything that is great about Vietnam in one little shiny tin. Thanks for the memories 333. I hope for many more.

So that is that, a long sweaty blog post about the different beers I enjoy in the region. Probably not as informative as some would hope but I am sorry I don't give a shit about hops and brewing techniques. I care about the fun factors and the times they bring.

As always I would like to hear your thoughts on any of the above mentioned and if you think I have overlooked something?

Pangkor, Malaysia's local paradise island! Round 1

Is this the hidden little gem that many western folk over look when living/visiting Malaysia?

Pangkor Island, not to be confused with Pangkor Laut which is the private resort island that won some prestigious holiday award for its natural beauty with its secluded island villa's and sea stilt rooms. Pangkor Island its self has never won such award yet is less than 3 miles away from such a beautiful little gem.

Now to point out I have visited the majority of Malaysia's beautiful islands like Redang, Langkawi, Tioman and Perhentian. I can without any doubt in my mind say that the most fun I have ever had, and the only one I visited again was Pangkor Island. Why? Well I don't quite know... It does not have the beaches of Perhentian, the Natural beauty of Tioman and the great hotels of Langkawi but it does have its charms. People often give me strange looks in Malaysia when I make that statement but it’s true, I genuinely have a weird affection for this humble little rock on the west coast of Malaysia.

The first time I went I really had no expectations; I was living in Kuala Lumpur at the time and didn’t have the money to fly to any of the fancy islands but really needed a break. Me, my girlfriend and my friend decided to go to Pangkor which you can easily get to by bus and ferry. First we got the bus tickets for around 10USD each, jumped on the coach, cracked the beers and the 4 hours went by quite fast due to the excitement of actually getting a break from the rat race in Kuala Lumpur. Time went quickly and we arrived at the coastal town of Lumut which is actually a very pleasant little place and we got down to eating some food then boarding the ferry to Pangkor Island. Again, nothing fancy just a small ferry/boat that lasts about 30-40 minutes across the sea to this big island that you can see pretty much from the coast of Lumut. You arrive on the island are instantly hit with the barrage of local taxi drivers, bike rental blokes and various other people wanting to provide services for their new guests. We did not have a hotel booked but we decided it was best to rent some mopeds and scoot around the island looking for the best choice rather than booking from a website. Naturally this was a great idea.

After hours or driving around the island getting used to being back on a moped and the crazy little roads on the island we found the Seaview Resort at the west end of the island overlooking the posh island of Pangkor Laut. We checked in, it was rather cheap so we took a beach front chalet overlooking the sea which was extremely nice and got down to the task of finding some food and booze. We zoomed around the island stopping at many of the little fishing settlements and beachfront eateries having a beer and trying some of the food before moving on to the next. Eventually we ended up back in the centre of the main little town on the island which seems to house the majority of the shops selling all sorts of tourist stuff as well as groceries. We decided to stock up on beers; rum and potato chips and head back to the hotel and enjoy what was rest of the night...

We woke up the following morning rather early and headed over to the main building for our free breakfast which was much better than expected and extremely entertaining with big hornbill birds sitting at your table and sharing food with you. I got the omelette. Birds don't eat omelette. We headed to pool for a quick swim before jumping back on the bikes and decided to tour the island some more. The way to think about it is one big road around the coast of the island with lots of roads crisscrossing each other. The middle of the island gets a little hilly and rather green so it is good for wildlife spotting and becoming a victim of monkey theft. Yes that’s correct if you leave anything out the monkeys will come down from the tree's and take it from you without hesitation or fear. It gets tiresome so we moved on. Riding around the centre off the island is quite tough the steep bending roads with crazy local taxi drivers zipping around on their bright pink minivans shuttling local tourists to and from their resorts for over inflated fares. We noticed along the road at the east side of the island there was many nice little fishing villages with lots of little place to sit and have a beer and some food, mostly local fish noodle dishes. The food in the island is not what I would call excellent but is certainly edible especially after a few beers.


We decided to see what the more local side of the island was like so we rode off to the centre of the main little town and looked around the shops and houses to see what it would be like to live on the island. We noticed a few housing developments were being built and some just finished still sitting empty. The prices of these houses were incredibly cheap compared to other Malaysian towns and cities which gave me a different view on life in the country outside of Kuala Lumpur, interesting to see. The rest of the day we spent visiting the Old Dutch port remains and looking for monitor lizards across the island. Probably not the smartest thing to be doing but we did feel we had done almost everything we could on the island its self, or at least so we thought.

Dinner time approached and we decided to gather some supplies (which was really just beer) and head back to the hotel. As we arrived back we realised that we had been out in the sun too long and were starting to resemble lobsters. We checked what was on the menu at the hotel and it was not all that appealing but was told that if we went along the road a bit there was this secluded little resort that had a nice restaurant in it. We jumped back on the bikes and went to check it out. Nice did not describe how good the menu was, I was genuinely surprised at the choices and I myself went for the Mozambique chicken which was really, really good. After that went over to the bar to watch the live band perform what seemed to just be Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams and other pop rock ballads. After a few nice drinks, good food and some bad music we set off for a drive around the island again, but this time at night. With a storm over head it was quite exciting zipping around watching the lightning out at sea and fork across the sky stopping off to watch it at certain points. A quick look at the watch and we noticed that it was probably best to head back to the hotel and try to get some sleep before another early rise!

Morning broke with the clattering of the cleaning lady next door throwing shit around making as much noise as possible so we decided to head out and have breakfast with those hornbills again. Omelette and OJ for me thanks smothering it in as much chilli sauce as possible to give it at least some flavour. After that we went down to the beach to ask if it was possible to go on a boat ride around the island and possibly stop off at some secluded beaches for swimming and such. After much enquiring and haggling we found a guy willing to do it, he said come back in an hour and stock up on food and drinks. I asked him "why?" He said he would take us around the island then drop us off at a nice beach for a few hours and come back to get us, "perfect!" we said. We popped into the busy little centre town to pick up some rum, beers and food as well as a cooler box to take with us, sunscreen was also on the list as we were already bad enough without making it worse. We arrived back at the beach and jumped aboard the little boat then off we set cruising around the island looking at all the points of interest along the way. The main thing we were shown was the secluded resort island of Pangkor Laut which is privately owned with all their pristine beaches and lovely sea view villas before heading off to a private beach you can only get to by boat.

After hopping off the boat and settling on the beach we got down to having a beer picnic on the beach in the shade and just enjoyed the couple of hours we had... As the drinks went down we decided to head into the water for a swim before heading back to the beach to finish off what we had in the cooler and the food basket. Hard to explain really how nice it was just to sit on a beach all day and enjoy doing completely nothing with no sign of life in front of you or around you, it really was a welcome little break from the past year or so of Kuala Lumpur living and the crazy bike riding around the island of Pangkor.

On the boat ride back we were all a little bit drunk, sleepy and sunburnt but all quite happy and looking forward to a nice dinner and an early night before heading back to Kuala Lumpur the next day. I was advised to check out a hotel close to us for some light dinner and a more relaxed atmosphere which I did and really enjoyed before going round the island on the moped one more time. All in all it was an excellent day only spoiled by the large bugs that often fly into you when you’re driving along as well as the extreme heat and sunburn.

We got back to the hotel, got the head down and woke up the next day nice and early to head back to the jetty and get on the ferry back to Lumut. However there was a huge problem returning one of the mopeds. One of the guys we rented it from claimed my friend had dented it (which he certainly did not) and was demanding 200 myr from us or we would not be getting back onto the ferry. The reason we went to this island in the first place was we were on a budget and 200 myr was something by the end of the break we didn’t have. After a lot of bad noise and hand waving we managed to explain we done nothing wrong and he eventually let us get on the ferry, knowing we only had around an hour to get to our bus we were cutting it fine. Any problems on this boat on the way back and we were going to miss our bus and really I had no idea if there were other options. Luckily we made it with just minutes to spare, which we spent in 7 11 topping up our beer count and some snacks for the long ride home.

After getting off the bus in Kuala Lumpur we headed back to my condo to have a look at the photos and basically talk over the weekend break we had and one thing that we all agreed on was, Pangkor is excellent value for money. If your not to bothered about the comfort of your hotel and the your food is less than 5 star then it’s really a good alternative and a cheaper one than some of the more popular islands around the country.

I think looking back on it now almost 3 years later I still have a little part of me that would love to go back and visit Pangkor, drive around the island and generally just get up to all the stupid things you would on such a place. I have a great affection for the local people there too, often it said Malaysian people are some of the friendliest in the world and you could be forgiven for thinking someone was lying to you when they told you that after living in Kuala Lumpur for a while, but on Pangkor the people were genuinely among the most pleasant I have ever met. I would have no issues ever if someone suggests Pangkor as an alternative and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for something a little different.

Maybe you might like to give it a try sometime!

So, what is there to do in Mongolia?

What happens when two young guys decide to visit Ulaanbaatar for Christmas?

Well the correct answer to this is probably nothing; I first went to Mongolia over the Christmas and New Year period a few years back. Why? You ask? Well I was in Singapore living at the time and I and my friend had left it late to book something to go away for the festive period, which in Singapore is a bad idea unless you want to pay mega bucks.

We looked and looked at the popular destinations like Bali, Phuket, Langkawi and Hong Kong but there was nothing. So we decided to look at further locations such as Hanoi, Tokyo and even China but still everything was so expensive! Literally we thought we were going to be stuck in Singapore over the holidays until we stumbled upon a little travel shop near parkway parade. 

As we sat down and spoke with the travel lady and she explained to us that really, we have to pay a lot of money to go anywhere popular which prompted the question from myself, what about obscure? Do you have anything that might be a bit more different from the normal requests...? She smiled and at first offered a Guided tour of North Korea's Pyongyang for 5 days but the price was still a bit high, although we really did consider what it would be like to spend Christmas in North Korea there were just too many connections and stipulations as well as the high price.

It really did seem like we were getting nowhere fast or even slow until she said "Ulaanbaatar" I was like "where now?" "Mongolia" she said....I had to pause for a moment and remember anything I actually knew about the country and then it call came to me, Genghis Khan! "That’s it! Sign us up! How much though?" Surprisingly the flights were not that expensive and the system was a bunch of recommended hotels in and around the capital Ulaanbaatar which sounded ok. The only down side was the long flights to Beijing then Ulaanbaatar and then Seoul on the way back but there was really no other option and I probably would find it difficult to have an excuse to ever visit Mongolia again so we paid and received our information.

The flight was ok and the wait in Beijing was not too long before we touched down in Ulaanbaatar, the one thing that hit me was... It was cold, freezing cold and probably the coldest place I had ever been. My Iphone told me it was -32 degrees and my friend needed to wait outside of the terminal to have a cigarette which seemed like the longest wait ever. We hopped a cab to the hotel that we had chosen, which was the Temuujin Hotel named after Genghis Khan himself located at the Bayanzurkh district of Ulaanbaatar. Which is considered the “old part of town” As if the rest of it is very new or something?

After settling in I met my friend down in the bar and the one thing that struck is was the large number of Japanese people we had seen in and around the hotel... This was odd. Anyway we got down to the business of wrapping up warm and walking around and exploring our surroundings. We completed this task in about 30 minutes as there really was not much to see. I and my travel buddy felt very disappointed and a bit let down so we decided to jump on the Wi-Fi and see what there was to do and where to seek out some dinner. After some looking around we came across a place called the Grand Khaan Irish Pub which to us sounded like the best bloody place we could have hoped for. So we burst in there like a bunch of wild idiots expecting to be warmed by a dark pub playing British music with Guinness on tap and some Irish strew on the menu... Slightly wrong of course, we had to settle for some local beer and the best western food on the menu we were told was the burger. After consuming a large quantity of local beer it hit me, this really should not be called an Irish pub it should be some kind of musical tribute bar with a lot of old instruments decorating the place but again, no complaints as the beer was going down very nicely indeed and the chat (in English) with the local bar staff was making it all the more better of an experience. The rest of the night becomes rather hazy however the faint memory of singing, card games and Michael Jackson dance moves remained.

 The bitter cold and the smell of old beer on my own breath wake me up. Hangover kicks in and I couldn’t possibly feel worse... Oh wait, I am in Mongolia. Fuck. If I was back in Singapore I would just hop on down to Boat Quay for a lovely big fry up breakfast and soak up this horrible feeling but what do I do? I know there is a mean burger at that Irish bar but I am also aware that a bunch of crazy drunk Mongol bar staff that now know how to moon walk there waiting for me, despair! Ah time for my secret weapon. I know someone in Ulaanbaatar, a Mongolian girl.... Probably the best looking girl I ever met and she told me to let her know I was in town. I thought who better to know where to find some really good food in this frozen city.

She arrived we got in her car and off we went, I was being taken to the best place for westerners to hang out and chill I was told. I was looking forward to this but as we arrived I realised I was being taken back to the Grand Khaan Irish Pub! I sighed "we were here last night, this is what gave me this horrible hangover" It didn’t seem to matter though as she convinced us to get inside and have a pint of Guinness (which I didn’t realise they actually served) and some more food. The menu seemed much better than the previous day. After hours of catching up and drinking we realised it was quite late, approaching midnight actually and my host decided that we should hit Mongolia's top nightclub. I really did wonder what this would be like even if I felt like I had been dragged though a hedge backwards. I decided to go along. We arrived at a place called "Flux" as far as I remember it was not expensive to get in, Around 15 USD for the 3 of us (15,000 Tugriks). Seemed like a bargain. The music was mostly Trance, the drinks were quite cheap and the people inside seemed friendly enough to keep me calm and not worried what could happen if I accidentally got too drunk again.

The night passed and I woke up again with a hangover and a powerful lust for some good food but I had promised myself to make sure I done more cultural things today. I called my friend up and explained that I wanted to see some of the sights around the city! "It’s too cold she said, why don't we just go back to the Irish bar?" I declined and pushed the issue that I had 2 days left and I wanted to see some of the sights. Eventually I got her to agree to pick us up in half an hour outside our hotel. That gave us 30 minutes to drink as much local beer at the hotel bar as we could. Challenge accepted.

Since my school days and learning stories of Genghis storming around Asia taking over country by country with his mental wife Borte by his side, I always wanted to know more about one of the world’s most hidden countries. It was best our first port of call was the Natural History Museum of Mongolia which was an interesting place to visit, lots of good information and warmer than being outside. I had managed to shake off my hangover in the hotel bar so I was able to focus and take in a lot of information. Well worth a visit if you have time. Next on the list we pulled off the internet was the HUGE! Genghis Khan square near the centre of the city. It was a bitterly cold and crisp day so we could not spend too much time looking around before we ducked into a nice little coffee shop for a warm up. Next up and last on the list for the days cultural exposure was the Gandantegchinlen Khiid temple. Very much a hidden gem in Ulaanbaatar and must see if you like to see local monasteries and such. A very enjoyable five or six hours learning about the history of Mongolia.

After we were done we went back to the Irish Bar for some dinner and a few more beers before our host decided to give us a very nice surprise and offered us to stay in their house over night and sample what local life is like for the average Mongol! "YES! that sounds like a bloody awesome idea" I told her. So we shuffled back to the hotel, packed up some stuff and headed over to her house to meet her family and share some local dinner, drinks and general amusement at the two silly western people sitting in their living room. One thing that hit me almost instantly upon entering her house was the extreme cold these amazing people can deal with and think it’s actually quite comfortable. We soon got shown to our room which had some very nice single beds in them with very heavy blankets and a little electric heater. We settled in then headed into the main room to meet everyone and get the introductions out the way, very awkward as I was not quite sure we were fully invited by everyone, or maybe they did not know we were coming. With my friend doing the translations we started explaining what our hometowns were like and that we lived in Singapore and that Mongolia was a cold but naturally beautiful country, we had also managed to procure some gifts from the hotel to give to our hosts which broke the ice nicely. 

Dinner arrived along with some milk like alcohol (I still have no idea what it was) but it tasted very similar to Japanese sake which I really didn’t mind. Dinner was a simple beef soup, rather tasteless with large chunks of vegetable and lots of meat that took a lot of chewing. It was very bland but again not offensive. Surprisingly the house started to heat up (or it was the milky booze) and the jokes, card games, general photo sharing and information swapping continued. It must have been around 3 am before we actually managed to head off to bed which again was extremely comfortable. We were allowed to sleep in until around 12 when our host told us breakfast was waiting for us. We came back into the main room to find some eggs and bread was waiting for us which we ate quickly before thanking all of our wonderful hosts as we heading back to the hotel.

Our last day in Mongolia was going to be a quiet affair; we did make one more trip back to the Irish pub to say goodbye to the people there which turned into 4 hours of drinking with them again but it was enjoyable and worth it. We headed back to the hotel for dinner and to reflect on our few days, questioning was it worth what we paid, the answer was a straight yes... Well worth it and really enjoyable. The next day was Christmas but we really didn’t care. In fact we were in such a good mood we called up our local friend again and asked her to take us clubbing which knowing her she was right up for. Back to Flux we went, a little more expensive this time but we also got some free drinks with our entry which was cool. Again, the night passed so quickly due to meeting interesting people and having an awesome time in general which was really not expected? We arrived back home knowing we had an early morning flight and decided not to go to sleep as the thought of missing our flight terrified us, however we could have easily extended our stay if it was at all financial possible.

The next day came; we checked out and hit the airport saying our goodbyes to the friendly Japanese speaking Mongols working in our hotel. We boarded our flight to Seoul and then on to Singapore sleeping most of the way and just generally thankful that we even got to visit Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

To summarize it really is a worthwhile place to see, maybe it would have been nicer if it was a lot warmer but again somehow that added to the charm of it. Here are some of the goods and bads in my opinion...

Goods -

• Once in a life time place to visit and see
• Great cultural experience and such a historical place
• Some of the best looking woman I have ever seen in my life, imagine a cross between Russian and Korean
• Cheap considered to the majority of Asia countries
• Lovely people, so friendly and welcoming.
• You can get Guinness and there is an Irish pub, I was also told there is a few more but I didn’t visit them.
• Naturally stunning, such a beautiful country visibly. Unlike anything I have ever seen.
• Although the weather is cold, it’s a very crisp cold and a welcome change from the polluted cities in Asia

Bads -

• Not the easiest or cheapest place to get to. 
• It is very cold, so cold in fact that it hurts.
• There seems to be a lot of young violent men, so be advised when speaking to local girls.
• Food - it’s not great if I’m honest and even their take on western food severely lacks taste.
• English level is not all that great, not as bad as some places but it’s difficult unless you know someone there.

So to sum it all up it was a fantastic idea rather than the usual Phuket or Bali. I will never ever regret going there and actually because of that I went back the following year for a bit more time and to see my hosts again. Like I said I was really not expecting the cold and was not prepared for how cold it actually gets which is really my fault. I can't speak highly enough and would recommend anyone to see the city before it becomes rich from natural resources and changes, you can already see that happening with shiny new office towers going up in the centre. I would advise you try to learn a bit of the history before going as the people really seem to like the fact you know about their country. 

As always I will end this post with saying I hope you enjoyed or found the information above useful, again it’s not meant to be a tour guide or anything but what it was like for a young 20something to experience it his own way.

As always, if you have any questions please just ask! 

Working in Singapore

Guide to working and living in Singapore at a young age without a degree!

I thought I would write up some information from personal experience and experience of friends on how to get a job in Singapore legally with a work permit and salary! First things first don't think this is easy and don't expect the jobs to be something that you can build a lifelong career from. I just feel it’s important for people that don't have the privilege of a good educational background to know they have options such as Singapore, even if it is a tougher road to go down.

You might ask how do you know this for sure? Well I have worked in two different job sectors in Singapore and had 3 work permits over 3 different companies spanning 2 years. Again let me point out it’s not always easy but it is possible you just need to find the right company and have the right attitude towards it. Let’s start with some information about Singapore from my point of view.

Singapore - 

I think it is important to understand what Singapore as a country is like from the eye of someone who lives there rather than a passing tourist. Very quickly you realise Singapore is very different from the rest of Asia in that it is a business driven city, every large investment house, advisory firm, trading company and law firm you can think of has a base there! It really is one giant financial hub and is rapidly becoming the place to be for any company looking to peddle their services in Asia in general. I feel it won’t be long until it passes Hong Kong as the premier working and business location in the region.

With that said it is obvious that Singapore will not be a cheap place to live thus a decent salary is fundamentally essential. You will hear people say "you can live as expensive or as cheap as you want." That is not really true at all there is nothing cheap about Singapore, even a decent standard "local" meal like sweet and sour pork from a local vendor is around 6-10 Singapore dollars which at the moment is around 3-5 British pounds and on and on in other currencies. The problem is the Singapore currency its self it just keeps getting stronger and the locals just keep getting richer while the salaries don’t often change to reflect this.

So what is a good salary then? Well as a young western person in Singapore you need to look at earning around $3000-$6000sgd to survive and live a life that is a relatively decent standard and with the information listed below it is entirely possible to find that.

So with this information I best tell you what type of jobs you can expect to get in Singapore! Here is the list....

Financial Services - It is important to understand that with Singapore being such a rich country, which means there are a lot of people in need of financial services and there are a lot of companies in Singapore willing to cater to them! I believe the correct term is offshore financial services companies and they often hire young western people to come out and do their marketing.

The job is often called a "business development manager" or "financial co-ordinator" and what it actually is, is a telesales job but it’s a telesales job with a difference! You are required to learn a bit about the industry you are working and it comes with a career as a financial adviser if you do well! Basically you start off with a list of names given to you, these names are of people living in Singapore and usually other western or foreign people that you have to "cold call" with the objective of getting them to meet with one of the financial advisers in your company and that’s about that! Simples!!! I hear you say? Wrong - there is lots of these companies in Singapore and lots of these people making phone calls and it is considered quite a cut throat business but if you are confident on the phone and confident in your selling ability you can make a lot of money.

What’s the pay like? The pay is decent. You will get a base between $1500-$5000 depending on the company and how good they think you are. Usually with the lower basic you are provided with accommodation and with the higher you need to find your own.  Then you are paid commissions on deals your financial adviser signs up from the meetings you provide him with. A good "coordinator" will average around 3/4 deals per month and it is difficult to give the average of a deal size but I find the figure of $1000 per deal as a good and realistic average. So if you work hard and are focused you can make a very good living and then progress on to becoming a financial adviser.

What are the down sides of this? There is quite a few actually! You need to be good on the phone and can handle rejection. You also need to have to deal with some of the most egotistical workers you will ever come across and you need to fit in! As the people in these companies tend to hang out with each other all the time and if you don't fit in your not really ever going to make it, their famous saying is "piss or get off the potty" which couldn’t be a more spot on way to sum them up. Lastly your often depending on your financial adviser to make you any form of decent money and this can be difficult as I have seen x car salesmen, x window cleaners and x army folk work these jobs with no real clue what they are selling to their clients.

To sum it up - The only reason I would recommend this job in the first place is Singapore. Singapore is heavily regulated by a financial regulator known as MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore) and with this the financial advisers need to quit their cowboy behaviour and actually do a good job. As at the end of the day you’re asking people to put their life’s savings in the hands of your company’s advisers so you need to know they will at least be looked after. My advice is to give it a try and it gets you in the door, it’s a good way to see Singapore and understand what the business mentality is like.

Recruitment - The recruitment industry is a little more difficult to get into however it is not impossible especially if you understand what it is a recruitment consultant actually does. However the job its self comes with a much higher basic than that of the job mentioned above. Again though it’s all dependent on how good you are and the companies standing in the city.

What does a Recruitment Consultant actually do? Well there is a simple answer to that which is... To find people work. However the job is not as simple as it sounds. You are often working on behalf of companies such as banks and law firms to find workers for their companies. So you would often get a mandate like "please find us a private banker for this salary with this experience" then you will advertise this position, screen the applicants and send over the good ones to your client company. If they are hired your company gets commissions and then you get some.

Seems like a simple job right? Wrong... It has become a high pressured sales industry just like the above mentioned one but it is a lot less demanding. Like the above there are literally hundreds of recruitment houses in Singapore the only issue is they are not regulated like the financial industry. With that said the people working in this industry seem to be a lot less egotistical and far more mature in mind.

At the end of the day, this is a job you can make a career with and continue to do for the rest of your life if you’re good at it and make a very decent living. However you do need to be self driven and target orientated as well as very ethical as your working with people’s lives at the end of the day.

Market Research - As Singapore has literally millions of companies throughout the island fighting for a foothold in their respective industries and with this they need market research. This has spawned market research companies.

What is the job exactly? Well its simple, you are employed to call up relevant companies in your market and do surveys. It is a very simple job, telesales without selling anything just information gathering. The salaries are generally mid level and there are performance bonuses!

My personal opinion is this type of job holds no career and is just a way to make money and live in a location for experience rather than career building. It is fairly high pressured but again, tell me a job that is not in Singapore!

Sports Coaching - Relatively straight forward here... If you have a passion for some form of sport and some experience from your school or what not, you can coach it. Singapore is a country with a lot of sporting ambition but very little actual sporting talent and with this they often need to outsource good coaching staff
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Outside of that there are the people that just like to learn how to play sports better after work; sports such as tennis, golf and swimming have become popular sports for school kids and after work activities.

So who usually hires? Well there is random sports companies throughout the island that hire athletic people with a gift in sports to teach others and you can apply to them, they are often your best bet. However if you have some kind of background in sports you can often pick up interviews with embassies and schools!

What do you get paid? Well again most of the companies go by hourly rate and you make a portion of that as well as a basic salary. One thing to keep in mind is the weather in Singapore. It is extremely warm so keep that in mind if you are looking to play an outdoor sport!

So what about working visas? I have heard they are extremely difficult to get, especially if you don’t have a degree? Well like I said not entirely true. Yes if you have a degree it is much easier to get a working visa in Singapore however do not despair there is other options and one of them is NOT obtaining a fake degree, don’t worry!

In Singapore you’re often on a year to year work permit called an Employment Pass (EP) and that is what all of the above mentioned jobs will apply for, for you. However this is actually quite tough to get and the acceptance level depends on a very stringent tick box mentality that Singapore adopts. Stuff like relevant experience, salary in Singapore, age and academic background all matter so sometimes it’s better to look at the less known and better option.

The other option is the less know Special Pass (S-pass) basically this pass is used for domestic workers and construction workers from poor Asian countries; however as a foreign national you are eligible to apply for it. With the standards for this pass much lower than that of the EP it’s often well worth applying for. The Singaporean government will reject the first application from your sponsoring company without a doubt however a good appeal is all it takes and you have your working visa.

What is the difference? Well nothing really... You can still work and live on the island for as long as the pass permits (usually a year at a time) you can still get things such as bank accounts, credit cards and accommodation can still be obtained with the S-pass. However you might need to deal with people mocking you for having a domestic workers pass, especially if you take the financial advisory option!

Some advice I would give to anyone looking to go to Singapore would be to keep on the right side of the law. Singapore has some very strict laws and as a foreigner you need to make sure you abide by them or they will make an example of you. Also Singapore has a very big drinking and dating scene, which can be a whole load of fun but it is also a very quick way to end up on a plane back home, especially for a young person. My advice would be to always keep the aforementioned in mind.

If you are keen on seeking employment in the above sectors in Singapore it is quite simple really, all you need to do is Google a lot of what I have wrote above, but if you are still having no luck drop me a note I am always willing to offer some help.

I hope the information above is at least useful for some and again any questions, just ask!