1. Be prepare to pay for a working laptop even before you earn their salary for the first month. Company will reimburse you after you bought and paid for your laptop. Reimbursement date is unknown depending on when colleagues in China process their claims. Just check you bank account daily for updates. Nobody is able to give you advise you the exact reimbursement date. Reimbursement amount is capped at an amount which you can only afford a non-working laptop that cannot but is expected to last for 3 years. However, maybe after feedback from ex-employees, the management will perhaps purchase laptop for employees. Good luck to people who join. Whether you get to pay or you get a laptop depend on the date you join. Just keep your fingers crossed. The same goes for reimbursement claims, just check your bank account daily and keep your fingers crossed.
2. Be prepared to open a Wechat account if you do not already have it. Some important announcements will be announced to you via Wechat in Chinese. There will be English translation if you ask for it, probably come one or two days later if you can wait. Do not expect main form of communication via email. It can be but most of it will be on Wechat. Just get use to Wechat and you will be fine.
3. Interviewers tells interviewees this is a new start up / HQ in Singapore and that it is an international company and communication are all in English. In reality, the main form of communication is in Chinese. 95% of templates (if there are any so as to speak of) are in Chinese. Intranet are in Chinese. New hires will get informed the company is working to translate intranet to English version. Good if it does eventually get to be translated. Else new hires will have to adapt to using Chinese for all matters from travel application, travel claims, reimbursement claims, application of processes. Basically almost everything in Chinese.
4. A new start up that follows rules in China instead of Singapore. It is a new startup where new hires can be creative. New hires can be as creative as they want as long as they don't encounter any roadblocks along the way. Remember your creativity depends on the rules given by China HQ.
5. Depending on which department you join; new hires need to be extremely independent to get information / things done. As there is no structure, the support new hires get is little. However, if you like to know people, hang around the office till late after office hours, I reckon you can get more information than you can get during office hours.
6. Changes. The only thing consistent is change. It is applicable in this company. Depending on how new hires see it. It can be a pro or a con. As mentioned above, do expect the change to be inform to you via Wechat in Chinese language instead of via email.
7. No work life balance. It depends on your position, your nationality, your department and who you work with.
