Employment Prospects

International students are normally not permitted to work part time during their studies unless the college offers them an internship. This is quite common in Singapore institutions.

Students studying in National Universities and Government owned Polytechnics are allowed to work part time up to a maximum of 16 hours per week.

What kind of work can you do?

There are various part-time jobs available in all the sectors across hospitality/catering to call centre to banking and finance and etc. With few exceptions, it is very unlikely that you will find a part-time job related to your course of study.



Do you need prior approval when you work?

No

About Tax?

You do not need to pay tax if your annual income is less than SGD 22,000. Students’ income is usually non taxable as the annual income tends to be lower than SGD 22,000.

Full Time:

The post study work visa does not give an extension for a year. The extension is only for 2-3 months after course completion. Students who want to stay back and work in the country should secure a job and later apply for a work permit.

Type of Visas

  • Employment Pass: For foreign professionals, managers and executives. Candidates need to earn at least $3,600 a month and have acceptable qualifications.
  • Entre Pass: For eligible foreign entrepreneurs wanting to start and operate a new business in Singapore.
  • S Pass: For mid-level skilled staff. Candidates need to earn at least $2,200 a month and meet the assessment criteria.



How to find a job?

After learning about Singapore’s job landscape, it’s time to start searching for a job.

Discover various employment opportunities via:

  • Upcoming career and networking events
  • Various job sites:

– Careers@Gov – The Singapore Public Sector Job Portal

– Career Resources Center for Expatriates (CRCE)

– eFinancialCareers

– HeadHunt

– Jobs.com.sg

– JobsCentral

– JobsDB

– JobMarina

– Jobs in Social Service

– RecruitAsia

– Recruit.net

– Singapore Job Market Forum

– Singapore Job-Q.com

– Top IT Jobs

– The Legal 500

Popular search firms include:

  • Earthstream
  • Hays Recruitment
  • HRNet One
  • Hudson
  • Kerry Consulting
  • Kelly Services (Singapore) Pte Ltd
  • Legal Labs Recruitment Pte Ltd
  • Michael Page International
  • Morgan McKinley
  • OdgersBerndtson
  • Profile Search & Selection
  • Robert Half International
  • Robert Walters
  • Singapore Talents
  • Uni Connect Pte Ltd



Average Salary

Based on the latest Joint Graduate Employment Survey, the median gross monthly salary for fresh graduates employed in full-time permanent employment last year was S$3,300 — up by about 3 per cent to compare to 2014 — while the mean gross monthly salary was S$$3,468.

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