amarieh5
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« on: February 14, 2012, 12:41:36 AM » |
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Anyone here teach at a university in Singapore? What is it like? How does it compare to the universities in the US (R1 and SLAC)? What are the students like?
What is it like to live in Singapore in general? Is it really difficult to find a decent sized apartment and be able to afford it on a temporary faculty member salary? Is it easy to travel around Singapore and to nearby countries?
Did you find that you went through a big adjustment when you first moved there? Culture shock?
Are the laws as strict as they say they are?
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bacardiandlime
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That makes me more gangster than you
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« Reply #1 on: February 14, 2012, 01:29:50 AM » |
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I have lived there, it was great. I was already familiar with the place though, so it wasn't such a culture shock. Some laws are strict, but I never got a sense of a heavy police presence - I have felt far more controlled in Europe, having to register my address with the cops, etc. I didn't have to do anything like that in Singapore. Singapore gets a rough ride among those who call it a "police state", it really isn't.
Housing is expensive. Like, more expensive than London or Manhattan, if you can't get an HDB (govt housing) apartment. However, your university may have housing or give you additional funds for it.
I was researching, not teaching, so I can't really speak to the student body. But the impression I get is that they are well-prepared, and at NUS as good as at any R1.
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amarieh5
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« Reply #2 on: February 14, 2012, 04:08:01 PM » |
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Thanks for your response. How difficult is it to get HDB housing if you are only in Singapore temporarily?
SUTD is the school I'm looking at, if I get hired. It starts its first class this year.
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bacardiandlime
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That makes me more gangster than you
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« Reply #3 on: February 14, 2012, 04:40:32 PM » |
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If you're there for less than a year, you won't get HDB. It's possible you could sublet, but that's a bit of a legal grey area. I suggest asking the university what they can offer.
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oldfullprof
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« Reply #5 on: February 18, 2012, 01:33:55 AM » |
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I heard academics may work 5.5 day weeks, with daily reporting expected.
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Take reality personally. It's more fun that way.
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crkens
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« Reply #6 on: February 18, 2012, 11:21:26 AM » |
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I'd be careful, it's always 1984 in Singapore.
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jenin
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« Reply #7 on: February 18, 2012, 07:58:44 PM » |
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I am also considering a position in Singapore at a school affiliated with NUS. Could anyone comment on the quality of cultural life (as compared to research universities in the US)? Also I would be grateful for book recommendations about Singapore, past and present.
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bacardiandlime
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« Reply #8 on: Yesterday at 02:53:18 AM » |
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You could try Notes from an Even Smaller Island. It will give you some details about what students are like in the classroom (the author worked teaching English I think), and life there as an expat.
Mary Turnbull's History of Modern Singapore is the canonical work, but it's a bit of a dry read. Nigel Barley's In The Footsteps of Stamford Raffles is good, it's not just about Singapore but Southeast Asia, and can give a quick overview for someone unfamiliar with the region.
I don't know what you mean exactly by cultural life. I haven't worked at NUS, but every time I visited the campus there seemed to be something going on, concerts, etc. In Singapore itself, there's a wealth of theatre, art, etc - as in any big city.
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pablo4ever
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« Reply #9 on: Yesterday at 07:26:17 PM » |
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I'm trying to figure out Singapore's academic nomenclature. I have been told that lecturers in Singapore are equivalent to assistant professors in the US. But this is confusing, in part because there are also many academics in Singapore with the title of assistant professor. Is it standard there to move along the tenure line beginning at the rank of lecturer?
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