Average pay in singapore

[RS]

I am considering moving to singapore from Canda and am wondering if anyone could help me out on few questions:

What is the basic pay rate in Singapore? Is it an hourly pay or monthly?

I have experience working as a receptionist, order desk agent and customer service rep - what sort of money will I be able to earn in singapore in these fields?

Would I need certain courses for these jobs or my past experience in Canada would be good enough to land me a good job?

Last of all, do companies there give benefits like covering the heath expenses?

Please Help!

Thank you -

[all depends]

"Average pay" depends on whether you will be working on the local pay scale or the expat pay scale -- there is a rather large difference between the two. As an example, a friend's company just hired a local guy who is a new university grad and his salary is about S$2500 per month. (A lot of expat salaries for university grads w/ some work experience are more like S$10,000 or more per month!)

[Currrent]

That's not exactly brilliant logic to compare a local graduate fresh out of uni with an experienced expat graduate. Of course there is some differential!

Probably best to make your point by comparing apples with apples - a local graduate with x amount of experience with a an expat with the same level of experience.

Don't believe the hype.

[all depends]

OK, how about this one: Same company, expat w/ no uni degree would be paid (and was) about 4 times what the local, new uni grad is being paid for the same job. Not exactly 'apples-to-apples' but illustrates the point I'm making.

[RS]

Okay, So how do I know the difference between a expat job and a local job... do they specify what scale the pay would be? Ofcourse the 10,000 sounds way better...

[not sure but,]

I don't think you can get an EP (employment pass) here without having a job here first. From your original post it sounds like you want to just move over and then find a job. Not sure if that will work, unless, of course, you know someone who lives here and you can get a long term social visit pass and then try to find an employer to sponsor your EP.

[RS]

Originally that is what I had in mind but everyone has said that getting employment first is the better idea. But in such cases once i find an employer who does the necessary paperwork? Does my employer file for my employment pass or would I do that? And how long can that take becuase if it is lenghty than are employers there willing to wait?

[ringo100]

I think the days of an average expat getting four times a local for exactly the same job are in the past. My job allows me to look at the payroll's of many MNC's and those sorts of package only really apply to high executive grades or people with specialist skills.

A western grad coming to work in Singapore would find it hard to land a job as many locals have better grades, better language skills and are prepared to work a lot harder and if they did get a job they would get paid exactly the same as a local.

I also think $2400 is at the top end of a new graduates salary scale.

[and]

Seems like you guys are setting her up. How can anyone who has only worked as a receptionist, or whatever else, expect much pay here? Nobody will pay her 10k.

[all depends]

I never said she should expect 10k per month as a receptionist. In fact, as a foreigner here she may have trouble getting such a job in the first place -- unless she finds a foreign company here willing to move her over for the job or something. Many expats are here simply because their (foreign) companies moved them over here, and yes, they are in higher executive positions and/or have specialized skills. The OP can only realistically expect to work on a more local payscale given the type of job she is looking for and since many local citizens are qualified and looking at the same type of job, she (the OP) may not be able to get the job at all.