Arriving in Singapore first, and then finding a job?

[Edwin]

Has anyone here done this before? I mean, fly over to Singapore without having secured a job first.

I suppose ideally it would be good to find a job first before buying a one-way ticket, but there must be vacancies in Singapore that only get advertised locally (eg not on the Internet). Plus I'm thinking it might be a good idea for me to visit the agencies in person to discuss any possibilities.

What do you think? Am I being realistic?

Would be interested in hearing any of your opinions.

Thanks

[Vaucluse]

Well, Edwin, that depends. Generally it is not wise to simply come here and go to interviews and apply for jobs.

First - which passport are you travelling on? This has a bearing on whether or not you can come in with a one-way ticket.

Second - What skills do you possess that will make a headhunter here go through the trouble of 'working you' and then the employer has to go throught he work of getting you a working permit/

Third - Depending on what nationality you hold you may not be allowed to stay here long enough to schedule and meet headhunters (yes, you can go in/out)

Fourth - My experience with recruiters here is that they are fairly useless, unless they want your business they will not do a thorough job - and they will definitely not work for you in getting a job.

Whew - I guess I would suggest not to follow your plan, but having said that, I do know of one person who did exactly that - he is still here, but he had to be creative, very creative. (Euro-passport so he could stay 3 months)

[tigerlily]

yep ive done that but its risky.. i just got lucky to be able to find a job within my 1 month and 2 weeks stay here (im now waiting for my SPass approval).. my friend took 3 months before they finally landed on a job.. there are so many things to consider like what Vaucluse said..

[Edwin]

Thanks for the replies. I realise I'm taking a risk by coming over first but I figure it might be the best way to find out what jobs are available.

To Vaucluse: I have a UK passport so that should give me 30 days to find work, possibly longer if I can get an extension. When I mentioned buying a one-way ticket I didn't realise that this might be a problem with Immigration so I guess I will get a return flight instead.

As for the kind of job I'm after, well anything really. My background is in New Media (Web Development), but it's very specialised and I have a strong feeling that I will be underskilled for the New Media industry in Singapore. So whilst I will be concentrating my efforts in that area, I'll also be happy to look for office admin jobs, point-of-sale etc.

I'm under no illusions that this is going to be easy, but I'm prepared to explore all my options before I give up on this idea.

Anyway, thanks again. I'm going to ring up a few agencies tonight - at 3am UK time - and will let you know what they say.

[Vaucluse]

Good luck, Edwin - let us know how you get on.

[stephen26]

Hi everyone,

I've just joined and noticed that I have the same query that Edwin had posted earlier ... with a slight difference.

I'm a qualified lawyer and Aussie citizen. I've worked in insurance and spent 12 mths seconded to Singapore in 2001 for a foreign reinsurer. I'm back working in insurance in Australia, but my family and I are keen to return to Singapore on a long term basis.

The trouble is that I have few Singapore insurance contacts which are strong enough or senior enough to get me a job 'via remote'. I think I would have a better chance if I was in Singapore, but it is obviously a big risk - especially for me as I have a young family.

If anyone has any senior contacts in insurance or HR I'd be prepared to come to Singapore for meetings on a 'no obligation' basis. Any ideas?

Much appreciated.
Stephen26

[Guest]

Hi Stephen21, may I just clarify if you are looking for a job in Insurance business? please correct me if im wrong.

There is this one insurance company here in Singapore who's actually looking for people. In fact, I was headhunted but after the interview, I realized that insurance is not for me because I don't posses the "convincing power".

So do let me know if this is what you meant, so I could give you his contact information.

[stephen26]

Yes I am looking for an insurance or insurance law related job in Singapore (as I mentioned, I worked as an 'ex-pat' for a reinsurer in 2001, and I'd love to return there).

I would be very grateful if you would pass on the details of this insurer and the person I should contact. You can send the details via my private mailbox (pm), if you like.

Thanks for taking the trouble to reply.

Much appreciated,
Stephen26

[Edwin]

Good luck, Edwin - let us know how you get on.

Cheers Vaucluse.

Well, I contacted a couple of agencies recently but was met with the stock response along the lines of 'send us your CV...will let you know if anything turns up...blah blah'.

Contact Singapore were more encouraging, but I'm still not certain that going over first is going to significantly improve my chances of landing a job. They also mentioned that employers in Singapore have to justify hiring a foreigner over a Singaporean, which I guess would make them less likely to consider me for positions not traditionally filled by expats (eg office admin, retail work). Disappointing, but not exactly unfair.

I think what I'm going to do is spend the next week contacting various new media and design companies directly, see what feedback I get, and make a final decision about flying over there at the end of the week.

[Guest]

for your information, working in a design agency in singapore doesn't earn very much (i'm a graphic designer and not local as well), it might give you problems applying for your employment pass. my agency applied an s-pass for me, which got rejected because of the singaporean-foreigner quota. unless you have enough exp. to apply for q1 or q2 pass.. but that could be quite difficult.. as i said, wages for designers here are extremely low.. u dun wanna know how much i earn