DISCLAIMER : Most of these notes are gathered from my personal experiences as well as observation and talking to students, ex students and friends. It is not based on published facts or figures. All comments are my own rough gauge. I will not be responsible for you do not land a job here or you end up giving up a comfy job overseas because overquote or underquote a starting pay because of what I posted here.
In recent months I saw a rise in the number of people from Malaysia, Indonesia and the States on the blog looking at this post.
I bet this is a interesting topic for some people who are thinking of working in Singapore. Especially students from nearby countries who want to consider working in Singapore after graduation.
Also I have talked to some guys who came over from the States and also UK to work locally. And the most shocking aspect of it was how expensive it was to live in Singapore compared to the States or UK.
So I think it will be a appropriate post to write for those that is considering coming over to Singapore. I suppose the big studios won't be happy about it. But being in the same shoe before, from a fellow artiste to another, I think you should know about a few facts locally that you probably never consider.
Lets start with salary on the lower scale. If you are a fresh graduate, regardless of degree or diploma. You are looking at a starting pay of about S$1600-S$2500 or about S$90-S$120 a day of work. (Hours can range from 8-12 hours a day).
Look at here from last year's survey based on graduates from one of the local Universities that offer animation as a degree.
That is actually on the higher end of the scale. Of course for the fresh grad, if you can get above S$3k, you will laughing. Although I have hear of people getting paid S$1.2k a month. And you will be competing against a lot of other regional artistes with a few years of experience working for the same types of job. There is a huge income gap. And you will need to secure a work visa.
For the industry pros that is thinking of coming here, the good thing is income tax is low. About 10-12 percent. Food is cheap if you eat like a local at the food centres and food stalls. There are other stuff like CPF which I am unclear about if you have to pay and really cant be bothered to explain here. You can read more here.
Understand that the majority of work being done here is sub contracted work because of govt subsidy. So adjust your expectation accordingly.
The major cost expenditure is RENT. It is a killer. To rent an unfurnished 2 bed rm apartment in the current climate starts around S$2.4-2.8k a month. And this is about within approx a 20km radius of the city central. And it goes up the nearer you are to the city. Have a look at the local property websites for a estimate.
The other problem is if you have a family. School fees for kids in international schools can range up to S$20-30k a year. And the insurance cover the company gives you will not cover them at all.
Medical is actually decent for common aliment like flu and cough etc.. About S$30-$50. Again more info here.
Food is expensive only if you dine out in restaurants and cafes. Groceries are more expensive then some countries because we import everything.
And booze is really expensive. A bottle of stella is about S$14.00. And shots start at S$10.00. Singapore is a expensive place to have a good time.
Finally the mexican food is actually fairly decent in 2 places. Nothing too fantastic. But very expensive. Would you pay S$25++ for a burrito?
UPDATE 31/5/13 : The starting entry level jobs like rotoscoping have been revised downwards to an average of $1.2k. (which really really sucks). But that seems to the trend happening as the grunt work moves out towards other parts of Asia. And salary across the industry have been going down or being static. There have been closure of CG companies and depts as well as people being let go in the last year. So there are a lot of people out there with experience hunting for jobs. The good news is the demand for quality cg artists are still strong. So your showreel is really good and/or have a good experience amd reputation, it is still possible to get a good package out there.
There is already a emergence of many small cg companies catering to the ad agencies and post houses. A lot started up by cg artists with a few years of experience.
UPDATE 2/2/17 : The entry level jobs have actually increased up to $2.3k for locals. Foreign fresh grads actually are also on that price range provided they can get a employment pass. The closure of D Neg have actually made a lot their former local artists movingoverseas and local companies have had to increase salary to get competent artist in for projects. But contract jobs are still the norm. There has been more small games companies opening shop here.
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