Relocating in educational technology, with criminal record?

[Patrick Da Fronk]

Hi. I'm in my late twenties and work in sales for an educational software developer in the UK, having previously worked at a FTSE100 education publisher, with around five years solid sales experience as an account manager and technical sales consultant.

I know most UK university campuses very well, I know the UK Higher Education sector very well and have been involved in negotiation on some large contracts here. I also worked on a sales project related to the Commonwealth Secretariat, selling advertising on a major political publication (Singapore's a Commonwealth nation).

I can get some excellent references from previous employers.

I have been interested in living in Asia for many years and visited Singapore a while back. It ticks my boxes in terms of location and the fact it's still English-speaking, with pretty much most major education-technology companies having an office out there.

My currently salary is £30k, I took home £37k last year with commission.. Should be at least £40k this year.

Unfortunately, just after I turned 18 I was caught with a couple of ecstasy tablets and charged with possession of Class A. I was given a conditional discharge for 1 year and have no subsequent convictions (apart from a couple of SP30 speeding tickets!). This was 11 years ago.

I didn't do rehab, as that's just not something offered in the UK. It was a one-off incident.

The MOM website said I'd be likely to get approval for an SPass and an Employment Pass, on the basis of my salary + qualification (I simply converted my UK take-home salary to $Singapore).

What are your thoughts on:

Being totally upfront about the blemish? Other countries I've visited certainly don't know about it.
Getting a job in Singapore, for a major education publisher/technology company?
Getting approval, considering my legal blemish?
Likely salary, as an account manager or business development manager, for an education/technology company?

Kind regards

Patrick

[x9200]

Patrick, the evaluation that qualified you for the S-pass is only a check of the formal requirements that you had to fulfill to get the pass. If you don't qualify this would be the end of the story, but if you do, this does not mean you are going to get the pass.

I am not familiar with your job sector so I am not going to attempt to assess your chances but you have to ask yourself this question: what is so unique about my background, experience, qualifications that makes me a better candidate than Singaporeans and PRs for a suitable job within this market. Whats the adds-on value I am going to bring over to Singapore?

Also, your earlier problems with the drugs are something that may actually kill your chances even if this was an incident in some remote past.

[JR8]

What are your thoughts on:
Being totally upfront about the blemish? Other countries I've visited certainly don't know about it.
Getting approval, considering my legal blemish?

Adding to the the pragmatic advice offered by x9, I would like to float the following:

If you are asked 'Have you ever been convicted [etc]', under who's jurisdiction should one consider the question? Some jurisdictions never forget, and so there is no point you ''''forgetting'''. Others (the UK) have something like... [?] a Statute of Limitations, where any past crimes having been punished, and thereafter in time dropped off one's record to all intents and purposes no longer exist. Not all do of course, but the more trivial 'usual' ones do. The thinking being 'Why continue to punish a 40 year old, for something he did at 18, and already paid the price for?'. Rehabilitation, and forgiveness for childish foolish ways; if we never get a second chance what hope is there (for many of us lol)...?

So if I were you I'd go to my local cop-shop and ask for a copy of my 'Subject Access Notice' via a 'Subject Access Request' . Just one example link in reference > https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/gu ... s-request/

When you receive it, do you have a record on there? If so, that's probably accessible info to anyone just about anywhere. If you have a blank Notice (i.e. nothing was on there, OR anything that was on there has expired off), then you have 'no record' according to you, and to your home jurisdiction. Simple. Then you can assuredly answer the question as to whether you have a record in the negative, since you don't. Thus 'Have you ever been convicted of a crime?'.... well no, since the record is expunged, it no longer exists, so no.


Just my 2c/experience.



p.s. If you want to get a copy of your SAN, do it sooner rather than later. It can take weeks to come through. Plus, either way, it only costs a few quid...