Working in Singapore
General information
Sex: Female
Age at time of emigration: 23
Length of stay: 6 months of 2 years contract completed
Location (area of country): North-east region of Singapore
Currently working in (country + discipline): Singapore – Physiotherapist
Professional Life
How long ago did you go to Singapore?
I went to Singapore 6 months ago after graduation.
How did you find the process of preparing to work in Singapore?
The registration process is straightforward enough! The whole process took about 5-6 months from accepting the job offer to my first day of work in Singapore. Basically the human resource department of the hospital sorts out everything for me like the applications for employment pass and AHPC registration. Also they are willing to answer any concerns I had regarding Singapore.
Were you able to choose to work in an area that interested you?
Yes I have an interest in neurology and currently I am working in stroke rehab unit.
Did you find it easy to integrate into your work environment?
The staff members of the hospitals are very friendly and helpful. The senior physiotherapists here are very understanding of where we are coming from and you are not thrown in the deep end.
What differences, if any, did you find between working as a physiotherapist in Ireland and Singapore?
They have an excellent standard of physiotherapy over there! The hospital I am working in is really reputable and extremely efficient, safe, tidy and organized.
They have a good bit of similar equipment here but one very notable thing is that they have very different views on manual handling. They basically never use hoists no matter what size the patient and how dependent they are. They do the manual handling themselves and they have fair few different ways of transferring which I'm finding difficult to adapt too as obviously we would be so much more used to using hoists for fairly dependent patients.
What are the 3 best things about working in Singapore?
Employment offer is high
Diversity of culture and food
Weather
What are the 3 worst things about working in Singapore?
Language barrier
Longer working hours (have to work during weekends every 3 weeks)
Difficult to see family due to different time zone
How many holiday days did you have per year, and do you think you had sufficient free-time to travel during the year?
I have 21 days of annual leave. I think there is plenty of time to travel to countries near Singapore like Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam.
Personal Life
How would you describe the weather in comparison to Ireland?
Singapore has a tropical rainforest climate so summers are hot and humid.
Would you recommend going over with friends or by yourself? Why?
You will be surprised to see that there are actually many Irish in Singapore as there are few active Irish communities. Also most of the locals could speak English so I would recommend either!
What did you make of Singapore’s culture when you first arrived?
At first I felt it was quite overwhelming because Singapore has such a mixed diversity of culture. But the local people are extremely friendly and welcoming!
Did you have a good social life while there?
Social life is actually pretty vibrant here. Night life such as going to pubs and clubs are very expensive. But there are so many Irish societies you could join such as St. Patricks Society and Singapore Gaelic Lions Football and Hurling Club!
What are the most popular past-times in Singapore?
Travelling and food! There can’t be many places in the world where the food gets this good or varied! As for Irish sporting clubs, there is the Gaelic Lions GAA club, and even an Irish Dragon Boat team!
In comparison with Ireland, is it expensive to live in Singapore? What did you find was the most expensive aspect of living there?
I think the cost of living is similar to Ireland even though the salary is lower in Singapore. However, accommodation is very expensive in Singapore, but the government provides housing allowance.
How would you rate your experience overall (both professionally and personally) in Singapore?
9/10!
Sex: Female
Age at time of emigration: 23
Length of stay: 6 months of 2 years contract completed
Location (area of country): North-east region of Singapore
Currently working in (country + discipline): Singapore – Physiotherapist
Professional Life
How long ago did you go to Singapore?
I went to Singapore 6 months ago after graduation.
How did you find the process of preparing to work in Singapore?
The registration process is straightforward enough! The whole process took about 5-6 months from accepting the job offer to my first day of work in Singapore. Basically the human resource department of the hospital sorts out everything for me like the applications for employment pass and AHPC registration. Also they are willing to answer any concerns I had regarding Singapore.
Were you able to choose to work in an area that interested you?
Yes I have an interest in neurology and currently I am working in stroke rehab unit.
Did you find it easy to integrate into your work environment?
The staff members of the hospitals are very friendly and helpful. The senior physiotherapists here are very understanding of where we are coming from and you are not thrown in the deep end.
What differences, if any, did you find between working as a physiotherapist in Ireland and Singapore?
They have an excellent standard of physiotherapy over there! The hospital I am working in is really reputable and extremely efficient, safe, tidy and organized.
They have a good bit of similar equipment here but one very notable thing is that they have very different views on manual handling. They basically never use hoists no matter what size the patient and how dependent they are. They do the manual handling themselves and they have fair few different ways of transferring which I'm finding difficult to adapt too as obviously we would be so much more used to using hoists for fairly dependent patients.
What are the 3 best things about working in Singapore?
Employment offer is high
Diversity of culture and food
Weather
What are the 3 worst things about working in Singapore?
Language barrier
Longer working hours (have to work during weekends every 3 weeks)
Difficult to see family due to different time zone
How many holiday days did you have per year, and do you think you had sufficient free-time to travel during the year?
I have 21 days of annual leave. I think there is plenty of time to travel to countries near Singapore like Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam.
Personal Life
How would you describe the weather in comparison to Ireland?
Singapore has a tropical rainforest climate so summers are hot and humid.
Would you recommend going over with friends or by yourself? Why?
You will be surprised to see that there are actually many Irish in Singapore as there are few active Irish communities. Also most of the locals could speak English so I would recommend either!
What did you make of Singapore’s culture when you first arrived?
At first I felt it was quite overwhelming because Singapore has such a mixed diversity of culture. But the local people are extremely friendly and welcoming!
Did you have a good social life while there?
Social life is actually pretty vibrant here. Night life such as going to pubs and clubs are very expensive. But there are so many Irish societies you could join such as St. Patricks Society and Singapore Gaelic Lions Football and Hurling Club!
What are the most popular past-times in Singapore?
Travelling and food! There can’t be many places in the world where the food gets this good or varied! As for Irish sporting clubs, there is the Gaelic Lions GAA club, and even an Irish Dragon Boat team!
In comparison with Ireland, is it expensive to live in Singapore? What did you find was the most expensive aspect of living there?
I think the cost of living is similar to Ireland even though the salary is lower in Singapore. However, accommodation is very expensive in Singapore, but the government provides housing allowance.
How would you rate your experience overall (both professionally and personally) in Singapore?
9/10!