“You have to be mentally prepared for police visits and potential lawsuits” – The Online Citizen advertises job vacancy

The Online Citizen has advertised a job vacancy for a content producer but has warned that the individual who snags the job must be mentally prepared for police visits and potential lawsuits.

The Online Citizen was founded as a community blogging platform by a group of professionals and activists in 2006 and is now run by Terry Xu. Mr Xu is now facing a lawsuit brought on by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after he refused to take down an article that allegedly defamed the head of government.

Last Thursday (19 Sept), Mr Xu published a job listing on Facebook and stated that the website is looking for a full-time content producer who will be paid S$2,140 a month. Mr Xu stated that the salary is based in consideration of the Central Provident Sum payable by the employer.

The job description stated that the candidate who is chosen will have to be ready to be deployed 24 hours, 7 days a week and that there are no office hours.

While the employee can work from home or from anywhere they have an internet connection, they may not expect food and transport allowance, overtime wage or a notice period in the event of termination.

While there is no minimum education qualification, candidates must have “reasonable skills in writing and editing with WordPress” and the ability to photograph, videograph and complete post-production. Candidates with two years’ working experience and those with a “basic understanding of Singapore’s social political environment” are preferred.

The job, which is only open to Singaporeans, will come with a two-month probation period during which the employee will receive S$850 monthly salary.

Mr Xu, however, warns that there are other disadvantages to the job. The job listing states: “Before applying for the job, you have to got mental preparation for visits by the police to your home, the possibility of being sued by government officials for your work and trailed by the Internal Security Department.

“Your family must give the go-ahead to you for taking up the job. While the company will try to cover your expenses and damages but we have to warn you of our limited resources.”

Responding to feedback that the job requirements are ridiculous, Mr Xu commented: “Listed in this job vacancy is my current working conditions, job scope and pay (HDB can attest to that because I submitted my banking details of my past six months salary to them, which they then rejected my BTO loan application because they find my bank balance too low.)

“It is still considered quite lax as compared to what I have to do, as I haven’t include managing the advertising partners, IT backend, administrating the staff, PR with the different agencies and entities and financial management. And just recently, learning how to defend myself in a legal suit.”