Hi, I could understand your situation. I've been looking for answers on how to get a physio job in Singapore for months before I came here. And regrettably I found no suitable answers that prepared me for the reality. Is it possible for foreigners to get a physio job in Singapore? The answer is YES. But, there are a lot of buts.
I am a physiotherapist with 10 years experience in a large specialty hospital in the Philippines. I also come from a very good school in the Philippines, am a member of the Singapore Physiotherapy association and hold a one year social visit pass (courtesy of the EPEC system
Ministry of Manpower | About the Certificate). So, you could say I have very good credentials.
Once I landed here I made a list of the email addresses of all the hospitals, clinics and nursing homes in Singapore and I emailed my resume to all of them, regardless of whether they have vacancies or not (you should do that because some centres don't advertise in the paper or online job databases). I got interviews after two weeks. When I went to the interviews I got job offers but my work pass was rejected because there was a problem.
All foreign-trained physios must undergo the MOH qualifying exam before practicing here. That's fair and square but here's another catch: you can't sit for the qualifying exam unless you are endorsed by a Singaporean employer. In other words you have to get a job offer first before sitting for the exam. It's all in the FAQ's
Health Professionals Portal
On a side note, you could be exempted from the exam if you come from a Ministry of Health (MOH) recognized school. However, this list is quite different from the list of schools recognized by the ministry of manpower (MOM) because my school was listed there (
Ministry of Manpower | Selected Institutions List) and I was still required to take the MOH qualifying exam. There’s no public list of schools accredited by the MOH but I'm guessing that it only includes schools from the UK, Canada, and Australia. If your school is not on MOH's hallowed list, tough luck.
Anyway, because of these rules it's hard to find work as a physio here unless you do either of the following:
A - find an employer who's willing to endorse you for the exam who is willing to pay the 400SGD examination fee and wait for you to start work after 2 mos or more (registration for the exam is 1 month before and the waiting time for the results is another month). This scenario definitely doesn't sound that appetizing to most employers.
B - find work as a physiotherapy aide in a center that's willing to sponsor you for the qualifying exam eventually. But I must caution you on this path because the pay is on average 450 SGD (if you get a higher offer you're lucky) and they might require you to live in quarters/dorm provided by the company. This route is easier and more feasible.
There are other ways, I must admit but they are either seedy or more complicated.
You could also become a permanent resident of Singapore first, to totally avoid the hassle of taking the qualifying exam.
Honestly, it's a lot easier and more profitable to get work in the US than in Singapore but I am here for personal reasons.
So to summarize, here's a list of steps on how to get a job in Singapore if you're school is NOT accredited by MOH.
1. Get an EPEC if you can.
https://epec.mom.gov.sg/epec/index.do ,
https://epec.mom.gov.sg/epec/FAQ.jsp
Its free and would save you the hassle of finding ways to extend the one month social visit pass they give you upon entering Singapore. Although the cost of getting a one-year social visit pass is about 100 SGD. But I think it's worth it because you have to give yourself 3 months before getting your first salary. It's cheaper and surer than exiting to Malaysia or going back to your home country to extend your stay.
2. Make a list of the websites/email addresses of all the hospitals, centres and nursing homes in Singapore.
Government hospitals -
Ministry of Health: Healthcare Facilities
Private hospitals -
Hospital in Singapore, Singapore hospital private, , Allo' Expat
Elder care -
Elder Care Locator
If anyone has a better list of institutions, please post.
3. Once you land in Singapore, if you have an EPEC, get a one year social visit pass (they call it long-term social visit pass) online from the ICA
https://ltpass.ica.gov.sg/eltsvp/main.do.
4. Apply as a physiotherapy aide on online application portals of hospitals and email your resume to the rest of the employers on your list. Take note that Singaporean employers will not consider you for an interview unless you are already in Singapore. Further, most employers prefer email and online applications to walk-ins.
5. Sit for interviews and before accepting any job offers or signing anything make sure your prospective employer would sponsor your for the MOH qualifying exam eventually (at least within 6 months).
6. Wait for the results of your work permit application. Your employer could apply an S pass or an E pass for you but considering the salary of a therapy aide this is highly unlikely to be approved by MOM. You could play around with their S /employment pass self-assessment tool
SELF ASSESSMENT TOOL if you wish to validate this.
While waiting for results, I also highly suggest that you continue going to interviews so you would not waste time and have a backup plan in case your pass doesn't get approved.
7. Study for the MOH qualifying exam. The reference materials are on the website
Nanyang Polytechnic - SHS - Student Services. Pass the exam.
8. Look for a job as a physiotherapist, hopefully, with your current employer. Most employers raise your salary (befitting that of a physio) after you pass the exam.
Oh, btw Singapore Physiotherapy Association (SPA) membership is NOT mandatory to get employment here but it would definitely catch any employer’s attention. However, they do require you to pass the MOH qualifying exam before becoming a member. I was only able to become a member because through sheer luck there was some miscommunication between me and the SPA and I was allowed to sit for their exam, which I passed.
I think this should work for physios from India and the Philippines because I know of some who went through the same route.
As for me, my work permit has just been approved and I’m about to start work as therapist aide. Hopefully I will take the qualifying exam soon.
Hope this helps. Good luck. :-)
Re: working in singapore?
Re: working in singapore?
Re: working in singapore?
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