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New Faculty Members Relocating to Singapore

Before Arrival

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  • The following is a general checklist of the things which you would need to do once you have decided to accept NIE's offer of appointment:


    Letter of Appointment (LA) received from NIE

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    Accept offer of appointment 

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    Go for pre-employment medical examination

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    Complete and submit documents to the Human Resource Department (HRD) as requested in the LA

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    Arrange with mover to transport personal effects 

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     Purchase air ticket for flight to Singapore

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     Pack belongings

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     Depart for Singapore
    Important Notes:

    Pre-employment Medical Examination

    You will go for your pre-employment medical examination before your commencement of duty. The completed pre-employment medical report should reach HRD before your travel to Singapore. This is important as your appointment is conditional upon your being certified medically fit for employment by the physician.

    Air ticket

    You may book your air ticket in advance. However, as your employment is conditional on your passing the pre-employment medical examination and the grant of an Employment Pass by the Singapore Ministry of Manpower, your air ticket is to be issued only after you have been certified medically fit for employment and the in-principle Employment Pass is granted to you.

    Submission of Forms

    You should ensure that the following forms have been duly completed and submitted to the HRD before your assumption of duty:

    • Form of Acceptance
    • Personal Particulars Form
    • Form for Declaration for Directorship/Partnership/Proprietorship in Public and Private Companies
    • Immigration Form 8 (Employment Pass) and Form 12 (Dependant Pass), if applicable, together with the relevant supporting documents.
    • Travel Information Form (after you have confirmed your flight itinerary)
    • Application for University Staff Housing, if applicable.
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  • If you are not a Citizen or Permanent Resident of Singapore, you will need to apply for an Employment Pass (EP) with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), before you can take up employment in Singapore. You will also need to apply for Dependant's Pass (DP) for your spouse and each of your children if they are coming with you to Singapore. "Children" in this instance refer to those who are below the age of 21 and who are unmarried.

    A copy of the EP and DP application forms will be enclosed in the letter of appointment to you. You will need to send to HRD your completed EP and DP application forms, together with the soft copy of relevant supporting documents, for onward submission to MOM. As the MOM takes about 4 - 6 weeks to process EP/DP applications, it is advisable to courier, rather than mail, the completed documents to us, especially if the date of your assumption of duty is near.

    You will be informed and given the in-principle approval letters once the EP/DP have been approved. For entry into Singapore, you will need to bring along the in-principle approval letters for the EP/DP as you may be requested to produce them at the Singapore Changi Airport checkpoint.

    More information on the application of EP/DP can be obtained from:
    http://www.mom.gov.sg/services-forms/passes/Pages/employment-pass.aspx

    If you intend to have your parents or parents-in-law stay long-term with you in Singapore, you may apply for a Long-Term Social Visit Pass (LTSVP) for each of them. Please visit the MOM's website at http://www.mom.gov.sg/services-forms/passes/Pages/employment-pass.aspx for more information and to download a copy of the LTSVP application form. When you have completed the LTSVP form, you may forward it to HRD together with the soft copy of relevant supporting documents.

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  • You will need to open a bank account for the credit of your salary if you do not already have one in Singapore. There is an OCBC Bank within the campus. Please note that a minimum deposit of S$500 (amount varies among different banks) is required to open an account with the OCBC Bank and a S$2 service fee per month is chargeable if the monthly average balance falls below S$1,000. As such, do remember to bring at least the minimum sum with you should you wish to open an account with the OCBC Bank. You will also need to bring along your passport and proof of your NTU faculty status either in the form of your NTU staff card or any other correspondence with our Office that indicates your employment with us.

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  • You will make your own flight bookings. To facilitate preparations for your arrival and the reimbursement of your airfare, please let us have your confirmed flight itinerary and the airfare quotation using the Travel Information Form. Reimbursement of your airfare will be made upon the production of the unused portion of the airline tickets and original receipts after your arrival.

    For appointments subject to the grant of Employment Pass approval, your air ticket(s) must not be issued until you are informed by our Office of the Ministry of Manpower's in-principle approval of your Employment Pass application.

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  • To assist with the relocation costs for you, your spouse and dependent children, the University will reimburse the moving expenses calculated based on your travel from the place of recruitment or your permanent home to Singapore, to the following extent:

    Travel
    • Airfare for standard seats at single-way excursion rates or the most economical combination of airfares over the most reasonable direct route to Singapore.
    • Children between 2 years to 12 years old will only be eligible for reimbursement of child airfare. For infants who are less than 2 years old, infant fare will apply.
    • If you plan to travel to or stopover in another country for a period of time before coming to Singapore, you will be reimbursed up to the amount quoted by our travel agent from the place of recruitment to Singapore or your actual airfare (via the place of stopover), whichever is lesser.
    Transportation of personal and professional effects
    • You will be eligible for assistance to ship up to 10 cubic meters of your personal and professional effects from your home or the place of recruitment to Singapore, via sea.
    • Should there be a need to move your personal and professional effects from a place other than your place of recruitment or your permanent home, please inform us in advance, providing reasons for your request. The provision of the relocation assistance for the transportation of personal and professional effects in such circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
    • You may approach and use any international movers of your choice. The University will reimburse you, against actual receipts, for the expenses incurred for your relocation to Singapore, upon your assumption of duty.
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  • If you are eligible for the Education Allowance Scheme, you may claim an education allowance for up to 3 of your unmarried children between the ages of 5 and 18 years, who are attending full-time day schools from kindergarten to pre-university level in Singapore.

    You may claim full reimbursement of compulsory fees, including boarding fees, where applicable, subject to a maximum of S$17,600 per annum per child.

    The allowance is payable on a reimbursement basis subject to the production of official receipts of fees paid, and is taxable.

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  • Upon your arrival, you will be provided transit accommodation of up to 3 nights, usually at the Nanyang Executive Centre. A copy of the Application for University Staff Housing form will be enclosed in the letter of appointment. Application for staff accommodation on-campus should be submitted prior to your arrival and will be considered, subject to availability of units. If your application is successful, a unit will be allocated to you on a first come, first served basis.

    Off-campus Accommodation

    You may want to start your home search through the service of a real estate agent or check out the classified section of the daily newspapers (The Straits Times). It is advisable that you enlist the service of a real estate agent, especially if you are unsure of the procedures you need to go through. For more information on renting guide, please visit http://www.propertyguru.com.sg/. Rental rates depend on the type of housing, location, such as proximity to the MRT station and amenities, size and layout of the apartment or house, the facilities provided and the furnishing.

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  • Income Tax

    All Singapore citizens, Singapore Permanent Residents and foreigners exercising employment in Singapore are subject to Singapore personal income tax.

    Remuneration and benefits-in-kind received by you are taxable.

    You will bear all taxes charged by the relevant authorities. For more details on Singapore taxation, please visit Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore's website at http://www.iras.gov.sg.

    NanyangConnect

    NanyangConnect is a group formed by non-student residents living on campus and in the Nanyang area, consisting of faculty members and/or their spouses and/or families, on a voluntary basis. They aim to assist in the relocation process of new faculty members and their families to Singapore, helping newcomers and those already living in the area to feel at home and connected with the rest. They offer buddy services to newcomers, organize activity groups and regular dinner & talks for the residents. More information can be found in their website http://www.ntu.edu.sg/nanyangconnect/.

    Child Care Facilities

    The University has a child care centre on campus for faculty and staff members' children who are between 3 and 6 years old (i.e. for children attending the Nursery 2 to Kindergarten 2 level). The centre, currently operated by Learning Vision International Pte Ltd, provides full day care. More information can be found in their website http://www.learningvision.com/.

    Nearest Educational Institutions

    The schools located near the University are:

    Primary School

    Secondary School

    Junior College

    For more details on education/schooling in Singapore, please visit the Singapore Ministry of Education website at http://www.moe.gov.sg/. Details on private schooling in Singapore can be obtained from http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/private-education/foreign-student-admissions/.

    Transport

    Public Transport

    Singapore has an efficient public transportation network that offers taxis, buses and the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) rail system. Commuting within the country is easy and economical. To enable you to better understand the roads and the transportation system, it will be useful for you to purchase a copy of the Singapore Street directory (available in most major bookstores) and visit the following websites:

    Most people in Singapore use the EZ-link card for traveling on buses and the MRT. The EZ-link card is a stored-value smartcard. The card can be purchased from the TransitLink Ticket Offices and Passenger Service Counters within the MRT stations. For more information on the EZ-link card, please visit http://www.ezlink.com.sg. You may also wish to purchase the TransitLink Guide which can be found at all TransitLink Ticket Offices and major bookstores. This handy-sized booklet carries information on the various types of EZ-link Cards, use of the card on buses, MRT and LRT as well as bus and MRT service details.

    Buying a Car and Driving in Singapore

    In Singapore, owning a car is a complex and pricey affair. Please visit the Contact Singapore's website https://www.contactsingapore.sg/en/investors-business-owners/why-singapore/living/transportation for the details.

    The other useful websites are:

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