MoM Definition of “Workâ€

[martincymru]

I work full time Mon-Fri. Employment Pass.

I wish to provide my labour/time input free of charge with no direct or indirect benefit:

1. On a Saturday morning, 2 hours, teach kids to play football at local school
2. Sat evening, to help my friend who has a café by serving coffee for 2 hours
3. Sunday 10-11am assist at Changi Prison the inmates who need someone to talk to
4. Help domestic helpers with their Contract problems (ad hoc phone call only)


Question:

Are all the above disallowed since I am an EP Holder?

[sundaymorningstaple]

I work full time Mon-Fri. Employment Pass.

I wish to provide my labour/time input free of charge with no direct or indirect benefit:

1. On a Saturday morning, 2 hours, teach kids to play football at local school (can be seen as charitable as you are not producing income for any business)
2. Sat evening, to help my friend who has a café by serving coffee for 2 hours (you are working and creating wealth for the business owner - so no go)
3. Sunday 10-11am assist at Changi Prison the inmates who need someone to talk to (can be seen as charitable so I think this would be okay - but I think a call to MOM to be sure would be in order)
4. Help domestic helpers with their Contract problems (ad hoc phone call only) (Same thing, should be charitable provided you are not being reimbursed for anything)


Question:

Are all the above disallowed since I am an EP Holder?

This is how I would view it. I cannot confirm it though.

[gailwynand]

The law is quite unambiguous: you can't do any work, whether paid or unpaid, without a pass:

http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/aol/search/d ... =0#pr2-he-.

Now that said, foreigners on EP here do volunteer work all the time, with the full knowledge of the government, and nothing bad happens. So draw your own conclusions.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Based on your reasoning, then an EP holder couldn't, theoretically, sing in his local church choir either.

[martincymru]

Not just full knowledge of the govt., they are the Employer engaging the Volunteer !

Make a Rule, then break it yourself.

Funny old life, isn't it.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Work, by definition, is a matter of quid pro quo, is it not? Therefore, if you are doing something that is not enriching somebody else, I don't see how it can be qualified as work. One needs to use a little common sense I would think. That's probably why even the government turns a blind eye.