I just want to interject and thank the MSF folk (dunno how many there are here, haha) for your work over there. Can't be easy - I also personally would not want to do it. :( Even if job stability is part of the reason you're doing it, I agree that it's important and meaningful work.

not difficult, but may be treated as different class in terms of job rank, career development. I done my part-time degree 2 years back, and is recognised by govt fyi. I moved on from pte sector to join public sector, my job rank is not on par with other local uni grads, but I had an increment jump in my change of job.

times are bad now, i just stay put first till economy gets better i then move on to pte sector.

Just some sharing which i cannot understand the mindset of the senior mgmt esp led by the old/retiring ones. I didnt do well for my O lvls english because I did not complete my summary writing and got a very bad grade. And then, a decade flew by, and i been to 2 interviews in public sector, the hiring managers are particular on my o lvls eng, despite the distinctions and As (eg. report writing) i had in dip & degree transcripts.

Even in my this current job, my now then employer also told me in the interview that what concerns him was my o lvls eng grade. But to my surprise he chose me for the job which i did not expect, and now i have been writing investment summaries for my area of work.

What i can advise is, choose a good university if you want to go for private. Branding of your university really matters.

I may sound a little ironic to the popular opinion because MSF is almost the only ministry I'm aiming to get in! I've been very active volunteering since I was in uni but sadly I'm not a very academically excelling student. So I've got an overseas pass degree with lots of volunteering but no working experience. Recently just applied for two roles and one got Unsuccessful and one "Submitted". A little half-nervous, half-hopeful now but just dunno what are the chances I stand, and also to prepare, anyone knows what kind of questions they will ask during the interviews?

Had a quick look at the posts here surrounding private degrees and getting into government sector. As far as I know, it really depends on which ministry and the nature of the job you are applying for. Government do not really care that much about the type of degree, but you need to demonstrate that you are a holistic person. This means you need to be involved in community work, this cannot be emphasized enough. CCAs are fine too, if you hold leadership positions, or if your CCA deals with serving the community. The reason is simple, because civil service is in essence, about serving the people and the government. Therefore, you need to uphold the mission of the public service which is willingness to serve. Therefore, grades are not that important unless you are aiming for very top notch ministries.

As for MSF, it is quite true that the people here tend to be the so called "lower tier" people because MSF is like a ministry for social services. Just as there is a shortage of people in the social services sector, there are very high turnovers and low morale due to staff burnout especially at the operations department of MSF. Social services is an unsung sector because it deals with all the ugly and dirty things you find. When people are poor, and in need of help, and at the lowest, they sprout antics that you will not normally see in cultured and educated people. Therefore, the passion must be there to help these people. The challenge for the HR is not so much on looking for the best people, but rather to reduce turnover and ensure the staff stays. This is a challenging thing because most people cannot handle the high workload and the constant emotional turmoil of handling traumatic cases such as abuse, fostering, elderly, destitute, the lower income and many nitty-gritty stuff.

If you are sure this is the line for you, you will have to prove that during the interviews. This is usually evident in the nature of the degree and major you choose. If you are in Social Work or related disciplines, it is obvious you will have an advantage. Aside from that, you will need community service to show you are passionate in serving the community. Finally, during the interviews, they will always test your resolve by asking you questions that often poses a dilemma. One common question is whether you have the emotional stability and maturity to handle emotional burnout. They will scare you by saying that most people become too emotionally invested, and ask you why you won't suffer the same fate. Ultimately, these are questions that deal with the heartware. If you have passion to serve, it will show. So don't be too concerned about the questions they pose. It is to understand you better and ensure you are a good fit so as not to add to their high turnover.

This is completely false except for a very small minority of public sector jobs that deal directly with community activities. The vast majority of government hires don't give a hoot about what 'community work' you do or what sort of 'leadership' position you have in the CCA.