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[stickball]

Does anyone have any insight into Nanyang University in Singapore?  Or what it's like for an American to live and work in Singapore?  Thanks...

[expat2007]

Do you mean Nanyang Technological University (NTU)?

There is also a Nanyang Polytechnic and a Nanyang Junior College.  However, I think that they are all separate schools.

NTU is a bit smaller than the National University of Singapore (NUS), but NTU does have a fairly nice campus from what I've seen of it.

Both NTU and NUS seem to pay well, but they tend to expect quite a bit in terms of research, etc.

There are probably more Aussies and Brits than Americans working in Singapore generally.

 

[stickball]

Sorry about the confusion expat2007.  I was referring to NTU.  Thanks for the comments...

[sandrino]

Hi Stickball,

I've spent a bit of time at NTU (several short visits), and echo what expat says... the pay is apparently very good, but expectations for teaching, research, and service are all high, and the tenure process is - to my view - not as straightforward as in North America. I think the students are very good, and facilities seem pretty good.

The campus is attractive, but it's quite a long way from the center of Singapore. I wouldn't mind spending time there, say for a sabbatical or similar, but I'd find it difficult to live in Singapore for too long a time - it's too small, isolated, and Singaporean for my liking (a bit restrictive, a bit too inward-looking). Food's great, Tiger beer is good, shopping's great, but other activities are limited. Options for weekend trips, for example, are not abundant, unless you fly somewhere. However, lots of expats live there, with varying degrees of satisfaction, much like anywhere else, I imagine.

For a similar type of Asian/city-state/English-speaking academic experience, I'd prefer Hong Kong, where HKU and CUHK among others are often hiring, and which is much more interesting and even more filled with expats than Singapore, although again, mostly UK/Aussies it seems. Of course, HK is communist, if that matters to you.

[stickball]

Thanks Sandrino, I appreciate the candor...

[upanova]

I spent a week in Singapore but wasn't able to visit NTU due to other committments. Singapore is a small country, but it's very strategically located. There is a lot to do if you want to get away from the omnipresent shopping. You can explore Singapore itself, take a train to Malaysia, or fly to nearby tropical islands.
The main advantage is: it's clean, it's the safest city in the world, and salaries are reportedly excellent. There is a boom on in my field, and my new uni will be opening a campus there next year, so I may be back.

[histdd]

I have been at the National University of Singapore for five years, making me something of a veteran. Most expats leave Singapore within the first three year contract, many within a year. There are reasons for this: most notably, the excellent salaries and conditions are not all that excellent once you actually arrive, and you quickly learn that you have no real ability to pursue your rights. More importantly, you realize that as a foreigner, you will be seen as a hired gun. Your superiors are political appointees who will come to resent your success, if you have any. This is not a place to make a career, although it can be a nice place for a very senior person to spend a few highly paid years.

Oh and in case you are wondering, I am only here because I have not been able to find another job.

[nomadescientist]

I have been at the National University of Singapore for five years, making me something of a veteran. Most expats leave Singapore within the first three year contract, many within a year. There are reasons for this: most notably, the excellent salaries and conditions are not all that excellent once you actually arrive, and you quickly learn that you have no real ability to pursue your rights. More importantly, you realize that as a foreigner, you will be seen as a hired gun. Your superiors are political appointees who will come to resent your success, if you have any. This is not a place to make a career, although it can be a nice place for a very senior person to spend a few highly paid years.

Oh and in case you are wondering, I am only here because I have not been able to find another job.

Be careful of what you say!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_in_Singapore

I would never work or live in such a place.

[haiku]

Like stickball, I am looking closely at NTU. I like the research and teaching focus of the department that I would potentially join, but I do have questions about the school's location. Is the campus isolated or is it close enough to a community (shopping, entertainment, etc)? If the university does not provide housing, what would be a good location to scout for apartments, one that's accessible to both the city and NTU? Ideally, I would like to stay close to the MRT. I'd really appreciate any help with this - I tried looking at expatsingapore.com, but as another poster observed, the housing options they featured were just beyond my budget.       

[halfandhalf]

I spent ten months as a research associate at NTU. It depends what you mean by isolated. Its dorms and faculty housing are the farthest west residential areas in the country, so it takes a good hour (by bus and then train) to get downtown. There is one hawker centre (food court) open 24 hours about a twenty-minute walk from NTU's campus. I was annoyed at the commute times by the time I left, since it was 60 to 90 minutes each way every time I wanted to go shopping or eating on Orchard Road. There is a large shopping mall at the train station (Boon Lay) closest to NTU. You have to take one of two buses to get there. Compared to any US city, NTU isn't any more isolated than a regular suburb, but it's not like you can fall out of bed and run errands in your neighborhood. Of course, you can't really do that if you live on campus at NUS either.

[ajnd80]

I have read at numerous places including on this forum that salaries at NTU and NUS are internationally competitive. Anyone care to provide ballpark numbers for salary to be expected for a starting Asssistant Professor position in an engineering department at NTU? Does it matter whether you are local or international?


cheers,

A

[dundee]

I was recently chatting with a faculty member at Nanyang who is an expat from a Commonwealth country. He said the pay is good and the students are strong, but he is leaving after a year to take up a position in his home country. He said most expats don't stay in Singapore for long because they find the culture too oppressive, especially if they are from New Zealand or Australia. He made many of the points made my sandrino above.

[skyrock]

The starting pay for an assistant professor is roughly S$7000 and as a foreigner you get 14.5% more on top of that as they do not contribute to a pension fund for you and you're also eligible for a housing allowance of around S$2000 that locals don't get. Like Hong Kong, you get a higher take home pay if you're not local.

[lifetooshort]

Have been a visiting professor there  and transportation into downtown is OK due to satellite phone that sends taxis to the university, but getting back can be hell. Cabs are hard to get in Singapore unless you are an insider with mobile phone who knows what numbers to call. Avoid Friday nights in particular, as well as SUNTEC Convention Center. Personally, I cannot stand for 2 hours to wait for a cab due to health problems, and that is one reason why I do not like to go to Singapore.

Also be careful about age cap for professors there.

[gusgus]

Singapore was on my list to visit this summer but i am now reconsidering. Thanks