SINGAPORE: They probably had it all—fat paycheques, shiny job titles, and the daily adrenaline rush of corporate life in Singapore. But three years ago, this foreign couple did what most people only dare to fantasise about during MRT rides or while doom-scrolling LinkedIn: They quit!
“We’re still in transition,” the woman shared on Instagram, painting a picture that straddles the city and the countryside. “Between the city and the farm. Between school runs, family time, and the life we’re slowly designing on our own terms.”
And they didn’t just quit their jobs; they quit the entire hustle culture that came with living in one of the world’s most fast-paced cities. From high-rise stress to hill-view bliss, this couple swapped S$ paycheques for peace of mind—and don’t regret a thing.
Now, they’re raising their kid, sipping chai, and building an online business—all from a quaint hill-view farm in India.
It wasn’t a dramatic exit with fireworks and fanfare. Just a quiet, deeply self-reflective decision that involved trading in their high-paying Singapore gigs for a lifestyle where freedom—not fortune—was the main currency.
From $ to ₹
She decided to just earn ₹20,000 (around S$300) a month doing remote work as a Virtual Assistant three years ago when they left Singapore for India. “That was the only goal,” she said.
No big plans, no business degrees, no digital nomad starter kit. Just one modest goal and a whole lot of courage.
But what started as a side hustle turned into something far more transformative—a thriving online business that’s now the backbone of her family’s financial independence.
“A business that brings financial stability and lets me work a few hours a day, from anywhere… even from our little hill-view farm,” she wrote.
You don’t need a fancy degree, 10-hour workdays
Her message is simple: You don’t need a fancy degree, 10-hour workdays, or a miracle to get started. You just need a plan. And maybe a push.
She now teaches others how to do the same, particularly women who are tired of waiting for the stars (or their resumes) to align. To date, she’s helped over 150 women launch their own Virtual Assistant (VA) businesses, proving that even everyday skills can be monetised in meaningful ways.
“If you’ve been dreaming of working online but feel stuck in ideas, doubts, or too many tabs open in your brain… here’s the truth…,” she wrote. “You don’t need to wait forever to get your first client.”
Her Instagram call-to-action is refreshingly direct: comment “VA Bundle” and she’ll DM you a free starter guide—the very same one that launched her post-Singapore chapter.
What if the rat race isn’t the only race?
The couple’s story is more than just a career shift. It’s a quiet revolution against the myth that success must come with burnout.
They left behind high salaries in Singapore (which can easily exceed S$100K annually for skilled professionals) for a flexible work-from-anywhere lifestyle that prioritises health, family, and peace.
And they’re not alone. With the rise of remote work and digital skills monetisation, more Singapore-based professionals are starting to wonder: What if the rat race isn’t the only race?
The farm isn’t just a backdrop for their new life—it’s a metaphor. For growth, for grounding, and for planting something sustainable in a world obsessed with speed.
Build your work-from-anywhere life
Her final message is a gentle nudge to those who feel stuck, tired, or overbooked by their own ambition:
“Let’s build your work-from-anywhere life—one small step at a time.”
For now, even when they’re still in transition, if freedom were a location, it’s safe to say—they’ve arrived.
In other news, similar to this Indian couple, a Singaporean man, husband and father of three, also decided to leave Singapore after getting completely burnt out with SG, and now he hears KL instead of India calling out his name…
You can read about his story over here: ‘I’m done with S’pore! I wanna move to M’sia…’ — S’porean man earning S$100K/year feels ‘jaded with life in SG; KL feels sweet place to be’
