NUS foreign student struggles to land internship, considers returning to Europe

SINGAPORE: A foreign student at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has shared on social media that, after struggling to secure an internship in the city, “a part of her is now considering going back to Europe”.

In her post on the r/singaporefi subreddit, she explained that although she truly wanted to build a life here in Singapore, the difficulty of finding an internship has left her “feeling discouraged”.

According to her, many internships, particularly at smaller firms, are “closed to non-citizens or permanent residents”.

“Even at bigger companies, visa restrictions often mean I don’t get a chance,” she wrote. “I totally understand Singapore’s situation: there are already many wealthy expats and foreigners who move here mainly for the benefits and advantages, and it makes sense that the government wants to protect opportunities for locals.”

“But that is not my case. I’ve always loved the city and wanted to live in Asia. I’m really passionate about East Asian culture, and studying at NUS was a dream come true. I wanted the real experience of being here, not just passing through,” she added.

Seeking advice, she turned to Reddit to ask whether anyone had faced similar hurdles and if it is realistically possible for a foreign student to break into finance or consulting in Singapore. “Is there any path for someone like me…or am I just fighting a losing battle?”

“Almost everyone is cooked at the moment.”

In the comments section of her post, one Singaporean Redditor wrote, “To be honest, it’s not only you. Even the locals are having trouble finding job opportunities now. That’s how bad the job market is in Singapore currently.”

Another shared, “Join the club. No finance or consulting firms even interviewed me when I was applying years ago. Plenty of locals with citizenship can’t get anything either, and they don’t have the option of long-term stay in EU.”

A third chimed in, “Welcome to the club; markets have been bad since Covid for foreign students. Going back might be your best bet – at least no visa issues. I did that too.”

A fourth remarked, “Almost everyone is cooked at the moment. Fresh grad foreigners are doubly cooked.”

In other news, a Singaporean job seeker took to social media to share her disbelief at the increasingly complicated interview processes that companies are putting candidates through.

Posting on the r/askSingapore forum, she explained that several companies she applied to required “multiple rounds of interviews” as well as a “case study.” One company in particular had her attend five separate interview rounds and prepare a full slideshow presentation based on their internal data.

Read more: ‘A bit too much’: Jobseeker criticises companies for requiring multiple interviews and case studies