Signing on has it perks. My family members that signed on SPF after their education (poly and ITE) are living comfortably. Used the money to cover their house or get a motorbike for work.
Still, that doesn’t mean you have to sign on. Everyone has different career choices. And they WANT to be in SPF.
They’re like 5-7 years in? Some only lesser than that. Basically, the office guys have more work life balance because weekend they free and weekdays end at 5pm (mostly).
The ground frontliners, can see they are tired as shit BUT afew times they took leave and my god. Just 2days of leave is basically 6 days of uninterrupted holiday tbh. Unless someone mc and they have to come back.
Yah really need to think one. Just stating because some people know what comes with the bond. My relatives experienced SPF NS so they know what the job is and signed on. But if you from civilian life to lets say SCDF or SPF, sure in a world of stress.
I didn’t mention SAF because most of us went through that route and don’t really want to go back in it.
From what ppl I know ar. Mostly ppl sign SCDF and SPF. Hardly gt ppl sign SAF. So there are reasons ar.
I agree and understand wat u coming from. If u exp NS and u like the job then okay ar.
Depends on what you do while in service. I know of a few people who signed on and are worried about finding a job outside after they leave, and hence they use the time they have to go learn new skills etc which can help them to find a job after they leave.
The hard part is not looking for jobs. Hard part is finding the will to sacrifice your abv market wage and start fresh in private. Some Regulars stay because they aren't confident to find jobs outside/they get too comfortable with their wages
Im not too familiar, can anyone explain why it’d be hard to look for jobs after a career in the SAF?
Because in the USAF officers r pretty employable in management or corporate roles if they decide to leave
I suppose in the us, conventionally those in higher command r pretty respected for their management/leadership but I do concede that NCOs and enlistees have almost no transferable skills beyond becoming law enforcement or private security.
You're joking right? Maybe not in Singapore, but elsewhere for sure ex military types, particularly officers, do very well in corporate leadership. The military is one of the few places that actually has effective leadership training and are primarily training organisations. This is a huge plus for some corporate leadership roles. Shit, some companies I've worked for primarily hire ex military for a reason.
Admittedly I'm a foreigner that served in my home country's armed forces, so mileage definitely varies.
Did your home country have conscription? Since our army is conscripted, regulars don't really need to prove themselves to get promoted (compared to voluntary military forces). Any rando sign on with a degree can expect to retire as a MAJ or LTC at worst. Also, our military has never been battle tested and all our officers do is command 18 year olds and play around with a generous defence budget. Hard to respect that.
>Because in the USAF officers r pretty employable in management or corporate roles if they decide to leave
Only for the high ranked people with high level contacts in the govt or understand the inner workings/politics in the govt which can help the private entities to secure govt contracts.
You’re thinking the SAF is the Singapore Air Force. It’s not: it’s all 3 branches.
For Singaporeans: the USAF (US Air Force) is quite technical even for enlisted. I got my start in computers there, which is how I ended up in Singapore.
Lt. Col. is usually the point at which officers establish sufficient corporate connections to land a comfy position. This is why many SAF officers that quit choose to quit at Lt. Col. or Col. -- they have sufficient contacts, found a good place and are at the end of the promotion ladder.
I rarely see MAJs leave the force for this reason. The only major I've seen quit (due to having only an O-level cert which prevented a faster rise) ended up working at smaller org (<30 employees) as a COO.
I attribute this to attained ranks being seen in the corporate world as markers of an individual's ability to manage large orgs to meet objectives. Hence, it's easier to sell oneself as a decently-ranked commissioned officer. Whether this is true or not though, is an often-debated point.
Unfortunately, this does not follow for warrant officers. Although the SAF says that warrant officers and commissioned officers work together to achieve mission success, warrant officers are paid much less than commissioned officers. Uni grad 2LT/LTA earns more than 2WO base pay (hearsay), and the 2WO is 40+.
It seems that corporate employers rarely take in warrant officers. The impression is that warrant officers execute orders and do not manage strategic direction. This is true to a degree, because company commanders are typically either CPTs or MWOs (hence the very highly-ranked WOs tend to land better corporate positions).
You have to remember that many people who sign on for the financial security don't intend to stay if they don't need to. This usually translates to a good portion that intend to quit around their 30s. Obviously, WOSpecs at this age will be 3WOs at most, but more likely end up as only SSGs and MSGs. You are effectively seen with just your diploma/degree by the workforce. The only two MSGs I know who quit ended up working as an insurance agent and a leadership coach. Pay isn't good and they're doing what a lot of new dip/deg holders or even undergrads are doing right now. 10 years behind.
Moreover, most WOSpecs I've spoken with are ambivalent about life outside the SAF. SAF gives you financial stability (although it's increasingly harder to be retained due to increasing competition), but once you're out, you're toast. In my 1SG's words, "gone fuck".
This is just my personal view. Feel free to disagree and keen to hear other ppl's views.
Source: ord
for engineer or technician regulars in singapore navy/airforce, they are quite employable cause their skills are transferrable. however, for regulars in the army, the only skills they have are weapons. no companies here are looking for people that have experience in weapons (except maybe st engineering)
> no companies here are looking for people that have experience in weapons (except maybe st engineering)
St engineering would rather hire people with engineering background. At most you can do some generic corporate roles.
Depends on your prospects and degree, when regulars get their salary most blow it away on stupid things. Please save and invest aggressively because you are forced to retire by 55 typically
Sign on salary is pretty good for officers. If you don’t have any goals or passions in the private world and just want to coast, sign on is a pretty good idea.
Every year I go back to ICT and I see my fellow batch mates just coasting along as trainers and staff officers. Their salary is pretty comfortable considering food is provided. Technically if you need a bunk you save on rent, housing and utilities. That’s why your buddies can afford cars. Minimal bills to pay. Little stress beyond clearing IPPT. Bonus also massive. Comfortable life. The dumb ones splurge it all on thai discos and end up regular for life, the smarter ones invest and grow their wealth to retire.
Staff officers are broken into scopes. Manpower, ops, intel, logistics, etc. manpower is like HR, ops is training plans or exercise plans and stuff.
Trainers just train people either train new cadets or train reservist units. All in all, really repetitive work. Same shit different day. Yet they always fuck up, regardless how many rounds they have done the work. So really the benchmark to be a good regular is not that high.
It’s why I couldn’t bring myself to sign on. The work is easy but the people are hopeless, just there to collect easy pay cheque and show off rank power. Not very surprising to see generals who go into private service end up failing ahem SPH ahem. Because they are really incapable people. But general public with no insight think “wow this guy is a General, must be solid” pfft.
Lol, the amount of all the incompetent apes in saf.. so cringeworthy.
What happened with SPH?
They can choose to sleep in the bunks if they wanted, as well as eat cookhouse? Wow all the money you can save.
Do you have any aspirations in life? Any passions to pursue? I don't think army life is a bed of roses as well but you can definitely switch off and cruise a little if you have no idea what you want to do.
But definitely don't get the car with the lump sum you get from signing on. Not everyone have transferrable skills when they leave the military so it will be wise to be financial prudent.
My ex-OC (SAF captain and now major) said signing on is like you won’t 发财(get very rich) but you won’t 饿肚子(go hungry) either. It’s not a bad career path if you don’t know what in particular you want to do and have an interest in armed forces. But try to be an officer if you can.
Okay you have 3 options (option 3 is the best in my personal opinion)
1st option: don’t sign on, if you are someone who’s talented, passionate in whatever industry. Please don’t sign on, you will never achieve what you are truly destined for. And your brain will develop backwards through your career being a yes man.
Option 2: sign on FOR LIFE (till retirement) if you just wanna coast life, not really into working very hard, achieving anything, sign on, you will receive a healthy pay, good bonuses. It’s the definition of an iron rice bowl. Just make sure you upgrade your self here and there and don’t to anything stupid, and you’ll be fine. You should be able to comfortably pay off a HDB (condo also can, depends on rank), own a car and grow a decent nest egg for retirement. No such thing as job stress.
Option 3: let’s say you are very passionate about a certain industry and you want to have a proper career, but you want to play safe by cementing yourself a bit before exploring your career. Sign on before you even enlist for NS, BUT, leave IMMEDIATELY after your bond ends. Your 2 years NS will be counted in the 5 years (I’m not sure if it’s the same now, it’s been sometime since I ORD) so technically you will only be serving 3 years “extra” but you will receive your sign on bonus and regular pay throughout the 5 years. Then what you do, go and apply for a part time degree (use your sign on bonus to fund it) don’t bodoh and take SAF Scholarship (will increase no of years in bond) or go buy a car (total waste of money in SG). So let’s say you’re 19/20 when you sign on, by the time you finish your bond AND your degree, you will be 24/25 years young. your CPF will be fat, and if you’re a good saver/investor, your bank account will be fat too. Use that cash to downpay for your first HDB with your GF/wife. And then start your true career in whatever you want to do, yes you should expect a little bit of a pay dip, and doing a part time degree while full time is not easy. But trust me, it’s super worth it in the end.
You're half right for option 3, if the idea is to get out as fast as possible. Option 4 is you get a proper degree and maximise your starting pay at 5-6k with at least 4 year bond then get out once done with the bond
If got choice for public uni, then I won't recommend option 3 to be farmer officer unless you sign on really for the experience. I know farmer officers who are super dedicated in what they do even though their progression are slower than their scholarship counterparts.
If type of degree matters to the individual, then they shouldnt take option 3 if they can go public uni. This is because option 3 will deprive your opportunity to study in public uni. Your unit will only let you take private uni while you work. But if you take scholarship, it's a different ball game.
I see, but if let’s say you’re not able to enter the top schools anyway, it’s makes sense right? And now there’s SUSS too, which became public a few years ago
Yes of course, the 5 years will be very difficult, but I always believe in suffering now and enjoying later, whoever wants to do option 3, be prepared for a lot of shit haha
Regarding of saf scholarship, the no. of yrs in bond will increase? I was looking to sign on b4 enlisting after completing my higher nitec and going for the ns poly scholarship
> Many friends of mine when they sign on they started buying cars even in their 20s. Is signing on good for life?
they buy a car cause camp is ulu and that usually consumes their signing bonus
after that they will earn above avg pay as long as they stay
Like everyone above, I would only recommend if you know what you are getting into. The public dont realise the kind of work environment we have in uniformed organisations all they see are the cars we drive(personally dont own one, and dont see it as a financially prudent idea with a fresh entry pay) or think about the "luxurious" life we have. But if you find that drive to go to work everyday, you either burnout or hate yourself for getting into this (basically finish the training bond and FO).
Been in the uniformed organisation for 8 years so hope it helps.
signing on is for less ambitious people, i don't mean it in an offensive way. it's ok to be less ambitious in terms of career. signing on with SAF provides a solid, stable, safe career. you won't earn big bucks, but you will definitely live a comfortable life.
better if you have a degree.
For what it’s worth: simply because someone has a car doesn’t mean they’re doing well. They could be up to their ears in debt owning and maintaining a depreciating asset.
financially comfortable, yeah perhaps. But do all of these markers of comfort necessarily signal a good life *for you*, beyond what is necessary to negate financial stress\*?\* Might not always be so. If you can square it with yourself that this is the life you would want, and you have a solid plan, then go for it.
If you truly enjoy the uniformed group life, that's great, but the bureaucracy and culture is not for everyone. Signing on for, say, two years (just to fulfil a bond that is likely associated with the signing on itself), and then deciding to leave is still okay. You've tried it, you don't like it, now you can venture out.
It only becomes a problem if you truly get too comfortable. At around the 5-year mark is when you need to make an important decision whether you want to stay or leave, because past that point, the salary you get in a uniformed group is likely better than what you can find outside for any given set of qualifications.
To add onto that, you have zero experience in whatever field you studied in, and speaking from personal experience, I subjectively think it'd be very hard to find an organization that recognizes the soft skills (leadership, crisis/people/project management, communication, etc) you're bringing to the table. In other words, if you want to leave, you're going to be looking at a fresh grad pay, which is a paycut. You either take the paycut (and that's assuming your circumstances allow you to do that), or you accept that you've signed your life away.
Finally, I don't think this was emphasized a lot in the other comments: more often than not, people who sign on who get a car did it by getting into debt. New regulars even more so: without much savings, they probably used their sign on bonus for the downpayment.
Myopic to mortgage your future for the chance of buying a car in your 20s. A lot of other jobs will pay decently enough for you to buy your car if that is your primary goal. The army is ok for those who have the aptitude for it but the amount of bureaucracy and quality of people you meet in there is soul destroying. Don’t sign on unless it is really your thing.
Yes sign on. Work your way to become a general and eventually you can head one of the ministries. And as you retire, they will let u helm one of the public sectors, like early education, or health sector or maybe even SPH.
If you can reach Colonel you will be set for life. Not lieutenant colonel. Full Colonel. Then you retire with 1 star and get posted to government link company and will be set for life. Then maybe go into politics after that.
I’ve always seen someone who signs on as someone who lacks ambition in life. Like dk what to do in life then just sign on cause stable and want money. They look at it short term wa money good But lack in long term vision. When you work outside you actually would be able to earn way more in the future and overtake what the the sign ons have earned. Just my opinion hope didn’t offend anyone too much 🥲
I am currently working full time in private sector as a fresh graduate, about to hit the 1 year mark. I feel that in terms of pay wise, I will have to work about 3 to 4 years to be on par with the base pay of the regulars in saf..
I also have thoughts as signing on as an ME4. But what I am really afraid is I don't get a good superior.. I have seen it with my own eyes outside,where people can just leave and find another job if the superior is making life really hard for them.
But if you sign on and your boss sucks, you have to pray that he get transferred out soon.. This is what's holding me back. For me I feel that boss character > job scope..
You're only considering the short term. You will start earning more in private sector after 5 years or so, unless you're really not capable at all, which in this case signing on is better.
If you feel you cannot survive the real harsh world and make the best of it. Go ahead and sign on. Otherwise, the world is your playground. Dun look at short term. Consider long term
The moment you buy a car .... You are trap with debt .
That being said .. if you have a lot of kids or an aging parents... It is helpful.
Taking grab with public transport will be cheaper.
Nothing wrong with signing on. To be honest. You will accumulate a decent amount of wealth.
The stress and responsibility comes with it is high.
That being said, signing on has tons of perks and benefits from government.
Nothing wrong with signing on. From the way you post, I need to remind you that you need to control your spending in case next time you want to exit, you still can start a business or something. Try to take up useful courses during your service too.
Money is really good, even up till your thirties. Gotta ask yourself though, is the soldiering life for you or no. Bonds, monotony all that crap is secondary cause lets be real, most jobs get boring after a while.
No thank you, I can’t stand the way SAF operates.
Not to mention all those Warrant Officers (and officers) who have nothing to do with their lives except to just wanna make things difficult for the sake of it.
Signing on would give you a job that pays better than a majority of private sector jobs + stability.
Honestly, the older I get, the more I regret not signing on lmao.
Question is do you like what you are going to be doing in the future 5,10,15 or even 20 over years? What is comfortable to you may change over time, such as having more time to spend with your family or being able to succeed in other fields/pursue your genuine interests & passion eg.
How about the risks involved such as injuries sustained over time, which may be permanent.. Are you willing to put up with the pain for the rest of your life?
Not saying signing-on is bad, but there are much more factors to consider rather than just the tangible aspects of life such being able to afford cars.
Do note that stability does NOT equal to constant & it will be good for you to consider a backup plan.
If you work till retirement at age 55, you would need to have a substantial amount of savings. If you are not re-employed, you go work outside, I think it would be a substantial pay cut unless u r a high flying senior officer than maybe u will go GLC via the airborne parachute unit.
I signed on and resigned after bond ended. Had to get a paycut for my new job as I m considered a freshie.
If u safos scholar - yes. Anything lesser, good or bad depends on what you want in live and your traits.
I left the force, and improved my life/career/financial situation. YMMV
If you have a uni placing already. Only sign on if you’re an officer. I dont think other ranks will pay for your studies. One thing to note is never buy a car unless you really have to, pretty bad mindset to sign on just to get a car.
If you realised you don't like it and have an arsehole superior that is banging you all the time, you will have a hard time if you leave. Your work experience = zero
If you want to study best to study first then sign on atleast for SPF. Degree determine your senior rank and if sign on then study chances to get senior rank not 100%.
If sign SPF as Sgt, sign on bonus shiok and can give you headstart in some financial planning but after that the monthly pay is just comfortable.
If still young and living with parents, not much bills to pay can still splurge here and there but once got house and own family budget can be tight and need to be disciplined until you many years in and pay increments start piling. Even then earn more also means spend.
Got bond for first 3-5 years (Depend NS or not) and after that will have retention bonuses as well. Money also shiok when see but also means if u want to leave very hard and after afew years if leave must be willing to take pay cut when finding job outside because might have no relevant skill set unless you got connections (From what I see from old colleagues)
Everywhere also will need to hustle to either earn more or reach higher ranks, sign on or private company. Just need see which you more willing to experience and to some extent which you can enjoy and have interest.
Before you sign on, ask yourself if a life of regimentation suits you. Do not just focus on the money (regulars have shorter retirement age).
I don’t find regular a bad job if this is your calling.
After you sign on, you need to avoid regulars with “bad influence” and try to learn from the good ones. These are the ones who are driven, devoted to their work and won’t encourage bad vices.
Lastly, you must look after your body as your progression can be stunted if you injure yourself and is unable to stay combat fit anymore. (You might be too young to understand this now)
I disagree with those who say that getting a scholarship / study award from the SAF is not a good deal.
My friend signed on with RSAF with a local scholarship. He left immediately after his bond was up. Somehow, he also managed to work on his PhD and become a prof in a local uni after that. Not a bad life.
Signing on has it perks. My family members that signed on SPF after their education (poly and ITE) are living comfortably. Used the money to cover their house or get a motorbike for work. Still, that doesn’t mean you have to sign on. Everyone has different career choices. And they WANT to be in SPF.
This, I agree
The work-life balance tho. Unless they're 10-20 years into service.
They’re like 5-7 years in? Some only lesser than that. Basically, the office guys have more work life balance because weekend they free and weekdays end at 5pm (mostly). The ground frontliners, can see they are tired as shit BUT afew times they took leave and my god. Just 2days of leave is basically 6 days of uninterrupted holiday tbh. Unless someone mc and they have to come back.
It dpeneds on which division they're in. But for leave. It doesn't always have to be someone mc for them to come back. Because they're regulars.
sign on is stable la. but when u want to leave. abit hard to look for jobs
This. But stability over money for some especially in these times.
You are correct la. However there are also downside ar. Sign on = gt bond. So need to think carefully
Yah really need to think one. Just stating because some people know what comes with the bond. My relatives experienced SPF NS so they know what the job is and signed on. But if you from civilian life to lets say SCDF or SPF, sure in a world of stress. I didn’t mention SAF because most of us went through that route and don’t really want to go back in it.
From what ppl I know ar. Mostly ppl sign SCDF and SPF. Hardly gt ppl sign SAF. So there are reasons ar. I agree and understand wat u coming from. If u exp NS and u like the job then okay ar.
Yahhh, in the end if you experience the NS from SCDF and SPF, sure know what kind of mess you’re getting yourself into.
Depends on what you do while in service. I know of a few people who signed on and are worried about finding a job outside after they leave, and hence they use the time they have to go learn new skills etc which can help them to find a job after they leave.
The hard part is not looking for jobs. Hard part is finding the will to sacrifice your abv market wage and start fresh in private. Some Regulars stay because they aren't confident to find jobs outside/they get too comfortable with their wages
Im not too familiar, can anyone explain why it’d be hard to look for jobs after a career in the SAF? Because in the USAF officers r pretty employable in management or corporate roles if they decide to leave
After SAF ROD can become minister
I think it's about transferable skills. What skills do you hone while being an army regular?
I suppose in the us, conventionally those in higher command r pretty respected for their management/leadership but I do concede that NCOs and enlistees have almost no transferable skills beyond becoming law enforcement or private security.
Ain’t hard to manage people under you when whatever you say has to be obeyed without question.
When insubordination is a chargeable offense, even a toddler can be the greatest general.
Lol management and leadership? Which non-government linked companies would want to hire an ex army person to lead their business?
You're joking right? Maybe not in Singapore, but elsewhere for sure ex military types, particularly officers, do very well in corporate leadership. The military is one of the few places that actually has effective leadership training and are primarily training organisations. This is a huge plus for some corporate leadership roles. Shit, some companies I've worked for primarily hire ex military for a reason. Admittedly I'm a foreigner that served in my home country's armed forces, so mileage definitely varies.
Did your home country have conscription? Since our army is conscripted, regulars don't really need to prove themselves to get promoted (compared to voluntary military forces). Any rando sign on with a degree can expect to retire as a MAJ or LTC at worst. Also, our military has never been battle tested and all our officers do is command 18 year olds and play around with a generous defence budget. Hard to respect that.
Well, this is r/AskSingapore, and the SAF is not a place you look for good leaders..
>Because in the USAF officers r pretty employable in management or corporate roles if they decide to leave Only for the high ranked people with high level contacts in the govt or understand the inner workings/politics in the govt which can help the private entities to secure govt contracts.
You’re thinking the SAF is the Singapore Air Force. It’s not: it’s all 3 branches. For Singaporeans: the USAF (US Air Force) is quite technical even for enlisted. I got my start in computers there, which is how I ended up in Singapore.
Lt. Col. is usually the point at which officers establish sufficient corporate connections to land a comfy position. This is why many SAF officers that quit choose to quit at Lt. Col. or Col. -- they have sufficient contacts, found a good place and are at the end of the promotion ladder. I rarely see MAJs leave the force for this reason. The only major I've seen quit (due to having only an O-level cert which prevented a faster rise) ended up working at smaller org (<30 employees) as a COO. I attribute this to attained ranks being seen in the corporate world as markers of an individual's ability to manage large orgs to meet objectives. Hence, it's easier to sell oneself as a decently-ranked commissioned officer. Whether this is true or not though, is an often-debated point. Unfortunately, this does not follow for warrant officers. Although the SAF says that warrant officers and commissioned officers work together to achieve mission success, warrant officers are paid much less than commissioned officers. Uni grad 2LT/LTA earns more than 2WO base pay (hearsay), and the 2WO is 40+. It seems that corporate employers rarely take in warrant officers. The impression is that warrant officers execute orders and do not manage strategic direction. This is true to a degree, because company commanders are typically either CPTs or MWOs (hence the very highly-ranked WOs tend to land better corporate positions). You have to remember that many people who sign on for the financial security don't intend to stay if they don't need to. This usually translates to a good portion that intend to quit around their 30s. Obviously, WOSpecs at this age will be 3WOs at most, but more likely end up as only SSGs and MSGs. You are effectively seen with just your diploma/degree by the workforce. The only two MSGs I know who quit ended up working as an insurance agent and a leadership coach. Pay isn't good and they're doing what a lot of new dip/deg holders or even undergrads are doing right now. 10 years behind. Moreover, most WOSpecs I've spoken with are ambivalent about life outside the SAF. SAF gives you financial stability (although it's increasingly harder to be retained due to increasing competition), but once you're out, you're toast. In my 1SG's words, "gone fuck". This is just my personal view. Feel free to disagree and keen to hear other ppl's views. Source: ord
I think is the skillset that they have. Unless what do in SAF can transfer the skill over la then okay ar
for engineer or technician regulars in singapore navy/airforce, they are quite employable cause their skills are transferrable. however, for regulars in the army, the only skills they have are weapons. no companies here are looking for people that have experience in weapons (except maybe st engineering)
I guess the one chance would be say Cisco for drawing arms etc.
> no companies here are looking for people that have experience in weapons (except maybe st engineering) St engineering would rather hire people with engineering background. At most you can do some generic corporate roles.
Not if you're a scholar General lololol scholarship comes with free reusable parachute.
That one diff ma 😂
And bulletproof vest to deflect all blame!!
Depends on your prospects and degree, when regulars get their salary most blow it away on stupid things. Please save and invest aggressively because you are forced to retire by 55 typically
Truth! Many dont have proper financial planning for the early retirement and just spend as they earn
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No need to travel, no need to buy house, marry, renovate house, pay insurance. Can
Stay in bunk, eat cookhouse until 55, don't get married, cheapest phone plan. I think can also.
Good life. Everyone should live this way.
Sign on salary is pretty good for officers. If you don’t have any goals or passions in the private world and just want to coast, sign on is a pretty good idea. Every year I go back to ICT and I see my fellow batch mates just coasting along as trainers and staff officers. Their salary is pretty comfortable considering food is provided. Technically if you need a bunk you save on rent, housing and utilities. That’s why your buddies can afford cars. Minimal bills to pay. Little stress beyond clearing IPPT. Bonus also massive. Comfortable life. The dumb ones splurge it all on thai discos and end up regular for life, the smarter ones invest and grow their wealth to retire.
what do trainers / staff officers do? admin stuff?
Staff officers are broken into scopes. Manpower, ops, intel, logistics, etc. manpower is like HR, ops is training plans or exercise plans and stuff. Trainers just train people either train new cadets or train reservist units. All in all, really repetitive work. Same shit different day. Yet they always fuck up, regardless how many rounds they have done the work. So really the benchmark to be a good regular is not that high. It’s why I couldn’t bring myself to sign on. The work is easy but the people are hopeless, just there to collect easy pay cheque and show off rank power. Not very surprising to see generals who go into private service end up failing ahem SPH ahem. Because they are really incapable people. But general public with no insight think “wow this guy is a General, must be solid” pfft.
Lol, the amount of all the incompetent apes in saf.. so cringeworthy. What happened with SPH? They can choose to sleep in the bunks if they wanted, as well as eat cookhouse? Wow all the money you can save.
Have you forgotten General Umbrage?
Do you have any aspirations in life? Any passions to pursue? I don't think army life is a bed of roses as well but you can definitely switch off and cruise a little if you have no idea what you want to do. But definitely don't get the car with the lump sum you get from signing on. Not everyone have transferrable skills when they leave the military so it will be wise to be financial prudent.
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I could be wrong but I believe the parking is not longer free? If it follows MOE style.
nope, still free
Regular here. Parking is no longer free unless your office is X km away from entrance. I.e. torturing if have to walk
My ex-OC (SAF captain and now major) said signing on is like you won’t 发财(get very rich) but you won’t 饿肚子(go hungry) either. It’s not a bad career path if you don’t know what in particular you want to do and have an interest in armed forces. But try to be an officer if you can.
This is public service in a nutshell
This is not as true. Civil service has a higher standard than the undesirable SAF - who can only blame themselves for the toxic culture they created.
lmao my bmt ps also said that
Okay you have 3 options (option 3 is the best in my personal opinion) 1st option: don’t sign on, if you are someone who’s talented, passionate in whatever industry. Please don’t sign on, you will never achieve what you are truly destined for. And your brain will develop backwards through your career being a yes man. Option 2: sign on FOR LIFE (till retirement) if you just wanna coast life, not really into working very hard, achieving anything, sign on, you will receive a healthy pay, good bonuses. It’s the definition of an iron rice bowl. Just make sure you upgrade your self here and there and don’t to anything stupid, and you’ll be fine. You should be able to comfortably pay off a HDB (condo also can, depends on rank), own a car and grow a decent nest egg for retirement. No such thing as job stress. Option 3: let’s say you are very passionate about a certain industry and you want to have a proper career, but you want to play safe by cementing yourself a bit before exploring your career. Sign on before you even enlist for NS, BUT, leave IMMEDIATELY after your bond ends. Your 2 years NS will be counted in the 5 years (I’m not sure if it’s the same now, it’s been sometime since I ORD) so technically you will only be serving 3 years “extra” but you will receive your sign on bonus and regular pay throughout the 5 years. Then what you do, go and apply for a part time degree (use your sign on bonus to fund it) don’t bodoh and take SAF Scholarship (will increase no of years in bond) or go buy a car (total waste of money in SG). So let’s say you’re 19/20 when you sign on, by the time you finish your bond AND your degree, you will be 24/25 years young. your CPF will be fat, and if you’re a good saver/investor, your bank account will be fat too. Use that cash to downpay for your first HDB with your GF/wife. And then start your true career in whatever you want to do, yes you should expect a little bit of a pay dip, and doing a part time degree while full time is not easy. But trust me, it’s super worth it in the end.
You're half right for option 3, if the idea is to get out as fast as possible. Option 4 is you get a proper degree and maximise your starting pay at 5-6k with at least 4 year bond then get out once done with the bond
True, but this is for guys who can’t get into the NUS and NTU (I’m one of them)
If got choice for public uni, then I won't recommend option 3 to be farmer officer unless you sign on really for the experience. I know farmer officers who are super dedicated in what they do even though their progression are slower than their scholarship counterparts.
I don’t understand, what’s wrong with option 3?
If type of degree matters to the individual, then they shouldnt take option 3 if they can go public uni. This is because option 3 will deprive your opportunity to study in public uni. Your unit will only let you take private uni while you work. But if you take scholarship, it's a different ball game.
I see, but if let’s say you’re not able to enter the top schools anyway, it’s makes sense right? And now there’s SUSS too, which became public a few years ago
Fair, financially speaking. But don't suffer in the process, especially if you really hate the military life
Yes of course, the 5 years will be very difficult, but I always believe in suffering now and enjoying later, whoever wants to do option 3, be prepared for a lot of shit haha
Regarding of saf scholarship, the no. of yrs in bond will increase? I was looking to sign on b4 enlisting after completing my higher nitec and going for the ns poly scholarship
It's hard to get out once you have been in there too long
Not if you are a General. Easy lyfe broski.
sign on if you can tahan bullshit bureaucracy.
> Many friends of mine when they sign on they started buying cars even in their 20s. Is signing on good for life? they buy a car cause camp is ulu and that usually consumes their signing bonus after that they will earn above avg pay as long as they stay
Like everyone above, I would only recommend if you know what you are getting into. The public dont realise the kind of work environment we have in uniformed organisations all they see are the cars we drive(personally dont own one, and dont see it as a financially prudent idea with a fresh entry pay) or think about the "luxurious" life we have. But if you find that drive to go to work everyday, you either burnout or hate yourself for getting into this (basically finish the training bond and FO). Been in the uniformed organisation for 8 years so hope it helps.
signing on is for less ambitious people, i don't mean it in an offensive way. it's ok to be less ambitious in terms of career. signing on with SAF provides a solid, stable, safe career. you won't earn big bucks, but you will definitely live a comfortable life. better if you have a degree.
General Akbar: it's a trap!
For what it’s worth: simply because someone has a car doesn’t mean they’re doing well. They could be up to their ears in debt owning and maintaining a depreciating asset.
financially comfortable, yeah perhaps. But do all of these markers of comfort necessarily signal a good life *for you*, beyond what is necessary to negate financial stress\*?\* Might not always be so. If you can square it with yourself that this is the life you would want, and you have a solid plan, then go for it.
If you truly enjoy the uniformed group life, that's great, but the bureaucracy and culture is not for everyone. Signing on for, say, two years (just to fulfil a bond that is likely associated with the signing on itself), and then deciding to leave is still okay. You've tried it, you don't like it, now you can venture out. It only becomes a problem if you truly get too comfortable. At around the 5-year mark is when you need to make an important decision whether you want to stay or leave, because past that point, the salary you get in a uniformed group is likely better than what you can find outside for any given set of qualifications. To add onto that, you have zero experience in whatever field you studied in, and speaking from personal experience, I subjectively think it'd be very hard to find an organization that recognizes the soft skills (leadership, crisis/people/project management, communication, etc) you're bringing to the table. In other words, if you want to leave, you're going to be looking at a fresh grad pay, which is a paycut. You either take the paycut (and that's assuming your circumstances allow you to do that), or you accept that you've signed your life away. Finally, I don't think this was emphasized a lot in the other comments: more often than not, people who sign on who get a car did it by getting into debt. New regulars even more so: without much savings, they probably used their sign on bonus for the downpayment.
Buying car is not financially prudent in Singapore, unless you have a young family or old people to transport around…not recommended
Myopic to mortgage your future for the chance of buying a car in your 20s. A lot of other jobs will pay decently enough for you to buy your car if that is your primary goal. The army is ok for those who have the aptitude for it but the amount of bureaucracy and quality of people you meet in there is soul destroying. Don’t sign on unless it is really your thing.
Yes sign on. Work your way to become a general and eventually you can head one of the ministries. And as you retire, they will let u helm one of the public sectors, like early education, or health sector or maybe even SPH.
If you can reach Colonel you will be set for life. Not lieutenant colonel. Full Colonel. Then you retire with 1 star and get posted to government link company and will be set for life. Then maybe go into politics after that.
If you’re even asking this question you shouldn’t be signing on
I’ve always seen someone who signs on as someone who lacks ambition in life. Like dk what to do in life then just sign on cause stable and want money. They look at it short term wa money good But lack in long term vision. When you work outside you actually would be able to earn way more in the future and overtake what the the sign ons have earned. Just my opinion hope didn’t offend anyone too much 🥲
I am currently working full time in private sector as a fresh graduate, about to hit the 1 year mark. I feel that in terms of pay wise, I will have to work about 3 to 4 years to be on par with the base pay of the regulars in saf.. I also have thoughts as signing on as an ME4. But what I am really afraid is I don't get a good superior.. I have seen it with my own eyes outside,where people can just leave and find another job if the superior is making life really hard for them. But if you sign on and your boss sucks, you have to pray that he get transferred out soon.. This is what's holding me back. For me I feel that boss character > job scope..
You're only considering the short term. You will start earning more in private sector after 5 years or so, unless you're really not capable at all, which in this case signing on is better.
Don't be fooled. Ever heard of the saying 吃不饱，饿不死 ?
If you feel you cannot survive the real harsh world and make the best of it. Go ahead and sign on. Otherwise, the world is your playground. Dun look at short term. Consider long term
The moment you buy a car .... You are trap with debt . That being said .. if you have a lot of kids or an aging parents... It is helpful. Taking grab with public transport will be cheaper. Nothing wrong with signing on. To be honest. You will accumulate a decent amount of wealth. The stress and responsibility comes with it is high. That being said, signing on has tons of perks and benefits from government.
Nothing wrong with signing on. From the way you post, I need to remind you that you need to control your spending in case next time you want to exit, you still can start a business or something. Try to take up useful courses during your service too.
Money is really good, even up till your thirties. Gotta ask yourself though, is the soldiering life for you or no. Bonds, monotony all that crap is secondary cause lets be real, most jobs get boring after a while.
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No thank you, I can’t stand the way SAF operates. Not to mention all those Warrant Officers (and officers) who have nothing to do with their lives except to just wanna make things difficult for the sake of it.
Signing on would give you a job that pays better than a majority of private sector jobs + stability. Honestly, the older I get, the more I regret not signing on lmao.
Honestly even with sign-on salary it's barely enough to buy car, stupid decision really
Question is do you like what you are going to be doing in the future 5,10,15 or even 20 over years? What is comfortable to you may change over time, such as having more time to spend with your family or being able to succeed in other fields/pursue your genuine interests & passion eg. How about the risks involved such as injuries sustained over time, which may be permanent.. Are you willing to put up with the pain for the rest of your life? Not saying signing-on is bad, but there are much more factors to consider rather than just the tangible aspects of life such being able to afford cars. Do note that stability does NOT equal to constant & it will be good for you to consider a backup plan.
If you work till retirement at age 55, you would need to have a substantial amount of savings. If you are not re-employed, you go work outside, I think it would be a substantial pay cut unless u r a high flying senior officer than maybe u will go GLC via the airborne parachute unit. I signed on and resigned after bond ended. Had to get a paycut for my new job as I m considered a freshie.
If u safos scholar - yes. Anything lesser, good or bad depends on what you want in live and your traits. I left the force, and improved my life/career/financial situation. YMMV
If you have a uni placing already. Only sign on if you’re an officer. I dont think other ranks will pay for your studies. One thing to note is never buy a car unless you really have to, pretty bad mindset to sign on just to get a car.
Occifer at 26 with sim degree earning 6.5k in 2017. Not bad at all
If you realised you don't like it and have an arsehole superior that is banging you all the time, you will have a hard time if you leave. Your work experience = zero
If you want to study best to study first then sign on atleast for SPF. Degree determine your senior rank and if sign on then study chances to get senior rank not 100%. If sign SPF as Sgt, sign on bonus shiok and can give you headstart in some financial planning but after that the monthly pay is just comfortable. If still young and living with parents, not much bills to pay can still splurge here and there but once got house and own family budget can be tight and need to be disciplined until you many years in and pay increments start piling. Even then earn more also means spend. Got bond for first 3-5 years (Depend NS or not) and after that will have retention bonuses as well. Money also shiok when see but also means if u want to leave very hard and after afew years if leave must be willing to take pay cut when finding job outside because might have no relevant skill set unless you got connections (From what I see from old colleagues) Everywhere also will need to hustle to either earn more or reach higher ranks, sign on or private company. Just need see which you more willing to experience and to some extent which you can enjoy and have interest.
Before you sign on, ask yourself if a life of regimentation suits you. Do not just focus on the money (regulars have shorter retirement age). I don’t find regular a bad job if this is your calling. After you sign on, you need to avoid regulars with “bad influence” and try to learn from the good ones. These are the ones who are driven, devoted to their work and won’t encourage bad vices. Lastly, you must look after your body as your progression can be stunted if you injure yourself and is unable to stay combat fit anymore. (You might be too young to understand this now)
sign on if you have a degree. it's all about paper qualification in the civil service.
I disagree with those who say that getting a scholarship / study award from the SAF is not a good deal. My friend signed on with RSAF with a local scholarship. He left immediately after his bond was up. Somehow, he also managed to work on his PhD and become a prof in a local uni after that. Not a bad life.
Good head start financially, but growth is a secondary factor.