Do you HAVE to have a degree to get an EP??

[brunoP]

Hi there,

I'm on the verge of coming to Singapore but urgently need some advice that i'm getting mixed advice on. I have a job offer to work as a financial adviser in Singapore which i'm over the moon about!

However I have heard mixed things about whether I will be able to even get an employment pass due to the fact I have no degree. I do however have qualifications as a financial adviser in the UK which should set me apart from Singaporeans in dealing with UK expats which is what i'd do.

I have a friend who is a recruiter with no degree and he got a work permit no problem. There is also another guy I know with know with no degree and no financial qualifications and he works for another financial advisory as an administrator and he got a work permit recently. However obviously there are lots of posts on here saying you will never get a work permit without a degree?? I'm on the verge of selling my car and giving up my flat to come out to Singapore (my boyfriend is already there and I miss him) and I think i'm going to take the gamble but can anyone give me any sort of definitive advice?????

Hope someone can help me as I really want to come but am getting the feeling that unless my financial planning qualifications do actually matter then i'm up a creek without a paddle!!

Thanks so much for any help

[sundaymorningstaple]

Start here:

http://www.mom.gov.sg/publish/momportal ... _pass.html

The short answer is you need a degree unless the job offer is having a basic salary, before allowances or overtime, of over 7K/mo. If the offer is over 7K/mo then no degree is required as the government feels that any employer willing to pay that kind of salary must mean your experience more than makes up for the lack of sheepskins.

There is a assessment tool link on that page that will allow you in input your qualifications to see if you can qualify. Frankly, you need a degree unless it for something like an S pass and even then the odds are against you.

Definitive advice? I would think twice if you are having a career of your own currently. That or get married and then come here on a dependents pass and hope. It still won't be easy but you don't have to qualify for an employment pass as you can work on a "letter of consent" that is tied to your spouse' EP.

[Asdracles]

This can be valid for most of the situations, but case by case is difficult to set rules.

I don't have degree, I'm not over 7K, but I have some technical qualifications regarding to my job that no singaporean has.

So only MoM has the answer. Anyway, you can accept the offer, wait for the company to apply for your EP and ONLY if accepted then sell your car

[sundaymorningstaple]

Therein lies the rub. She doesn't have a offer. She wants to come here on spec. Having a niche skillset is one thing and is one-off. Having a common degree within a common skill isn't going to help her. I would be remiss if I told her "yeah, no problems, sell everything, disrupt your career and take off for parts unknown because, yeah, you can get a job easy enough. All she has to do is read this forum a while and she can see that there are MS holders here who have been trying to find work for over a year already.

You buys your ticket, and you takes your chances.

[Asdracles]

Of course, you're right.

I just answer her question. You don't HAVE to have a degree to get a EP.

Not saying that is easy to get one without, or even with.... But she said she has a job offer on her post, not that she wants to come here and try.

That's why my advice is, accept the offer if you want to try, and wait to see if your EP is approved. Then you move, if not, keep looking for a job from your country, before you get one

[sundaymorningstaple]

My apologies! I, somehow, misread or missed completely the notation that she had a job offer. You'd think I'd learn not to try to do 5 things on the PC at once and working as well!

[brunoP]

Hey guys - just wanted to say thanks so much for the replies I really appreciate it. I'm going to go for it and come across and just try! If it doesn't work its not the end of the world but you dont know if you dont try - many thanks!

[ceej1979]

You either need to have a degree, or be very succesful in your chosen field.

If you earn a lot of money, then you don't need a degree.

The general criteria is demonstrating a high level of intelligence in your field. Be that through academia or work.

They are one and the same thing. Just demonstrations that you have a lot to offer the country.

Be it through your education, or success in business