Times have changed. I work in a stat board tt treats all degree equally- local or Pte no difference. In fact, CEP of Pte degree holders are really on par as local degree holders. So keep searching!

this guy speaks the truth. many private degrees holders doing well in stat boards.

of course, avoid the elite ones la...MFA officer...MAS SENIOR DIRECTOR OF POLICY (btw those are president scholar types...local uni undergrad 1:1 or some lucky 2:1 can get in).

if you go on linknedin and see everyone in that role is from ucl oxford or cornell or president scholar then dont waste time la.

i hold a private degree n am working in a stat board, i'm treated equally like other local uni grads

a degree is just a piece of paper

You must first get the job at a govt agency before you will be treated equally with local degree grads.

Now that the Govt is forced to treat private degree holders equally after they land a job, they are a lot more selective at the stage of giving you the job. Private degree holders find it v v hard to get into govt agencies.

i am singaporean indian, many of my indian friends are working in govt sector with private degrees. with experience and skills of course.

by the way, now degree and non degree are on same track in govt sector. it is time to update yourself.

Just to share an encouraging anecdote: I was previously in a stat board for several years and at one period I told my supervisor I needed a temp staff to help me with my workload. He agreed and HR shortlisted a few candidates. The one who received the offer was in her early 20s, did comms in ITE and is currently doing part-time studies at Kaplan. Not to sound elitist but she turned out to be a better worker than expected (probably from her comms background which enhanced her writing and comprehension skills). After ~6 months of working, my supervisor decided to convert her to perm - equivalent to an executive assistant role - which of course she was more than willing to accept.

So I think the public service is open to qualifications other than your standard local degrees, just that you need to be given an opportunity to show your substance and be rewarded in kind.

Been applying a few SBs like NAC,NHB and HDB since january with my private degree and haven't been getting any responses.

Those with private degree and in SBs, mind sharing which SB you are in and what scope of work you are doing? i.e engineering, admin, CS

Would definitely appreciate it.

The SBs you are applying to are from different ministries with quite different portfolios. What are the positions you have applied for? High priority for specialised positions is relevant experience, if not relevant field of study.

It's definitely doable. I got a private (overseas?) degree from UMelb, and was employed by a Ministry almost fresh out of school. I don't think the discrimination against private/overseas degree holders exists anymore.

Applied for general administration for arts position in NAC and NHB. While HDB applied for Estate manager role.

I currently hold a local diploma and a Private degree in Bachelor of Arts (1st class).