landlord increasing rent
Hi guys i need some advice on how i should live in Singapore, for some context my parents are foreigners who have not gotten their PR, we are renting a 3 room flat for 2400. and landlord wants to increase to 3000, my parents are already trying to make ends meet.
and lately I’ve been thinking about just quitting poly, just so i can help make ends meet, my ex boss is offering me a FT job at a bar, 3.1k. should i take it up.
i am trying to find a life where my parents dont have to be so stress and my younger siblings can find a life that they are happy to live with
tldr thinking about dropping out of poly to work, to support family
Netizens’ comments
- I think a poly education is a minimum if you want a relatively decent shot at a long term career.
Obviously there are options for careers without formal education, but chances of long term success or stability with these routes are relatively narrow, so I’d personally recommend to finish poly at least. That way, if things improve and you want to pursue a uni education later, you will have the option.
- If you finish poly, you likely can help even more. Don’t give up long term for short term issues.
Talk to your ex boss, can you do part time now while studying. Life sucks, but at least try to give yourself the best chances you have.
- If you are halfway through poly, my advice is not to quit because unfortunately in SG, the base salaries of many entry level jobs are dependent on your qualifications. Perhaps discuss with your parents on whether you can find a cheaper unit in another location to rent for the time being? Not sure if downsizing makes sense considering you have siblings as well living in.
- do not drop out of school. if you are really desperate, do all these before you really have to quit school:
- get a part time job. you will have no life (no hanging out with friends after class, no CCAs, no gaming, no time for dating etc) but at least, you can complete your poly education
- if your parents are not that old (say they are only in their 50s), they can also get a part time job/freelance on their off days or after work.
- move to a much smaller unit. for the next 1 or 2 years while waiting for you to finish poly. you kids can sleep in the hall while the parents take the room.
- drastically cut expenditure across the board (toiletries, groceries, entertainment, subscriptions, non critical enrichment classes for siblings etc)
i have a distant cousin who is in her 60s. she is STILL moaning and groaning that she had to drop out of secondary school to “support the family”. the ironic thing is, she dropped out due to extremely bad grades and was looking for a legit-sounding reason to quit school. and cos she wanted money to have fun. she also barely gave a dime to the family after she dropped out. one of her younger siblings secretly told us all that (the rest of us weren’t born yet back then).
plus the family wasn’t that poor to begin with. while they had no savings (and maybe owed friends and family a small sum here and there…. remember no credit cards nor easy cash loan fr banks back then), there was always proper food (not canned, not instant) for every meal and they never had to study under the moonlight or collect free water from public toilets!
not saying that you are like my cousin, just reminding you that your family’s situation may not be as bad as you think and some sacrifices may seem grandiose in gesture but can be quite meaningless in reality.
good luck.