Singapore - TEFL in Singapore

Singapore is a city-state on the southernmost tip of the Malay Peninsula. For many years it was a British colony until independence in 1963 when it merged with other local states to form Malaysia. However, two years later it seceded from Malaysia and became independent.

On independence Singapore made a decision to choose the English language for day to day life and this decision is credited with helping the country become the economic and cultural centre it is. Increasingly it is developing its language facilities and hopes to become the premier hub of English language learning in Asia.

It is a highly Westernised state and perhaps the most advanced in SE Asia. It has a population of 5 million, many of whom speak and understand English. The ethnic majority is Chinese.

The city is built around business and thus Business English is much in demand.

Qualifications and Salary

Most schools require a degree, a TEFL certificate and at least a year's experience. Certainly experience counts and the more, the better.

Salaries vary, but a decent job will give around 3,700 SGD (3,000 USD, 2,083 EUR, 1,877 GBP) per month which will provide a very comfortable lifestyle. Less qualified teachers will receive less.

However, if you are teaching to businesses or privately, you may be able to find work without experience. Pay here can be about 60 SGD (50 USD, 35 EUR, 31 GBP) per hour. Although some jobs are advertised on the internet, many people find work by actually being in the country and cold calling schools and businesses.

One useful resource for finding work is the online Straits Times classified section.

To get the necessary employment permit you will need a degree. There are a few exceptions to this rule, notably if you have a job offer to earn more than about 7,000 SGD per month (which is unlikely at a school).

Teaching

Split shifts are common and you may need to work on Sundays.

Since English is the language used in state schools, most students tend to be older. It is not untypical to teach a multilingual class of adults from several countries in SE Asia.

Lifestyle and Accommodation

The city is vibrant. It is expensive to live there but eating out can still be done very cheaply in one of the many incredible food courts. Generally it is a safe city with relatively few drug related problems. Perhaps best avoided, however, is the red light district along the Geylong Road.

There are two main seasons: wet and dry. Every day is hot, however and most schools are air conditioned.

On such a small, highly populated island accommodation is inevitably expensive. Mostly it will be in one of the blocks of flats which are generally either HDB (something like public housing) and high quality condominiums which may include swimming pools, gyms and so on.

HDBs are cheaper and sometimes without many facilities including air conditioning. Prices start at around 750 SGD (600 USD, 417 EUR, 375 GBP) per month with condos starting around 1,500 SGD (1,200 USD, 833 EUR, 751 GBP).