Jobs for foreigners in Singapore (FAQ)

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Having received many repeated questions related to the topics of jobs for foreigners in Singapore as well as part time jobs for foreign student studying in Singapore, we compiled this quick reference foreign employment FAQ guide.

Please note that we have referenced to the sources that we use to compile this FAQ guide and we highly encourage you to refer to our sources for more detailed and updated information on foreign employment and jobs in Singapore.

Finding jobs for foreigners in Singapore

Due to the lower birth rate and shortage of professionals/ workers in certain job sectors in Singapore, many Singapore companies are hiring foreigners to supplement their workforce.

For a foreigner to work in Singapore, he/ she would be required to have a valid work pass/ work permit. In order to receive a valid work permit/ work pass, the hiring company will have to submit the application with all relevant supporting documents to the appropriate SIngapore government ministry for approval.

Therefore a good start as a foreigner looking for jobs in Singapore would be to visit online full time job portals/ job boards or directly visiting career pages of the companies that you might be interested to work for.

The typical process would be that after your job application and rounds of interview with the hiring company is successful, the human resource (hr) department would then proceed to make the application for your work permit/ work pass.

Please note that you would only be able to start your job in Singapore once your work permit is approved.

Please refer to the source website For more details on the different types of work passes and work permits.

Can foreigners work part time jobs in Singapore

Foreigners cannot work part time jobs in Singapore. That is why if you notice, most part time job advertisements would indicated that they are only looking for Singapore Permanent Residents or Singaporeans.

Can foreign students work in Singapore

Foreign students in Singapore are not allowed to work in Singapore during vacation time or term time unless granted work pass exemption under the Employment of foreign Manpower (Work Pass Exceptions) Notifications. Please refer to the source for more details and updated information.

However. foreign students on vacation are able to work in Singapore without the requirement of a work pass should the foreign student be a registered student or full-time matriculated student in one of the institutions as stated by the Ministry of Manpower and the foreign student is of the age registration or above (as stated by the ministry of manpower) and is on vacation.

It should be noted that there will no longer be exceptions from work pass requirements for foreign students in the Ministry of Manpower listed schools/ institutions once they have completed their studies and their student pass expires.

Please refer to the source website for more information on employment of foreign students.

Can foreign students work part time in Singapore

Foreign students are able to work part time in Singapore without the requirement of a work pass should the foreign student be a registered student or full-time matriculated student in one of the institutions as stated by the ministry of manpower and the foreign student works within the maximum hours a work restrictions as stated by the ministry of manpower or is undergoing a compulsory or elective industrial attachment programme conducted by his/her university or educational institution.

Please refer to the source website for more information on employment of foreign students.

Perform Online Translations Assignments

Perform Online Translations Assignments

Lots of linguistically talented Singaporeans make money this way. Online translations are an awesome way to make money from home. There are lots of different online translation services that you can sign up to. Some will require you to prove your abilities, but once you are in, it’s easy!

Some online translation services will send you files to translate. Others will let you choose your assignment. This latter option is lots of fun, as you can choose topics that interest you. Sometimes translation work will educate you about fascinating new topics. Who doesn’t love getting paid to learn?

To succeed as an online translator, you’ll need a few key skills. The first is excellent ability in your languages of choice. You also need to be a fast typist. Most jobs pay you per task, so the faster you work, the more you earn.

Does translation work sound like it could be your ideal part-time job from home? There are lots of options available in Singapore. Have a look at translationservice.sg, professionaltranslation.com.sg and rafflestranslation.com.sg for some good local sites. You could also try gengo.com or freelancer.com if you want to work internationally.

Sell Your Photos Online

Sell Your Photos Online

Do you have talent when it comes to photos? Photography can be an expensive hobby, so why not turn your snaps into cash? There are a number of websites that will pay to use your images, you just have to know where to find them. Here are a few of the best places you can sell your photos online:

If you’re just starting out, iStock Photo is a good place to start selling. There are lots of resources and forums to help you figure out the process. The royalty payout isn’t as great as other sites at 15%. However you can get 22-45% royalties if you exclusively sell with iStock.

Alamy is a huge website for stock photos. It’s also a good option because they give you 50% royalty rate. Compared to other places, this is super generous! Plus you can still sell your photos to other sites once sold through Alamy.

Shutterstock is another popular stock photography website. It’s great for photographers as they retain copyright control after uploading. You can make up to $28 per image, and can also keep up to 30% of the sale price.

Start Your Own Blog and Monetize

Start Your Own Blog and Monetize

Lots of savvy Singaporeans are making good money from their blogs. Some bloggers are even given celebrity status! If you can create a blog that people want to view everyday, there’s money in it for you. There are some common factors that the blogs with heavy traffic seem to share.

Firstly, you need to post regularly. People are hungry for content, and if you leave them starving they will look elsewhere. Secondly, you need to know what your audience wants, and deliver. The book Blogging For A Living by Grace Tan has strategies on how to monetise your blog. She’s proof that you can make enough money to live well via writing online.

Once you get started and are pulling traffic, start talking to advertisers and getting involved with advertising networks. Local networks like Nuffnang and Gushcloud can negotiate your fees in exchange for a cut. Google ads will help connect you to your advertisers as well.

Write and Publish a Kindle ebook

Have a manuscript that’s been sitting around? There’s no need to wait for a publisher or agent any more. Uploading a novel directly to Amazon is ridiculously easy nowadays. If you’ve always been meaning to write a book, why not do it right now? Choose a how-to format, or a bodice-ripping story, whatever takes your fancy.

Make sure your book is formatted to fit be read easily on Kindle, and you’re good to go. Amazon dominates the book market, which makes it a great platform for your book to get noticed. Learn more on Amazon direct publishing.

Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is a form of internet advertising that makes a lot of people money. This type of advertising allows an online business to affiliate themselves with web site owners. Owners of big sites like Lazada and Amazon have programs that use affiliates to generate traffic, leads and sales to their sites. These big merchant sites pay their affiliates in exchange for the clicks.

Two of the biggest affiliate marketing programs are the ones mentioned above. The Affiliates Program of Amazon Associatesis useful because there are over a million products to choose from. You’re sure to find one that complements your site. Lazada affiliates is a Singapore-based affiliate program that gives you a commission from sales after clicking through on your site.

Do Some Gigs on Fiverr

Do Some Gigs on Fiverr

If you have creative industry skills, Fiverr.com is a freelance site that connects you to online cash. There are all kinds of categories that could be making you money on Fiverr. Sign up to share skills on Graphics and Design, IT, Music and Voiceovers, Online Marketing and More. It takes only 5 minutes or so to create your Fiverr profile. You can play to your strengths and choose what you do best, so it’s easy money!

Review Music For Money

Review Music For Money

If you love listening to new music, why not make money from it? Reviewing online tunes isn’t the most profitable way to make cash, but it’s always great to earn doing what you love. Here’s a quick overview of the top sites for making money by reviewing music:

Slice the Pie is the most popular song reviewing platform (although its not Singapore based, its just too good not to have it mentioned here). You can’t access it unless you are in the US or Europe, but VPN fixes that! You listen to at least 90 seconds of a song during your session time, and get paid via PayPal.

The MusicXray site is also useful for unsigned artists to showcase their tunes. Reviewers get sent songs according to their music taste, and can make up to 10c per song.

RadioLoyalty lets you watch the video as well as listen to the music. It works via a pointst system, which you can choose to transfer to your account or exchange for gift cards. It’s not the easiest platform for transferring your money, but it’s fun!

Hit Predictor is another music review site that pays in both cash and merchandise. Earn points for completing polls, and redeem them for CDs, DVDs or cash.

Freelance Work Online

Freelance Work Online

Freelancers rely on the internet to find them work. There are all kinds of interesting projects up for grabs online, and you get to complete them when it suits you. Some freelance sites will require you to complete a task or two before you’re added to the database. However, many will let you start working or bidding for projects right away. Have a look at some of the most popular freelance sites, and see if you can get paid for your skills online:

Those who make money Upwork.com get their hours tracked by the site. This is great, as sometimes freelance assignments can take more time than expected. You get paid for the milestones met on your project each week. This is another big advantage, as many freelance sites take their time with getting your payment to you. The popularity of this site (more than 4 million users!) also means there is lots of work on offer.

Freelancer.com is open access, so there is no test to sign up. You bid on projects that interest you, and the client will choose who gets the job. It’s a huge site used by many people the world over, so it can get quite competitive on prices.

Clickworker.com is a job site that specialises in small projects, or “micro-jobs”. There’s quite a lengthy application process, and it doesn’t get the best reviews compared to other freelance sites. However, it is a way to make small amounts of money for little tasks. Your “micro-jobs” tend to be in proof-reading, writing and editing.

Become a Youtube Star Online

Become a Youtube Star Online

Famous Singaporean YouTubers can make good money from their online presence. In addition, you could even get a little bit famous too! As an example, the team from Wah!Banana and the infamous Xiuxue need no introduction.

In order to make a successful YouTube channel, you should follow the rules for creating a good blog above. It’s all about finding your niche, and giving you audience what they want. After you get good traffic flow, it’s time to start looking for advertisers. Check out point 4 above for a refresher in internet marketing!

Many YouTube channels with lots of subscribers will do product placement in their videos as well as the methods described in point 4. Depending on your popularity and bargaining power, you can get paid a lot for this!

There are lots of ways to make money online. But can you really be sure your method will lead to success? Read on for a list of the most popular ways Singaporeans earn money online. We go over everything, from starting your own online business to becoming a star on YouTube. Working online can give you the freedom to work on your terms, and generate a passive income. This freedom lets you spend more time on what’s important to you.

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