‘I’ve been applying to many jobs’: Son seeks advice after mum got diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer
depressed man, crying
SINGAPORE: A struggling jobseeker has appealed to Singaporeans online for advice after his ageing mother—the family's breadwinner, who earns only around S$1,500 a month—was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer.
Taking to the r/askSingapore subreddit, the man said his father, who has been out of work for three years following a foot injury, had effectively “abandoned” the family.
According to him, he has been living in a nursing centre somewhere in the city-state, and they’ve tried contacting him multiple times, but “he never answers.”
“My father just decided that we aren't worth his time and effort,” he wrote.
His own financial situation has not made things any easier. Having recently completed his national service (NS), his monthly allowance has fallen sharply from around S$846 to just S$180.
On top of that, he explained that his tuition grant bond obligation has made securing full-time employment more challenging.
“I have been applying to a lot of jobs, but most of them fail to go through, especially full-time positions since I have to fulfil my tuition grant bond obligation.”
Signing on with the military is not a viable alternative either, as he has been classified as “PES E9,” meaning he is unfit for combat duties or strenuous physical activities.
As for his younger sister, he said she is still studying at a polytechnic under the Tuition Grant Scheme. To help make ends meet, she has been juggling her studies with a part-time job.
Ending his post, he asked the online community: “Is there anything else I can do? For context, my family are PRs in Singapore. I don't want to go back to my home country, where the quality of life is much worse than here. I plan to get my family (except father) Singapore Citizenships. We haven’t had a stable living place since the end of 2023.”
‘Look into part-time jobs’
After reading the post, many Redditors felt that his best option was to secure full-time employment in Singapore or take on part-time work in the meantime to earn an income while continuing his job hunt.
One Redditor explained, “The answer for you is to find full-time employment to fulfil his tuition grant bond. Joining the uniformed forces (SAF, SPF, SCDF) is not possible, as you are medically unfit.”
“If you are unable to obtain a full-time job, you need to look into part-time jobs, which require little training, in F&B, food delivery, hospital porter, airport porter, etc., to earn while continuing to job-hunt. You can also continue a part-time job in addition to his full-time job to earn additional income.”
Another recommended returning to his university or polytechnic to seek employment assistance. “Go back to your uni/poly and ask for jobs. Meantime, do some foodpanda delivery; there’s a S$900 incentive for the first 300 [orders].”
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A third advised checking with his mother's hospital for financial relief and subsidies, or approaching his local MP for help.
“You should check with the hospital where your mom is at and see if they can provide y’all with reliefs and subsidies. Otherwise, check with your local MP. Also, do you consider getting a degree? NTUC Enterprise might offer some help with career matching.”
A fourth added, “Work as an in-house security officer in 5-star resorts/hotels. Pays around S$2.5k-3k, with a 12-month bonus. Working hours are 8-10 hours. Try this out if you have no other option.”/TISG