Category Archives: Employment

Singapore Employment Pass Important Requirements For Foreign Applicants

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The Singapore Employment Pass is a visa issued to foreign businessmen, shareholders, managing directors, supervisors, and employees with specialized skills, according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

To prove their eligibility, foreign applicants are required to provide MOM with these following documents and certificates:
Educational certificates, and if applicable, testimonials from their previous employers.

All the documents and testimonials should be in English, if not, these should be translated into this language by an authorized translation service.
A completed Employment Pass Application form which is downloaded from MOMs official website.

For professionals: In case that their employer is a Singapore-based company, they should be sponsored by this business entity. However, if their employer is an overseas company which does not operate a local office, they should get sponsorship from a local company which must sign the EP form and stamp this with its company seal.
A company should provide its latest business profile which must be registered to the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). However, if a company is not yet registered to this agency, it should provide at least the registration papers from its respective professional body.

The applicants passport-sized photograph which must be taken within the past three months.

Relevant travel documents and passport particulars of an applicant.

It is important to note that MOM usually requires additional documents and certificates to foreign entrepreneurs. For example, they are required to secure an approval letter from the International Enterprise Singapore if they are planning to setup a representative office.

The approval letter should state the purpose of the application, duration of an applicants assignment, and activity for the maintenance and repatriation of an applicant.

Meanwhile, foreign professionals such as doctors, dentists, school teachers, nurses, lawyers, and pharmacists are also required to submit supporting documents provided by their respective accreditation agency or professional body.

Requirements for EP Applicants

One of the most important requirements is a college diploma from a reputable university. However, passing in this qualification does not guarantee a successful EP application since MOM also considers other factors.

For professionals, they should have several years of work-related experience, specialized skills, and at least a fixed monthly salary of S$2,500. And for businessmen, strong entrepreneurial skills and their companys reputation, background, and paid-up capital will determine their eligibility for this visa.

In some cases, MOM also considers an applicants age, roles and responsibility in a company, and current citizenship.

Understanding The Definition Of Employment At Will

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Like with most legal jargon, “employment at will” has both a formal definition and a practical one. In this case, the theory is easy. The basic definition of “employment at will” says the employer or the employee may end the working relationship at any time and for any reason without fearing legal action. This means the employer can fire or lay off the employee whenever they want. According to the theory, the employers do not have to explain why they fired their worker.

This definition also claims the employee may choose to quit his or her job at any time. Under such circumstances, the worker does not have to give the employer the reason for leaving his or her current position.

On its face, this is a simple law that should work for both the employer and the employee. Unfortunately in practice, “employment at will” is not so clear. While most states follow the formal definition, many lower courts have passed laws to cancel the employer’s rights. All of these laws have created many exceptions to the formal definition, and employers must keep this in mind if they need to fire someone.

Definition of Employment at Will: What It Means For Employers

So what does this mean for you, the employer, if you need to fire an underperforming employee? It’s simple. Wise employers do not fire employees without a reason and claim protection under “employment at will”. This is true even if you live in an “at will” state.

Almost every “at-will” state has exceptions an employer must consider. To make the situation more complex, these exceptions vary widely from state to state. It is a good idea to contact your state’s labor office to find out the laws that apply to you.

If you fire an employee and that person becomes angry, you could find yourself in a wrongful termination lawsuit. And as an employer, you don’t want these legal proceeding to go to court. Most courts favor the employee. This leaves the employer at the losing end and that costs time, money and productivity.

So how do you avoid such lawsuits? It’s a good idea for all employers to have standard termination procedures in place.

First, make sure you have an employee handbook with rules and regulations of the workplace. All employees must be aware of its contents. Second, make sure no manager fires an employee without giving a reason. Third, have standards in place so the reasons for termination are legal and fair. Fourth, train all managers in progressive discipline. Using this proven method, an employee termination will never take a worker by surprise. This will reduce their overall anger at the company.

It is true that “employment at will” suggests an employer doesn’t own an employee an explanation for losing his or her job. However, this simple definition does not translate directly into practice. Never depend on the formal definition of this law to protect you from a wrongful termination lawsuit.

Employment and the Job Interview

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If you are seeking employment then at some point in time you will have to have a job interview. How you are perceived at this job interview is what may get you hired so a job interview is very important for future employment. Another important factor included in this employment process is your resume. When you go in offer a job interview you have to be prepared. Just remember that Boy Scout motto of Be Prepared and do your preparation thoroughly so you can’t look back and blame your own actions and preparation for not getting the job.

The Preparation:

When you are looking for a position in just about any organization whether it be public or private or even non-profit you will need to do your homework before you apply. This should include researching the company so you know something about its history or background. Also you should find out how it is doing financially if it is publically traded or has that information available to the public. Of course if it is a private family owned company that information will not be available to you. Although you might be able to do some research if it is a licensed company or has to have a city business license.

The second step is your own preparation which includes preparing a resume that you probably will have to send along with some form of application and cover letter. If you have found the potential job online such as a government position the website will have exactly what you will need to complete and send in before you will be granted an interview. Follow these instructions exactly if you have any expectations as to getting an interview. Some of the requirements may seem strange for example a city position may ask that you hand write an outline or your thoughts on a separate piece of paper and include that with your application. If they as for it, just do it. They have their reasons which may be that they want to see if you can follow directions.

The Job Interview:

If all of your paperwork passes scrutiny you may receive a telephone call asking you to come in for an interview. If you get to this stage you really must be prepared and know something about the company or agency and also about yourself. You will have to present yourself as confident and knowledgeable. And you will have to make sure what you tell them in the interview corresponds with your resume. You may be asked to play act such as what would you do if- If this is the case just think quickly and describe your response to the best of your ability. They expect you to be nervous and would probably be surprised if you were not a bit nervous. You may also have to take some sort of written test so keep that in mind also. This is a long process which requires you to be at your very best.

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How To Employ Foreign Nationals In Your Singapore Company

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Every year about few thousand foreign owned companies get registered in Singapore. At the same time, the number of foreign professionals working in the country has gone up considerably and now over one-third of the entire working population in Singapore comprises of overseas professionals. Although this year saw a number of amendments introduced on the employment pass scheme to ensure only the best minds were able to live and work in Singapore, overall it is fairly simple for a company to employ foreign nationals in the country.
Firstly companies that need to employ foreigners for whatever reason must ensure they apply for an employment pass for each of the foreign professional they want to employ. The employment pass is actually the main type of work visa meant for foreigners that want to work in Singapore. Obtaining an employment pass takes about a month and authorities would check the background of both the professional who is being employed as well as the company that is employing the foreigner. With the recent changed introduced in the eligibility criteria for an employment pass, authorities in Singapore would look at the relevant work experience of the foreign professional, their educational qualifications as well as their existing and offered salaries in Singapore. The third criterion, that of salary is an important addition to the eligibility for employment pass as Singapore wants to ensure highly skilled professionals who already have a good professional background are able to enter the country.
Foreign companies that are about to incorporate in Singapore and need to bring in staff from their head office can apply for the employment pass immediately after receiving the certificate of incorporation. Again it must be noted that an application has to be submitted for each of the overseas staff members they wish to relocate. Ministry of Manpower (MoM) in Singapore processes employment pass applications and they would ensure that the employment offered is legitimate and whether all rules and regulations are being followed.
If a company in Singapore wants to employ a foreigner who is already working in the country for another company, they must endorse a new application for the foreign professional as each employment pass is connected to one employer. Moment the foreigner stops working for the company that originally employed them, their employment pass expires immediately. Hence for change of companies, foreigners need to apply for the employment pass again endorsed by the new company employing them.

Getting An Employment Reference Letter From College Professors

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As a graduating college student you already know you’re immediate future could be tense. The odds of getting hired straight out of college aren’t nearly as high as they were ten years ago. The odds of getting a job which pays enough to cover your daily living expenses, as well as your student loans will prove even more difficult. When you’re getting ready to start applying for post-college jobs, you can’t afford to be blas about your employment reference letter. It doesn’t matter if you’re asking someone to write a letter for you, or if you’ve been asked to write a letter of recommendation for someone else, you need to make sure it’s the best letter possible.

When it comes to getting your first professional job after leaving college, you need to take care when selecting just who will be writing the letter. Even though your buddies love you, and will be more than willing to provide you outstanding recommendations, the really aren’t the ones you should be going to. Future employers won’t just be interested in the information contained in the employment reference letter, they will also be very interested in the person who penned the letter. The more respect they have for the employment reference letter’s author, the more weight they will give the reference, and the better your odds of landing the job.

Presumably you’re applying for a job in the same field you have jut finished studying. As long as this is the case, you should talk to some of your professors about providing you with good employment reference letter. Most college professors consider this to be part of their job. You will do best when you pick a professor you’ve not only worked closely with during the time you’ve been in the university, but you should also pick one that has strong connections in the field. The more respected the professor is, the better your chances of getting the job.

You shouldn’t wait until the last possibly second to get the letter. Professors are very busy, the have to carefully manage their time and it may take a few days before they have chance to sit down and write down their thoughts an opinions of you. The even bigger reason to ask the professor for the letter soon as possible will be to ensure they know exactly who they’re recommending for a job. The average college professor sees lots of students throughout the course of a year.