After completing the course in Singapore, is there a bond period during which I have to work?

Whether you have to work off a bond after your course in Singapore depends entirely on how that education was funded, not on the course itself. If you received a government subsidy or scholarship, you almost certainly signed a service obligation tied to a set number of working years. If you paid your own way at a private institution, you are free to leave or work anywhere once you finish.

Bond Duration By Funding Source

What Each Bond Actually Requires Of You

• Under a Tuition Grant bond, you must work full time for a Singapore incorporated company, local business or government agency right after graduation.
• Under a scholarship bond, you must work for the sponsoring ministry, statutory board or corporate sponsor for the specified period.
• Under an employer training bond, leaving your employer early usually triggers a requirement to repay a prorated share of your training costs.
• With no grant, scholarship or sponsorship involved, you carry no national work bond and can seek employment or leave Singapore freely.

My Advice

Pull out your exact offer letter or scholarship agreement and check the funding clause line by line, since the bond terms are always spelled out there rather than left to assumption. If you are still choosing between a subsidized place and a self funded one, weigh the guaranteed savings of a Tuition Grant against the years of committed employment it locks you into after graduation.