Ninth Day in SG

March 26 Friday. First time ever that I am up as early as 7am. Well I need to prepare. Interview would be at 11am.
I left the hostel around 10:30am. Since I am not familiar with the place, I took a cab that brought me to Red Hill. Impress Talent Consultancy is the name of the agency. I was offered a sales associate position. But I don’t have much experience in sales. So I only have a very thin chance of getting the position. Then they asked me if it would be okay for me to have a job other than what I was initially offered. I was surprised, there are a lot Filipinos, licensed engineers who were also applying. Last resort was a kitchen crew post. Then they explained the process. A candidate has to pay 100SGD, refundable, before going through an interview. If declined, the 100SGD would be refunded. Once hired, the applicant should pay another 1400SGD for the agency to work on the pass. It is not an employment pass that would be given but a student’s pass. If the S-pass has been approved by the MOM, the applicant should then pay another 1500SGD cash or 2000SGD if to be deducted from the salary, as agency fee. Once the pass request is denied by MOM, the candidate would only get the 1400SGD.
So if you are lucky and you would be hired, you still have to shell out a total of 3000SGD (3500SGD salary deduction). That is more or less 100K PHP. I’d rather make it as a capital and run a business in the Philippines. Aside from this, if one gets hired as a kitchen crew for a restaurant the salary would only be 1000SGD per month and he has to work 10-12 hours per day. So if you are hired and opted to pay the agency fee thru salary deduction, 500SGD per month, how can you survive I Singapore? A room alone costs 500-700SGD per month. How can you travel?
I am not desperate to get a job. Anyway, there is a business opportunity waiting for me back in the Philippines. So I told the agent that as much as possible, I would want to work in the IT field as it is my specialization.
From Raffles City, I tool the MRT and headed east. I went to Chinese garden and met with a fellow Sorsoganon, Sitisafica Mohamed. She married a local and it is obvious that she is happily married. They have a nice condominium unit and her husband owns a sporting goods store. Siti has been very accommodating. She was even inviting me to sauna but I have to be in Clarke Quay and join Roma and Marj at the Bazaar.
The sales turn out was good that Roma even treated us to Starbucks.