Please help me :D

[Jona]

Hi,

I am doing an Arts/Law degree in Australia by correspondence and working full time. My boyfriend is in Singapore on a Employment Pass. I am coming to Singapore in July and want to work. I have had a few offers of employment such as secretarial/clerical work, but I am just not sure which work visa's I am eligible for.
Does anybody know what my options are??!!

Please help me  

[SueW]

As you are not married you have three options.

1. Get your own employment pass; or

2. With proof of your relationship and after visiting the Australian High Com, you will be eligible for a long term social visit pass based on your boyfriend's EP, but it does not entitle you to work; or

3.  Get married which will give you a dependents pass based on your boyfriend's (husband's) EP which does entitle you to work.

Asia is still catching up with de facto relationships, but Singapore is ahead of most!

Hope this helps!  

[Jona]

Thanks Sue,

I was under the impression that I actually need to have my degree to get the employment pass, I still have a few years to go before I finish my degree, is this true?

Also I have been told previously that I maybe able to get a dependants pass if we can prove we have been in a defacto relationship.

But I cannot find any information at all to back this up??!!

Does anybody know about this??  

[itchyfeet]

Jona

I can't help you on your particular issues as I'm not in Singapore yet.  I am planning to move out there in about 10 weeks time, and will be looking for similar work (Personal/Executive assistant, Secretarial).  I am struggling to find suitable agencies at the moment.

Can I ask you how you went about your search, did you do it from Australia, or did you actually go over and interview in Singapore.  Any tips at all would be much appreciated.

Hope you are having some luck in sorting out your own situation.

PS - I am in Canada, and will definitely be coming over at the end Aug, but am trying to do as much as I can from this end first,and hopefully get some interviews set up for when I arrive.

[Jona]

Hey Itchyfeet,

I dont know if I can be of much help, as I am still in Australia. But I what I am doing is trying to arrange as many interviews as possible so that when I do go over in July I will have quite a few options.
Unfortunately I havn't seem to have found many agencies that are really willing to help. I am sure they are out there but I just havn't found them yet. You should try out www.jobsdb.com  it is a really useful site, they have a lot of secretarial/administrative jobs.
Well sorry I could not be more help. If you want to give me your email address I will let you know how I go.

Good luck!!!!  

[kat]

Hi there

I am British with UK uni degree working as an admin assistant in Singapore.  I came  here with my boyfriend and found it quite difficult to find a job.

First of all, there is no shortage of Singaporean admin assistants / secretaries.

Secondly, Singaporeans are recruited over foreigners (to protect the job market)

Thirdly, unless you have a skill that is in short supply in Singapore (I speak French and work for a French company), you'll find it tough

Fourthly, the job market is in a gradual decline

Fifthy (?), it's almost impossible for a foreigner to get a job without a uni degree

In the end, after having no luck with the usual on-line recruitment (jobsdb, monster etc), I went through the Yellow Pages, phoning every recruitment agency I could lay my hands on.  Not one of them would meet me as soon as they found out I was a) foreign and b) without an EP.  The only one that offered me an interview was the one that offered me my job, as they just happend to be looking for a French-speaking PA.

Sorry to sound so discouraging, but this is my experience.  I have worked all over Europe, Russia, Middle East and Singapore is the hardest one yet!

BTW, you will not get a DP without a marriage certificate, regardless how many years of common-law living and letters from Embassies etc.  If you apply without a marriage certificate, you will get a long term social visit pass - been there and done that too!

Good luck - if I can help (or depress  ) you further, just let me know!

[Jona]

Okay, so I am going to try every avenue I can to get there cause I am missing my boyfriend so much!!!!!
What about a students pass, does anybody know anything about these? I know that you can work part - time on them and I am already studying full time. Any advice help, anything??

[lee]

Very good information about job hunting, thank you very much.

I was to be hired by a US company as an Asia manager based in Singapore, but the company is now in a hiring freeze.

After then sending a lot of email resumes to Singapore for positions that seemed a very good fit, not much in response.

I'm now here, with a temporary (expenses paying) job for three months while I look for a corporate one, and hoping to find a "reasonably" priced apartment or share, if possible.

I'm also trying to find out how to get an internet access number to use my computer from the hotel. Am in a cyber cafe and it's a bit noisy!

[NZer]

You could try contacting the Australian High Commission about positions coming up.  I have seen several PA type positions at embassies advertised in expat publications recently (ANZA, EXPAT)  

[cara]

I am also looking for a job and a very good source of information is the American Association Careers Advice.  They have a list of full time and part time jobs and give you advice on what to do about being able to work in Singapore.  Try http://www.aasingapore.com/  or call them for more information.
They also have directories of American, English and French businesses in Singapore.
Hope this helps.

[AAS]

To use these services, you have to become AAS Career Centre member and pay around SG$85 for a year.

[bobbydazler]

Hi,

I had an aweful experience when I wanted my partner to join me in Singapore.......  I had heard that you could get a dependant pass for a partner by going to the Aussie Consulate and proving your de facto status. Well I had been with my partner for three years, had lived together in another country, bought a house together, she had come to Singapore 10+ times on a tourist visa, however the Aussie consulate procrastinated for over a month and finally declined my request for a letter that would confirm our defacto status. This defacto route is very very difficult if you dont have mountains of paperwork like joint names on leases from Australia, bundles of mail with both names going to the same address in Australia you haven't got a hope.

Also a friend of mine from UK had exactly the same problems with his embassy.

Anyway all was not lost in my case my partner and I got married and Singapore Immigration were fantastic and we had a DP within weeks.

[itchyfeet]

Hi Jona
I found the following in www.contactsingapore.sg.com:

Working with a Student Pass
As a foreign student at the local universities or polytechnics with a student pass, can I work part-time during vacation and term time? Do I apply to MOE or Singapore Immigration and Registration for permission to seek part-time employment ?  
Foreign students may apply for the polytechnic/universities for permission to do part-time work. This is subject to approval on a case-by-case basis and will depend on the student's academic performance and nature of the part-time work. Permission from MOE or Singapore Immigration and Registration (SIR) is not required upon approval from institutes. However, before you look for part-time employment, please approach the respective institutions for further information. The universities offer a wide range of financial schemes to students who need assistance in financing their studies.  

Hope this helps!  Well good luck to us both!  Hope you manage to get something sorted soon.

My e-mail ad is nena_cdn@yahoo.ca.  Would be good to keep in touch..

[itchyfeet]

Kat, your post was very informative!

- I'm also British.

- Am ok with the degree (have two)

- I'm married, so the DP will not be a problem.  

- I guess this is going to be a challenge, but one that I don't want to give up on without trying.  

I appreciate your response, it was honest and informative and does give hope that with perseverance, it can be done!

[kat]

Hey Itchyfeet

If you have a DP, life will be easier in Singapore (at least on the job-hunting front).  You will be able to apply for part-time work as all your employer has to do is write a letter to the Ministry of Manpower, indicating that he is employing a DP holder.  There are a few part-time DP holder jobs around - keep your eyes peeled and you should be OK - good luck!