Booklet for Ang Mohs which explains what is expected of you when living in Singapore. Some of these expectations are written down. Others are communicated through a look.
From:
AngMohDan
Published:
20 September 2026
Documents
Understanding norms and expectations in Singapore: a guide for Ang Mohs
PDF, 16 pages
Details
This booklet will help you understand what is expected of you when living in Singapore, including situations in which everybody else appears to have received an earlier briefing.
It covers:
- language and Singlish
- hawker centres and ordering kopi
- eating with other people
- public transport and shared spaces
- visiting homes and joining celebrations
- making friends and understanding workplace cues
- weather and everyday logistics
- rules, customs and getting help
The guide distinguishes between legal requirements, venue policies and social customs. Not every auntie’s opinion is legislation, although the delivery can be similar.
You do not need to master Singlish before using this booklet. Clear English is sufficient. Adding lah will not accelerate your application.
Get help
If you are unsure what is expected, you can:
- ask your host, colleague or someone nearby
- check the signs before joining the wrong queue
- visit AngMohDan.com for more on language and life in Singapore
- consult the booklet’s emergency contacts when you need actual assistance
For most everyday situations, the following sentence will be sufficient:
“I’m new here. What’s the usual way to do this?”
There is currently no dedicated helpline for accidentally sitting at a choped table. You will need to resolve this locally.
Published 20 September 2026
Why I made this
The idea started with the UK Home Office’s Understanding behaviours and expectations in the UK: a guide for asylum seekers. Its formal presentation got me thinking about the things people are expected to understand when they arrive in another country.
I then looked at what Singapore provides. MOM publishes a 48-page guide for migrant workers covering social norms, employment rights, employers’ obligations, safety, healthcare and money matters. It is available in English, Bahasa Indonesia, Bengali, Burmese, Mandarin and Tamil through MOM’s publications page.
These booklets address different audiences: asylum seekers in the UK and migrant workers in Singapore. The UK also publishes separate guidance for overseas workers, including people arriving to work in health and social care. Their different purposes explain much of the difference in content.
But all this left me considering another group who might benefit from an instruction manual: those of us who arrive calling ourselves “expats”.
Speaking English and having a job does not automatically equip you to interpret “can consider”, order coffee or recognise that a tissue packet has already secured the table.
Having lived in Singapore for more than twenty years, I thought I could contribute something to that particular administrative gap.
So this is my unofficial version: sixteen pages of practical advice, cultural observations and occasional reminders that the Ang Moh may be the person who needs something explained.
No government department commissioned it.
