Bsc in accounting from brookes 9 fundamentals paper and a research paper. Ya most of the ACCA people will have it so very rare ACCA don't have a degree. CPA SG requires degree + ACCA + few more exams and working experiences. Stop after ACCA too busy at work and dramas lol. 200 pounds per year for nothing. Find a rich husband can liao no more study for me.

Basically any recognised professional qualification will do. Or straightaway take the ICPAS professional exam if you have a degree. If you have an appropriate Singaporean degree, don't even have to sit for any more exams.

Yes, if you passed ACCA, Degree and Master Degree is just piece of cake.

Simple thing, if the employer under value ACCA, then please go to other company which value it. If a degree so important in SG, then better persue Master Degree you will have advantage then others, forget about the basis Degree.


ACCA is world recognise professional body in Accounting, and one of the toughest exam.

If you think Oxford Brookes Degree just by paying money, I hope you can attempt to do the Research Project and glad you won't fail it.

Degree = hard to get it, but easy to get out

ACCA/CIMA/ICAEW = easy to get it, but super hard to get out

got tried Upper Thomson Rd nasi lemak kukus? rated among the top 3 in Singapore.
now 7 of us lepak @ al azhar, minum teh

nope, i went to eat fried oyster, lala and stingray and then ice cream ^^

Anyway, I was referring to ACCA holders who do not have degrees. They suffer some disadvantages because they have no degree. Even ACCA sees that flaw and partnered with OBU so that they can remain open to secondary school leavers as candidates.

The issue I see with professional qualification holders, in particular ACCA holders from Malaysia, is that they think they a have reached the pinnacle of the profession. They have not.

There are 60 finance staff in my company's service center in Sg. 40 are degree holders. 30 have degrees + at least 1 professional qualification. Out of those 30, almost all have a second professional qualification... quite common because all these professional organisations try their best to recognise each other. What surprised me when I came to Sg was that out of those 30, 20 of them had MBAs and other Masters degrees.

All major professional qualifications are world recognised lah. That's not a big deal. At the end of the day, a professional qualification is a license to practice. Once you are able to practice, you gain experience. No one outside the accounting firms really cares deeply which professional qualification you have, as long as you have one and it is recognised. Ideally all of us should have 2 qualifications. A CA for recognition in the Commonwealth countries and a CPA for recognition in the Americas. Professional qualifications are a means to an end. Not an end in itself. You will do well to remember that.

Most university students would have done research projects. Those who took honours year (Aus) or did Masters would have done a dissertation or thesis.

Like I said, it's a means to an end. Don't be too enamoured by what you think is a tough experience, and expect employers to pay you for that. Besides working hard, you are supposed to work smart. A kerbau that breaks its back tilling soil each day is not appreciated more just because it is back breaking work. Ultimately, people only care whether the soil gets tilled. If using a tractor was faster and easier, nobody is going to think you're a hero for using a kerbau. Besides other kerbau, that is.

This post has been edited by seantang: Apr 6 2013, 12:32 AM

I got the BBA but only BBA in accounting is recognised for ICPAS associate registration. Never wanted to be a CPA from the start, took ACCA to accompany my friend because she wants to become a CPA. After ACCA she become ICPAS associate. After ICPAS assoc still need to sit for few exams to get her CPA.

ACCA in SG only equvalent to BBA accounting. Having either only can get you ICPAS assoc, still long way from CPA where the money is.

I'm a BBA accounting fresh graduate. Just started working in a small firm in SG as an audit assistant. Still considering whether do I require further studies.

If u want to go for food trip, can also follow ieatishootipost hawker guide n try them out.

Can go relax at sentosa beaches or take short ferry trip to batam,bintan too. A lot of things to do lah. But sometimes after one week of hectic work, lazed around at home is the best hehe.

Hey peeps I just want to clarify something. My employer must apply for an employment pass for me and prior to my arrival to Singapore, the employer must provide me the IPA letter?

Is it possible that I arrive in SG with the white card, go to my workplace and on the spot my employer gets the application done?

A little confused from the e-mail they sent me.

you have to come in with a white card first. then in Sg only do the work pass (work permit / S pass / Employment pass). while waiting for the work pass they will issue you with a IPA (in principal approval) so that you could start working. you will surrender the white card when you collect your work pass once it's ready.

This post has been edited by Mackiddo: Apr 6 2013, 11:08 AM

Well the thing is I told them I will only be available to start work from 15 Apr onwards. So technically speaking between me and my company we agreed that my first day will be 15 Apr but since I can't start working without a pass so is the company going to count that as my first working day or will that day be "a day where I run around getting my pass approved"? Anybody faced this issue before?

if you have received ur IPA, u can start working on the 15th of April....

the date of employment should be the date on your offer letter/contract, correct ?

errr, i think certain work pass or pr can bring family member over... those ppl that comes over will hold dependant pass lor

yea man... my boss was lying... i was washing dishes at that time, so i ask him how come my pay so low (that time earning 1.5k even with ot).. he kept quiet

i disagree with your statement... but wont elaborate further

got eat siham? or taiwan sosej? those very nice...

actually IPA before u come over... so enter with IPA and white card... no?

it is ok, with IPA u should be able to work..

Fiona/conqueror go somewhere else if u want to talk abt acca. Im an acca holder and worldprizewinner and I dont think acca is all that great. Youve been brainwashed by all those propaganda ur college and acca has been feeding u. There is always a bigger and better qualification /education elsewhere. Deal with it.

This post has been edited by ThanatosSwiftfire: Apr 6 2013, 01:27 PM

ok la, if short discussion on the matter... since it affects lots of us here.. as long not like seantang that ask msia to kill all the pinoys

anyway, back to singapore.... did your pay increase this year?

Singapore salaries steadily rise

More than half of employers in Singapore last year increased salaries between 3 and 6 per cent and they intend to do the same when they next review, according to the Hays Salary Guide.

The 2013 Hays Salary Guide, out now, reveals salary and recruiting trends for 1,200 roles across Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Japan, and was based on a survey of 1,200 employers, as well as placements made by Hays.

According to the Salary Guide, 52 per cent of Singapore employers increased salaries 3 to 6 per cent in 2012.

10 per cent of employers implemented increases of more than 6 per cent while 5 per cent gave a raise of more than 10 per cent.

26 per cent chose to increase salaries by less than 3 per cent while 7 per cent did not give an increase at all.

Looking ahead, 52 per cent of employers intend to increase salaries 3 to 6 per cent when they next review. And 11 per cent will look at increases of more than 6 per cent. 4 per cent also intend to raise salaries by more than 10 per cent.

Meanwhile, 28 per cent will give increases of less than 3 per cent while 5 per cent will offer no increase.

The fact that salaries in Singapore continue to rise shows the country is weathering the economic storm which has affected other parts of the world.

According to the Hays Salary Guide, the amount of employers who raised salaries by 3 to 6 per cent in 2012 increased by 8 per cent from the previous year showing a steady climb in remuneration for Singapore workers.

Meanwhile, almost three quarters of employers across Asia, or 72 per cent, believe the economy is likely to remain stable or strengthen. 65 per cent of employers in Asia also say their business activity increased in the past 12 months and 66 per cent envisage it will increase in the next year.

26 per cent also indicated business activity would remain the same in the next 12 months while 8 per cent said they expected a decrease.

This is expected to put greater pressure on, not only sourcing the right skills to manage increased business but also potentially the package on offer to prospective employees.

Our Salary Guide revealed 93 per cent of employers believe skills shortages will hamper their business operations.

More than half of employers (52 per cent) also tell us they have used a flexible approach to staffing over the past year, either temporary or contract employees or the employment of part-time staff – in fact almost a quarter (24 per cent) of respondents say they use temporary or contract staff on an ongoing basis.
According to the 2013 Hays Salary Guide, trends at a glance for Singapore are as follows:

Accountancy & Finance:
Last year may have started with caution in response to the Eurozone’s economic concerns, but by the second quarter of 2012 we saw some confidence return and the market welcomed normal levels of post-bonus candidate movement.

Architecture:
Singapore continues its transformation into a cosmopolitan city by developing its infrastructure, government policies and framework to attract foreign investors. Unsurprisingly, multinational corporations continue to establish regional offices on the island state to take advantage of Asia’s growth potential.

Banking:
Singapore’s banking sector continues to come under pressure as a result of global economic conditions. Like many other banking markets, vacancy activity is still evident but every hire must be justified. Therefore the recruitment process is taking longer.

Engineering & Construction:
To say that Singapore’s construction sector is buoyant is an understatement. The sheer number of projects underway or about to commence ensures that demand for skilled professionals remains high. But contractors and builders are all looking for the same type of candidate, which is fuelling high demand and short supply.

Finance Technology:
Despite the global economic concerns in Europe and the US, Singapore remains a dynamic and resilient business environment for finance technology. In good news for employers, it has continued to lure talent, especially from the mature market, who believe it will remain an area of growth in the region.

Human Resources:
The focus of Singapore’s HR market in 2012 was the replacement of departing staff rather than increased headcount or the creation of new positions. As usual, vacancy activity for junior to mid-level roles remained constant, although this did not impact on salaries, which have remained steady.

Information Technology:
Singapore’s IT jobs market may have started last year softly in response to global economic uncertainty, but by the second quarter of 2012 a steady increase in demand was evident for IT professionals. This activity has continued into 2013.

Insurance:
Despite economic uncertainty around the globe, Singapore’s insurance industry, for the most part, remained resilient during the first half of 2012.

Significantly we saw, and continue to see, high profile acquisitions throughout South East Asia, which led to demand for projects, change and integration specialists, as well as strategy candidates. It also led to demand for sales and distribution professionals to grow and expand market share.

Legal:
Since the fourth quarter of 2011, the European economic uncertainty has created a climate of global caution which is likely to continue through the first two quarters of 2013. Accordingly, Singapore moved ahead conservatively in 2012 and this had a correlating impact on the jobs market.

Life Sciences:
Salaries in the region have increased for medical affairs positions, which were marked by one of the largest salary jumps in the industry. One of the major reasons for this is the continued finite talent pool in Singapore. In an attempt to cope with the talent shortfall and ease upward salary pressure, many companies have recruited professionals from India.

Office Professionals:
Singapore’s unemployment rate remains low and is underpinning the office professionals jobs market. As a result, candidates who were made redundant over the past year have quickly secured new roles.

Oil & Gas:
Like China and Malaysia, Singapore’s oil and gas jobs market was very active over the year. Asia Pacific continues to be seen as a region of growth by global MNCs and consequently many original equipment manufacturing (OEM) companies have expanded their operations in Singapore.

Procurement:
Procurement professionals took on a more influential role in organisations over 2012 by aligning themselves with corporate directions and priorities, and by better planning, sourcing and managing vendors to bring in value for money contracts.

Property:
Developers and service providers remain busy and have ensured continuous recruitment activity within Singapore’s property sector over the past year. In particular, high-end properties continue to be developed, which is creating demand for Residential Managers and Property Managers with exclusive property experience.

Sales & Marketing:
2012 was a positive year for sales and marketing recruitment activity. In most demand were sales and business development candidates, as well as strategic brand and marketing management professionals. This trend will continue throughout 2013.

Supply Chain:
Singapore’s supply chain jobs market is expanding at a steady pace as businesses cautiously observe market trends and situations, and assess headcount requirements.

http://sbr.com.sg/economy/commentary/singa...s-steadily-rise

Hello, which sentence you interpret that I am brainwashed? My first degree enough to land me my current job. Taking ACCA is like a step backward for me. For some they need it for their registration. For me just a value add. I just saying it seems strange for ACCA holder doesn't have a degree. World prize winner or not so?

http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/...0-days-20130405
Restrictions on used-car loans lifted for 60 days

time to get a car

might not be bigger or better, but definitely alot of option here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartered_%28professional%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_profe..._United_Kingdom