The post, though written in a listicle format, is surprisingly poetic
– especially when she talks about her personal experience when she
first came to Singapore alone at 19 to work. Her post has garnered over
1,900 reactions and has been shared over 766 times at time of writing –
quite an impressive feat for 3 day old Facebook post.
She shares with her readers (or, ‘friends’, as she refers to them)
the reality of working in Singapore – from the amount of money needed to
survive, to the types of permits foreign workers hold, to asking if
their urge to work in Singapore is simply for pride’s sake, since
scrimping and saving in Malaysia might earn them similar rewards.
Here’s our translation:
#latenightinspiration #workinginsingapore #tips #thingsyouneedtoknow
I still remember I was 19 when I came to Singapore alone for work.
The first job had a basic salary of S$700 – I had to OT to death to get the salary I’m earning now.
Along this journey,
I would be lying to myself if I said I didn’t miss home;
saying that I’m not feeling sad when I’m sick and alone is lying to my parents;
eating instant noodles for 3 consecutive weekends and pretending I’m not hungry is also a lie I tell myself.
But since you want to earn 3 times the amount of money,
you need to work at least 3 times as hard!
Especially in a financially-advanced country like Singapore,
I’d suggest you find another route if you want to enjoy and yet earn 3 times the salary.
When you think about home expenses,
when you think about buying clothes, bags, shoes and plane tickets,
do you also realise that by earning and saving back in Malaysia, you can get them too?
Did anyone force you to come to Singapore to work at gunpoint, or is it simply for your pride?
Even though I’m simply a young person in society,
but I still wish to give some piece of advice to those who have just arrived in, or are planning to come to Singapore to work:
- Please prepare a resume before coming to find a job: a person with a proper resume will always succeed over someone who calls and says, “Hello, are there any job vacancies? I’m Malaysian, do you hire Malaysians?”
- Please do not use your Malaysian educational background to ask for a higher salary: do you think Singaporeans have lower education levels? Or do you think they aren’t as skilled in verbal communication?
- Please ensure that you can afford at least one month of living expenses before coming down (1 month of rent + 1 month of deposit + 1 month of food expenses + 1 month of transport expenses)
- Holding the same job for over 6 months can help you avoid taxes from the government, and is also good for your resume (even if you change your work permit, the record follows you)
- If you came to Singapore for a friend/relative/significant other with plans to live with each other, you’re simply wasting your time. Yes, you thought about the other person, but will the other person think of you? *Bosses very rarely hire sisters or friends because when one runs, the other does too.
- Don’t be limited by locations, Singapore’s public transport makes travel very convenient. “I want to find a place in Yishun because my boyfriend lives there”, “I want to find a place in Jurong, so I can live between M’sia and S’pore”, “I want to find a place near town, it feels more high class”. Why don’t ask for a job at the house next door then?
- When starting at your job, never ask your boss to lend you money, even if it gets tough. Once you ask, you’re done for.
- Malaysians need to be 18 years old before coming to Singapore to work.
- You must have a work permit before starting work, or else your boss and colleagues would be fined.
- You can’t do part-time jobs with your permit – if found out, you’ll be fined.
- You need to have a medical examination before applying for a permit. Those with diabetes, heart disease and other serious illnesses would not be allowed to get their permits. Most importantly, get appropriate spectacles if you are short-sighted.
- The company needs 2 Singaporeans’ CPF before they can hire 1 Malaysian.
- Levies are subject to grades: If foreign workers account for 25-40% of your company, and if you don’t have SPM, then the levy would be S$700. 10-25% would bring it to S$550, and those below 10% would be S$420. (With SPM, the amount would be cut by S$100, and so on)
- What is considered a pass in SPM: This is subject to approval. Even though the Malaysian government says that failing Bahasa Melayu and Sejarah means that you don’t possess SPM, an official from Ministry of Manpower (MOM) would sometimes accept it on a case-by-case basis. *You must have at least one pass. The transcript must be original with the green-coloured paper and the education ministry’s logo. Transcripts on white paper will not be accepted.
- A diploma in welding can only be used to reduce levies in a welding factory!
- Renting a HDB in Singapore: 1 room costs around S$700-1,000; sharing a room with 1 person would cost around S$250-350.
- The landlord will definitely ask for your temporary permit or passport – this is because they need to declare to HDB before you can apply for a formal permit.
- Regarding WP, SP, EP: WP is the lowest grade of permits (you can apply with even with Primary School education); SP is when your monthly salary is at least S$2,200 (Diploma); EP is when your salary is S$3,500 and above (Diploma/Degree).
If there are any mistakes, please correct me, and do message me if there are any queries!
I’ll help when I can, because Malaysians should help each other!
Malaysian readers who have experienced working in Singapore, do you agree with her statements?
Source: Vulcan Post
And here is her original Facebook post in Chinese:
#深夜有感而发 #新加坡工作 #Tips #须知
还记得19岁那年一个人来到新加坡找工作
第一份工作底薪也就700新币 OT到死才换到我现在的薪水
这一路走来
没有想回家是骗自己的
一个人生病不难过是骗爸妈的
连续几个礼拜吃泡面假装不饿也是骗自己的
不过既然你要赚三倍的钱
就要比别人多付出三倍的努力！
尤其新加坡也算是经济发展最快国家之一
要享福又要赚三倍建议你绕道
当你买衣买包买鞋买机票的时候
又有想过这些你其实都可以在马来西亚省吃俭用得到的？
来新加坡工作有人拿枪逼你来吗？是自己的虚荣心还是...？
我虽然算是这个社会的初学者
但是我还是想给那些刚来/想来/计划来新加坡的朋友们一点建议和须知
-麻烦请准备一份简历（Resume）才来找工作
一个有简历的人会比一个打电话说“hello找人做工是吗？我马来西亚人 请吗？”好太多
-请不要拿在马来西亚的学历来要求更高的薪水
难道新加坡人比你拥有的学历差吗？或没有比你更好的语言能力？
-请先确定有能力负担第一个月的生活费才找新加坡工作（一个月房租+一个月押金+一个月伙食费+一个月交通费）
-同一份工作待超过至少半年可以避免政府抽税 也对你未来往后寻求更好的工作有利（就算你换过准证卡记录也会跟着你）
-如果你是因为朋友/亲戚/另一半要来新加坡找工作选择一起来 一起住 配合对方 那你根本是在浪费时间 你为人家着想 人家就一定为你想吗？
*老板很少会请情侣姐妹朋友 因为你们要跑就会一起跑啊
-尽量不要局限于地区，新加坡MRT巴士都很方便
“我想找yishun因为我男朋友住那边”
“我想找jurong，我要来回”
“我想找市区，感觉比较highclass”
那不如你去家隔壁问工作好了？
-刚开始工作不要跟老板借钱
多么困难都好 你一开口就完蛋了
-马来西亚人必须要过生日满18岁才可以在新加坡工作
-一定要有临时准证才能上班，不然老板跟员工都会被罚款
-拿准证的都不能做part-time，被发现会被罚款
-申请准证前需要做身体检查，糖尿病心脏病等严重疾病都不会被批准 最重要的是有近视记得去配眼镜（这是常识）
-公司要有2个新加坡人的CPF才能请1个马来西亚人
-人头税有分等级
如果你公司外籍劳工占了25%-40%，而刚好你又没有SPM，那人头税就是700新币，10%-25%是550新币，10%以下就是420新币
（有SPM就扣100新币，以此类推）
-SPM怎么才算及格
这个是Subject to Apporver
虽然马来西亚政府说Bahasa Melayu&Sejarah不及格就不算有SPM
但有时候MOM（人力部）的长官也会看情况批
*至少要有一科及格
*一定要有正版的成绩单（纸是青色底，有教育部的logo），白色像收据的成绩单绝对不接受
-烧焊文凭只能在烧焊行业/工厂才能减人头税！
-在新加坡租HDB
一间房间大概介于700-1000新币
一个人share房大概250-350新币
入住时房东一定会跟你要临时准证或护照
因为他们必须申报HDB，这样你才能申请正式的准证
-准证分WP，SP，EP
WP没有最低薪水标准（小学学历也可以申请）
SP是每个月薪水至少2200新币（Diploma）
EP则是3500新币或以上（Diploma/Degree）
如果有错误请更正我 或是其它疑问都可以留言！
能帮就帮 因为马来西亚人应该一条心！
Source: Facebook
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