Ministry of Education Singapore Career Development FAQ

Pros

Great school culture that was set by the school leaders Opportunities were provided when interest and potential was displayed Career path is chartered with milestones given Great salary perks

Cons

Very long hours Passion driven Physical and mental drain

Pros

Worked at the recruitment marketing department, and I've got many opportunities to participate in various recruitment marketing projects within the department despite being just an intern, which I really appreciated. :))

Cons

Can't really think of any negative aspects because it was generally a really good experience.

Pros

Wonderful colleagues. The Singapore education industry is full of amazing individuals that genuinely care about their students, and very often overlook their own needs to cater to their students' needs. They are helpful, encouraging and can form a very strong support system. Working hours are great if you no longer care about the job and don't wish to spend time finishing lesson planning, marking or anything related after your students are gone. Twice a week it's possible to leave at about 2-3pm. There's also light at the end of each tunnel in the form of June and December holidays (but you only get 2 weeks of protected leave from each month, and this is the only AL you'll have)

Cons

Incredibly rigid and hierarchal system with inflexible protocols and procedures, especially for procurement, that seem to not make efficient a process but to create the best paper trial for the admin office to submit during their audits. Focuses on giving promotion opportunities to scholars, and often times men because the industry is so saturated with women. Uses a secretive, archaic performance review called "performance ranking", and there is a manpower quota for various performance grades, meaning that if X does the same amount of work as Y, but is not as well-liked or visible to the MMs, X will move to a lower performance grade during the very elusive, secretive ranking discussion. Many direct supervisors are worryingly unconcerned with their educator's professional development and growth, seemingly only concerned with their own growth - demonstrating an absolute lack of foresight in building capabilities for the future. Music and Art subjects are overlooked in the grand scheme of education, even though MOE has released statements over the years that their primary focus will be on the holistic education of a child.

Pros

Substantial increment every year Very structured, meaning you do not get too many deviations from policies and guidelines, salaries would not be delayed and you get a job security essentially for life if you do not perform too badly

Cons

Poor work life balance Very hierarchical, you have to follow the chain of command for issues to be addressed Very structured (can be a pro too depending)

Advice to Management

More distributed leadership and less top down

Pros

There is a lot of opportunity for professional development and there are many pathways for growth.

Cons

Work environments vary a fair bit from one school to the next.