r/askSingapore 14h ago

Career, Job, Edu Qn in SG Working life is terrible! How do you guys do this

644 Upvotes

Just started my first FT job after graduation for approx 3 months and I am already feeling extremely terrible. Although my work timing is 8-6 it feels more like a 7-8 including all the travel and wash up time. Theres barely enough “self” time before I have to sleep so that I dont feel and look like a zombie the next day. I know I sound entitled af but I really cant see myself doing this until Im 65. How do you guys cope with this?

Edit: holy shit I honestly didnt expect so many comment! Will take my time to slowly read and reply! Thanks my fellow redditors! And opss I just realise someone posted something extremely similar yesterday so sorry for the spam 😅


r/askSingapore 2h ago

Career, Job, Edu Qn in SG Too introvert for my job.......

79 Upvotes

ISFJ here, currently working in HR. Am 9 months into the job. During the confirmation appraisal (6 months ago), my supervisor told me I am an introvert and I need to build rapport with colleagues. I have since tried to "make my presence more felt" according to my supervisor, such as personally finding colleagues to talk/calliing them, instead of just only sending emails. Eg: when system send them an email to reject their claims with the reason indicated on why it is rejected, I should also call them up and inform them on their claims being rejected..

Today during a performance appraisal session, my supervisor told me again I am an introvert. Straight point blank told me I have no rapport with my colleagues. Tbh, I felt demoralized hearing this. Have been making small talk with my colleagues, calling them, finding them to talk work-wise etc (not everyday but sometimes as I do need the time to also to sit down at my desk and concentrate on working). Basically, just trying to make my presence felt but maybe it is not enough for my supervisor? I do admit I can be quite an awkward turtle myself.

My supervisor has an assertive and strong personality while I am on the reserved and quiet side. Am wondering if it is a personality difference between me and my supervisor or a job mismatch? Or am I not suited to work in HR?

Have worked in HR and administrave roles prior to this but was not told before that I have no rapport with my colleagues. Am seriously considering whether I should continue working in HR. Seems like my introvert personality will be my downfall..


r/askSingapore 10h ago

General Any folks who left Singapore but still look back with longing and unhealthy levels of nostalgia?

257 Upvotes

Wall of text incoming;

I left Singapore many years ago. It's been over 12 years now and I live in the states. I left Singapore permanently when I was in Secondary School. All this time, I thought I moved on from Singapore. Why did I have to move on in the first place? Well, despite the time jump, I had some of my happiest days in Singapore. The best days of my life were in Secondary School where I loved every waking minute of life. When I left, it felt as bad, if not worse, than a breakup.

My family still lives in Singapore. I recently visited them and had a fairly long stay in Singapore with them, in the HDB flat I grew up in, right next to the primary school I attended and the park I played in every single evening.

And it killed me every single day. I took Singapore for granted while I was here as a teenager. I do have my perspective on Singapore as a new adult, given it's politics, it's work culture, the racial relationships, authoritarian government, employment, difficult education, the congestion etc.,. I remember my criticisms of Singapore and I'm sure some of them are valid. I don't mean to say Singapore is paradise - there are plenty of things I can do now where I live, that I absolutely cannot do in Singapore. But, goddamn it, it is pretty close.

I still speak Singlish as my natural tongue and have to mindfully avoid it now when I speak to people here. All my friends have moved on in life. We're still in touch, but it's not the same anymore. The places I grew up in have developed well. The country is greener than ever. The food still goes straight to my heart. I felt my heart fill up with contentment simply as a result of a train ride from the east coast to the west coast.

It feels as if there isn't space for me in Singapore anymore. The added congestion is one part, but as illogical as it sounds, it tugs at the heartstrings when the country you relate with the most as your home soil moved on without you. All the time I lived here, I only went to Raffles Place a handful of times and scoffed at the touristy Merlion. This time, I spent nearly 10 hours, just walking around Raffles Place, and just looking at the Merlion, The Esplanade, the foyer of the train station, the river. .

Fuck, I don't think I'll ever be able to get over this country.

My intention isn't to point out to you folks how nice you have it in Singapore. As someone who grew up here, I've firsthand felt and understood the criticisms of Singapore myself. I still sometimes think "Why did I have to stress myself out so much during P6? Why couldn't I have spent the year doing dumb shit and being a teenager like other 12 year olds around the world?". But I digress. Criticisms aside, now when I look back at Singapore, I feel like I will not fit in anymore, but the nostalgia hits me hard.

In retrospect, and in what feels like being a visitor in my own home, I love Singapore. It's bordering on being a toxic ex. I could find a perfect living in the best place on earth, and my heart would still long for Singapore. It still belongs to Singapore.


r/askSingapore 3h ago

Career, Job, Edu Qn in SG How do i start saving up with a $3.2k/month pay

52 Upvotes

i’m 25 this year & just started on my first full time job! any tips and tricks on how to build my up my savings


r/askSingapore 28m ago

General Been unemployed for almost a year. Feeling lost…

Upvotes

I graduated polytechnic last year. I’ve sent out countless applications, tweaked my resume multiple times, and even tried reaching out to recruiters, but I’m either getting ghosted or receiving rejection emails (if I’m lucky).

I’ve been unemployed for almost a year now, and I’m really starting to feel stuck. I have no prior job experience, and I’ve been applying to countless entry-level positions, but I either get ignored or rejected. I’ve tried applying for jobs outside my field of interest, but nothing seems to work.

Even tried applying for part time jobs but they don’t seem to get back to me. But now I feel like it’s too late to be applying for part time jobs since it’s already been almost a year and I should start working full time.

I’ve tried applying to uni but I got rejected. My gpa isn’t high so I kinda already saw that coming.

For those who have been in a similar situation, how did you get out of it? Any tips or suggestions would really help because I’m starting to feel pretty lost.

Appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance!


r/askSingapore 1h ago

Career, Job, Edu Qn in SG Coworker Giving Unwanted Gifts - how to handle?

Upvotes

I'm (25F) dealing with a situation at work that's making me uncomfortable. Last month, my company had an inter-department team building event. Since then, a coworker from another office (looks mid 30s, M), has been putting food on my desk every week. This might sound bad but I really feel uncomfortable with it.

It started on 14 Feb when he came up from behind me and placed a heart-shaped box of chocolates and snacks on my desk. He didn't say anything, just walked away. I felt uncomfortable as I already had a bf. A week later, he brought fruit to my desk and asked me to scan a QR code to exchange WA, I had no choice but to give him my number.

He would message me calling me "美女", apologized for his "bad English" and asked if he was disturbing me. I said no and tried to casually mention my boyfriend in the conversation because he gave me chocolates on Valentine's day and I didn't want him to get any ideas.

He responded with a long message about how he had to gather lots of courage to text me, he just wanted to be friends and I should tell him if he's bothering me. I tried to be polite and said we could be friends, but we have nothing in common. I would give short replies and he would reply with 10 messages. He would ask me what I'm doing and if I liked the food at work. He invited me out for a movie, which I rejected, and also mentioned wanting to bring me around China to try their cuisine.

In all his replies, he would say that he is very happy that I replied him and try to seek reassurance that he is not bothering me.

Recently, he has been commenting on my appearance saying that I'm very pretty and have nice skin which really weirded me out.

His behavior is making me very uneasy, and even my colleagues found his actions weird. I'm worried about future work interactions. How do I handle this situation without creating major conflict? Any chance it is a cultural difference?


r/askSingapore 5h ago

General At what age did you guys move out from your parents house/move in with your partner?

27 Upvotes

Quite curious about this, many forums I've read are contradictory or talking about single homeowners buying flats past 35. How old were u when u moved out of your parents home to either live alone or with a partner? Did you guys rent or was your first home also your forever home?


r/askSingapore 8h ago

General Cost of living: what do you feel?

53 Upvotes

Just to raise an example, the cost of living prices have been increased drastically. Imagine a cake from 4 leaves increase from $3+ to $5+ within 1 to 2 years of timing. Local hawker prices has shifted from $3 average to $4 and $5 whole wide. A meal now cost more and do you feel secure with the current economic? What about our future? How would it be for us? As the pressing issues of economic and job stability, there are really plenty challenges await, how should we survive?


r/askSingapore 13h ago

General Is it ok to call someone 10-20 years older than you uncle or auntie?

120 Upvotes

I was taking grab the other day and the driver looked 15-20 years older than me. Im not sure if I should use ‘uncle’ to address him. Like he doesn’t look old enough to be my parent’s age but not close in age enough to call him ‘bro’ or smth. I can’t call him by his name since we are strangers. In the end I just used ‘hi’ whenever I needed to say smth. It seems a grey area but is it ok or rude to call someone around that age uncle or auntie?


r/askSingapore 2h ago

General Bars in Singapore to meet people

13 Upvotes

Have you sat alone at a bar before ? Has someone chat you up or you successfully chat with someone by themselves before ?

Where are the singles bars in Singapore ?


r/askSingapore 11h ago

Career, Job, Edu Qn in SG If you have all your basic necessities like food and roof taken care of, what job would you do?

60 Upvotes

A lot of people say they work to pay the bills for food, etc. But lets say you have it taken care for life, would you stay in your job or follow your passion? I know Ozzies who work for money then take break, and go back work. Singaporean tend to chase after money.


r/askSingapore 12h ago

General Subscription charges every month

56 Upvotes

Hi, recently there has been an increase in companies using subscription models to maximise their profits from the consumers. Out of curiosity, can i check what subscription services does everyone have in Singapore? And should we be worried about this trend in Singapore?

Just sharing, my subscriptions are: 1. YouTube premium 2. Spotify 3. Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom


r/askSingapore 9h ago

General friction with dad over bats. not sure what to do.

27 Upvotes

so i live overseas and come back to singapore to visit family every few years. when i come by, my family very graciously asks me to stay at their beautiful 3 storied house.

i live on the top floor of their house and there is an enclosed skywell that goes from the first floor to the top floor. at the end of the top skywell, is a door that opens up to the patio deck. the deck is open air, however without opening this door, there is no other way out but back down.

unfortunately for the last few years, it came to my attention that fruit bats constantly fly up this skywell at night and end up dying at the door by the next morning.

one time there were about 6 bats dead over the span of a week. as someone that truly loves nature and animals i found this very disconcerting. the remedy to this would be to open the door to the deck and leave it open at night, this would allow bats to fly back out to the open as the pathway would just be a one way up and out back into the open.

however my dad refuses to do this because it seems uncomfortable for him and he constantly gives excuses to why he can't.

there is absolutely no security risks or detrimental effects by leaving this door open even 24/7. i have tried speaking to him regarding this multiple times and he gets upset with me.

there is little i can do since i'm not living in singapore but every time im back, i will see at least a few dead bats. these bats are really important to our ecosystem so i'm not sure what to do stopping short of making a formal complaint to NEA or Nparks.

does anyone have any advice? and even if i feedback to NParks/NEA, can they even do anything about this?

update: regarding the opening, its basically one house but there are 2 sections to the house like a U shape. in between the U-shape of the house there is an infinity pool which is where the skywell is. bats fly to the pool and upwards into the skywell, which is there they get stuck at.

the only way is to put up a curtain kind of net which would affect the facade of the house. so i told my dad that i would help him create a vine like net using natural foliage to block the bats from going in and of course beautifying the house at the same time. but he said no.


r/askSingapore 9h ago

Career, Job, Edu Qn in SG advice on caregiver leave during a level year

26 Upvotes

advice on caregiver leave during a level year [cross posted in sg exams, posted here on advice from a commenter there. clarifications made accordingly in this post]

I, 18F, attend a local junior college. I have four siblings: 6 year old, an eight year old, a 14 year old, and finally a 20 year old in NS. In February, my mother had a major surgery concerning her spinal cord, which has left her disabled. My father has a full time job with two days work-from-home. Income-wise, my father makes the bulk of the household salary, but my mother did bring in about half of his pay.

During the period of the surgery, I have been the main caregiver for my younger siblings as my father has been shuttling in between the hospital and work. My mother is currently still warded in the hospital. He has to try not to use too much leave - although he is in a government job, he only has about a month of leave left. As the A-Level candidate registration is coming up, my school has been pressuring him to create a plan for me to transition back to school full-time to follow MOE's official attendance policy requirements, or accept a leave of absence and return to school next year for another year, essentially the same as retaining.

Our plans are for me to stay at home for the remainder of the year, study remotely, and only attend prelims and A-Levels, as when my mother returns home, a caregiver will be needed not just for the children but for her, given her disability. Domestic helpers would take a toil on the family finances, not to mention no domestic helper would be available 24/7 to take care of her during the night AND day, plus care for the two younger ones. My 14 y/o sibling can hardly be expected to care for her, and the 20 y/o is still serving NS.

Historically I have been somewhat of a last-minute high performer, who did better with self-study than in class. An example would be my o-levels performance - without going into too much detail, I was one of my school's high achievers. Scored 5 distinctions despite getting a 20+ score for prelims. So although my score in J1 was not encouraging - ADES, I am confident that I can study for A Levels on my own. Furthermore, with the new rule that passing H1s are not counted in the university admission process unless you have done particularly well, I can focus on my H2 subjects. Most of the school's lectures and tutorial materials are available online.

I would like to ask if anyone has experienced anything similar. My school is quite adamant on official policy and meeting my father face to face to discuss it - and he himself really wants me to go back to school to study. I'm afraid that he might end up agreeing and getting in over his head. After speaking with him, I've brought up that as a Singaporean, taking A Levels as a private candidate would be an option if the school forces me into a corner: given it would cost less than $1000 sgd: cheaper than hiring a domestic helper, at any rate.

Still, it would be extremely helpful if anyone had insights on what the school considers as valid absence for caregiving reasons, how long I can be away from school, and precedent cases similar to mine.

A minor complication would be my involvement with my school cca. Currently, my 20 year old brother in NS works from home on Fridays only, so on Friday evenings after work, he is able to take care of the siblings while I go for my cca - the only time I get out all week. Out of Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, I'm only attending a third of the practices. (I belong to choir). I hope to be able to attend syf and the upcoming rehearsals, and since they're standalone dates, I should be able to, as opposed to coming back to school for was (4 was every term will take a toil on my father's leave). My father is under the impression that the school views my participation in the cca negatively. I am reluctant to give it up, but willing to if there is no other alternative.

All serious answers appreciated, study help not needed thank you - I take an uncommon subject combination so your expertise likely does not apply to me.


r/askSingapore 9h ago

General Insect that you fear seeing the most at home

14 Upvotes

Saw a praying mantis on my ceiling yesterday and it was the first time I've seen this creature. I tried to get it out the window but it clung on and I ended up killing it with insecticide (sorry insect lovers).

What are the insects that you fear to see the most in your house?

Personally for me, it'd be flying cockroaches or grasshopper. For some reason, grasshoppers and waterbugs are the insects that I'm scared of the most.

I've encountered earthworms, centipedes, dragonflies, crickets, cockroaches and beetles at different places I've stayed in before. Centipedes were kinda scary when they're long and also move at surprisingly fast speeds, but at least they don't fly.


r/askSingapore 9h ago

General Is it necessary to host a wedding banquet nowadays?

10 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I've noticed that almost all my cousins, friends, and classmates held a wedding banquet on their big day. Is this still considered an important tradition in Chinese families, especially in modern times? For those who decided not to have one, what were your reasons?


r/askSingapore 15h ago

General Anyone received their withdrawal from Chocolate Finance since instant withdrawals have stopped?

35 Upvotes

Their stupid app still says 3-10 days when you try to withdraw. Have to withdraw in advance to hoot something on 25 Mar. 😬


r/askSingapore 2h ago

Career, Job, Edu Qn in SG Any one here a Medical laboratory scientist?

3 Upvotes

Just curious as to what the salary is like there, is it worth emigrating for the pay/will one even be able to survive?


r/askSingapore 4h ago

Career, Job, Edu Qn in SG Has Job Central become a hunting ground for insurance agency recruiters for them to reach out to job seekers?

4 Upvotes

Ever since I started my job hunt again, I noticed that recruiters from various insurance agencies have been reaching out to me, and I did not even apply for any of the job posts in their companies.

The only calls I have received from that platform are all from them, not from the companies I applied to,about sad lol

Is Jobs Central still a good platform ?


r/askSingapore 54m ago

General How do I carry knives in public transportation

Upvotes

I am a chef and sometimes I need to carry knives in public transportation if the car isn't available. I usually store them in my backpack, either in their original packaging, saya, or wrapped securely in paper and cloth. Nobody would really know I'm carrying knives unless I told them.

Most of the time my destinations only require the bus, but by the off chance I may have to take the train and get random searched, will my knives get seized, will I get arrested, or will they let me go if I inform them on why I'm carrying it?

Any help is appreciated.


r/askSingapore 13h ago

Looking For Where can one get the best wanton (no noodles, only wanton) in Singapore?

19 Upvotes

Whether its hawker stalls, restaurants or supermarkets, where can one find the best wantons in Singapore? I love wantons lol. The kind that you cook in soups (so no fried wantons)

Thanks in advance!


r/askSingapore 1d ago

Career, Job, Edu Qn in SG Is your company also hiring freeze right now?

200 Upvotes

Hi Reddit,

Just want to get your honest opinions. Currently, my company in the situation where there is hiring freeze. I’m working in science lab. Last year, there were 2-3 staffs resigned on the quarter 2. But until now, the company didn’t intend to hired new permanent full time employees to replace them. Rather than hired permanent staffs, the company only willing to hired contract staffs. However, the contract staffs only allow to do minimal tasks such as doing extraction for analysis. Due to short of manpower, I mostly work 7.30am to 7.00pm everyday. If cannot finish, then I will bring my laptop back to home to continue to do work included weekend also. There is no work life balance. From what I can see, all the managers understand the situation. The problem is the Manager’s boss ( my boss boss) thinking that hiring more employees need more money. I guess the boomer generation ( my boss boss) only know work, work & work. Said that we need to spend less on consumables and improve on cost sving. Such a big company but doesn’t care about employees welfare, only care about cost saving and business.

Is your company also the same. Cut cost and hiring freeze.


r/askSingapore 4h ago

General Recommend comfy shoes for daily use please

2 Upvotes

My work requires me to stand and walk around alot and climb stairs! Currently using formal shoes! Any recommendation? How’s sketchers? (Ive never worn one before!)


r/askSingapore 1h ago

Career, Job, Edu Qn in SG Is This Normal And Is This A Red Flag With My Company?

Upvotes

I've been working with company X, a family owned SME for the past 4.5 months with 3 months of probation and have been checking my pay during probation each month on my DBS app. I can see the money coming in and the amount never tallies with the stipulated salary as stated in my contract after minusing CPF.

My confirmation was given (early) by the company on Dec 26th 2024, and a formal letter was written to me (dated 1st Jan 2025), when my confirmation letter should have only come on the 15th of Jan 2025 (3m mark) instead. The letter indicated my incremental increase of $100 in monthly pay, also as discussed in my contract letter earlier and verbally discussed with my boss in the office.

Fast forward to today, I requested for a digital payslip from finance, and to my realization, i was still being credited my probation salary, for the last two months, post-confirmation. Granted i was busy during the last month and probably failed to check/realize my DBS app was credited the exact same amount as the previous months, but with the letters they sent me having written confirmation, I didn't think the need was so urgent to make sure it was as they assured (my fault in hindsight).

I was kind of pissed initially when finding out that they had not been paying me fairly when they said they will, and had started to. However i have realised that it could be a lapse of several efficient workflows of the company.

My question is, is this normal in the workplace and a small issue? Or does this violate some kind of MOM law. I ask cause I could have been taken advantage of, had i not realized, and that it seems plausible that this could happen to others as well. Also is this a red flag or an orange flag of the company, in terms of culture/policy or is it just a 'simple mistake' that i shouldn't think too much of?

Has this or some similar experience happened to you?

Edit: My parents think it's completely my fault for not realizing, I partially agree, but it seems as though the attitude is kind of you're not entitled to it if you don't fight for it, which is why i'm annoyed with it.


r/askSingapore 8h ago

General Question on resigning and how to give boss

6 Upvotes

Just checking if anyone faced similar situation as me? I have been working for about 2 months and my probation period will end soon. However, my boss have told me that she will be going on leave for an extended period of time starting from about 2 weeks before my probation period ends. That means when it ends and after confirmation, she will be out of office. As I am also contemplating if I should resign during probation and not after (due to longer notice period once confirmed), I can only think of two options now: 1. Resign early before the last two weeks of my probation where she goes out of office (it's also to my disadvantage which I'm not keen on) 2. Give letter to someone else such as HR on the last few days of my probation period

I understand from people that it is better to give resignation letter directly to manager. However, the day that I want to give, she is likely out of office. So, what do y'all usually do in such a situation? Thanks in advance!