Singapore: Work experience

Work placements and internships

Opportunities are available to students undertaking undergraduate, Masters or PhD degree programmes. In most cases, students must have completed the first year of their studies. Opportunities are usually arranged individually and directly with participating companies. Some organisations advertise work experience vacancies on their website, though internships in Singapore are highly sought-after and attract large numbers of applicants.

Exchange programmes

Students may be able to apply to the AIESEC (Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales) , which offers members opportunities to gain work experience in partner countries. 

Teaching schemes

• The Ministry of Education Singapore  has details of teaching schemes. See also the government-run Singapore Education  website. 
• The only teacher training institute in Singapore is the National Institute of Education - Singapore , which has details of academic and non-academic vacancies. 
• There is a demand for qualified TEFL teachers, although opportunities are not as easy to find as in other Asian countries.

Volunteering

The National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC)  offers volunteering positions in partnership with the public and private sectors.

Short-term opportunities

The Singapore Work Holiday Programme  allows university students and recent graduates between 17 and 30 years old from eight countries (including the UK) to work for a period of six months in Singapore whilst on a holiday visa.

Gap year opportunities

Use job-hunting sources and general gap year websites to search for opportunities. GapYear.com , for example, has some information on backpacking around Singapore.