]

Count me in!

One of my colleagues (a Sri Lankan guy) who has a Masters degree from Australia, earning more than $4k was only granted an S Pass and his PR application was rejected twice.

So, salary and qualification like what seantang had mentioned are just the minimum requirement.

Actually I have thought of that, taking advantage of the loophole in getting OPC cars back to Msia.For example, when the COE is closing on its expire, we simply drive back to Msia and never return.

But then again, I think it is illegal, cause you wont be able to renew your road tax and if you are caught by the local authority, they might impound your car. Have not done any research in this area, and doubt I will do it. Not worth the risk.

Anyways the cars here are very reasonable, but the only setback is that you can only own it for ten years. My bf and I have been doodling with the idea of getting an OPC but he wants a Subara WRX while I want a car that cost less than $40k.

Seantang, Scirocco is sooooo freaking expensive! S$98k, okay, I am not in your league yet. The most I can do is just Lancer 1.6 going for around S$53k.

Hmm... perhaps a second hand will be half the price?

Btw COE can be renewed for another 10 more years if i am not wrong.

The obvious option for me would be definitely buying my own house. But it also depends if you have the capacity to come out with the minimum downpayment of 10%. Do mind that we (PR) can only buy private condo or resell HDB (If you are married and have a maximum combined income of $8k - can be easily breached when both spouse are working in corporate, hence you see a lot singaporean youngsters are getting married in their mid 20s as compared to Msian.).

I must say it is a good deal

OoooOOoo.. means my bf has been misleading me all this while!!

1. Work
2. Study
3. Watch movie
4. Shopping
5. Watch tv (I have two cable tv - Mio & Starhub)
6. Watch CSI on Starhub
7. Play masak masak (Just tried cooking rissotto just now).
8. Food hunting
& chill at home...

I think PR are not eligible for the 20k subsidy, so the 8K doesnt apply to us for buying resale HDB.

EP - Chances of getting a PR is higher.
Other than that, check the MOM website.

chasm,
Are you currently working in kpmg sg?

Yes, I am.

My bf is an engineer too but we have been here for 2 years plus. Perhaps our chances were higher back then.

I got mine in May, he got it in July.

Just earlier this year, my singaporean client came to my audit room for a chat. Then she went on b****ing about Msian and PRC for taking Singapore as a stepping stone and too many non-singaporean on the street. And her children has to fight with other nationalities to get a place in JC/Uni. I just nodded, and she didnt realised that I was Msian too.

Then, she started to speak mandarin and when I reply her in mandarin, habis, she knows I am not Singaporean anymore. It was very awkward nevertheless. She promptly apologised and went out. Haha..

I cant read & write chinese, so I learn mandarin from friends and colleagues. And I tend to use english word to replace some of the mandarin word.

Plus, mandarin is not really my strong language, I speak better cantonese.

I have a Thai colleague who was seconded to Singapore for a year, after mingling with him for just 2 days, he can tell i am a Malaysian. Not that I speak Mandarin to him but more to personality wise. Apparently Msian tend to be more hospitable and friendly.

$2.4k & $4.2k

Thats the average performer pay, or should I say the least. And first year senior is getting around 3.6k-3.8k.

Oh Chasm, you are still in Msia? I thought you are the guy my firm has just recruited. A 2nd yr senior from KP KL.

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Added on November 4, 2009, 12:58 pmThe pay is the same regardless which big 4 you go to, but I think EY has a slight pay cut during the year. Cant confirm that cause I don;t have friends in EY Sg.

This post has been edited by chess_gal: Nov 4 2009, 12:58 PM

Don’t worry, you will be getting 14.5% higher than your peers (Non-PR/SG). So even if you are getting only 3.6k, but you will receive a cash back of 4.2k. Sob sob.. Too bad, am a PR now..I enjoyed that priviledge for 2 years, before deciding to become a PR.

Btw, I have heard from an ex-colleague whom I introduced to KP a year ago, despite being a Senior in Msia (3 years), he was only getting 3.2k when he join us. Not sure why, I was surprised too cause I was then a junior but we are getting the same pay! Perhaps if you join half way, you;ll get lesser compared to others who started as junior.

I had a year in EY-KL but I did not inform KPMG about my promotion then. Got the offer from KP sg in Feb 07, then I was promoted in March 07 to A1. But I commence my employment with KP sg in July 07.

Could have become a 2nd year senior (Now) but I prefer to have a fresh start. Didn’t really regret it because, I learn things the right way and the priviledge to ask a lot for being new.

And from what I have observed in the past, some (means not all) seniors/AM from Msia don't get promoted or had their promotion deferred for 2 years or resigned within a year. I know 4 of them, and 3 of them have just left the firm and 1 still holding on (not promoted for 3 years). Whereas staff that started from the bottom usually last longer caused they are trained that way.

In additional, seniors in Msia only handle one job at a time. (Not sure has this changed), but in Singapore, you are expected to multitask from fee negotiation with client, clearing points with partner, managing team & client, chasing for payment from client, review files, leading a few jobs at one time, and personal assistant to your manager & partner. This is what I have observed okay, may not apply to others.

Btw, scaled down? I get 14.5% for the two years I was on EP.

So far, I have only heard of Big 4 is doing that. Not sure of others. Probably not, cause my bf is not getting his share as well.

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Added on November 4, 2009, 8:51 pmbtw chasm, how much does a first year senior get paid in Msia? Despite a slight decrease in dollar to dollar comparison, I can assure you that you'll be saving a lot more compared to KL.

Damn I hate to shop in KL nowadays, everything is sooo overly priced! For a pair of nike shoes, I have to cough out RM350 (Impulse purchase), when I came back Sg, it was only S$120!!!

I think most of the time, the new joiners have lesser friends and tend to hang out with other msians. And you know, politics is pretty rampant when you are at senior/am/mgr level so, probably they dont get enough support to be promoted.

This post has been edited by chess_gal: Nov 4 2009, 08:51 PM

I dont want to organise this time, very de busy these days.

no prob for me

erm, you will be surprised that you NEED to speak good mandarin to your clients. Unless you are auditing a bank. And please don't PM me about ur chances of getting into a Big 4 in Singapore. I don't know. SImply email your resume to any of theBig 4 and wait for reply. It could take up months given the market is slowing down in Singapore. The best time to apply was 2 years back, I got an interview offer just a week after submitting and confirmation 3 days after interview.

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Added on November 5, 2009, 8:20 ambtw, this friday I will be at Harry's. My company booked a few Harrys for our Amazing Race Harry's run, where we have to run from one bar to another and drink >.<. So probably you can see crowd of auditors running amok around raffles place and city hall on Friday evening.

This post has been edited by chess_gal: Nov 5 2009, 08:20 AM