http://singaporeanskeptic.blogspot.com/2010/09/cautionary-tale-to-all-overseas.html
Monday, September 6, 2010
Cautionary Tale to all Overseas Singaporeans.
I have seen it happen many times before. When you are overseas, you'll hear the siren calls beckoning you to return to Singapore to contribute- whether from the PAP government or Contact Singapore. However, once you return home, all your years of overseas work experience would count for nothing.
To the employers in Singapore, they only see you as being too old to be employed (since when was 34 too old!?). You'll just be another faceless local competing with foreigners for jobs.
The insidious racism in the Singapore system means that they'll tend to hire some white expatriate for the high paying jobs, even if you are more qualified. At the lower end, you'll have to compete with white collar workers from India and China who are willing to accept lower wages. There simply are too few niches in between for the returning Singaporean.
I myself saw this happen first hand to a friend when I was an undergrad in the UK. The Singapore representatives were very nice to the PhD student, they even took him and other overseas Singaporeans out for lunch. But once he got back, he had no support at all to help him look for a job or even 'reintegrate' into Singapore society.
Only return to Singapore if you satisfy any one of the following circumstances:
1.) You changed your passport to US/UK /Canadian/Australian or some other developed country.
2.) You intend to be self-employed. (i.e. private tutor, real estate agent, insurance agent)
3.) You already secured a good job offer (in Singapore) before you even set foot on the Island.
4.) You are a returning government scholar and guaranteed an iron rice bowl from the PAP.
5.) Your father is rich or powerful and has connections. Better yet, he runs the country!
Die, die, you must at least get a permanent residence in your adopted country because you know you can't depend on Singapore for help. (If you must, see an immigration lawyer!) Die, die, do not have a Singaporean girlfriend (or boyfriend) who wants you to settle down in the Island. Die, die, save and invest your money when you are working overseas so that you can last a bit longer before you need to run back to Singapore.
Remember that just because you spend many years overseas doesn't mean you should take your good fortune for granted. A sudden loss of a job is pretty traumatic. Try your best to at least secure a permanent residence.
Returning to Singapore without any safety net is very dangerous. Here is an article and a commentary I found from the Temasek review which would serve as a word of caution.
From the Temasek Review:
One of the Comments:
Monday, September 6, 2010
Cautionary Tale to all Overseas Singaporeans.
I have seen it happen many times before. When you are overseas, you'll hear the siren calls beckoning you to return to Singapore to contribute- whether from the PAP government or Contact Singapore. However, once you return home, all your years of overseas work experience would count for nothing.
To the employers in Singapore, they only see you as being too old to be employed (since when was 34 too old!?). You'll just be another faceless local competing with foreigners for jobs.
The insidious racism in the Singapore system means that they'll tend to hire some white expatriate for the high paying jobs, even if you are more qualified. At the lower end, you'll have to compete with white collar workers from India and China who are willing to accept lower wages. There simply are too few niches in between for the returning Singaporean.
I myself saw this happen first hand to a friend when I was an undergrad in the UK. The Singapore representatives were very nice to the PhD student, they even took him and other overseas Singaporeans out for lunch. But once he got back, he had no support at all to help him look for a job or even 'reintegrate' into Singapore society.
Only return to Singapore if you satisfy any one of the following circumstances:
1.) You changed your passport to US/UK /Canadian/Australian or some other developed country.
2.) You intend to be self-employed. (i.e. private tutor, real estate agent, insurance agent)
3.) You already secured a good job offer (in Singapore) before you even set foot on the Island.
4.) You are a returning government scholar and guaranteed an iron rice bowl from the PAP.
5.) Your father is rich or powerful and has connections. Better yet, he runs the country!
Die, die, you must at least get a permanent residence in your adopted country because you know you can't depend on Singapore for help. (If you must, see an immigration lawyer!) Die, die, do not have a Singaporean girlfriend (or boyfriend) who wants you to settle down in the Island. Die, die, save and invest your money when you are working overseas so that you can last a bit longer before you need to run back to Singapore.
Remember that just because you spend many years overseas doesn't mean you should take your good fortune for granted. A sudden loss of a job is pretty traumatic. Try your best to at least secure a permanent residence.
Returning to Singapore without any safety net is very dangerous. Here is an article and a commentary I found from the Temasek review which would serve as a word of caution.
From the Temasek Review:
I am a 34-year old male Singaporean, single, and who has completed National Service duties between March 1994 to March 1996. I possess a Masters Degree in Economics, and a MBA. My Bachelors Degree is in Banking and Finance. I have spent the last ten years since 2000 studying, residing, and working in the United States. Unfortunately, my employment as a hedge fund junior research associate was abruptly terminated as the hedge fund was shut down due to the partner disagreements. I was laid off at the end of December 2009. I have since returned back home to Singapore since the end of January 2010.
I came back with the hope of taking an advantage of the booming financial services sector in Singapore, but was terribly disappointed by the lack of employment opportunities despite sending countless number of job application letters to various employers in the financial services sector, and outside as well. I am not sure if I have made the right decision to come back home to Singapore despite the various publicity messages encouraging foreign-based Singaporeans to return home. I am not very happy about it. Am I being misled into coming back home to Singapore?
The recent debate about foreign workers taking jobs away from local Singapore citizens like me has reinforced my discontent about coming back to Singapore. I am taking upgrading courses such as the CFA-Singapore-FICS Research Programme (Job Role IV) certification which I completed in July 2010. I am currently preparing for a professional exam course on Alternative Investments, and I am also studying for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Level I exams in June 2011. I plan to apply and return back to school to study for another Masters of Applied Finance course at the Singapore Management University (SMU) next July. I am in the process of applying. With all the job hunting efforts, plus taking up training and skills-based courses, I am not able to continue my normal regular life here in Singapore, as there are no positive responses yet from employers. I don’t feel good as well.
Where are the jobs? I have sought help from WDA (Workforce Development Agency), and the National Population Secretrait (NPS) office to help me, but the responses from both organisations have been poor to none. I am not sure if I am competing with foreigners, but I am feeling very resentful about it. I serve two years of of my life for the country, and is this what I get in return? No jobs, no career? It is very disheartening, with all my years of education and experience obtained in the United States, and coming back with no career in Singapore.
I come from a modest family. My parents are true-blood Singapore citizens born in 1946. I have a younger sister, married, have a family in Christchurch, New Zealand. She is a year younger than me. 33 years of age, and my brother-in-law is a New Zealander and a dentist. My nephew is 11 years old. My father is a sole-proprietor and my mother is a home-maker and helps out in the business. My family operates a fresh cut fruits and vegetables business in Johor, Malaysia, and with my unemployment situation, I am spending more time in Malaysia, helping them out routinely and studying for the professional exams in Alternative Investments in September 2010.
I am not sure when will I have a career established in Singapore? Even government jobs I’ve applied to have turned me down. It is terrible. Where have I done wrong to deserve this? I feel disheartened sometimes, but the studying and keeping my parents company here in Malaysia helps alleviate some of the tension. I hope that someone can reach out to me. That’s all I have, and I look forward to a response.
I came back with the hope of taking an advantage of the booming financial services sector in Singapore, but was terribly disappointed by the lack of employment opportunities despite sending countless number of job application letters to various employers in the financial services sector, and outside as well. I am not sure if I have made the right decision to come back home to Singapore despite the various publicity messages encouraging foreign-based Singaporeans to return home. I am not very happy about it. Am I being misled into coming back home to Singapore?
The recent debate about foreign workers taking jobs away from local Singapore citizens like me has reinforced my discontent about coming back to Singapore. I am taking upgrading courses such as the CFA-Singapore-FICS Research Programme (Job Role IV) certification which I completed in July 2010. I am currently preparing for a professional exam course on Alternative Investments, and I am also studying for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Level I exams in June 2011. I plan to apply and return back to school to study for another Masters of Applied Finance course at the Singapore Management University (SMU) next July. I am in the process of applying. With all the job hunting efforts, plus taking up training and skills-based courses, I am not able to continue my normal regular life here in Singapore, as there are no positive responses yet from employers. I don’t feel good as well.
Where are the jobs? I have sought help from WDA (Workforce Development Agency), and the National Population Secretrait (NPS) office to help me, but the responses from both organisations have been poor to none. I am not sure if I am competing with foreigners, but I am feeling very resentful about it. I serve two years of of my life for the country, and is this what I get in return? No jobs, no career? It is very disheartening, with all my years of education and experience obtained in the United States, and coming back with no career in Singapore.
I come from a modest family. My parents are true-blood Singapore citizens born in 1946. I have a younger sister, married, have a family in Christchurch, New Zealand. She is a year younger than me. 33 years of age, and my brother-in-law is a New Zealander and a dentist. My nephew is 11 years old. My father is a sole-proprietor and my mother is a home-maker and helps out in the business. My family operates a fresh cut fruits and vegetables business in Johor, Malaysia, and with my unemployment situation, I am spending more time in Malaysia, helping them out routinely and studying for the professional exams in Alternative Investments in September 2010.
I am not sure when will I have a career established in Singapore? Even government jobs I’ve applied to have turned me down. It is terrible. Where have I done wrong to deserve this? I feel disheartened sometimes, but the studying and keeping my parents company here in Malaysia helps alleviate some of the tension. I hope that someone can reach out to me. That’s all I have, and I look forward to a response.
One of the Comments:
Hi, I have a similar background as you. I have a post grad degree from UK and I studied over seas for a long time. Unlike you, I became a father at the age of 32. I returned to Singapore in 1998 and that was a BAD decision; the worse decision I made in my life. I could had stayed in UK and then proceeded to the US. But I wasted at least 8 years in Singapore. I am now working in US.
Singapore discriminates against Singaporean. You have to compete with white men on high salary jobs. You have no place to compete with low salary job with people from the 3rd world. This was already very prominent in the 1999 period. I have written to the papers before, but my letter was never published. Looks like the same problem exist now not only in the technical field, but also in financial circles as well. It is getting much worse.
Your best bet now are:
1. You have to establish contacts with local or foreign head hunters. You have to really polish up your resume, with the understanding that many are given false information about their abilities, if any. Quote some real job experiences, and most importantly, show a good attitude.
2. Write to as many head hunters as possible. Polish up your presentation and personal grooming, not falling into actor category.
3. Quickly find a job and keep to it. What you really need is a real job and NO more wasting time in qualifications.
4. Get out of Singapore. Singapore is doomed for Singaporeans. Salaries are very low and there are no prospects. AVOID local MNCs. Look for job openings in big companies.
You stand a better chance than me. Don’t complain. I had a small kid then and the struggle was much worse. Life starts great for men at 40s. Good luck.
Singapore discriminates against Singaporean. You have to compete with white men on high salary jobs. You have no place to compete with low salary job with people from the 3rd world. This was already very prominent in the 1999 period. I have written to the papers before, but my letter was never published. Looks like the same problem exist now not only in the technical field, but also in financial circles as well. It is getting much worse.
Your best bet now are:
1. You have to establish contacts with local or foreign head hunters. You have to really polish up your resume, with the understanding that many are given false information about their abilities, if any. Quote some real job experiences, and most importantly, show a good attitude.
2. Write to as many head hunters as possible. Polish up your presentation and personal grooming, not falling into actor category.
3. Quickly find a job and keep to it. What you really need is a real job and NO more wasting time in qualifications.
4. Get out of Singapore. Singapore is doomed for Singaporeans. Salaries are very low and there are no prospects. AVOID local MNCs. Look for job openings in big companies.
You stand a better chance than me. Don’t complain. I had a small kid then and the struggle was much worse. Life starts great for men at 40s. Good luck.
