Need more info on Dependant's Pass

[nkprimo]

Hi!

I have recently been offered a teaching job in Singapore, however upon further research at the MOM website, found out that in order for me to get a Dependant Pass for my husband, I need to have a monthly salary of more than SGD2,500.00. What the company is offering me is less than the required amount of SGD2,500.00 but more than the required amount for an S Pass, which is SGD 1,800.00 however, I haven't been exactly told which type of pass the company will apply for me.

My question is, is it possible for me to get a Dependant' Pass even if my salary is below the required amount of SGD2,500 but above SGD1,800? or is the MOM really strict about these things? My contract shall be for 3 years but I dont think i can stand being away from my spouse for that long. Any advice from people with similar issues would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

[muratkorman]

I have been dealing with this issue recently for my girlfriend. Her application is accepted in principle and we are at the final stage for receiving her dependant pass. The most important step in this application was the local sponsor. My company made her application through HR department which I believe helped whole process. Perhaps you should contact the company which offers you the position about sponsorship for your spouse. You can't individually apply anyway, you need a local sponsor. If it is a trusted company, the application may be granted. About salary margins, I don't have a clue, but my EP is Q1. Hope this helps.

[nkprimo]

Thank you for your reply Muratkorman. Ive already asked the company that's offering me the job if I could bring my husband with me but they are reluctant to give a straight answer. All they keep saying is that they'll give me a professional pass to work there and sponsor my PR application after three years. They cannot answer for certain if with the salary they are offering me, I will be eligible for a Dependant Pass (which I think I will be not be based on my research at MOM). My husband and I are pretty disappointed. We were kind of looking forward to settling there. Again, thanks for your reply.

[muratkorman]

Don't be disappointed until you try all alternatives. However, cost of living in Singapore is very high and just an income of around 2000 SGD would barely suffice. The rents are very high. Please negotiate these details with the company interested in you. Moreover your husband can't work with Dependent Pass. He has to get an EP just like you and it is not that easy.

Sorry to list these points, but it is better to be prepared for the worst.

Good luck.

[Jeppo]

nkprimo,

What are you going to be teaching? And at what institution? When I first came here I was teaching ESL/EFL and got $2,500/month and later found that I was being paid less than most teachers here. If it's a private school you should probably be getting more than that, and also talk to previous teachers of the school to find out what problems they had and why they left.

[nkprimo]

Hi Jeppo, Muratkorman,

Thank you both for your replies. I'm being hired to teach EFL/ESL. As for the name of the school, I'd rather not say if you don't mind. But it is a private school and I kind of figured after the second meeting that I had with them that what they are offering me is less compared with the locals and native speakers but I understand that. I just wished the salary they offered me reached the MOM requirements for DP at least. Then I could apply for the DP even without their sponsorship. Anyway, are you still teaching Jeppo? and if so were you able to renegotiate your salary? How'd you fare at SGD$2,500.00 a month? did you find it difficult to make ends meet?

Again thank you for the advice, both of you. I'll keep all that you wrote in mind.

[Strong Eagle]

Hi Jeppo, Muratkorman,

Thank you both for your replies. I'm being hired to teach EFL/ESL. As for the name of the school, I'd rather not say if you don't mind. But it is a private school and I kind of figured after the second meeting that I had with them that what they are offering me is less compared with the locals and native speakers but I understand that. I just wished the salary they offered me reached the MOM requirements for DP at least. Then I could apply for the DP even without their sponsorship. Anyway, are you still teaching Jeppo? and if so were you able to renegotiate your salary? How'd you fare at SGD$2,500.00 a month? did you find it difficult to make ends meet?

Again thank you for the advice, both of you. I'll keep all that you wrote in mind.

So... why not negotiate with them? You state that they are offering more than S$1,800 but less than S$2,500. Let's say that your talking S$2,000, a S$500 difference. You might expect a raise after a year or so... perhaps you could agree to forgo the raise in exchange for a larger salary. Or you could offer additional out of normal hours services.

Sure seems like a paltry sum though... as though they have made an offer to you that they know will be unacceptable.

PS: What skills does your husband have? He could come in on a visitor's pass and try to find work for his own pass.

[Jeppo]

I'm not teaching anymore...got a better offer doing something else

But as for my experience with the local private schools and MOE, I'd be very hesitant going back. The school I worked for claimed they had applied to MOE to register me, but after a few months they told me they'd applied and been rejected 3 times, so I was being dismissed since they can't employ an unregistered teacher. I contacted MOE to find out why I was rejected and found that the school had never even applied. I lodged a complaint to MOE and all they did was send one email to ask the school (who of course denied everything) and then dropped the matter.

Living one $2500 can be done easily if you live like a local. My wife and I stay in a hdb ($1000/month) although that's getting more difficult to find these days and we normally eat at the local hawker centers so don't spend a lot on food. We also take public transport to work and most of the time on weekends, so we don't spend a lot there either, it costs me $3/day.

[nkprimo]

Hi Jeppo, Muratkorman,

Thank you both for your replies. I'm being hired to teach EFL/ESL. As for the name of the school, I'd rather not say if you don't mind. But it is a private school and I kind of figured after the second meeting that I had with them that what they are offering me is less compared with the locals and native speakers but I understand that. I just wished the salary they offered me reached the MOM requirements for DP at least. Then I could apply for the DP even without their sponsorship. Anyway, are you still teaching Jeppo? and if so were you able to renegotiate your salary? How'd you fare at SGD$2,500.00 a month? did you find it difficult to make ends meet?

Again thank you for the advice, both of you. I'll keep all that you wrote in mind.

So... why not negotiate with them? You state that they are offering more than S$1,800 but less than S$2,500. Let's say that your talking S$2,000, a S$500 difference. You might expect a raise after a year or so... perhaps you could agree to forgo the raise in exchange for a larger salary. Or you could offer additional out of normal hours services.

Sure seems like a paltry sum though... as though they have made an offer to you that they know will be unacceptable.

PS: What skills does your husband have? He could come in on a visitor's pass and try to find work for his own pass.

Again, thank you for your replies. I tried that route Strong Eagle, but they wouldn't budge. Their terms are: No raise for five years, working hours 12/day. Evaluation even will be at the discretion of Management. I took
this to mean that even if my performance is up to par, if they don't feel like giving me a raise then they just won't conduct an evaluation. Their main selling point is their sponsorship of my PR application after three years. Isn't it that I can apply for a PR on my own merit after a year or less of staying there so long as I have a work permit/professional pass?

[Asian_Geekette]

nkprimo,

Check out the answer to the question "Can I apply for SPR immediately after working here?" from this link:
http://app.ica.gov.sg/serv_pr/per_res/a ... aq.asp#q24

Read up and weigh your options. Good luck!

Just to clarify... working 12 hours a day? As in teaching classes for all those 12 hours??? Wouldn't you have sore throat every day if you're going to teach 12 hours every day?

[nkprimo]

nkprimo,

Check out the answer to the question "Can I apply for SPR immediately after working here?" from this link:
http://app.ica.gov.sg/serv_pr/per_res/a ... aq.asp#q24

Read up and weigh your options. Good luck!

Just to clarify... working 12 hours a day? As in teaching classes for all those 12 hours??? Wouldn't you have sore throat every day if you're going to teach 12 hours every day?

Actual teaching -- no, depends on the number of classes that'll be opened.
the leftover hours will be for consultations, meetings, etc. But speaking from experience, if one is very good at teaching EFL/ESL, the school would at times assign more classes to that teacher, specially if the school receives a lot of good feedbacks about him/her. But it depends on the school.

Thanks for your reply Asian, appreciate the help!

[sundaymorningstaple]

nkprimo,

While I wouldn't ask you to divulge the identity of the school in question. You could indicate whether this is a new school or a firmly established school.

[nkprimo]

nkprimo,

While I wouldn't ask you to divulge the identity of the school in question. You could indicate whether this is a new school or a firmly established school.

why do you ask?

[Strong Eagle]

nkprimo,

While I wouldn't ask you to divulge the identity of the school in question. You could indicate whether this is a new school or a firmly established school.

why do you ask?

Well, I can take a SWAG. If it is an established school, they have a reputation, a familiarity on how things are done, and the resources to get them done. They know their teachers make the difference.

If it is a start up then chances are good it is running on a shoestring. Somebody got a great idea but hasn't followed through on the details... it is more common than you might think. They might not have much money. They might not have much staff. They might be focused on marketing and nothing else. They might go broke in six months leaving you up the creek. You are at much higher risk in many ways... one apparently being that they really don't give a sh*t if you can bring your spouse along with you. What kind of initial treatment is that, and what can you expect from them later? More of the same, I'd say.

[nkprimo]

[quote="Strong Eagle"][quote="nkprimo"][quote="sundaymorningstaple"]
Well, I can take a SWAG. If it is an established school, they have a reputation, a familiarity on how things are done, and the resources to get them done. They know their teachers make the difference.


Just what exactly do you mean by "take a swag"? alright! alright! it's established, I did do some research before I applied