My Comment for Ma Yin Yin Oo

Employers in Singapore look for hard working employees at a lower pay and less benefit. There is a law which permits foreigners to work legally. So we, foreigners came to Singapore and work. This is just Demand and Supply.

The position “Accounts Executive” could mean any where from an office girl helping out for a specific account to the one who is in charge of that specific account. It may also mean someone who is book keeping or taking care of debit and credit of the whole company. The title of a job scope varies depending on what image the employer wants to have.

Be it a real executive or an office girl, yes we do have language barriers. The first reason, we were not exposed to English as a language but as a subject. It means we do not speak well but write and read clearly. Second reason is the English in Singapore. Usually, those who intend to work overseas learn English (mainly listening and speaking) to improve communication. It is mostly from the native speakers. The pronunciation, the use of words and the grammar – everything is different when we started working in Singapore. Very often, people think and construct sentences in their own languages/dialect, then replace with English words. So we do have difficulty to communicate with locals.

However, we can perform the job, we work hard, we are willing to work at a lower pay. Therefore the employers keep us. Today we do not perform, tomorrow we have to pack and go home.

Despite all the difficulties and the pressure at work, Ma Yin Yin Oo finds a way to improve her communication skills. Again, there is subsidy which is funded by the government. If she is eligible, she should apply for the subsidy. Nothing is wrong.

I admire her willingness to learn in any possible ways. I hope the article and the comments do not discourage you. We have to keep on learning and also must share such learning opportunities with our friends. Congratulations Ma Yin Yin Oo.