It's time for a new thread on 2017!

Previous V19 Thread

Previous V18 Thread

V17 Thread



Job Hunting

- Job hunting is more difficult now thanks to the Fair Consideration Framework but still possible.
- Popular Job Search Sites: JobStreet, Monster, eFinancialCareers

Employment

- There are 4 types of Work Passes for foreigners in SG: WP, S-Pass, EP and PEP. Visit MOM website for more information on these passes.
- The company hiring you has to initiate all the formalities for you so no need to worry too much on what type of pass or how to apply for it.
- Note that different types of work pass have different rights, benefits & restrictions.

CPF and Income Tax

- If you work 183 days or more in a calendar year you are a tax resident and pay the same progressive tax rates as locals.
- If you work less than 183 days you are not a tax resident and pay flat 15% tax or progressive tax rates as locals (whichever is higher). However the following year if your employment spills over into exceeding 183 days you can request IRAS to re-assess you as a tax resident and refund you the difference in tax paid.
- Visit IRAS website for more information on taxes.
- CPF (equivalent of our EPF) is only mandatory for PR's and SC's (Singapore Citizens) at 16% Employee, 20% Employer, capped at first $5k per month.
- Some companies will encash the employer portion for foreigners.
- Visit CPF Website for more information on CPF.

Permanent Residence

- ICA does not have any official guidelines for PR approval (or any points system like Australia/NZ).
- Previously most agencies recommend applying for PR after 1 year if you are on P1 EP, 2 years or more if you are on P2/Q1 EP.
- Visit ICA website for more information on applying for PR.

Accomodation in Singapore

- Accomodation $600-$100 (room) $2000-$3000 (entire flat)
- Typical costs are 1st month rental + 1 month deposit (for each year of the lease) + 1/2 month agent fee (for each year of the lease).
- Foreigners can only own Private Condominiums and are subject to ~18% stamp duty. PR's can own Private Condominiums and Resale HDB's are and subject to ~8% stamp duty.
- Popular room/house search websites: PropertyGuru, FlatsDB, RoomsDB, EasyRoomMate.

Accomodation in Johor

- Foreigners on Work Pass living in Malaysia and commuting to SG can drive MY-registered cars and bikes. Cars incur $35 and bikes incur $4 VEP/daily.
- PR's and SC's living in Malaysia and commuting to SG can only drive SG-registered cars and bikes into the island.
- Visit LTA website for more information on operating a car in SG as a foreigner.

Driving in Singapore

- Foreigners on Work Pass are allowed to drive in Singapore for the first year only using Malaysian Drivers License. For second year onwards you are expected to convert to Singapore license.
- Visit eCitizen site for more information on converting your license.
- Note that foreigners on work pass are only allowed to drive Malaysia-registered cars if you stay outside Singapore. Visit LTA site for more information.

Expenses

This is very subjective depending on the spending power of different individuals. Basic monthly expenditure:
- Accomodation up to $600-$1000 (room) $2000-$3000 (entire flat)
- Food $500 and up
- Transport $60 and up
- Handphone, bills and utilities $100 and up
- Entertainment, shopping etc $xxxx

This post has been edited by bennike129: Mar 1 2017, 09:23 PM

Hello v20! First to reporting!

Berribu-ribu tahniah! V20

Parking

Received notice that OCBC 360 interest and KrisFyer redemptions TnC will be revised.

Damn no more free loaders. Guess economy is bad

Hi all,

Keep the thread going

just as you guys were talking about ocbc360, they have now revised their bonus terms. you guys jinx it

come come uob

Ya damn sad. No longer can enjoy higher interest rate for OCBC 360

Guys, what is your salary when you first came to work in SG?

Grats V20

Hi guys, my company is hiring. If anyone planning to go SG and need to find job then can try. Minimally need to be able to get EP which you need to have a degree from recognize University. You can visit the link below. Good luck guys.

http://sg.jobsdb.com/sg/en/job/software-su...400003003123302

V20... perhaps maybe we should share more information at 1st threat.

Like which bank to open when u reach SG for ur 1st job.
Which telco is better, which telco is best for bucks.
Where to buy daily product / grocery is best / cheap etc.

Boring than shall go where to handout.
Activities and what's happening around SG?
Even perspective of getting call back to MY and how / which cheaper too etc? lol

Congrats V20 liau !!!

sigh....no more saving bonus....lost 1% there
any better ones out there? UOB better?

I probably should've mentioned that uob is not for all. but if you are spending $500 per month (can be on their debit or credit) then it's easier to earn their bonus. it's just $500 spending + salary.

yea ocbc360 changed :/

any other tips or tricks to earn from saving account + credit card?

silent reader here

Don't have 60k of cash standing by so just recommend credit card. For general usage, UOB One card is 5% rebate if meet the target. Not a bad card.

Hi,

Anyone know what is the salary range for certified internal auditor with over 3 years experience in Sg?
I have applied some jobs in JobsDB, but all turned out 'Not suitable'. Is it more difficult for malaysian to work in Sg now?

yes very sad that OCBC terms changed!

i think UOB conditions are lesser. but need another credit card also not a wise choice.

furthermore, if we open both OCBC and UOB accounts, and split our savings, we also can't earn much interest in total right?

by the way, SGD rate is going up now. hopefully hit 3.5 this year

HELP MEEEEEE.

Went to POSB again to open my account. I live in JB and they need LHDN letter or tax letter or something. I never register LHDN. How can I get that letter?

i saw the comparison, if large amt of money better go uob

https://justasingaporeanson.blogspot.sg/201...comparison.html

Aiyo, I haven't went to branch open OCBC already change. Looks like I need to find alternative liao..

May I send resume to you directly?

I will start my job there in the next two weeks. Will try to help out with some of these info

Last time i went there, they mention as long I have IPA (kinda temporary employment pass) and address in Sg, then I can open up.
But, one of my friends mention that we need to have company letter. Though the bank staff never mentioned that to me.

3.5?

Tambak Johor will roboh for sure. Nowadays oso jem like hell already...

Hi guys, may I know which bank in singapore can be open without the singapore employment doc?

This post has been edited by Frank3: Mar 3 2017, 02:11 PM

DBS/POSB

i dun wish myr drop so much eh although good for us,but our family back in msia bad eh :/

360k

I just wanna take 10% will do

How to accumulate such wealth oo...
But kinda wasted...Those monies are not invested...

maybe invested money is x10 the savings

something to share

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/calm-down-singapo...-030023182.html

can get "chap fan" at S$3 here. dollar to dollar. cannot get decent food at RM3 in Malaysia.
MRT also not expensive and very convenient. almost everywhere has covered walkways / tunnels, etc.
not difficult to survive in Singapore.

agree

Might want to point out that article is from 2014

Not difficult to survive;and keep renting. If only property and car was a lot more affordable though

Why don't you share your own experience while living here?

Article can be bias

tl;dr

Single, Don't drink, Don't geylang, Don't buy luxuries = Save a whole lot. Even for freshie down here.

Probably enough to save equivalent salary in MY and even more.

Bro, thanks for the reply but I have went to DBS branch in tai seng last month, they dont allow unless u have employement pass in Singapore.

but the point remains true, right?

Hello sg working people, I will be working at changi airport, anyone knows a nearby hdb room to rent?(bedok, tampines,pasir ris)

Preferably a room for 2 (helping a friend as well). Thanks!

Not all of it, for example the first point "Singapore’s currency (SGD) has strengthened by up to 40% against the US dollar." is diminished by a lot now (though still relevant)

Anyway my point was just to state when posting old articles so they don't get taken out of context, i do agree with whats written there

try websites like easyroommate. can find a lot near pasir ris. i know a lot of people tend to stay in pasir ris if they work in airport.

just to share some of my experience, after 1 year working in sg.

food:
hawker food is quite affordable, u can get by ur lunch/dinner with $5
restaurant in mall normally range from ~$8 to any price

transport:
u can get to anywhere in sg by public transport - mrt/bus
so no problem with transport actually. just that u need to plan ur time well
if u stay near to ur office , then thats good and u can save alot in transportation.

accommodation:
a common room here (1pax) include utilities&internet normally rental range from $400-$700 for hdb
if condo around $800-1000+
some include aircon which is always good as weather here 80% of the time is hot

misc:
hippie cafe in sg: coffee price around $5-10, big breakfast can range from $10-30+ depending on the area where the cafe is
library in sg: apa book u mau pun ada, can borrow with a small fees
daily necessities: i see some of my fren always go JB to buy shampoo,food,watson,etc. but for me i would not spend the time going out to JB purposely buying shampoo and stuff.
tax: not much rebate like in malaysia
bank: open dbs/posb easiest, as they accept malaysia IC. also most common bank in sg, can find the atm at every corner.
mobile no.: singtel,starhub,m1. imo, starhub is the balance between singtel and m1, m1 is cheap but line not stable, singtel is stable not price higher.
entertainment: in sg, far more expensive than compare in malaysia.

imo: u can save alot $$$ in sg, unless u always go hippie cafe/restaurant, drink alcohol, or go geylang.

Go Geylang eat frog porridge won't cost a lot right?

Still waiting if anyone gonna post the price range for geylang

TBH, I haven't get to try it yet

Anywhere from $10 to ???

$10 if you share with someone else.


I mean... Frog porridge

Sien, apply what credit card also got rejected. Record too clean, any idea how?

Rob a bank?

noted...my mistake on not mentioning the article's date

Hi all sifu,
Need your advice.
I am offered job in sg.
My new co. will buy off me.
But I just submitted my appraisal for bonus.
I have to reply new co. tomorrow.
I worry I will lose my bonus.
Standard notice period for tender is 2 mth for my case.

Must be high position offered in Sg in order for them to buy you out !

You can ask Sg company to wait for few more days first? Wait until u receive the bonus first only buy you out for ctr

not exactly sure about the buyout part but from what my wife and i had for buyout, this is the scenario we had
notice period = 1 month, new company pay us the 1 month salary in the amount offered by the new company
so, if this is the logic...if the new company is going to pay u SGD5k, is ur bonus more than SGD10k convert to RM - 2 months pay?

You got rejected because your record is too clean?
Wah you're so special ler...

The bonus payout is usually may or jun. My new co requested me to pay first to old co. They will reimburse me later. What should I do to retain my bonus? My bonus is under review and approval now...tq bros

Ya wei, submitted corporate card application rejected...submitted personal card application also rejected

Checked with Credit Bureau also same reason...

The 'buy off' is a early release. Common in the industry if your role is critical role

Can forget about the bonus the moment you tender, even if it's already approve. Just look forward for the 'greener' pasture at new company. Let old bygones be bygones

the last time, i went to suntec city dbs branch, and they allowed me to open with just my IPA letter.

The answer is there is nothing u can worried about because chances for u to get bonus is almost zero unless it is contractual bonus or in contract term. Bonus (Exclude contractual/employment term) is strictly discretionary. Even your boss confirmed your bonus $ and it is discretion until the moment the bonus $ credited into your bank account. This is corporate reality and of course there are some exception cases, where they do "charity" bonus to those leavers (which rarely happen). I am sorry if my feedback is harsh but what I am telling u is common practice not that I am being corporate citizen nor my job scope but purely feedback cause I gain nth from giving feedback here.

Not necessary, buy-out happen most of the time. Reason is simply too "cheap" to buy out than wait for months. Just imagine salary of MYR10k per month is equivalent to SGD3.2k, can easily buy two months.

Luckily u and your wife too! Its not common in most industry and companies to offer same equivalent of absolute amount, e.g. MYR1 to SGD1.

PR or EP?



I only know my pay now is low enough to qualify for credit card as a foreigner. Get PR then different story.

EP, they told me to take loan just for the sake of credit activity or try other card which I already have but still got rejected

Foreigner is 60k per annum rite. Where got low!

If your bonus is contractual ie no matter what also company must pay, then you can negotiate/demand with them to give you pro rated.

If your bonus is discretionary ie company can choose to pay or not depending on company performance or whether the stars align, then almost-zero chance of you getting anything.

One alternative could be to ask the new company to give you a sign-on bonus in lieu of the one that you'll be giving up, but that's not really likely to happen unless you are super in demand as a candidate.

Try Citibank? I think in general they are more liberal in approving credit cards.

Otherwise SCB manhattan card has a version with s$500 credit limit, I'd guess that the approval criteria for that is super lax. Could be worth it to live with that low limit for a few months to build credit history if all else fails.

SCB manhattan 60k annual income. Cannot meet

I think I'll try my corporate card again since the requirement is lower than personal

This post has been edited by XiuKeong: Mar 8 2017, 12:30 PM

No, there is a specific version of the card that only comes with a $500 limit. It's designed for students, but working ppl are also welcome to apply.

http://www.wowmanhattan.com.sg/benefits-500.html

Now current company counter offer me. 20% salary increment. Don't know what to do now.

whats the website for SG Jobs ? looking for job.
Currently working in malaysia

Ahhh, only for SC and PR

Hope it helps

This post has been edited by XiuKeong: Mar 8 2017, 04:36 PM

Just wondering guys,

The requirement for EP got change huh? I'm currently on EP now. Yesterday, I just sign a new good offer, which is 25% from my current pay. But the new HR stated that she can't apply EP for me due to new requirement. She say that she will apply S-Pass for me instead...

Does downgrading ur pass affecting something here?

Yup, EP now starts at 3600..

No wonder.

It seems like i have to wait couple of years to get there...

Shouldn't be that difficult, just compare your RM +20% salary vs the SGD offer you have
My opinion, usually 20% extra in RM isn't enough to compare (purely salary point of view)
Many other factors other than that of course

This post has been edited by KilJim: Mar 8 2017, 04:38 PM

For me, I would not take any counter offer some some reason.

1. Pride maaa. Sudah throw mau jilat balik
2. If take, usually your department colleagues increment will be affected. Because the money comes from the same pool. Kesian them...
3. Your boss and colleagues usually will not be friendlier as before. Get ready for anything...

The sg company no feedback anything yet about counter offer from current co. Tomorrow I need to reply. I also try to get official counter offer first.

Maybe is their trick to get you take up unnecessary loan? I know buy insurance did help la didn't know taking loan also.

I mean I'm too low to qualify. Minimum should be around 3.7k basic per month for foreigner. I cheap labour basic not even 3k.

3.6k. Old EP holder can still be waived for the first renewal if not wrong. After that need to meet the requirement. But to be honest last time when I first came SG, the requirement was 3.2. I was getting only 2.X back then.

Affect nothing much. Company need to pay levy. I think apply phone from Tesco also need extra deposit (this one I not 100% sure can't remember). And maybe just feel like one class lower

Hi guys,
I want to ask something. My father recently just renounced singapore citizenship and already get malaysian IC. Now in the process to transfer his CPF monies.

He already open 1 MY bank account, and at the same time still holding SG maybank atm card which is still active. My questions,

1. Cpf stated that my father need to bear bank charges if sent to overseas bank since it via tele. transfer. Anyone know how much is the bank charges? Will bank charge by exact amount per transaction or based on percentage?

2. How can I know the exchange rate that will be used?

3. What is the best method, transfer to MY account or SG account?

4. Until when is the Sg maybank account active, since he is no longer holding sg ic.

Thanks very much for responses.

2 years experience
food: go pasar food court lo, chicken rice 2.5-3, dai chow 3 can get. when I am very tight I try limited $10 a day. Go air con kopitiam sure have to pay 3.x to 5 a plate/bowl

tax here is much lower ba even without deduction for foreigner. if you convert you save even more.

Halo everyone, any job introduce in Sg? For account or admin or invest or finance also ok.

Thanks

Will be having a phone interview with the hiring manager later. Few questions:
1) do you share salary details in MALAYSIA with the hiring manager? Weird right? No context.
Even in Malaysia I don’t feel like sharing it to the hiring manager. HR yes, not hiring manager lo.
2) How to find out the right salary range of my job scope, level and industry? Glassdoor? I think my headhunter told me a lower salary number to expect?

good to refer,but normally i just check my current pay and set myself how much i worth here.

1. I will share, if he asked to. This is actually depends on the person himself.
2. You take 1:1 salary range with MY salary la. But usually kinda hard. I only manage to get 1:1 my last MY drawn salary after being here for 1.5 years...

I am 4 years here and not even one to one yet lol

Thanks for the reply...

but you two work in same job scope right? got naik level or similar??? cause if i change, i naik level kua. Just want to understand...

Cause frankly speaking my pay in malaysia rise abit slow la, so abit behind my peers lo.

i havent reach 1:1 of my msia salary yet also...
2 years soon...

LOL yeah, same here. New job but less than Malaysia number..Starting soon

but you can save more than msia right?

if nvr really spend on other things sure can save better here haha...
and we msian are frking pro in saving money :/
wonder how we survive msia where 1 cup of starbucks is 16++ while here only 6++...
with the salary not that much of a difference

This post has been edited by Blues89: Mar 9 2017, 03:33 PM

15 years here.

Food: Go wet market buy and cook. Save a lot. NTUC or Sheng Siong also cannot fight. Go back weekly and bring whole week of food in luggage. Fresh and cheap.

Transport: Wait till got a baby then sure need a car. Baby stuff a lot. Bring them see doctor also troublesome especially in the middle of the night without car.

Accommodation: Lucky to find an empty house and the owner is oversea. Just stay in free and maintain the house.

Monthly expenditure for a family of 3+1 is around 10k. Where got cheap. The locals complaining living cost high is true you know.

Education will be a problem for my kid. Foreigner hard to get good placement in primary schools. International school give the impression of rich kids who won't bother to study. Discussing to pack bags and go back Malaysia now.

that accomodation part...syiok= =

Fionajie u dun talk cock la. 10k per month is nth to u.