Singapore Expats

PR under PTS > quit job for PhD > REP renewal?

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rdueej
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Post by rdueej » Wed, 04 Sep 2013 6:02 pm

the lynx wrote:
rdueej wrote:I have looked into this issue for quite sometime now and might be able to provide some information.

In general, a student is admitted into a PhD programme only if they are going to be fully funded. It is extremely rare for a PhD candidate to be paying any expense out of pocket.

The PhD scholarship would cover your tuition fees and also provide for a monthly stipend each month (~2500 per month). To earn this income you are expected to take on part-time teaching assignments for undergraduates. This scholarship income (or you could say part-time employment) is subject to both tax and cpf deductions. So, you will have your your tax assessment as well cpf record. You could call this the full-time-study/part-time-work route.

There is another option which is also possible. The university is normally willing to hire the PhD student as full-time staff and then admit them as a part-time PhD candidate. The work would be the same and the pay around ~3000 per month. There is some extra money here because you will be expected to pay for tuition from this salary. The tax and cpf statements would be easily obtainable (the same as for normal university employees). You could call this the full-time-work/part-time-study route.

Both work out to the same thing eventually. I only suspect that the second route might be an easier option when it comes to renewal time.
I'm revisiting this option. rdueej, any idea how it might work for a PR holder under PTS?

Someone I know pointed out that applying for PhD as a PR will be a plus point because the fees are lower compared to foreigner applicant. But then again, applying for PR for the sake of cheaper fees for PhD shouts 'abuser' IMHO.
@lynx, I was under the impression that you are a PR under PTS, but seeing a few other posts, I am not too sure now.

The answer will depend on
1. what type of programme you have in mind (M.Sc/ M.Eng/ MBA/ PhD) and
2. whether you intend to continue your full-time employment during the duration of your graduate programme.

I can provide you with details about a possible case (mine). I am a PR under PTS, currently completing my part-time M.Eng (research based degree), while working full-time as a researcher at the university.

My full-time employment maintains the terms on which I was granted PR. The M.Eng is just my effort towards upgrading my skills. The key issue is whether both your employer and your thesis supervisor are willing to let you do this.

Do not worry too much about the fees. NUS grants substantial tuition fee discounts for its own staff (TMSI staff count as NUS staff too) enrolling in graduate programmes. This way, you do not have to worry about getting scholarships or their subsequent service commitments.

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PNGMK
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Post by PNGMK » Wed, 04 Sep 2013 7:06 pm

the lynx wrote:
PNGMK wrote:
iloverice wrote:I did call ICA few years ago to enquire this, as I have plan to go back to school for an MBA :D could I work part-time? And the officer told me, I still need to maintain my full time job (because I obtain my PR from PT scheme). So, I cancelled that plan as I know I will not be able to cope with part-time programme and full time job.
You're an academic weakling maybe. I've completed a M.Eng while working fulltime and that's a lot harder than some poxy MBA ;)

Putting aside my snark - if an MBA will help you in your career - do it now rather than later. Make the sacrifices to do it. You'll NEVER take a break from work to do it full time - the opportunity cost is too great. I should have done my M.Eng in my 30's - not my 40's.
I'm curious, did you do your M.Eng in research mode or coursework mode?
Both. 28 credits via course work and 12 via a dissertation.

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Post by blue_thunder » Wed, 04 Sep 2013 9:53 pm

x9200 wrote:Lynx, anything here fits your profile?
http://www.a-star.edu.sg/Awards-Scholar ... ments.aspx
(don't get scared by aggressive rhetorics)

Note the intentions of the stakeholders: Eligibility [..] other nationals intending to take up Singapore citizenship. This is also for full time PhD so I don't think this would put you in a wrong position.

How long is it from your graduation?
x92 & others..
How is Phd in Singapore ? Is it so demanding ? My other half had to quit her Phd halfway due to dirty politics @ Europe.
I had visited A star site earlier and found that the stipend was very less when compared to europe :(
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rdueej
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Post by rdueej » Thu, 05 Sep 2013 11:01 am

blue_thunder wrote:
x9200 wrote:Lynx, anything here fits your profile?
http://www.a-star.edu.sg/Awards-Scholar ... ments.aspx
(don't get scared by aggressive rhetorics)

Note the intentions of the stakeholders: Eligibility [..] other nationals intending to take up Singapore citizenship. This is also for full time PhD so I don't think this would put you in a wrong position.

How long is it from your graduation?
x92 & others..
How is Phd in Singapore ? Is it so demanding ? My other half had to quit her Phd halfway due to dirty politics @ Europe.
I had visited A star site earlier and found that the stipend was very less when compared to europe :(
Having worked in a few European countries as well as in Singapore, allow me to make a comparison.

- A PhD in Singapore (average 4-5 years) is generally longer than in Europe (average 3-4 years)
- I find that the number of working hours on a weekly basis is also much higher in Singapore (by around 30%)
- The working environment varies a lot, even within the same research group. It strongly depends on the supervisor that you choose to work with.
- Office politics are present here too, but mostly only at the lecturer level and above. PhDs and post-docs should not have much issues.
- Except for Switzerland, I found that Singapore's scholarship stipends pay more (~S$ 2.5k) when compared to stipends in Europe (~€ 1.3k). So I am not sure when you say that it is lower here.
- The funding scenario is much better in Singapore for most areas and it is easier for professors to take on new PhD students and projects.

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blue_thunder
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Post by blue_thunder » Thu, 05 Sep 2013 11:31 am

Thanks for the insight. I understand that the working culture is different from Europe after having worked here for 6 years and a year in Europe. But I beg to differ on the stipend in Europe as I have met quite a few current phd students in Europe. It was 4000 euros before taxes so it would be around 4k sgd after taxes. I strongly agree on the funding as the gahmen has allocated 16 billion for research since 2011.
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Post by x9200 » Thu, 05 Sep 2013 1:22 pm

Never heard about such high stipend for an ordinary PhD course, at least in natural sciences. At the time I was in EU it was at the level SGD2-4k (before tax) dependent on the year of the course.

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blue_thunder
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Post by blue_thunder » Mon, 09 Sep 2013 9:13 pm

Not sure if Computational Biology/Neuroscience comes under natural sciences..i am a noob in science :) but Phd candidates from these departments were paid around 3-4K euros per annum based on their location of residency/funding.
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x9200
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Post by x9200 » Mon, 09 Sep 2013 9:44 pm

Per annum?

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blue_thunder
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Post by blue_thunder » Mon, 09 Sep 2013 9:59 pm

Oopsie...its per month
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