Civil/Public Sector - Ministry/Stat Boards employees knowledge needed!

Originally Posted by Fearoftheunknown

Eh no, he is corp comms manager only because the chinese directors like him, he curries favour with the new chinese CEO, and there are no senior singaporeans in the company to lead the newly formed corp comms dept after the company went through major restructuring...He wouldn't have what it takes to be a corp comms manager if he were to be in a MNC or civil service. Spewing rainbows and unicorns can get you to the top, but you won't stay long cos people can see through the lack of substance/inability. It applies to not just comms/PR alone but also to all the jobs out there. Always make sure you have the substance to prove your talk otherwise people will not respect you just like how I do not respect my manager.

you need some cheese to go with all your whine?

[Fearoftheunknown]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

you need some cheese to go with all your whine?

Thanks for the sarcasm. At least I am giving TS concrete career advice and insights in the field of PR/comms, a midst of all the "whine". I'm sure that is alot more useful than the generic career advice you gave previously. *smirk*

[rainbowishes]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Ah I see. Now that put things into context. With a diploma, you will be going into Public Sector as a Div 2 officer. Since you're from biz background, the most obvious choice would be HR.

In general, life of a Div 2 officer in public sector tend to be better than Div 1 (graduates) - more work life balance. Good for those who are thinking of pursuing part time degrees. Pay wise should be around the same as private, with annual increments. Salary package definitely not as good as Div 1 officers (graduates), and career development wise will also stagnant in time to come.

Bear in mind that those who are ambitious should go to the private for a better chance to shine. Public sector will limit your career progression should you have no degree. Private may also not consider your experience in public sector to be relevant, should you want to jump out in the future. In terms of experience, I would say you could learn more from the private. But if you have the heart to serve people, do join the public then.

Hey thanks for the heads up! So div 2 is for dip holders in public sector, are there ranges within it? May I know the avg payscale for fresh grads and what to expect with average work performance?

[rainbowishes]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

As a communications graduate, my advice is to really think about whether you'd enjoy a comms career before jumping into a comms degree.

On top of that, you don't need a comms degree to do comms. Just a pretty face, good language ability and an outgoing personality.

Haha that's not good for me, I'm not exactly very pretty, just an average plain jane but I do enjoy meeting new people. Are u from a local uni? Are there many dip holders in there?

[rainbowishes]

Originally Posted by Fearoftheunknown

I disagree. Many comms positions do require at least 2-3 yrs of experience, in addition to having a degree. Thus it's alot more difficult to go into comms if you are just a business diploma holder. And I believe actions speak louder than words, in the sense that being competent in communications work triumphs an outgoing personality anytime.

Some people (my manager) think that just because they are outgoing and relate to people well, they can be qualified to do corp comms. Can't be further away from the truth if a corp comms manager fails to realise that he has to come up with a internal and external communications plan. Better still, the work that solely belongs to corp comms ended up being taken away from us and be given to other department because manager wants to maintain harmony

Hey thanks for the advice! Perhaps I can pursue a part time comms degree in the future to upgrade myself. Are you currently working in public sector comms? What is an average day like?

Im working in a SB now. Seriously regretted my decision to work here 2 years ago. Advise: Don't join, go private intstead you will have better prospects there.

[Fearoftheunknown]

Originally Posted by rainbowishes

Hey thanks for the advice! Perhaps I can pursue a part time comms degree in the future to upgrade myself. Are you currently working in public sector comms? What is an average day like?

I'm currently working in private sector comms. Which part of comms are you interested in? And what is your English grade for O levels?

[rainbowishes]

Originally Posted by Fearoftheunknown

I'm currently working in private sector comms. Which part of comms are you interested in? And what is your English grade for O levels?

I'm interested in PR, what is it like working in comms? My English grade is B4. Does it affect my chances?

I know quite few fresh dip holder working in the same statboard as me. From what i gather, most are paid between 1.8k to 1.9k( without ns) . The stat board i worked in is pretty ordinary. I heard those elite stat board will pay a little better

Originally Posted by rainbowishes

I'm interested in PR, what is it like working in comms? My English grade is B4. Does it affect my chances?

Are you looking a PR in the advertising/PR way? In Min/SB their PR and Corp Comms depts do mainly media relations and some events or roadshows. At most places, Div 2 officers are support officers. They don't do any comms plan or events planning, just the support work like preparing news clippings, help to write a bit for their publications, prepare catering for events, etc. If these are what you don't mind doing for about a year or two, I think it is not a bad start if you really want to do comms. The salary range is about $2,053 - $3,260, it takes between 3-6 years for a promotion. Increment for me is 4% yearly and a promotion is less than 9%.

I joined my current company as they had an op's team for events and international relations. Then a re-org happened, I got absorbed into comms. I graduated with a tourism diploma. To me, as long as the company is willing to give you the opportunity, I don't see any harm in trying to see if it fits you. A year later, if you decided to further your studies, they might even offer you a scholarship (local 4 yrs bond, overseas 6 yrs bond). As long as you do your work well and have a good attitude, I can't see why you can't progress from there. Caveat: I don't suck balls.