I graduated from NTU with a second upper honours degree in communications/journalism, a course my post-A level self chose because it seemed more 'exclusive' than arts and social sciences at NUS. Unfortunately it turns out that I don't have the temperament (unlike you, I'm not glib enough to hob knob with people day in, day out) or the passion (to endure the low pay, and long, unpredictable hours) that a career in media requires. Also, and possibly most importantly, the news media in Singapore is pretty pointless (and struggling to cope with the whole digital tsunami that has hit the media landscape), and I stopped feeling any kind of sustained job satisfaction many moons ago. Long story short, I've been working in the news industry since I graduated and I want out. But most of my work experience is pretty niche (technical aspects of photo and video production and editing) and, in my opinion, difficult to transfer to another career. Even if I were to join, say the corp comms department of the civil service or a MNC, it'll be more or less same shit different environment. And that's not what I want for the rest of my life, to be slaving over editing a video that nobody really cares about, or worrying about how many views or clicks my article gets.
I'm considering furthering my studies to enable me to transition to a non-media career that suits me better. I understand this will mean taking a huge hit in income and 'career ladder climbing', seeing as I will be entering a new industry at a relatively old age, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. I'm currently looking at NTU's MSc in Information Studies with view to a career in data analytics or librarianship. My other (admittedly much more foolhardy) option is to apply for grad school in Germany, Finland or another country with tuition-free universities, and try to make something happen for myself during my time in the country. What do you think, Limpeh?
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| Allow me to see what I can suggest. |
Well, you touched upon so many different issues in there JS. Do allow me to deal with them in my bullet point format.
1. No way to contact me apart from leaving a comment.
Yes that is deliberate. Even if people have managed to track me down via social media, I usually direct them back to this method of leaving a message on the blog and discussing it openly like that - there are two very good reasons for this. Firstly, if we discuss it openly like that, other people reading my blog can share the good advice being discussed here and who knows, I may be able to help one hundred people, or even thousands of people if we make this discussion public on my blog. If I spend all that same effort sending you advice in an email, I only benefit one person. Think about that for a moment: do I wanna help one person or potentially help thousands (who are facing the same challenges as you)? Given that I don't know you personally, I would opt for the latter - it is a no-brainer. Likewise, when I turn it into a public discussion like that with my readers, they may have some brilliant ideas that I have not thought of - surely the collective wisdom of a large group of people trumps whatever good ideas I may come up with. I have had 8.35 million pageviews on my blog, whenever I post something on my blog, it is read by thousands within hours. Wouldn't you rather ask this huge group of thousands of people from Singapore to Italy to Canada for advice, rather than just depend on just me? So you see, it makes complete sense for you to leave a comment, the way you did.
2. Working in media in Singapore
I think your view of a career in media is very pessimistic, but then again, that's based on your experience and whom am I to tell you otherwise. Because of my involvement in Singaporean social media scene through my blogging, I do know a few people who have made it in this industry. But yes, given the culture of censorship in Singapore, my friends in media tend to steer away from politics and focus on non-controversial topics like food, entertainment, travel and shopping. So it isn't impossible to make a living through media in Singapore, but one has got to be realistic in terms of the kind of journalism you can pursue - my friends who have done well have found their niche and focused on that. The media scene in Singapore is evolving though, given the digital revolution - gone are the days when people merely read the Straits Times and the New Paper, But as you said, if the passion is gone, then there's no point in me trying to convince you that there are opportunities during a period of change; What you need to do now is to figure out what you are good at and what transferable skills you possess to enable you to make a mid-life career switch successfully.
I am so glad you are sensible enough to start by doing plenty of research about what skills shortages there are in the countries you wish to move to - my reader Choaiki who is about the same age as you went as far as to give up a career in IT and retrain as an X-ray specialist just to qualify as a highly skilled migrant (yup, that's how badly he wants to move out of Singapore). I can't tell you which path to choose, but you need to choose carefully to avoid making the same mistake twice. You don't want to retrain in another career only to realize years later that whilst it may get you on that highly skilled migrant list, you are equally uninterested in it as your previous career. Now I don't know you personally, but you need to sit down and think about what makes you happy, what will give you that sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, what you are seeking in life, what success would mean to you. Once you have those answers, then you are in a better position to plan your next move. So even if you do somehow follow in Choaniki's footsteps and retrain as an X-ray specialist, would that make you happy in the long run?
4. Short term hit in income - not as straight forward as you think.
Now I note that you have talked about a short term hit in income should you switch careers at this stage, I think you're being pessimistic. Each time I switched careers, I didn't suffer a significant hit in my income; in fact, once I got over the initial adjustment period, my income actually went up. I don't have a magic formula to share, apart from the obvious: I made careful switches, playing to my strengths. I didn't spend years retraining to do something I was previously totally unqualified to do - instead, I capitalized on my 'transferable skills' - I know where my strengths lie and I know where I am most likely to suceed Since I don't know you personally JS, I don't know what your strengths are: but you need to think about what you are best at, which are the areas in your current job which you excel at and whether these skills are indeed transferable. Some career switches are easier than others - obviously the more transferable skills you can bring with you to your new career, the easier the transition will be. So do bear that in mind, you don't want to set yourself up to fail by making a difficult transition whereby none of your existing skills are relevant to the new career.
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| A career switch may not mean much of a drop in your income. |
5. Do you need a new degree?
I note that you're considering getting yourself another degree - now I think that is a really bad idea. You mentioned the NTU's MSc in Information Studies course, Please, no. Hell no. No no no. Don't even go there. No! I had a look at the curriculum and it is fucking awful - for starters, it is so vague. It is trying to cover so many different aspects of information management it just doesn't make sense. People who finally do get a job in data analytics or librarianship (or any other related field within information management), they will only deal with one specific kind of information and your employee will have their own methodology and processes to deal with that data. Let me give you an example: my friend Melinda works for a local authority dealing with transport planning and there is a lot of data for her to analyze in her job. Did she do a degree in "information studies"? No, her undergrad degree was in economics and she has a head for mathematics and statistics - she is more than just a number cruncher, she uses her understanding of transport patterns to make sense of the vast volumes of data presented to her. The fact that Melinda's undergrad degree wasn't directly relevant didn't prevent her from excelling at her job. Her employer picked her because she had plenty of relevant transferable skills for the job and they gave her the training she needed to do her job - she was never expected to have done a degree which enabled her to hit the ground running.
That's the problem with tertiary education in Singapore - like, I totally despair. I'm talking about face in my palms despair because they come up with these lame courses without once considering what the actual experience of successful people are like in the working world. I get the impression that it is a bunch of professors who have spent the last few decades, hiding away in the world of academia in a university, coming up with these courses without once considering, "will this degree help the candidates find a job in the real world? What kind of skills are in demand?" Now you know why I say the education system in Singapore is rotten from primary level right to university level. If you got this as your first degree, then you can try to make the best of a bad situation and carve a career regardless - but it would be a suicidal mistake to go get this degree at this stage of your life because it would be a complete waste of your money and three precious years of your time. Many gatekeepers are now ignoring degrees and using their own psychometric tests to select the best candidates for the jobs today. So, you need to do more research about what you want to do next before even considering getting another degree - beware: getting this one would be a big mistake.
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| Do you really need a second degree? I don't think so. |
6. Studying in Germany or Finland.
Once again, I would question if this is the right route for you. Now some courses in German and Finnish universities are conducted in English - but those are mostly aimed at foreign students who are looking to gain a qualification, rather than anyone trying to use their time at university to find new opportunities in that country. Are you capable of mastering German, Finnish or any other language to a high enough standard? Now I studied at a French university despite starting to study French only during my NS days, but trying to master a language to a high enough standard to function effectively in an English-free zone is a huge uphill struggle. The fact that I speak ten languages means that I am very unusual in my ability to pick up new languages super quickly. I have also worked in France, Belgium and Germany in what were mostly English-free work environments; I have also worked in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Turkey and Greece, where some English was spoken but I was expected to be at least able to have a basic grasp of the local language. Also, I worked 8 years in a company in London where you had to be either French or Russian speaking and I could go for days without hearing any English at work - and I loved it.
The Finnish language is painfully difficult to learn as it is so different from English - German may appear to be easier for English speakers at the early stages because of the shared vocabulary, but good grief German grammar is far more complicated than English. You see JS, I don't know you personally, so I am not sure if this is the kind of challenge you want. When I recently when to Lithuania for a holiday, I threw myself into studying Lithuanian for weeks prior to my departure because I really enjoy learning new languages. Whilst it wasn't easy, I enjoyed the learning process. You will be trying to do two things at the same time: trying to train for a new career and learn a brand new language. Either one of those challenges is hard enough but two are the same time? I have actually met some Singaporeans who studied in Finland (the course was in English) and I was shocked that despite having been in Finland for nearly a year, I spoke a lot more Finnish than them (well I studied a little before going there in 2010 for a holiday). They were like, "well everyone in Finland speaks English and what the hell are we going to do with the Finnish language once we return to Singapore? So why bother?" Unless you're really determined to learn the local language, it is so easy to let it slip by you as English is so widely spoken in Finland and Germany. So how quickly can you pick up a new language?
Hi Limpeh/Alex, JS here. Thanks for writing a post just to reply to my questions.
ReplyDeleteTo follow up on what you've written about further education:
“I note that you're considering getting yourself another degree - now I think that is a really bad idea. You mentioned the NTU's MSc in Information Studies course, Please, no. Hell no. No no no. Don't even go there. No! I had a look at the curriculum and it is fucking awful - for starters, it is so vague. It is trying to cover so many different aspects of information management it just doesn't make sense. People who finally do get a job in data analytics or librarianship (or any other related field within information management), they will only deal with one specific kind of information and your employee will have their own methodology and processes to deal with that data. "
Would like to clarify about why I am looking to pursue further education, even if it's not the NTU course. My job experience has largely been more 'technical' in nature (content production) rather than requiring more higher order thinking, which is what I'm working towards. So the bit about having the right transferable skills seems to be lacking on my part, unless I stay within the media industry, which I am trying to avoid.
If that is the case, then consider a course in a totally different field rather than this one. Something which will give you a viable technical skills (such as Choaniki's example, when he is retraining in the field of X-rays). If you do wanna go down that route, then people like my friend Melinda are working in that field without a relevant degree - all she has is a general degree from a good university: her employer liked her, she showed potential and aptitude and they trained her up. You can change careers without first having to retrain (unless you wanna follow in Choaniki's footsteps). I did so whilst doing short courses here and there. I even get a feeling that you may want to retreat out of the ratrace into further education for 3 years just to hide away in the comfort of student life, but after those 3 years, you'll be in for a rude shock. But hey, read the comments below and respond please - esp to Choaniki. Thanks.
DeleteHi again Limpeh. I must admit that the prospect of returning to the comfort of student life is definitely very appealing. In fact if I could go back in time to knock some sense into my post-a level self, I probably would've told him to choose a proper social science or humanities degree, not an academic bastard child like Communications, and look into academia.
DeleteThat said, I have tried to apply for NLB and academic librarian jobs as well as some data analyst positions, and haven't even gotten the chance to interview. I feel like when gatekeepers look at my CV, they immediately pigeonhole me as a media person and think I can only do content/editorial work or corp comms/pr. I guess it's like you said, down to how much I really want to invest in making the switch.
Eeeyucks, do you really wanna work for NLB? Come on.
DeleteI have a feeling there's nothing wrong with media per se, it's just that the company you work for sucks and you don't like the company / management / bosses / colleagues / work environment etc per se, rather than media. Would changing to a better company make you a happier person JS?
Hi JS, allow me to give you a bit of encouragement. My basic and postgrad degrees are also very technical. Specifically, in pharmacy, infectious disease and critical care. I started out in the clinical setting but made two major career switches - one to PR and media (most peers went wtf were you thinking???) and then into industry for research operations and program planning and budgeting (again, ex colleagues in media suspected my brains got fried). I certainly didn't have the "relevant" basic background for both switches but as Alex / LIFT mentioned, I had the transferable skills. Working within an A&E/ICU hospital setting meant one had to work alongside multidisciplinary teams and learn to communicate my pharmacy expertise to other healthcare professionals. So, there was a form of "selling" of skills (in drug pharmacology) to the others to demonstrate you are an integral part of the team. By being able to apply this to the PR and media setting, it was a way to make a breakthrough. Note that in the beginning, I started off at the bottom in the PR firm as just a healthcare copy editor and slowly worked my way up to regional managing editor for East Asia and then PR manager for digital marketing platforms. The work took me largely to China, HK and Taiwan where my ease of Mandarin and dialects gave me a huge boost in being able to connect with locals.
DeleteWhen I made my way back to the pharma industry, it was via a PR client who made the contact and recommendation. The same skills of managing multiple functional expertise was being applied to a different organisation and industry - managing a bunch of technical experts and herding them towards the same operational target, timelines and budget is much like herding a bunch of smart but individualistic cats. But ultimately, it is by and large applying similar principles to function well in a hospital or a PR firm.
I have to confess that for myself, it was the soft skills rather than technical knowledge that worked out. Please take this time to think over what are the sort of management and functional expertise skills which you have experienced. Do not ever underestimate the importance of such soft skills. I know that PR and communications are undervalued (to a huge detriment) in the Singapore context but if you really want to land yourself a stint in a reputable global MNC, you really do need them. Probably a lot more so than the technical. There are ton of experts with powerful technical expertise but it will be the soft skills that differentiate you.
Your new employer is not going to let you run wild without some tough initial training and initiation. Be prepared to start off at the bottom if you really want to make the switch. Ultimately, it is the learning agility with a willingness to do it that will pull you through. If you do land yourself a job in an MNC, keep your eyes and ears out. Be prepared to tough it out a couple of years and show your worth. The stint to move to an overseas posting can be yours if you demonstrate your worth which is much easier if the internal decision makers are aware of your strength. For me, I took 3 years of toughing it out in an unfamiliar industry. You can do too. Do not ever disdain the Singapore job scene - the higher ups will assess your ability to cope in a challenging and somewhat less advantageous situation when sizing you up. See it as an opportunity - when everything is nice and smooth, it is actually harder.
Bingo - transferable skills. You know, some people go out of their way and try to acquire a whole new set of skills to try to become a highly skilled individual who can do a certain job, others simply just ask themselves, "okay, what are my natural talents? What am I good at (and what do I suck at)?" I know Choaniki is dismissive of 'passion' but I don't even wanna go down that path of passion - I wanna talk about doing things that come easily to you. If you are playing to your strengths, then work isn't that much of a chore and you are rewarded for what comes naturally to you anyway - but if you are trying to bark up the wrong tree, by doing something that is really not your style at all, then you're not only going to suck at it - you're not going to enjoy it either.
DeleteI found this to be the case when I worked for a start up and had to do so many things myself as I didn't have a team of minions to order around - clearly, I gravitated towards tasks that I was very good at and avoided/neglected those which I sucked at. If I was given a choice, I would much rather spend all my time doing stuff which I excelled at naturally. Perhaps it is the path of least resistance, but life is too short to bark up the wrong tree.
For me, it is the "never fear to experiment and fail" mentality, that I have nurtured within me that no matter which programming language I have to work with, my ability to come up and improvise solutions is all that matter. And that mentality also helps with my ability to cook.
DeleteWei Ping, totally agree. It is the ability to apply what you know in one field and adapt it to another that is the key discriminator between the good and the very good. There is bound to be hiccups along the way but ultimately, your boss is going to respect you a lot more for your ability to cope when shit hits the fan and how you eek out those toughies. When things are all peachy and creamy, you are much less likely to be noticed. The toughies are also the time when you get to showcase your people and functional leadership skills to solve a problem. If you have never messed up, you never have the incentive to try to do things better. It's one of those things in the Singapore work scene, especially in the public service, which I dislike where a single botch up triggers a whole knee jerk reaction that paralyses everyone and the big guns start shouting without knowing how to better manage the PR fiasco internally.
DeleteI feel JS, being blinded by his disdain for Singapore, hasn't thought it through very well. I shall break down the issues based on my findings, using Germany as the example.
ReplyDelete1) If he wants to work overseas, I don't think a masters degree (whether it's a good programme or not) from a local university is useful. Our universities aren't that popular on the other side of the world. So that means to improve his chance of employment in a particular country, he would need to obtain his master's over there.
2) As a specific example, University of Munich is the top university in Germany, and fortunately they do recognise bachelor degrees from Singaporean universities. Lessons are conducted in English for graduate schools so there is no prerequisite of German language proficiency. Schools fees are also very affordable. However, the cost of living would not be trivial, and he missed that out.
3) It's already difficult to obtain a work visa in Germany as a foreigner, it's 10x that difficulty if he's a non-EU foreigner, then multiply that by 10 times again if he doesn't possess the specialised skill sets that they're looking for. The employer would need to strongly justify hiring him over a similarly-qualified German citizen.
4) Let's say JS somehow manages to miraculously obtain employment. Is he the kind of person who can quickly adapt and excel in a new environment? Visiting a country on a vacation is different from living in a country on a long-term basis. JS shouldn't be choosing a country based on his experience during vacation.
5) Let's say that the planets don't align, and consequently he has to return to Singapore and find employment here. German universities, while somewhat reputable in Europe, are not as reputable as UK/US/AUS ones in Singapore. What if local employers don't recognise his master's degree? He would have wasted a few years of his youth that could've been used to gain working experience.
Honestly I really can't think of a solution right now. He placed himself in a very difficult position the moment he enrolled in the NTU communications/journalism programme.
Hi there, Limpeh like bullet points, so allow Limpeh to reply to your bullet points. I have worked in Germany too BTW.
Delete1. You can work in Germany without a relevant masters degree - both times when I worked in Germany, they were directly related to my language skills. For example, when I worked for Google Germany, they needed a person who spoke "Mandarin, English, French and German" + technical skills with IT + confidence when it came to product demonstration with a live audience + experience with handling the media. Let's just say after extensive search in 3 countries, I was the ONLY name on the list. None of my qualifications were directly relevant but rather they depended on my work experience rather than whatever degree I could produce. So yeah, off I went to work for Google Germany in Hamburg for a contract with Google Translate and it was brilliant. The guys in Google Germany were soooo nice, I loved them all.
2. It is one thing to get through a degree programme taught in English in eg. Munich, it is another to get a job in Munich without speaking German at least to a decent standard. I am amazed that I got that far in Germany, given that my German is not fluent (unlike my Spanish, Welsh and French), but it is down to being in the right place at the right time - and my German is okay lah, not great but decent.
3. Erm, yeah. Limpeh worked in Germany twice as a British expat, but once as a Singaporean years ago (when I was a Singaporean with ILR/PR in the UK), so it is not impossible.
4. That sounds a bit defeatist. And pessimistic. I remember my sister was equally cynical about me studying abroad years ago, "who is going to wash your dishes, cook your meals - do you know how to operate a washing machine?" I think some people will adapt and excel and others won't - but those who won't will know it already and not even consider this option of moving abroad, the was JS has. I trust JS to know himself well enough on this aspect.
5. It is a gamble. A mid-life career switch is probably easier done on home turf. Is it his current career that is driving him nuts, or it is Singapore - or might it be a combination of both? He has to consider that. And yeah, I agree with that his first degree is not a brilliant choice, but regardless, history, water under the bridge, let's not dwell on it. You can't change the past.
Well JS, you mentioned that your skills lie in "technical aspects of photo and video production and editing" - if you can do these things well at a professional level, you will be considered an asset in advertising, design firms, or corporate communications in big companies.
ReplyDeleteSo nope, you are wrong in thinking your skills are not transferable to another career. If you wish to capitalize on your existing capabilities, start by making a media portfolio of your best works. For example, this designer made an interactive CV that went viral, and he has been getting job offers internationally:
http://www.rleonardi.com/interactive-resume/
You have to think outside the box if you wish to reignite your passion in design work. As every reputable company in any industry has a corporate communications department, if you are very good at what you do, the world is pretty much your oyster.
If you are bent on retraining, don't let naysayers deter you. Most people who tell you it is "impossible" to switch careers are just saying that to validate their own life-choices on the beaten track. Just bear in mind that it is a gamble, and you must be prepared to face consequences both good and bad in a career switch. For a start, do your research and find out if the academic credentials you are going to sign up for are relevant to a career you would wish to embark on. You don't want to have sunk significant resources into an undertaking, before realizing that it was a mistake and you would be jobless after the retaining.
Best wishes.
Hi BFL, excellent sage advice, many thanks.
DeleteI just wanted to reiterate the point that some career switches require far more retraining than others. The classic example is that of Choaniki leaving IT to retrain in the field of X-rays, so yeah, it is back to school for him. But when I left banking for media, I didn't retrain, I just used my transferable skills. In banking, I worked in sales & marketing: so the two skills that I had were being multilingual and a smooth talker, confident with sales pitches, great with meeting strangers. In media, I ended using the exact same skills and it worked out so well that even Google Germany hunted me down to work a contract for them in Hamburg based on those skills - even if I have never thought of myself as an IT guy - but even companies like Google need people with my skills sometimes.
I would also like to add that on the topic of retraining: pick your battles wisely. Some transitions are going to be easier than others. As long as you get what you want at the end of the day (a new career path, a way outta Singapore), then pick the easier battle with a greater chance of success.
@JS I see you are in the same dilemma as I once was. Fortunately for you, you are much younger than me (LIFT made me up to be much younger but i'm past mid-30 so am closer in age to him).
ReplyDeleteFirstly you are wrong in the assumption that you don't qualify for a mid-career switch to healthcare. You have a degree so you qualify (they will use your science grades from O'level). If you want to further explore that route here is the webpage for your further reading: http://www.wda.gov.sg/content/wdawebsite/programmes_and_initiatives/L701E-ProfConversionProgramme.html
Secondly I think passion is over-rated. The reason for my doing a mid-career switch is more pragmatic, i wanted out of Singapore period. This path provided a sure way out. In fact one of my current lecturer just got a job in Perth just thru a phone interview. No skype or anything necessary, it is just that simple! Here is Mike Rowe to explain why you should not follow your passion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVEuPmVAb8o
Thirdly I used to be in the IT industry for 10 yrs, don't enter the IT industry now if you want my 2 cts worth. Not only is there a huge surplus of IT workers worldwide, you are not a skilled migrant in demand currently. I previously tried to do an inter-department transfer to UK but HR wouldn't bend over to get me a work pass. If you want to work overseas don't go down this path, trust me on this.
The other doubt about overseas studying is most countries now are clamping down on migrants so even if you graduate from that country they will kick you out and not let you work there. UK is currently like this, you can go there to study but after you graduate they will politely but firmly show you the door. Not sure about other EU countries but as a non-skilled migrant the rules could change before you even graduate (in light of Syrian refugee crisis). Then it would be back to square one for you.
Let me know if you have questions in the mid-career switch to healthcare. I would be glad to answer your questions.
Hahaha, right on cue - thanks for responding Choaniki. I just thought you looked so young and in good shape I had assumed you were in your mid-20s or so. Limpeh already so botak, but Limpeh 40 olerdi leh. Thanks for the info on your field.
DeleteYou make a v good point about countries like the UK doing everything they can to ensure that foreign students do not get access to work permits after they graduate - the only way a foreign student can stay on after they graduate these days is if they marry a local. Thus, that is why Choaniki's plans make complete sense: do the career-switch in Singapore, on home turf, then once you are qualified, then move abroad.
Hi Choaniki, thanks for replying. I've followed your posts on this blog and it's what led me to even realise the healthcare option was a possibility.
DeleteRegarding the prerequisites for WDA healthcare PCPs, I found this on their website:
"A good pass in two of the following H2 subjects for GCE A-Levels: Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics; or
An approved full-time diploma from a polytechnic in Singapore. Module exemption will be considered on a case-by-case basis; or
A good pass in two of the following for International Baccalaureate: HL Biology, HL Chemistry, HL Physics and HL Mathematics; or
A good pass in two of the following for NUS High School Diploma: Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics.
A degree from an approved university*;"
I have a degree but I don’t have the requisite A Level or IB science or even maths grades to qualify. It’ll be great if they use my O Level grades but I don’t see that mentioned on either the WDA or SIT websites. Perhaps they got more stringent after the program got switched to SIT from NYP? From what I see, the only program I qualify for is nursing.
Regarding passion, I agree with you…and I’m done with passion as a driving factor. My issue with staying in my media job or media industry is that it’s precisely what’s killing my own personal passion for photography and videography. I don’t want the burden of work to kill what I love so I rather do it on my own terms. As for career, I realise now I don’t have to LOVE what I do, but I don’t think I can live with doing something I feel totally nothing for.
About overseas studying, yeah you’re right about the UK which is a huge bummer for me. If I were to take the overseas study and attempt to stay on route I’m also considering Canada as they still have the post graduate work visa, and the fees are reasonable. Australia has a similar visa but the fees are way out of my range.
Another option I’m playing with is teaching, though the prospect of having to work as an MOE teacher to pay off the bond + gain the requisite experience is really off-putting. Plus I’ll be teaching English or GP, and so I’m not sure how much demand there will be for that set of teaching skills overseas, compared to science or math teachers. I’ve also read accounts of Singaporean English teachers being discriminated against by employers who prefer caucasians, despite Singaporeans technically having native speaker status.
I'm in a hurry, I'll let Choaniki respond to the other points but you don't need to teach English or GP. There are loads of other subjects you can teach. For example, you can teach Chinese in the West - the standard is so incredibly low, you don't need to be an expert to teach the basics and you will be highly paid given the shortage of quality Chinese teachers here. Whereas English teachers are everywhere, that's the last subject you should teach.
DeleteHow can I put this without being rude - Singaporeans are NOT native speakers, far from it. And this is from a guy who grew up in Ang Mo Kio. Far from it. You guys have a very strong accent (I grant you that some people have a stronger accent than others) and many Singaporeans use irregular grammar influenced by Singlish or Chinese. I grant you that some Singaporeans who speak English as well as native white people, but do not treat Singaporeans or even Singaporean English teachers as a monolithic entity - let's just say some people have given white people the impression that Singaporeans speak English as a foreign language because of Singlish. And Caucasians? Hang on, what about a Polish, Hungarian or Czech person trying to teach English? It's not just the skin colour, it boils down to your command of the language.
@JS, the SIT website entry requirements are exactly the same. It mentions: "Former or current students of the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore Management University (SMU) or Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) seeking admission may also apply".
DeleteI don't think the criteria got more strict, i think there is more leeway since SIT is willing to consider applicants who have an outstanding interview performance. You can try applying to see how you do for the SIT interviews. I know one of the future healthcare lecturers for SIT so i can casually ask her what SIT looks for in their students (if you want).
As for teachers, not sure if you are following the news, but MOE is decreasing the teacher intake since many schools are closing down. One of my PCP classmate used to be a teacher.
Hi Limpeh, your point about not requiring an expert to teach Chinese in the West is interesting. I've been searching for information about this and have not been able to come up with much. Do the language schools in the West not require certifications of Chinese ability? I'd be very willing to look into teaching Chinese as an option. As for Singaporeans' English proficiency, I agree with you that the average Singaporean man on the street can hardly be classified native. Still, among those technically classified as native speakers (so less the Eastern Europeans), I believe it's well-documented that language schools tend to prefer Americans and British teachers, over a Singaporean, even if the candidates are of the same calibre. Not that I blame them to be honest. If I could choose I'd rather roll with a British accent any day. And in order to market my language school to potential students I'd much rather parade a caucasian British dude in my advertisements over an oriental-looking Singaporean. I guess the real acid test would be to see if Asian Americans have a harder time landing such jobs compared to caucasian Americans.
DeleteHi Choaniki, thanks for the offer and making the effort to check SIT's website. I did another check and it seems like the portion you are referring to is general admission requirements to SIT in general. On the diagnostic radiography BSc course site (as well as Occupational Therapy, as I'm more inclined to over radiography), they do list the more specific A level subject criteria: http://www.singaporetech.edu.sg/sit/bachelor-of-science-with-honours-in-diagnostic-radiography Still, I'll probably shoot SIT an email about this. If there is more leeway as you say then there's no harm trying I suppose.
Hi JS.
DeleteHmmm. You see, there are two issues here. One is the language schools of the West requiring certifications of Chinese ability. The other one is whether or not it will get you a work permit. You see, I actually did explore that route once (but didn't follow through) - years ago, through the recommendation of a friend, I spoke to a Taiwanese guy who worked for a Chinese-language school in London and had an interview with him on the phone and he offered me the job on the spot after a ten minute chat. I did wonder if I was qualified enough, but when I realized how dumbed-down the syllabus is for white people (ref: http://limpehft.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/chinese-textbooks-for-british-students.html ) I realized, yeah an average primary 3 Singaporean-Chinese student could do GSCE Chinese here in the UK and pass with flying colours. The vast majority of British students never get pass the very basics of Chinese and only a tiny number go on to do the really difficult stuff which will be the equivalent of A level Chinese - and that's only done at university level. It's just a job, teaching basic Mandarin to British kids. When I met some of the other Chinese teachers employed by this Taiwanese guy, I realized that I spoke better Mandarin than most of them, despite being somewhat rusty after sooo many years in Angmohland.
And here's the bit which makes me LOL, I am classified as a native speaker of Mandarin. Yeah right, me with my Singaporean accent. LOL. But will that get you a work permit? Probably as teachers are highly valued in the UK (and other countries like Oz and Canada too).
I think you're making too much of a fuss over the whole native speaker of English thing - I've met loads of English people who speak English very badly and I would never trust them to teach a class the English language. It really boils down to the individual but if you have a Singaporean accent (and be honest, you probably do), then sorry, you can't teach non-Singaporeans English. I have met Singaporeans who do not speak English with a Singaporean accent - but you gotta admit they are rare. If you do not have an accent that holds you back, then believe you me, you will get a job as a teacher, no problem. I know of Singaporean teachers who have gone on to get work in UK, Canada and Oz - but NOTEZ BIEN: they do NOT have a Singaporean accent. They have managed to adapt their accents to sound totally white. It is not impossible to change your accent, heck, it's even possible to learn a foreign language to near native standard, compared to that - changing your accent in English only requires relatively minor tweaks!!!! So stop blaming racism and start being honest with yourself: just how painfully strong is your Asian accent? How badly do you mispronounce words in English? Do you mispronounce words with the TH sound?
http://limpehft.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/english-with-limpeh-lesson-1-th.html
http://limpehft.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/lift-vlog-episode-15-th-sounds-in.html
LiFT: I totally agree with you about SGers not being native speakers of English and I was indignent when this was pointed out to me. Yes, English is SG's language for business and education but my native language is Mandarin, even though I'm a C5 in the O-levels. And SGers have to deal with the fact that we do have an accent (it's like a West Indian one) and cadence (fast, bit slurry on the vowels) that makes it difficult for native speakers to understand us. Think of it this way: Americans close-caption Australians and Brits on TV. There is also a stereotype that a Brit accent = smarter and posh, Southern = dumb and poor. "Three! Tree, thee!" - The "best" accent is that of SIRI or LKY (i.e. robots).
DeleteIn response to jS on the topic of Asian Americans vs white Americans: Well your last name will percak lobang (I really miss the word "lobang" because it conveys the hustle/gig better than any word in the English language) in a blind CV submission BUT I do appreciate the fact that one must not include DOB, status or any non-relevant facts (e.g. photos) in the CV. Plus there's the whole Asian "model minority" privilege thing going on, which I have no qualms in using... the whole situation is... well, one has to be there/here to experience it but I will say that the SG experience is an incredibly sheltered one, and one does not have to venture as far north as Finland to realize that.
But take heart: As SGers (or former SGers) we exposed to a myriad of accents and languages and we can understand English as it is spoken with heavy accents from Scotland to Uttar Pradesh and it's not a small thing.
If you have a professional teaching certificate from MOE,I believe you can teach public schools abroad. Stay away from private language schools teaching English.They are unreliable. Public schools have benefits and unions. And no, no, no! Singaporeans are not English native speakers. Where did you get that idea? It's ludicrous, and I am astounded you could be this deluded.
ReplyDeleteWell on the topic of English native speakers, I feel that has little to do with whether or not that makes you a good English teacher. I have an Austrian friend who is a professor of English at a top university and he is not a native speaker of English (as he is Austrian by birth) but speaks better English than 99% of English people in England . So what if he is from Austria? Who gives a f#ck as long as his English is that good?
DeleteI don't think being a native speaker of English makes you any better at it - I have written a piece on 'simplified English' much to Di Talasi's horror. It is a joke that is sadly true: working class people simplifying English grammar because they can't be asked to conjugate. I was, you was, they was, he was, she was. I hold my head in horror, because grammar in French and German are so much more complex, yet I don't working class French and German people trying to simplify their grammar to dumb down their language for stupid people. Yeah, so loads of lowly educated, working class English people in England speak English appallingly badly, breaking all the rules of grammar and good grief, I've seen graffiti with spelling mistakes. So let's not get hung up about being a native speaker - if your English is good, it will be evident to the people you're dealing with regardless of the colour of your skin.
Hi JS,
ReplyDeleteAs a person who has pursued postgrad studies in Germany, applied for healthcare degree with SIT and working in education industry, allow me to offer my two cents worth:
. Native language skills is crucial in getting a job as a foreigner.
. With a good degree from our local uni, you qualify and will definitely get an interview for applying to any of the healthcare programmes.
. Teaching isnt such a bad idea if youre looking to move abroad eventually, but you need to choose your teaching subject wisely. Yes, better off teaching Chinese than any other subjects.
Exactly. I'm not saying you have to be fluent (I'm fluent in French but faaaar from fluent in German) but you need a decent command of the language before you can even think about working there. Having said that, Limpeh is from Ang Mo Kio and loads of Singaporeans do manage to pick up a foreign language and master it to a very high standard - Choaniki is totally fluent in Japanese too BTW. So why not - are you prepared to study hard and learn a language to open new doors?
DeleteIf you are currently working in the education industry you would know that MOE is trimming staff and intake into NIE.
DeleteJust one question, why didn't you consider healthcare a viable industry?
Hi choaniki, wasnt successful in getting sponsorship for the SIT programme so decided not to pursue further. Also some changes in my personal life which lead me to stay in Sg for the time being =)
DeleteHi JS,
ReplyDeleteI graduated from wkwsci too and can understand the situation you are in. I was from EBM (or what they renamed as broadcast & cinema studies now) and basically tried to write as few essays as possible back then as an undergrad. Now I am doing my PhD in politics in the UK and practically spending every day reading and writing academic papers. So if you want to get into academia (since you mentioned "look into academia"), it is not impossible. Yeah, our bachelors degree is "an academic bastard child" but a 2.1 degree can still give you some flexibility.
Contact me if you need advice on getting into academia. Academia is not as rosy as you might imagine though.
Oh yeah, if you want to teach, you can try applying to the Polys too. Bachelors with a few years of industry experience probably can get you somewhere.
Hi pH, great to hear from another WKWSCI alum! My uni days sound very similar to yours. My FYP wasn't even a 'proper' academic paper, and I literally cannot find a professor who can be a proper referee for my academic ability as the instructors who knew me best in school were more industry-oriented adjuncts. Would love to hear more from you about how you got into the PhD route from EBM. Am ok with continuing the discussion here or emailing you if you'd prefer.
DeleteYup sure. However, you would need to provide an email address though. I'm not going to post mine here.
DeleteHi pH, sure thing. You can reach me at this.flaneur@gmail.com
DeleteOh, don't even get be started on the corruption of the language by the proles. I shudder in horror when I see your and you're.
ReplyDeleteJust throwing Js a bit of random info since he mentioned Australia.
ReplyDeleteSouth Australia (migration.sa.gov.au) does sponsor "arts and media" professionals for a 489 (provisional) or 190 (PR) visa.
Thing is though, it's on their supp list (he needs to either score high points on their points test system or have a relative living there). His age, education level coupled with a good english score and occupational experience points does give him a chance though.
He'll also need to research if it is the kind of place he will be interested in spending at least 2 years of his life in.
Hi Limpeh,
ReplyDeleteI've been reading your blog for a while and I thought you would be a good person from whom I could seek advice on appropriately asserting oneself to a stranger.
Case in point:
I was BBQ-ing with some friends in a condo and we left a salad bowl, along with some of our belongings on a bench roughly 5m from the BBQ pit and started our BBQ at the pit.
After some time, a PRC couple (an invitee from an event at the nearby events room) appeared and sat at the bench. Soon, they found themselves talking to another invitee and the PRCs' daughter also appeared. So they displaced our stuff on the table and continued chatting. The daughter reached for the salad bowl but was told gently by her mother not to touch.
The PRC man then got up and washed his hands. He then conveniently used our cloth on the table to dry his hands. Not long after, his daughter reached out for the salad bowl a second time, opened the stretchable food cover and dipped her hands into the salad bowl and grabbed a handful of tomatoes and started eating. Her parents were beside her and this time, turned a blind eye to her actions. I was aghast - how could anyone just plonk themselves on a bench, move people's belongings away and allow their child to help herself to food that obviously didn't belong to them?
Perhaps it was what I perceived as their "得寸进尺" behaviour that I decided to tell the girl to not take the food in the salad bowl.
What happened next wasn't pleasant.
PRC parents: 小孩子不懂事，只是一点点食物嘛！
Me: 孩子没管教好，家长失责
PRC parents: 我们也不知道食物是你的！(This cannot be true, because the PRC mum did stop her daughter during the first time. And who on earth just goes to a random bench and start helping themselves to food on that bench? [The bench was quite a distance away from the event btw.])
Me: 你们怎么那么无耻？明明知道食物不是你的，还允许你女儿去拿，真是没水准。
PRC woman: 我的先生是Ph.D的！你可以闭嘴吗？
Me: (Scoffs) 你花了多少钱？像你这种没水准的人也可以拿到Ph.D!
PRC man: 我可以告你诽谤！
(And it went on - you get the point - a volley of angry, inane personal exchanges ensued.)
I felt rather uncomfortable with how the problem had panned out.
Firstly, I made my Singaporean friends rather uncomfortable with the confrontation. Although they weren't too happy with what the PRC couple and their kid were doing, they felt even more uncomfortable with the confrontation I was in and one of them tried to distance me away from the couple.
Secondly, instead of successfully shaming the PRC family for their socially unacceptable behaviour, I ended up being mired in a personal, undignified name-calling match, out of which I got nary personal satisfaction.
Whilst I recognise it is a matter of trifling consequence, I would really like to hear from you what do you think about this incident so that perhaps I can learn a lesson or two about social interaction. Was I wrong to have confronted the PRC couple? I suppose I could be much politer to the couple but the unmannerly way which they had conducted themselves prior, in addition to the lack of repentance, only fuelled my displeasure. I'd rather express my unhappiness than bottling it in at my expense. Or is this incident so trivial that I shouldn't even be thinking about it? I know you are someone who had unpleasant confrontations with strangers before, but you somehow managed to deal with them deftly. Thanks for reading.
Hi Steve, well, as I read your story, the feeling I got was that the PRCs were typical (rude) and Singaporeans were just as typical (passive, afraid of confrontation). However, is there anything constructive you can take away from this episode? I think there is, actually. OK you can't do much about random people coming to talk to you in public. But you can choose/change your friends. Clearly, there are some aspects of your friends' behaviour which has upset you in this episode, but not all Singaporeans are like that. I know of a few Singaporean good friends of mine who would have stood up for you, even challenged the PRCs on your behalf etc.
DeleteNow I don't know how old you are - but let me share with you something that I have noticed whilst growing up in Singapore. I think we often make a mistake - whilst we should always get along with the people around us (family, classmates, neighbours, army mates, colleagues), you need not necessarily have to be good friends with them or even like them. There is a difference, save your friendship for the people you truly have a connection with, that you see eye-to-eye with and are on the same wavelength with. OK so you are not on the same wavelength as your Singaporean friends, just accept that as a sign that you need to look a bit harder to find yourself some friends with whom you feel more in common with. People usually pay a price when they are too lazy to look further afield, like the primary school kid who only befriends people whom s/he sits near in class and can't be bothered to try to befriend kids say, from another class. When you are too lazy to look further afield for the people you are most likely to have loads in common with, then don't be surprised when they are completely on a different wavelength.
I deliberately chose to talk about the wider picture rather than focus on what happened. Let it go, but you need to think hard about why you are friends with your friends in the first place and if you should try harder to befriend others. In the age of the internet, you should find this a lot easier. Good luck.
To JS and LifT: My long exposition got deleted when I tried to "Publish" - alamak now? Ok, cut long story v. short - "JS: Do you want to jump off with no parachute OR (no maybe hor) slow, prolonged death by steam-cooking in SG ..."
ReplyDeleteThe Great American North, i.e. Canada, offers some sort of residency if one completes their post-grad program.
Thanks Ling2, Canada is a fantastic country.
DeleteThe true north strong and free!I love my country. I thank the God frequently for landing me here. It's got its own issues but is a pretty wonderful place to live in, nonetheless
DeleteTrudeau rocks. I love Trudeau!
Delete