Servicing British Expatriate 'Talent' in Singapore: Exploring Ordinary Transnationalism and the Role of the 'Expatriate' Club

Singapore hosts many different expatriate communities. Whilst the working worlds of expatriates as transnational elites have been examined, little research has studied their ordinary life-experiences. Earlier research has noted that British expatriates were socially and culturally embedded within distinctive transnational social spaces like 'expatriate' clubs. This paper investigates the role of these clubs in serving the ordinary, professional, social and cultural experiences of British expatriates living in Singapore. The findings were derived from interviews with the General Managers of the British, Singapore Cricket, Hollandse, Pines, Swiss and Tanglin Clubs about their function in serving a British clientele; from interviews with 24 members of the British Club on its role in their everyday life; and from various club publications.