Work permit for tuition?

[EK100]

Hi

I'm an expat currently employed at a top International School, but I'm staying here more to be with my partner... however he works in F&B (so nights/weekends) and I have very early starts - it's pretty much a long-distance relationship!

I've decided to explore other employment options, and am interested in trying tuition, as I do love teaching but would have less of a lifestyle conflict. Does anyone have any advice or experience in getting permission to stay and do this as a job?

I would rather go it alone and work by referral than work for a tuition centre. Is this possible?

[offshoreoildude]

Tricky is all I'll say.

[beppi]

You can only get a Work Permit, or any other visa that allows work, for full-time employment by a Singapore-registered company.
So this can only work if a tuition agency hires you, and you cannot work for others then.

[EK100]

Thank you for the responses. So I can't set up on my own at all? Would I need a Singaporean business partner?

[Strong Eagle]

If I get this right, you currently have an EP of some sort with your school. You have a "partner", not a spouse who is apparently working F&B with his own EP of some sort.

Based upon this, I doubt very seriously that you could apply for and get an employment permit for your tuition idea.

a) You are not married, therefore, you could not get a DP off his EP, and then apply for an LOC.

b) Within the rules for Entrepass, tuition is one of the specifically exempted categories of business, that is, if you applied formally to create a tuition company, you would be denied.

c) You want to do this freelance from home, with no regards to the income you might actually make, the hours you might work, or the kind of business you might build.

d) In essence, in the eyes of the government, you would be a person with no legal right to residency in Singapore asking for an exception to the work rules... and in the current climate, I just don't see you getting it.

Not trying to be harsh... just introducing a dose of reality.

[EK100]

Thank you very much for that frank and thorough reply

I'm very keen to stay here so wouldn't want to jeopardize that.

I'll have a rethink.

I was thinking about asking if any Singaporean friends knew of someone with a tuition business. I could be an employee of a Singaporean agency, perhaps?

[offshoreoildude]

Thank you very much for that frank and thorough reply

I'm very keen to stay here so wouldn't want to jeopardize that.

I'll have a rethink.

I was thinking about asking if any Singaporean friends knew of someone with a tuition business. I could be an employee of a Singaporean agency, perhaps?

yes.... and in fact if you can both bring business to them (via the int'l school contacts you have) and build the business to attract I.S. kids (which they don't at the moment) you might have a winning formula.

MOST of the I.S. kids are currently tutored by ... part time teachers or illegals from what I can tell. Some IS schools explicitly prohibit their teachers from tutoring kids from same school.

[EK100]

Sorry, by IS do you mean International School?

That's fantastic that is viable. What about if a Singaporean set up a company employing one expat and one PR? Would that be enough?

[offshoreoildude]

Sorry, by IS do you mean International School?

That's fantastic that is viable. What about if a Singaporean set up a company employing one expat and one PR? Would that be enough?

You'd need to check the rules w MOM etc.

IS = all the int'l schools.

I personally believe there is an unfulfilled demand for quality tuition for I.S. students.... at the moment it's very adhoc.

[Strong Eagle]

Sorry, by IS do you mean International School?

That's fantastic that is viable. What about if a Singaporean set up a company employing one expat and one PR? Would that be enough?

It really depends upon several factors.

a) You might have a positive mark because you'd be an expat presumably tutoring expat children, thereby extracting expat money into the economy, and your Singapore friend might be regarded as an entrepreneur for coming up with such an idea.

b) You might get a negative check mark if you are to be paid a pittance... you can't simply freelance on a work permit, there has to be a stated amount. And if that amount is not enough to get you more than an S Pass, then a PR and and the citizen would still not be enough to meet S Pass quotas. And even if your salary is large enough to qualify for an EP, it still might be denied for other reasons, like the mindset that tuition is reserved for locals, just like hawker centers.

c) You are in a gray area here, at least for my understanding. As I noted, you can't for an Entrepass company doing tuition, presumably because the government thinks that there are plenty of qualified local teachers to do the tutoring. But, as OSOD has pointed out, this does not seem to be the case with International Schools. No telling which way MOM would jump if your Singapore friend applied for an EP for you. Possibly, you/she could put together some kind of business plan to support the app for EP.

[ecureilx]

You'd need to check the rules w MOM etc.

IS = all the int'l schools.

I personally believe there is an unfulfilled demand for quality tuition for I.S. students.... at the moment it's very adhoc.

then again, Not many Locals will be thrilled if foreigners start private tuition .. I personally know enough guys who do only full time tuition and possibly go into the 2% unemployed ..

[offshoreoildude]

You'd need to check the rules w MOM etc.

IS = all the int'l schools.

I personally believe there is an unfulfilled demand for quality tuition for I.S. students.... at the moment it's very adhoc.

then again, Not many Locals will be thrilled if foreigners start private tuition .. I personally know enough guys who do only full time tuition and possibly go into the 2% unemployed ..

There are no locals (or not enough) with IB, AP and other foreign curriculum experience for the demand from the IS system.

[EK100]

Apparently I'm eligible to apply for a PEP... But once I get it, there's no way I'll be earning 144000 per year. Also, I can only do it once.

I have friends who work in media production, and were thinking of setting up their own production company. Would it be viable to work with them on making educational videos to use in an online based program, aimed at specific key sectors of the Singapore market? This would not bring in so much money, at first especially, but I would be involved in a Singaporean owned and run company, and using my overseas training and expertise...