Interesting article in the Straits Times on 09/12/03, about an
increasing trend of graduates not returning to Singapore after
living and studying for a few years.
In my university class where there were about 10 Singaporeans
citizens and PRs, only 2 (including me) returned after graduation.
1 has gotten his Aussie PR and the other is applying to leave
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http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,4386,224284-1071007140,00.html?
More overseas
grads staying put abroad
They are now more likely not to
return home after graduation, preferring either to work or further
their studies abroad
By Irena Josoeb
WHILE only in his second year of university in Britain, Mr Shawn Er
decided he wanted to stay on and work in London after
graduation.
The 27-year-old University of Bristol law graduate is now a trainee
solicitor in a London law firm.
Many other Singaporean graduates of overseas universities are, like
Mr Er, choosing to stay on abroad to work.
It marks a change from just two years ago when students were more
likely to return to Singapore after graduation, said Mr Hernaikh
Singh, Singapore International Foundation's (SIF) deputy executive
director.
Although he did not have hard figures, he said he noticed the
change at the informal discussions he had with Singaporean students
overseas at SIF conferences.
'Two years ago, the sentiment about not wanting to come back was
not so strong,' he said. 'Now, there are more students exploring
the possibilities of staying overseas because of the economic
situation in Singapore.'
Miss Nora Anniesha Hussin is one of those who chose to work
overseas after earning a master's degree in applied linguistics in
Hong Kong.
The 33-year-old assistant language instructor in a Hong Kong
university now earns close to $100,000 a year, which, according to
her, is 2 1/2 times what she would have earned if she had returned
to Singapore.
Said Miss Nora: 'I love to learn in a different context and feel
the need to explore and go out of my comfort zone.'
Horror stories of working life in Singapore have also persuaded
overseas graduates to stay on.
'I have heard stories from my Singapore counterparts about working
extremely long hours and horrendous stress at work,' said Miss
Vanessa Teo, a 24-year-old senior business analyst in Minnesota,
the United States.
She said the more relaxed lifestyle, higher pay and career
opportunities were what made her stay on after graduating with a
business administration degree from Indiana University.
Supportive parents also play a part. When Mr James Tan, 26,
graduated from the University of Chicago last year with a master's
in international relations, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do
next. But his parents helped him decide.
Now based in Washington DC, the analyst in a business-to-business
content firm said: 'They wanted me to stay on to get the exposure,
though I was pretty ambivalent about where I worked.'
With more than 20,000 Singaporeans going abroad to study every
year, and with more wanting to stay on, is the Republic losing its
talented young citizens?
Of the six overseas graduates The Straits Times interviewed, five
said that they wanted to work abroad for at least two years before
deciding if they would return home.
Some are worried they would not be able to fit into the Singaporean
work culture, or get used to living at home after living
independent lives overseas.
Mr Er said he was comfortable with his life in London and does not
rule out the possibility of staying on indefinitely. 'I have come
to realise that living in Singapore was like living in a glass
bowl,' he said. 'I have become aware of issues such as crime, race
and politics. I used to be neutral about such matters in Singapore,
but I no longer am.'
But for Miss Nora, the choice is clear.
'I feel like I still haven't learnt enough,' she said. 'But
Singapore is home base and I will eventually return.'
