SINGAPORE: After a New Zealand Registered Nurse shared contemplation online over moving to Singapore to work, Singaporeans responded by cautioning the medical worker about nurses’ salaries in Singapore with one even saying, “Nurses are paid terribly here. You’re better off in New Zealand.”
A nurse from New Zealand turned to Singaporeans in an online forum to get some insight when considering a possible move to Singapore for work, posting a question on Thursday (Dec 8).
“Hi there. I am a NZRN with 6 years of experience in CVICU in New Zealand, with 11 years of total nursing experience,” the post read. “I have been to Singapore twice for holidays and transit and I love it there.”
The individual then raised a few good pointers to consider and asked Singaporeans to weigh in on the matter. “Just wondering what are the pros and cons of practicing nursing in Singapore given my years of experience, and are the salaries competitive?” the person wrote. “I take home around 4800-5000 dollars (converted to Singapore dollars) per month here in NZ. Cost of living here is insane, and a single person like me couldn’t even afford to rent a house for myself without flatmates, let alone buy one.”
In response to this, many Singaporeans left comments, many of which seemed to share the same basic response: “You’re better off (there).”
While some raised the issue of the high cost of living in Singapore, others mentioned other factors such as the work culture as well as the salaries of nurses in the country.
“I wouldn’t recommend moving here,” one said, “In Singapore, with your experience, you probably will be an SSN (senior staff nurse) or above. The starting take home for an SN1 is $3.2k Singapore dollars. I’ve heard it’s super busy and not worth doing nursing in Singapore–that’s why many want to move to Australia, the UK and the US. Moreover, the rent here for one person is insane at these times. Do reconsider after evaluating the pros and cons.”
