I happen to watch Internship Challenge yesterday on Channel U, 9.30pm... I think it was the first episode yesterday.. and it just happens to be on my juniors (so I think).. I missed the front part of the show,that's why.. anyway when i tuned in to that particular channel.. they are already in the midst of an interview with Sentosa for an internship job.. and one of the guys mentioned that he was studying at Tourism Academy in Sentosa.. so I supposed he must be a student studying Diploma in Tourism Management in Temasek Polytechnic making him many years my junior...
Anyway it was fun to see them in an interview, especially on TV!!... I mean I went through the entire process many years ago.. but it is very funny to see it commercialised in a TV show.. imagine going for an interview with a video camera right smacked in front of ur face... so weird lo... Anyway i think 5 or 6 of them went for the interview and only 2 got the internship jobs in two different depts; Admissions and Beach ops... oh yah another funni thing is how weird izzit to have a video camera following u around on ur internship... They should have one following me around when I was doing my internship in XX company.... so they can see how crappy those people in the company treat interns... make me do data entry and paper shredding all day long....... all week long..... and for the entire bloody month my job is just to report to work, sit at my table shredding papers bits by bits, pieces by pieces... becoz their shredder is spoilt... wahahaha... and by the way I did my internship in a rather reputable company ok..?? Haha...
Anyway all i could think of while watching the show is "welcome to the reality of how fucked up tourism is in Singapore" wahahaha... from the looks of it, tourism is blooming in Singapore.. but tourism jobs are fucked up and the pay are damn lousy... less than or ard 1500 for a executive job in a travel agency... less than 1000 for a job at the airport counter check in... it will be best if you can get a office job in airlines such as SIA, STB, CAAS or CIAS but considering that every year more than 400 students graduates from tourism / hospitality courses in SIngapore from the various institutions such as SHATEC and polytechnicis, you see how slim ur chances are.. maybe you can try your lucks in the front office department / F&B department of hotels... but ur pay wun be that high either.. attractions in SIngapore are really limited.. where else but the zoo, night safari, Jurong Bird Park, Sentosa.... if you can get into the office.. all the best.. if you can't you just have to be contented with a front line job like selling tickets, customer service etc which you dun really need a diploma for.. and I guess you know how much you can expect for your salary too..
From my last impression, only a couple of my classmates / coursemates are still in the tourism related industry... i think we have 1 or 2 still working in a travel agency... 2 or 3 in STB, 2 or 3 in CIAS / CAAS, 5 or 6 are air hostesses in various airlines.. 2 or 3 guys in the army as regulars.. the rest out and gone for a long time.. wahaha... I am in customer service in the bunkering industry.. have no idea how I landed up in this industry if you ask me.. some are studying psychology degrees.. some are studying business admin degrees... some got married with kids... some are in business admin or events or marketing... i guess we realise that sometimes passion is not enough to keep you going in a job... especially when money is such a important thing in SIngapore... it is getting to a point when a pay of SGD 1500 dun really get you anywhere... minus CPF and you are basically left with SGD 1200.. minus of personal insurance, transportation, food, parents' allowances, mobile phone bill, internet bill... you are left with peanuts...
Before you try to attract more people to work in the tourism and hospitality industry... take a look at the pay you are giving people first... not worth working your ass off for miserable peanuts really..... you got to work shifts, weekends and public holidays, you got to take craps and shits from the customers day in day out who treat you like some low class animals born just to service them and suck up their asses and toes... (there are of coz nice customers la.. but there are always rotten apples to spoil your day)... how pathetic...
