Guide to working and living in Singapore at a young age without a degree!
You might ask how do you know this for sure? Well I have worked in two different job sectors in Singapore and had 3 work permits over 3 different companies spanning 2 years. Again let me point out it’s not always easy but it is possible you just need to find the right company and have the right attitude towards it. Let’s start with some information about Singapore from my point of view.
Singapore -
I think it is important to understand what Singapore as a country is like from the eye of someone who lives there rather than a passing tourist. Very quickly you realise Singapore is very different from the rest of Asia in that it is a business driven city, every large investment house, advisory firm, trading company and law firm you can think of has a base there! It really is one giant financial hub and is rapidly becoming the place to be for any company looking to peddle their services in Asia in general. I feel it won’t be long until it passes Hong Kong as the premier working and business location in the region.
With that said it is obvious that Singapore will not be a cheap place to live thus a decent salary is fundamentally essential. You will hear people say "you can live as expensive or as cheap as you want." That is not really true at all there is nothing cheap about Singapore, even a decent standard "local" meal like sweet and sour pork from a local vendor is around 6-10 Singapore dollars which at the moment is around 3-5 British pounds and on and on in other currencies. The problem is the Singapore currency its self it just keeps getting stronger and the locals just keep getting richer while the salaries don’t often change to reflect this.
So what is a good salary then? Well as a young western person in Singapore you need to look at earning around $3000-$6000sgd to survive and live a life that is a relatively decent standard and with the information listed below it is entirely possible to find that.
So with this information I best tell you what type of jobs you can expect to get in Singapore! Here is the list....
Financial Services - It is important to understand that with Singapore being such a rich country, which means there are a lot of people in need of financial services and there are a lot of companies in Singapore willing to cater to them! I believe the correct term is offshore financial services companies and they often hire young western people to come out and do their marketing.
The job is often called a "business development manager" or "financial co-ordinator" and what it actually is, is a telesales job but it’s a telesales job with a difference! You are required to learn a bit about the industry you are working and it comes with a career as a financial adviser if you do well! Basically you start off with a list of names given to you, these names are of people living in Singapore and usually other western or foreign people that you have to "cold call" with the objective of getting them to meet with one of the financial advisers in your company and that’s about that! Simples!!! I hear you say? Wrong - there is lots of these companies in Singapore and lots of these people making phone calls and it is considered quite a cut throat business but if you are confident on the phone and confident in your selling ability you can make a lot of money.
What’s the pay like? The pay is decent. You will get a base between $1500-$5000 depending on the company and how good they think you are. Usually with the lower basic you are provided with accommodation and with the higher you need to find your own. Then you are paid commissions on deals your financial adviser signs up from the meetings you provide him with. A good "coordinator" will average around 3/4 deals per month and it is difficult to give the average of a deal size but I find the figure of $1000 per deal as a good and realistic average. So if you work hard and are focused you can make a very good living and then progress on to becoming a financial adviser.
What are the down sides of this? There is quite a few actually! You need to be good on the phone and can handle rejection. You also need to have to deal with some of the most egotistical workers you will ever come across and you need to fit in! As the people in these companies tend to hang out with each other all the time and if you don't fit in your not really ever going to make it, their famous saying is "piss or get off the potty" which couldn’t be a more spot on way to sum them up. Lastly your often depending on your financial adviser to make you any form of decent money and this can be difficult as I have seen x car salesmen, x window cleaners and x army folk work these jobs with no real clue what they are selling to their clients.
To sum it up - The only reason I would recommend this job in the first place is Singapore. Singapore is heavily regulated by a financial regulator known as MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore) and with this the financial advisers need to quit their cowboy behaviour and actually do a good job. As at the end of the day you’re asking people to put their life’s savings in the hands of your company’s advisers so you need to know they will at least be looked after. My advice is to give it a try and it gets you in the door, it’s a good way to see Singapore and understand what the business mentality is like.
Recruitment - The recruitment industry is a little more difficult to get into however it is not impossible especially if you understand what it is a recruitment consultant actually does. However the job its self comes with a much higher basic than that of the job mentioned above. Again though it’s all dependent on how good you are and the companies standing in the city.
What does a Recruitment Consultant actually do? Well there is a simple answer to that which is... To find people work. However the job is not as simple as it sounds. You are often working on behalf of companies such as banks and law firms to find workers for their companies. So you would often get a mandate like "please find us a private banker for this salary with this experience" then you will advertise this position, screen the applicants and send over the good ones to your client company. If they are hired your company gets commissions and then you get some.
Seems like a simple job right? Wrong... It has become a high pressured sales industry just like the above mentioned one but it is a lot less demanding. Like the above there are literally hundreds of recruitment houses in Singapore the only issue is they are not regulated like the financial industry. With that said the people working in this industry seem to be a lot less egotistical and far more mature in mind.
At the end of the day, this is a job you can make a career with and continue to do for the rest of your life if you’re good at it and make a very decent living. However you do need to be self driven and target orientated as well as very ethical as your working with people’s lives at the end of the day.
Market Research - As Singapore has literally millions of companies throughout the island fighting for a foothold in their respective industries and with this they need market research. This has spawned market research companies.
What is the job exactly? Well its simple, you are employed to call up relevant companies in your market and do surveys. It is a very simple job, telesales without selling anything just information gathering. The salaries are generally mid level and there are performance bonuses!
My personal opinion is this type of job holds no career and is just a way to make money and live in a location for experience rather than career building. It is fairly high pressured but again, tell me a job that is not in Singapore!
Sports Coaching - Relatively straight forward here... If you have a passion for some form of sport and some experience from your school or what not, you can coach it. Singapore is a country with a lot of sporting ambition but very little actual sporting talent and with this they often need to outsource good coaching staff
.
Outside of that there are the people that just like to learn how to play sports better after work; sports such as tennis, golf and swimming have become popular sports for school kids and after work activities.
So who usually hires? Well there is random sports companies throughout the island that hire athletic people with a gift in sports to teach others and you can apply to them, they are often your best bet. However if you have some kind of background in sports you can often pick up interviews with embassies and schools!
What do you get paid? Well again most of the companies go by hourly rate and you make a portion of that as well as a basic salary. One thing to keep in mind is the weather in Singapore. It is extremely warm so keep that in mind if you are looking to play an outdoor sport!
So what about working visas? I have heard they are extremely difficult to get, especially if you don’t have a degree? Well like I said not entirely true. Yes if you have a degree it is much easier to get a working visa in Singapore however do not despair there is other options and one of them is NOT obtaining a fake degree, don’t worry!
In Singapore you’re often on a year to year work permit called an Employment Pass (EP) and that is what all of the above mentioned jobs will apply for, for you. However this is actually quite tough to get and the acceptance level depends on a very stringent tick box mentality that Singapore adopts. Stuff like relevant experience, salary in Singapore, age and academic background all matter so sometimes it’s better to look at the less known and better option.
The other option is the less know Special Pass (S-pass) basically this pass is used for domestic workers and construction workers from poor Asian countries; however as a foreign national you are eligible to apply for it. With the standards for this pass much lower than that of the EP it’s often well worth applying for. The Singaporean government will reject the first application from your sponsoring company without a doubt however a good appeal is all it takes and you have your working visa.
What is the difference? Well nothing really... You can still work and live on the island for as long as the pass permits (usually a year at a time) you can still get things such as bank accounts, credit cards and accommodation can still be obtained with the S-pass. However you might need to deal with people mocking you for having a domestic workers pass, especially if you take the financial advisory option!
Some advice I would give to anyone looking to go to Singapore would be to keep on the right side of the law. Singapore has some very strict laws and as a foreigner you need to make sure you abide by them or they will make an example of you. Also Singapore has a very big drinking and dating scene, which can be a whole load of fun but it is also a very quick way to end up on a plane back home, especially for a young person. My advice would be to always keep the aforementioned in mind.
If you are keen on seeking employment in the above sectors in Singapore it is quite simple really, all you need to do is Google a lot of what I have wrote above, but if you are still having no luck drop me a note I am always willing to offer some help.
I hope the information above is at least useful for some and again any questions, just ask!
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