# physio work?



## physiogirl

hi all,

i'm looking at moving to sing with my bf but have no idea what job prospects are like in physiotherapy. my bf has already secured a job there in IT. I'm a physio from australia and want to find some work in private practice.

i've been looking at jobs online, but most of these are not in private practice, and they don't seem to offer them to non-residents.

can anyone give me tips on what to do?? 

i know there is a sing physio assoc which you can get membership with, but apparently you don't need to be a member to work in sing. is this correct? do i need to register with a board or association of some sort?? do i have to sit any exams??

also, do i need to secure a job before i get over to sing? apparently the employer needs to apply for my employment pass right??

can anyone give me an idea of what the pay would be like as a physio??

please help!!

thanks is advance


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## Miss Swan

Hi physiogirl,

Welcome to the forum! Lol...just as you're planning to move to SG, I'm planning to move to OZ. 

Yes I believe you need to secure a job in SG first before coming over.
I found this website, hope it'd be of some use to you...  It talks about Qualifying Examinations and employment FAQs.

Payscale wise, I found a link too, click here for the info  Seems like you're looking at SGD36K/annum at least. Might be a far cry to what you're getting in OZ but hey standard of living is slightly lower here, so you might get a fair deal at the end of it...

Any other questions, just give a shout, or even better, I'd suggest you to visit <snip>where there are several long-staying expats as topic advisors. You'll get a wealthload of info there 

All the best!

Cheers,
Miss Swan


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## simonsays

My 2 cents.. 

you will be lucky to get 36,000 S$ a year, unless you are able to obtain SMC approval, and undergo supervised service for 3 to 4 years.

After getting RN / SMC endorsement, you could look for anything around 24,000 or so.

In my volunteering work with some social organisations, I know met few physios from Myanmar and Philippine, who earn less than 18,000 a year, in nursing homes, after their endorsement. The justification is that food and lodging is provided, hence the lower scale. And for a person from those countries, that is what they may make in 5 years back home.

If you are keen on pursuing your passion and keeping yourself current, go for it.

If you are looking to earn money, unless you get a rare prestigious posting such as in the large private hospitals -again post SMC approval - I am not sure how it will pan out.

As for the application for work permit / pass, there are postings in the forum on the how-and what on the area.

Additionally, most nursing homes / care centers, which are the large employers of physios, will insist on stay-in, as to avoid the complications enforced on female staff under the pass conditions. 

Some of the biggest employers of such people have strict rules - back by 10PM and no staying out. Once you obtain your PR, then you are no more at their mercy.


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## simonsays

Miss Swan - did you mean the cost of living in Singapore is lower, or standard of living in Singapore is Lower ? Makes different meanings ...


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## physiogirl

hey guys,

thanks for your comments and tips.
WOW, the pay sounds terrible!! how depressing  

in aus the average salary for private work is around 60K, so from that to 30K is a huge sacrifice. i'd be moving with bf just so we could be together so it's hardly anything to do with pursuing my passion. even if the cost of living is lower, i don't think it makes up for the other 30K. 

the work you mention ecureilx sounds likes it's only hospitals/nursing homes etc, do you know what the pay would be like in a private practice? would it be different?

PS. what is SMC approval?

cheers guys,
physiogirl


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## simonsays

Physios are not allowed private practice unless you are approved by SMC-Singapore Medical Council, and this can be between 2 to 4 years.

And foreign grads may have to undergo a period of supervised service.

Take a look at the SMC website, and the MOH website, as per the link from Ms Swan.

Private hospitals would be willing to pay a higher salary, if your credentials add value to their business.

Anyway, do google for salary scales of Physios, and take a look at the SGH/NUH/TTSH websites.

Good luck


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## Miss Swan

Hi physiogirl, don't despair yet, there must be some way out. Have you been to thisforum  yet? (though you have to be a member first to post anything) - it's a very active website fronted by Singapore expats and replies come quick and fast, and mostly accurate. Believe you'll get more answers to your queries...

ecurelix, I mean cost of living sorry...transport, food and basic utilities - all lower than OZ. I've been to OZ a few times now to stay with my boyfriend, so I think I have a pretty good idea of the living costs there. Bread/meat/transport are 2x of SG...that's scary...

But anyways physiogirl do continue posting your questions here if you have more, we'll certainly try to help!


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## simonsays

Physiogirl, dont despair .. if my posting sounded like discouraging.

At the least, you may have to be under supervision for a year, and then you could take up SMC endorsement. 

There is a market for personal physios, and at the Private hospitals, where pay is much better. I am not in a position to advice specifically, but if you have sufficient experience and papers to match, then you could land a good paying job.

Search on the internet and also check the private hospitals.

Try to work direct, instead of through the agencies.

Cheers


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## physiogirl

Hi all,

thanks so much for your replies.

yeh despite the cheaper cost of living, i feel pretty bummed about the pay.

here's a summary of what i've gathered:
- with regards to SMC approval, i've looked this up and it doesn't look like it applies to physios so that's a good sign
- i'm pretty sure i don't need to be supervised either as i have several years of experience
- i might need to sit an exam if i want to register with the singapore physio assoc but i doubt it as australian degrees are well recognised
- the tax is a lot less in sing so that's a bonus

so they're all the pros... in terms of the cons, i'm actually not looking to work in a hospital unless it's in the outpatients department only. i enjoy working in a private practice and so that's what i want to stick with. the only problem is that there doesn't seem to be any work advertised in private practice and whenever i do find an opening, it's only open to PRs and singaporeans which sux for me... this makes it even harder to find out a ball park figure for salary in this field.

so my options at the moment are to:
- keep looking for jobs?
- get an EPEC then go to singapore blindly and hope for the best?
- or just stay in australia!!

i'll keep posting if i have more questions... thanks again


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## simonsays

private hospitals mostly do word of the mouth recruitment or by newspapers - get somebody to scan the saturday straits time newspapers regularly.

EPEC is FOC and just a clearence to let your prospective employer know that you are eligible for EP.

And Allows you to stay without the hassle of visa extension.


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## DeeGee

Hi Physiogirl,

To help you, I'd need to know: 

1) What kind of physio you've been doing?
2) How many years experience?
3) Which country did you practice physio?
4) Do you have a specialty field or an interest in - sports physio, Paediatric, etc.
5) What certification you've got?

With these info, I'll be able to help recommend you to apply to International schools, hospitals, private sector, etc.


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## surferdude

*Heya*

Hi Physio Gal

I share ur sentiments.. I've just got back a month ago studying occupational therapy in the UK, and have been thinking about specializing in peds overseas, but its really hard to get a placement in commonwealth countries at this point? I'm aware that the allied health industry is not as recognized over here as compared to the west mainly due to medical practicing policies that might have been a bit biased. Got a job offer in a private practice with 36k starting as a newly qualified, so you should be able to get more considering your experience. You may want to check out Camden medical centre down in Orchard. They've got a whole range of different private clinics, and probably paragon too.

Hope this helps


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## shay5950

*They are all wrong!!*

Hey they have all been giving you false information, im a physiotherapist from Australia myself. Yes the malay, indian ect.. physio's would only get less then $500/wk if they are lucky, thats because they arnt counted as a physiotherapist. They more like a physio aid because of the lower education.

Only AUS, UK & NZ physios count for the full senior physio work in signapore.
Here is the stats:
Average physiotherapist salary per a wk is: $1459. With privately alot more like $2000++. & the tax is only like 21%. 

I am one of those physiotherapists from Australia, sport physio work is easy for us, as we are seen as a strong sporting country so even a state team experience in Australia is better standard then the national teams in signapore. So i went over after gaining a sports job prior to leaving Australia.


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## simonsays

shay5950 said:


> Hey they have all been giving you false information, im a physiotherapist from Australia myself. Yes the malay, indian ect.. physio's would only get less then $500/wk if they are lucky, thats because they arnt counted as a physiotherapist. They more like a physio aid because of the lower education.
> 
> Only AUS, UK & NZ physios count for the full senior physio work in signapore.
> Here is the stats:
> Average physiotherapist salary per a wk is: $1459. With privately alot more like $2000++. & the tax is only like 21%.
> 
> I am one of those physiotherapists from Australia, sport physio work is easy for us, as we are seen as a strong sporting country so even a state team experience in Australia is better standard then the national teams in signapore. So i went over after gaining a sports job prior to leaving Australia.


Thanks Shay, that is quite revealing .. 

As far as I know, most of the people in physio, especially from other SEA countries, loose a major chunk of their pay to agents who are happy ripping off half or more than that, out of the declared pay of 1,800 for S pass holders.

Well, as you say, qualification counts, and more than that, the employer counts.

Most of the VWOs and hospice care centers are quite struggling financially, and that equates to pay scales of 1,800 or around there. 

By the way, your tax should not exceed 15%  

Thanks for the inputs ..


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