Is this part of the world f**ed?

[Doggy Styles]

I think i agree with most of that.

The wife wants a better quality of life than the UK currently can offer (more bang per buck i guess), but still all nicey, safey, middle class etc.

Me, i want top of the range kit to work on, tons of moeny, much more playtime than now. and a suntan.

That's dangerous. Telling Mich your wife wants more bang per buck.

The words rat and drainpipe come to mind...

[Mich the Tester]

Me, i want top of the range kit to work on, tons of moeny, much more playtime than now. and a suntan.

Namibia and Botswana are worth looking into but they won't let you in unless you start a business that will employ locals (having said that, there are tons of business opportunities serving a growing black middle class), and NZ, Canada and Aus are as always worth looking into. I'm currently working on a little investment with a friend in Ethiopia ( a bit of an underdog in the economic stakes, but with huge potential), with a product that's aimed straight at the African middle classes; I also know a Dutch guy who's set up a bakery franchise in South Africa and is doing very well, now expanding into other African countries. But remember, if you want quality of life, you might have to sacrifice a bit of material comfort, and vice versa too; it's an individual decision how to balance those things.

Wherever you go, make sure you have friends there first, not just expats, but locals; it's contacts that make a business work in Africa more than great products or pricing.

[DodgyAgent]

I've had a couple of people recently telling me about the joys of working in parts of the world that haven't been ****ed over by labour governments and ill-conceived currency unification projects. Their message being: Hey UK and Europe is a bit tulipty now, but Asia is booming.

Has anyone here ever worked in Singapore, (and taken their family with them)?

What's the market and earning potential for IT engineers?

It is all very well thinking that Asia is the place to work but places like Singapore are very easy for Indians to go and work. Pay rates in Singapore are Ok and tax is low but you are up against competition from the rest of Asia

[Lockhouse]

Wherever you go, make sure you have friends there first, not just expats, but locals; it's bribery and corruption that makes a business work in Africa more than great products or pricing.

FTFY

[Mich the Tester]

FTFY

To some extent yes, but it's quite affordable bribery and corruption in the better parts of Africa; lunch for a civil servant, a tip for a helpful traffic policeman and if you run a business it might be helpful, and even quite enjoyable to provide an internship for a government minister's daughter. You don't need to invest millions in setting up a quango to advise the government on regulating your competitors.

[Scoobos]

+1 for Canada or Aus / NZ.

I hope you have better luck than me, I missed the boat for Canada and I seriously still feel the pain.. Almost every day.

For me, Singapore really isn't the answer unless you want to feel stranded in a tiny area surrounded by South East Asia... Nice for short while, but unless you're willing to change / adapt to the culture in a big way , then forget it (well, forget living there very long term).

[Mupps]

I tried to emigrate to Canada years ago as well. I would love to work there or Oz maybe.

somewhere a bit more optimistic than the UK anyway.

Sounds like Singapore isn't top of many people's list then.