To be frank, if you're applying though Job sites, you will need paper qualifications to add weight. HR won't know your experience before talking to you. Hence, paper qualification is the first "impression".

I came to S'pore in 2007. Worked as an engineer in the manufacturing industry - $30k/yr. Along the way, I earned my MBA and now pursuing another Masters. My new paper quals allowed me to move into another sector and now I'm doing well for my age bracket - early 30s. On a side note, my MBA also earned me my life partner

This post has been edited by gnc88: Jun 12 2014, 12:18 AM

MBA costed me S$38K from NTU. However, if now the cost has escalated to over S$50K. Paper qual does play a part but you are right, luck can be a factor.


No.

This post has been edited by gnc88: Jun 16 2014, 04:19 PM

My unit at Lake Side MRT is rented out at 2.3k.

For a 2k budget for a unit in JE will be tough. But you never know if you get lucky.

This post has been edited by gnc88: Jul 3 2014, 11:15 AM

Qualifications?
Otherwise, get any job. But do note, rent is not cheap in Singapore. So, if you land a low paying job, you will end up either save little or save more by staying in JB but tire yourself out by crossing the causeway every day.

Make use of sites such as propertyguru and iproperty. Else go to notice boards of mrt or cold storage/ntuc of those areas. Lots of good leads. So be it you're looking for tenants or looking for a place, these are good resources.

Just bemindful who you rent with since you're looking for a room. I have rented units to all races and each got their own patterns..

This post has been edited by gnc88: Jul 5 2014, 06:16 PM

If you have a choice, pls continue to study be it in SG or MY. Don't stop at SPM. Even poly isn't sufficient. I know some will say degree study also like that but treat degree as a back up plan. If all your ventures failed, you always have a degree to fall back on.

Moroever, as I mentioned in one of my posts, some companies, like mine - banking, doesn't promote/hire anyone without degree. So pls get the piece of paper whether you like it or not. It will open up doors.

With Singapore being the most expensive city to live in, you need to really put a lot of emphasis on career growth unless you have serious passive income from other sources.

Agree. From where I come from, most are earning 5 figures per month and work the usual 9am-5pm. Just have to work smart and be efficient. It's all a matter of how well you manage your work and the industry you're in. Work hard doesn't mean you earn more. It's work smart and know how to grow your career and be good at office politics.

Talking about property, buying a GCB is a dream most income earners will never achieve. Hence, just aim for a good quality landed. If I were to use my estate as a yardstick, that alone will also set you back by at least S$7M. To get a S$7M house, you need 20% downpayment - $1.4M (combination of cash & CPF). Then come to the loan of the remaining 80% - S$5.6M. For a loan of this value, you need at least S$20k+ set aside every month for installment. That's like $240K/yr set aside just for housing installment. Quite frankly, I only end up in such an estate due to my spouse.

This post has been edited by gnc88: Jul 10 2014, 10:01 PM

Oh my. That's an embarassing typo. 9am to 5pm.

I gave up my MyKad this year.. no plans to retire in Malaysia (Sarawak).. suddenly miss home..

1. Go to PropertyGuru Singapore and do a quick search
2. Go to NTUC/Cold Storage/Bus stops near to the location of your choice and look at the notice boards
3. Engage an agent

Please be mindful who you rent with. I have rented my family units out to various nationalities. All I can say is, if possible, try to rent together with Malaysian or Caucasians. These 2 are the least problematic nationalities. Higher chances for them to be students or working professionals who do not mess up or damage your place. Also, less complaints from neighbors about noise. Once again, this is purely from my experience.

All the best in your red-dot journey.

This post has been edited by gnc88: Jul 11 2014, 01:57 PM

Yes. it is not 100% you'll get WP. Did you receive your in-principal approval yet?

Unfortunately Maybank MY and Maybank SG are 2 different entities and each operates in different currencies. Dividend cheques (in RM) that I received from BSKL cannot be cashed into Maybank SG account. Hence, you only option here is to open a SG bank account. You can opt back for Maybank SG or try local banks - POSB/DBS, UOB or OCBC. Just be warned that POSB/DBS is always very long queue but their atms are everywhere. Don't bother with HSBC or SCB. It's freaking hard to find their atms and usually only found in shopping centers.

When I first come to SG, I also have no bank account. So, what I do back then was to tell my company to hold onto my pay as they will not pay by cash or cheque. So, your 1st month pay will only be credited into your account at the end of the 2nd month. So, to be frank, I came into SG with limited RM. I had to save every cent I can to survive.

This post has been edited by gnc88: Jul 11 2014, 03:01 PM

As far as I'm aware, employer should settle your WP. My employer settled everything for me. Same goes for my maid WP renewal, I have to settle her WP application.

I'm not sure if you can transfer money between Maybank MY and Maybank SG. Alternatively, you can always use DBS facility which allows you to transfer fund to an overseas Visa card. Else, the most common form would be to use Western Union.

Not that I'm aware. Do what my friend did. When he quit his job in SG and move back MY, he withdrew and brought back his stack of money across causeway. Asalkan jangan kena tangkap!

Per guideline "A traveller who enters or leaves Singapore is required to give a report if he carries with him an amount exceeding Singapore dollars 30,000 (or its equivalent in a foreign currency)."

Back then, he brought with him an amount equivalent to RM200K ~ S$77K. Went back S'wak and down payment a detached house.

If i'm not wrong, Sabah/Sarawak residents are allowed to withdraw the entirety of CPF if you decide to leave Singapore. So, you can easily accumulate such amount as long as you don't splurge.

You don't need to change all at once. Can always slowly change and keep under your pillow!


It depends. My cousin just got a job in Singapore but have to take up any job though...even though it doesn't pay well. end of the day, it's all luck and perseverance. You're ultimately competing with other nationalities.

CPF only for SPR and locals. If i'm not wrong, government retains 15% of your monthly pay and will return any leftover after tax deduction.

I strongly do not recommend that you stay on as WP/S Pass throughout your entire career in SG. At least try to apply for PR after 6 months. With PR, you have the flexibility to join any SG companies and won't be at the mercy of the employer who applied for your WP or S Pass.

Only con I can think of is that you can't drive your Malaysia registered car into Singapore anymore.

As long as you stay PR, you don't need to give up your M'sia license. You only give it up once you convert into S'pore citizen. However, Singapore driving license is an international license with no expiry. So, you never have to renew.

Thx... didn't realize I've been in violation for the past 7 years! I guess now if I return S' wak I can't drive unless it's a rented car.

This post has been edited by gnc88: Jul 11 2014, 09:20 PM

Agree. HP used to be paying 2.8k for fresh engineering grad. Not sire about now but I'm not surprise if it is 3k.

Don't need to wait 2 years. After 6 months you can start trying to apply PR... hopefully no new policy.