hey there sorry for the duplicate threads all around. i'm wondering anything i need to take care since i'll be dropping by sg for few weeks before i start my work after cny (i presume)

of course this trip around mid jan later i need to start find room but i dono where i can start. hmm...somemore i'll be staying alone

Just landed a job there. Told them I would start mid Jan. They said Ok, come then and sign the offer letter on the first day then they would start my employment pass application. All sounds good?

I am planning to come a week before mid Jan to look for an apartment. Do I need any documents for me to start renting an apartment?

Also, what are some good web sites for apartment search? Thanks.

This post has been edited by theseller: Dec 29 2007, 12:43 PM

i have a question here.
if i have a professional certificate, CAT and pursuing ACCA.
but i want to work at singapore's audit firm.is it possible?
i have 3months of working experience in small account firm as tax assistant and 2months of working experience in mnc(nike) as accounts executive[contract basis].

is there any small account firm in singapore would accept me?

If you're looking for work in Sg, then the Sg chapters of jobstreet and jobsdb are pretty good. Caters to most levels, ie. fresh to 10+ years of experience for most industries and professions. I like jobsdb better because many of the jobs ads also show the salary range offered. This is useful to filter out jobs vacancies with important sounding titles but low salary.

sg.jobstreet.com
www.jobsdb.com/SG/

If you are in the finance industry (esp. banking and insurance), you might be interested in efinancialcareers. It's more for experienced financial professionals, with jobs usually starting from S$60K per annum upwards. Some mid-level bank jobs (ie. AVPs) are advertised here as well ($140-180K p.a.).

efinancialcareers.sg

If you're looking for something above $100K p.a. in a MNC etc. you'd probably get much better info and response by sending your resume to a recruitment firm.

But yes, most employers advertising professional jobs are looking for Singaporeans or PRs only, except for the factories and call centres, outsourcing service centres etc.

PR is better than Work Permit (WP) for the simple fact that employers are only required to pay CPF for PRs, not WPs. Therefore your total income package is immediately 14.5% higher (employer contribution), unless the WP's employer is willing to top up the salary with 14.5% to represent the CPF that WPs don't get. But do note there is a cap on employer contribution but I can't remember right now. I've only heard of one WP whose employer is willing to do that. And he was in a fairly high level job (~S$240K p.a.) too, so he's got a fair bit of negotiation power.

On the other hand, PRs need to contribute CPF at 20% on gross salary up to a cap of S$900 contributed each month. And as West Malaysians, you cannot withdraw your CPF until you're 55, even if you give up your PR. The only exception is if you are no longer domiciled in West Malaysia ie. you have a PR in another country or move to East Malaysia. No other nationality is subjected to this archaic ruling. Having said that, you can always withdraw your CPF to buy a private condo in Singapore and watch your investment grow and grow as Singapore becomes more and more crowded.

If you're looking for a place to stay, I find flatsdb to be a great site. Most if not all ads state the rental asked (which is really useful if you don't want to waste time calling all the agents/owners to ask how much rent) and walking time to MRT. You can also select to search for entire flats (private condo or HDB) or rooms. Currently, do allocate ~S$600 for a master bedroom (with attached toilet) or S$1300 for a fully furnished one bedroom or older/smaller two bedroom HDB flat - in a nearer to town suburb (eg. 15-30 minutes MRT ride to city). Non-hdb condos (with facilities like pool, gym etc) are now at least S$2500 or more, much more also got. House etc... if you can afford that, you'd probably won't need to ask questions in LYN lah.

flatsdb.com.sg

This post has been edited by seantang: Dec 30 2007, 01:31 PM

wow...good info.then what about if i apply for vacation go singapore..then over there i apply for job..can i change my vacation to working permit?

I guess you can try to apply for jobs while you're over there on vacation. But why wait till you're actually there?

Just send in your applications early, and state on your application when you'll be in Singapore so that any interviews can be scheduled during the period.

Ummm... I don't think Malaysians need any permits to visit Singapore. So, if you find work in Sg, there are really no permits to 'change'. Your new employer simply needs to apply for a WP for you. It's quite a fast process. Mine took only a couple of days. I managed to apply for and get a WP, and then use the newly issued work permit to open a bank account and lease a flat within a 4 day house-hunting trip.

oh,buti have a friend work at grandthonthern singapore. according to him,he need 1month to approve his wp.wierd.
btw,how much is the travelling from kl to singapore?and how long is the duration of transportation?
what is the fastest and cheapest? i heard can take train from kl sentral to singapore. can someone confirm this is a real news?

Grant & Thornton?

Your friend might beright. My employment pass was done by my company, so they have all my details on record and could have submitted the application earlier online without needing my participation. In any case, I only signed the forms when I arrived for that trip and relinquished my passport to the HR folks for 2 days.

Travel to Sg by coach is around RM45 from KL I think. I usually take mine from Ipoh which is RM60. It's roughly 5 hours from KL, including going through immigration. This should be the cheapest.

Fastest probably flying. But before the budget flights in Feb, it'll be the most costly by far as well.

Train from KL Sentral to Sg... ya lah. That's KTM. It takes anything from 7 to 10 hours depending on whether they stop for abnormally long periods at each town.

yes yes..grant and thornton..the audit firm.
owh...wow...says i got sing 1.5k or 1.8k
after socso and cpf..how much will it be?
will the employer pay a 12% of cpf?`

Already mentioned in my first post. CPF applies only if you are PR. So, if PR, you pay 20%, employer pays 14.5%.

owh...good good,bro..thanks alot.u working at sg?

Depending on which company you are in. Some companies take shorter time to get WP/EP be approved. If you have worked in Singapore before, then your application will be approved much faster. Remember there are 2 types of work permit; i.e. normal Work Permit and Employment Pass. Usually the approval of application takes average about 1 month.

Travelling from KL to Singapore costs about RM30+, < RM40 depending on which type of coach you are boarding. Like I, myself usually take Konsortium, from KL to JB costs me about RM24 and approx. 4 to 5 hours to reach. Stopping at Larkin, then take SBS bus 169/170 or Causeway Link CW1/CW2 to Singapore Custom/Kranji MRT Station/Queen Street/Jurong East which costs around RM1.40 to RM2.50.

1st year PR = employee 5%, employer 4%
2nd year PR = employee 15%, employer 9%
3rd year onwards PR = employee 20%, employer 14.5%

Some companies do offer remuneration package to pay you the employer's CPF portion, even if you are holding WP/EP, for example Big 4 audit firm. Please note that.

This post has been edited by shawnlst: Dec 31 2007, 01:37 AM

That's an opt-in scheme for new PRs. The cost of more cash on hand is reduced employer compulsory contributions. However, most MNCs will still contribute the normal 14.5% even if you choose this scheme.

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Added on December 31, 2007, 10:09 am
Yeah, my company transferred me here from KL 3 years ago.


This post has been edited by seantang: Dec 31 2007, 10:09 AM

i got an offer from an MNC in Singapore for SGD 2.8k. btw, i'm a fresh grad.

is this offer reasonable for fresh grad? and is it okay to live in such a salary in Singapore?

Reasonable?... should be kua... try going to a few of Singapore govt websites (like the Police or Economic Development Board etc) and look at their salaries offered under the careers section. They should be a little lower than the MNCs.

Is it okay to live on such a salary? Well... hundreds of Seagate operators get around $800-$1000 a month and they manage. Bus drivers (they are called bus captains) get $2500 a month and they own a HDB flat and feed a family.

If you do the rented room thing ($300-600), MRT/bus thing ($100) and foodcourt thing ($5 per meal ie. $450), you should have plenty.

But if you like a whole flat in a prime area (from $1200-1800 for HDB flat to $5000 a month for a serviced studio apartment near Orchard Rd), taxis ($15 per 10 minute trip into Orchard Rd during peak using CTE hwy inclusive of $6 ERP toll and peak surcharge x 2 x 30days = $900) and restaurants ($???), how much also not enough.

So, it really depends on your lifestyle.

jsut to live by is no problem for that kind of salary. In fact, I think you have excess at the end of the month.. if you are not spend thrift. MNC at which area? Industry park location, food prices aren't as high as in shopping mall unless you are in high class area... even then, won't cost you prices like in Orchard road...

If I need to stay overnite for the upcoming job fair, any suggestion?

Hi Guys

Sorry if this has been asked before, how much is the toll for scooters like me?

Will be staying in Bukit Mewah and take my scooter to Frist link straight to Science Park.

Thanks

Hi guys..
I just graduated from our local U - Diploma in Tourism management. Any recommendation for jobs in Singapore for me?

hahaha
im Diploma in Computer Engineering. Any recommendation jobs for me then?