Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo In Real Life’s sentiments.
Subscribe to our Telegram for updates.
In recent years, many Malaysians have moved to Singapore to work and are happy to experience life on the other side of the Causeway.
Moving to Singapore seems like a glorious start to a great career. But truthfully for some, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. In fact, you may be surprised to find they might be leading an even more miserable life than the average Malaysian.
Here are some of the anonymous confessions of Malaysians who have been living and working in Singapore.
“We work longer hours than in Malaysia,” shares Jay.
Jay has always dreamt of life in Singapore. When he was first there, he was so excited about landing his first-ever job which promised to help him obtain his PR status in the long run.
After two rounds of interviews and a short chat with the enthusiastic boss, who agreed to a starting salary of SGD3200, he joined up.
“It seemed like an offer that was too good to be true!” He shared. As it turned out, it was.
Jay’s nightmare began soon after he started working there. He had to work six days a week, 7am to 9pm every day after his first month. He started working longer hours, with fewer breaks in between.
Whenever he went out for lunch, he was greeted with unhappy faces when he returned. His manager even asked “Do you really need to eat out?” and stated that it’s best if he brings packed lunches.
The final straw was when he applied for OT, the company refused to let him claim it for all the extra hours he worked.
His boss said it was ‘normal’ to work OT in Singapore. But from Jay Wong’s observation, it was only him and a few other Malaysians who were the only ones in office after 6pm, while the Singaporeans went home.
Finally, he called it quits. “I went back home. I did so much work yet I couldn’t claim OT for it. I’ve never felt this worthless in my life,” he recalled.
“We have to pick up after our colleagues,” shares Jules.
According to Jules, it’s easy for Singaporeans in the company to curi tulang (pretend to work). But Malaysians must have something to do all the time.
“There was once, my colleagues (who are all Singaporeans) simply breezed through their tasks for an important project we had for a client. Some of them didn’t even reply to emails from clients!”
When it came to Jules, her manager called her into her office one evening and told her off for not helping her colleagues to reply to emails on their behalf.
When Jules told her manager that the email was directed to a specific colleague, she said, “So? Can’t you just help them if they’re busy? We are all working on the same floor.”
“I remembered how angry I was back then because I was unable to say anything,” said Jules.
“People can be prejudiced towards us,” shares Moh Seng.
A few Malaysians have experienced some form of prejudice from Singaporeans.
This was true for Moh Seng, when he moved into a flat in a new neighbourhood in Tanah Merah. His housemates were all Singaporeans, and according to him, they disliked mixing with him and ostracised him as a result.
“I was asked to put my toiletries in my room, and to separate my things from theirs,” he shared.
They were also always gossiping about him behind his back, sometimes asking him if he will “go back to Malaysia” in a mocking way.
Despite the bullying, Moh Seng seemed to be doing well at first. Then a few months later, he broke down and called some of his closest friends to rant about his misfortunes.
And there we were, envious of him for living in such a slick, clean place with better facilities and a pay cheque with an exchange rate that screams ‘SPLURGE’!
“It is harder to fight for our benefits,” shares Ming.
Although Malaysia might be lacking in some ways, there are still pros in working at the local scene.
For one, the rights and respect you get as a Malaysian can sometimes be hard to come by in foreign lands.
As an employee who filed a lawsuit against her company in Singapore two years back (2016-2018), Ming said it’s hard for Malaysians to exercise their rights there.
“It’s not fair, I have worked this hard and right before I left, they wouldn’t even pay me my bonus and the-month’s-worth salary because we did not ‘sign’ a real contract,” Ming said.
According to Ming, it is also a norm that Malaysians are expected to contribute twice as hard as the average Singaporean before negotiating for a raise.
Singapore is actually alright if you have a competitive spirit
Image: Connie (third left) and team in Singapore
Connie Lee, who works in the hospitality industry in Singapore, says she enjoys the work there and the clean environment she lives in.
Although she admits having to keep her performance on par with her colleagues’, she enjoys the competitive scene there as it helps her perform better.
“Malaysians seem to think that working life in Singapore is stressful. But to me, all is good as long as I am able to juggle my priorities right and work hard within my own time frame,” says Connie.
Although Singaporeans are seen as ‘kiasu’ by Malaysians, there are some who thrive in such a competitive environment, and Connie is one of those people.
How accurate are these Malaysians’ experiences of Singapore?
Share your thoughts in the comments!
Submit your story to hello@inreallife.my and you may be featured on In Real Life Malaysia!
Read also: Why I Decided to Make Singapore My Home as a Malaysian Girl
Here’s Why I Decided To Make Singapore My Home as a Malaysian Girl
You might also like
More from Real Mental Health
I Worked 29 Hours Of Overtime And My Boss Told Me To Stop
This story is shared by an anonymous worker who had his first experience of working under a decent boss after …
I Got Breast Cancer at Age 27, Here’s How I Beat It
Usually it's women above 40 who get breast cancer, or so I thought. As a 27 year old, I did …
4 Spine-Chilling Horror Stories That Allegedly Really Happened According To These Malaysians
Here are some hair-raising horror stories shared by these unfortunate Malaysians.
Malaysian Women Are Still Insulting Other Females’ Body & That’s Embarrassing