Macpherson called me up earlier. I was surprised as isn’t it holiday right now? Well, I actually told to renew my relief teaching contract/registration online, as they express interest in getting me back next year. Woohoo! I’m going back Macpherson!
Anyway, this is what’s written on the MOE page about relief teaching,
“The objective of this casual employment scheme is to allow schools to employ relief teachers to fill classroom vacancies on a short-term basis. It is also an avenue for people who are interested in developing a challenging and satisfying career in the Education Service – but are unsure of their own suitability to be a teacher – to experience what it is like being a teacher.”
So if your ambitition is to be a teacher, do take this opportunity to take a peek into this career first, before enrolling into NIE.
O levels and A levels fresh graduate, congratulations! You’d just closed another chapter of your life! Now is Prom time for some of you. So how are you going to spend your vacation, which may spans 1.5months (for JC) or till April (for Poly). Well is the duration correct? Don’t mind me if I got it wrong, I believe the system was different from my time.
Let me share with you my experience back then. After O levels, I left Mac (finally, after two years), which rate at that time is $3.50/hr. I wanted to explore other jobs and find one that pay higher. I was paid $5/hr. So I went to Caffebar, the one at parkway Level 1, outside TopShop. Worked for 1 month or so, I left. My job was a waiter for a fine-dining restaurant. That’s where I learnt how to “fire” a table! And I learn some dishes and bevarages which I’d never heard of. However, I find that its not the type of job I like. I want something hands on. Like in mac, I get to make burgers, and shake the fries. That’s what I love.
So after Caffebar, my aunt found me a job to work in the airport, T1. The company is called Mix. My job title is called ‘Mixer’ and my duty is to make fresh fruit juice and iced cold smoothies, cut fruits, toast wraps, make coffee and be the cashier, in a small kiosk in the midst of T1 transit lounger. And ever since the first day, I love it. I’m working beside airplanes! I serve loads of airstewardess (^_^), lots of foreigners, be it Americans, Australians, Russians, Indian and nevertheless, Japanese (^_^). But what I like most is what I do. I love making smoothies, I thought that I found the almost-perfect job! And my pay was quite good, $7/hr! Most of the time, I worked during graveyard shifts, from 10pm till 8am. That’s when I get to enjoy the cosy-ness the airport, as I explore both T1 and T2 during my 2hr break at 3am. My colleagues are great too!
After a few months, I was transferred to another branch at OUB Tower, Singapore’s tallest building. That’s where I served alot of businessmen and women. Unfortunately, after another few months, the company closed down (dots…). So much for an almost-perfect job.
So I checked the newspaper and called up one of the ads. Basically I have to be a street-seller, who go around selling $10 wallet and $2 pen. I won’t go deeper in this, as I already had in the recent post about my experience in Boon Lay and the industrial areas around there.
Also, while working in Mix, I was approached by two friends, or rather ex-schoolmates, who attempted to get me into the pyramid scheme for the company they’re in, Venture Era. I didn’t join. For those who join, I’ve two words for you, “All Best”.
Mr. S.W.’s wife approach me for a temp job for the bank she’s working in. Macquarie Bank. An Australian bank, which is financing the project up for bid for the Sports Hub, and I think it won? The stadium which roof can open and close ya? So my job was to do filing and arranging the graphics, documents, files, proposals that will be up for the bid. I was paid $25/hr. =D It’s a foreign bank, what do you expect? Well, its a one-day job, unfortunately.
There’s one time, my friend Robin, an event photographer, paid me for being his assistant for an event shoot. I was paid around $100. So if you’re looking for a photographer, feel free to approach me so that I can refer you to him!
After times of being a waiter, mixer, street-seller, project assistant and assistant photographer, I went back to Mac! It’s like after a long day, I went back home! It was a timely comeback, as coincidently, its hourly rate gone up to $4/hr. And I work in Mac till now.
There’s a period of time, I worked in a banquet at Ritz-Carlton Millennia. $6.50/hr. Its a good experience as well.
Fresh O/A Levels graduates out there, take this chance to explore! I’ve to agree that our age and qualification limits us. Well, you can’t be a banker with just an A level cert right? But there’s still so many other jobs out there! F&B, sales, retail, tuition, relief teaching and so on.
So here’s just a general guideline for the payrate for the different industries (for part-time):
F&B Industry (Waiter) – $4/hr to $8/hr
Fast-food restaurant pay the lowest, while (obviously) top-notch restaurants/pubs/bars pay the highest! So far from what I heard, the waiters from Equinox (top of Swissotel) get the highest pay among all other waiters.
Retail Industry ( Shop Assistant) – $4/hr to $8/hr
Admin Assistant – $4/hr to $9/hr
Relief Teaching – $65/day to $200/day
Tutoring –
Primary school students – $6/hr to $20/hr
Lower Secondary school students – $12/hr to $30/hr
Upper Secondary school students – $15/hr to $30/hr
One way to get students is to join online agencies.
With O/A level, you’ll never get more than $100/day, but its good enough.
Disclaimer: This guideline isn’t the “real” guideline, it’s accurate only to the best of my knowledge.
I’d suggest being a relief teacher. It’s one of my best experience among all the jobs I had. So click on the link below to apply!
http://www.moe.gov.sg/careers/teach/applying/relief-teaching/
(I’m not a MOE agent, who is promoting people to become teachers…)
I wish I can work in Broadrick and Macpherson at the same time. Maybe on alternate days? Let’s see how during my next vacation.
Friends, have a good holiday and a great time working!
If you, however, is ambitious, and want to work on your entreprenuerial spirit already, feel free to approach me. Having the same mindset, perhaps we can benefit from each other.
Zachary Ong Wei Ren 
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