2 days ago
- Business
- Independent Singapore
'Even $400/month would be enough': Singaporean with medical condition seeks remote job guidance
SINGAPORE: The advent of the internet has made working from home, or from anywhere else, for that matter, extremely possible. The whole world saw this happen during the COVID-19 pandemic, although in the years that followed, people have gone back to the office. Additionally, some countries are more friendly toward working remotely than others.
A local Reddit user, whose health condition makes regular in-person work challenging, wondered about this in a recent post.
' I know it's a dumb question, but if you had a phone and internet, is it possible to get a remote job in Singapore?' asked u/DreamsOfBlueberries on r/askSingapore on Thursday (Jul 3).
The post author explained that they had a 'pretty severe medical condition' that not only affected them both mentally and socially but also caused them to be 'stuck at home for years.'
At present, they are undergoing treatment, but they added that this situation is difficult for their mother, who is the family's sole breadwinner. In a comment, they wrote that even earning S$400 monthly would be enough.
'I wanna do what I can to help, but my pain knows no routine right now, so it'll get in the way of a regular job with schedules. Sometimes, the pain keeps me up late at night, but I've been thinking of using this to my advantage. I don't have any prior work experience, so I have had little luck,' they wrote.
The post author added that they've looked into call center, data entry, and telemarketing jobs and have even seen crypto platform sites that promise 'crazy profits,' but they don't have the money to invest in them.
They are also considering international remote jobs as a last resort. However, they are aware they could get scammed since the verification process isn't as rigorous as it is in Singapore.
'I really just want a job and to be a normal human being. Not being able to contribute to my family is killing me inside and causing me crazy depression,' the post author added.
Many commenters on the post wrote suggestions to u/DreamsOfBlueberries, with the one that brought up being a Shopee Collection Point getting the most upvotes.
'In your case, I would consider being a Shopee collection point. That is, you do not mind having people ringing your doorbell for parcel collection anytime during the day and a little bit of social interaction. You'll need to be open on at least one weekend as well.
Being a collection point only requires an app on your phone to scan the parcels. You will have to handle storing them and sorting them for easy access. You get paid S$0.30 per parcel. It's not a lot, but somewhere to start,' the commenter wrote, adding that affiliate marketing might be another possibility later on.
'Talk to WSG career counselors via MyCareerFuture. It does work, and they are normally able to place somewhere. Keep expectations low, and you might need a computer,' suggested another.
'If you are aiming for a remote job, then IMO learning programming is the way to go,' one wrote, while another chimed in to suggest, 'Survey platforms. You need to hustle hard to make about S$50 to S$100 a month, though.'
'Maybe you can try doing a transcription job. You don't really need experience in transcription, as the job is about you receiving a recording and typing out the words. The salary is not fixed per hour, like S$10/hr, but rather, is based on the duration of the recording itself. You will be given a deadline to submit. It's really an OTOT (own time, own target) kind of job, which sounds like a great fit for your situation,' a Reddit user wrote. /TISG
Read also: How much of a pay cut would you be willing to take in exchange for going from fully Work From Office to hybrid Work From Home?
