International Graduate Engineer Advice

[kanderson91]

This seems to be the best forum I have found with people giving thought out advice, some which I could really use myself.

General

I am a 21 year old Scottish male with a second class-upper (2:1) degree in Chemical and Process Engineering. I am absolutely committed to moving to Singapore and so I am looking for any advice on how to go about getting work that will qualify me for a Work Pass. My speciality is in the Oil and Gas industry but I am willing to consider any work.

Specifics

I have a studied for a year at NTU in Singapore before.
I have a collection of internships including work for a FTSE 100 Oil and Gas services company in the North Sea as well as various other international placements.
I believe I am a good candidate with a well rounded profile with good (though not quite stellar) academic performance. I have job offers from the likes of BP and WoodGroup in the UK but like I said, I am committed to working in Singapore.
Other than this I am a "fresh grad" with no work experience.

Questions

How do I best apply? I have received zero responses to applications made on the likes of Jobstreet and JobsDB.
Will making the move to Singapore and applying from within the country improve my chances. I am seriously considering this.


Any constructive advice on this subject would be much, much appreciated

[sundaymorningstaple]

You best bet, truth be known, if you are in the UK, is to not bother with the local job boards at all. Hit up the International recruiters in the UK to find O&G jobs in Asia. A good start would be to find a copy of Nexus from the Expat Network and check out what is available in Asia (Singapore might not be hiring but maybe on of the neighbours may well be. At least that would give you a foot in the door to Asia and maybe pick up some real experience.

Editor: Sheila Hare
Consultant Financial Editor: Iain Yule
(yulepress@aol.com)
Management, Recruitment Advertising,
Production & Marketing: Shona Farrell & Linda
Taylor
Tel: . (0)20 8256 0311
Accounts & Gift Orders: Carol Meadows
Recruitment Searches, Job Input,
Website/Newsletter: Amanda Hennings
Financial Sales: Michelle Warner
(Michelle.Warner@expatnetwork.com)
Tel: . (0)1227 276 916
Membership Queries: Carol Meadows or
Amanda Hennings
Publishers: Expat Network Ltd., 19 Bartlett Street,
Croydon CR2 6TB
Tel: . (0)20 8256 0311 Fax: . (0)20 8256 0312
Email: nexus@expatnetwork.com
Web: www.expatnetwork.com

Good Luck.

NB: I know Sheila Hare & Shona Farrell as they used to be Int'l Hash House Harriers and came through Singapore many years ago (around 10) when I was still a headhunter in the O&G industry.

[PNGMK]

You could also use LinkedIn. Be warned that the pay rates in your particular industry are pretty poor out here.

[kanderson91]

Thank you for the advice, from a previous head hunter in the industry I am trying to break into it is much appreciated. International recruiters isn't an angle I have tried yet and will make sure to give it a go. I am looking through an online copy of NEXUS now.

Can you think of any other avenues of application that might bring about a better chance of employment than the online databases for the O&G industry?

Linked in is definitely a focus for me at the moment and I am marketing myself there as much as possible.

Ironic how Chemical Engineers are being overcompensated in the UK and undervalued in Singapore.... The money you give up for love. *big sigh*

[sundaymorningstaple]

The problem is there are a lot of local graduates who salary scale in not International in nature but Asian based so can come in way under what you are prepared to. Especially new grads as they will still be living at home so for all intents and purposes living rent free. That means, for a start, they can come in for a minimum of 2 to 3K less a month than you can. As an employer, who you gonna take if both have equivalent levels of experience? Reality sucks sometimes.

[kanderson91]

Yeah... it does suck, thanks for the sympathy, it must have been a completely different game in your day. The government was smart to fund a big fancy chemical engineering school at NTU and flood the market with "cheap" home grown talent but I'm ready to earn SG$2-3k and just live on a friends sofa in abject poverty until I can establish myself as an asset worth paying for.

[PNGMK]

Yeah... it does suck, thanks for the sympathy, it must have been a completely different game in your day. The government was smart to fund a big fancy chemical engineering school at NTU and flood the market with "cheap" home grown talent but I'm ready to earn SG$2-3k and just live on a friends sofa in abject poverty until I can establish myself as an asset worth paying for.

Have you considered working offshore on rigs (production) and doing a rotation out of Singapore? That might be your best bet both money and location wise. I worked on rotations out of Singapore for 10 years or so... (note - there will be some visa issues but it can be worked through).

[kanderson91]

Working on the rigs is a big career objective for me. I am currently working doing on shore engineering for 4 North Sea rigs but it's off shore I really want to be.

Having done this yourself do you have any advice on how to get into this part of the industry? Do you reckon I'll have to work in operations or do you reckon they'll take me on as an engineer? Did you get posted to Singapore or find the work there?

I now have a million questions for you, do you mind if I send you a PM?

[PNGMK]

Working on the rigs is a big career objective for me. I am currently working doing on shore engineering for 4 North Sea rigs but it's off shore I really want to be.

Having done this yourself do you have any advice on how to get into this part of the industry? Do you reckon I'll have to work in operations or do you reckon they'll take me on as an engineer? Did you get posted to Singapore or find the work there?

I now have a million questions for you, do you mind if I send you a PM?

You can PM me but my advice is pretty simple. Find an operator / service company that will most likely post you into SE Asian waters.