Working in social service in Singapore

Image credit from left to right: Social Service Tribe – featuring a Youth Worker and an Occupational Therapist

Wondering what you’re going to do with your life after graduation is a familiar struggle. Welcome to the world of adulting, where working at a desk from 9-5 is the norm for most of us. But finding a job that doesn’t keep you cooped up in a cubicle isn’t impossible – we’ve got a list of options for you to make the most out of your career.

From helping youths with special needs to befriending low-income families or elderly groups, these 5 jobs in social service will have you making a real difference in the lives of others and yours.

1. Programme Executive

Image credit: Social Service Tribe (featuring Programme Executive)

Minimum requirements: Diploma and above. For full details, check it out here.

If you have a strong passion for reaching out to youths and the elderly or working with various communities, you’d probably be interested in the role of a Programme Executive.

In this position, you’ll be:

• Identifying areas that can be improved in programmes, implementing quality control, taking charge of compliance measures and developing relevant information materials to be distributed to clients and volunteers
• Planning the manpower roster for programmes and guiding volunteers to execute activities
• Coordinating and managing communications and reaching out to other organisations and the community through various activities

2. Job Coach

Image credit: Social Service Tribe (featuring Job Coach)

Minimum requirements: ‘O’ Level and above, with prior experience in vocational training preferred. For full details, check it out here.

Transitioning from student to adult life is a struggle that is magnified for students with special needs. Being unable to communicate their needs as well as others, many may struggle to express their frustrations and desires while at the workplace which can lead to them feeling disadvantaged.

To help this group of individuals have an equal chance in maximising their independence, you can consider the role of a Job Coach.

In this position, you’ll be helping persons with disabilities, for example, youths with mild learning disabilities transition from schools to open employment.

More specifically, your scope includes:

• Helping students from the age of 13 gain working experience by creating and implementing career-related curriculums
• Looking out for opportunities where students will be given the chance to shadow and experience school/community/industry-based work before they graduate
• Training and monitoring students for both on-the-job skills and soft skills at their respective work experiences
• Collaborating with teachers, families, community partners and employers to give these students added support to prepare them for working life

Think of yourself as their “voice” that helps create workplace environments that encourage these individuals to feel that they can also contribute towards building a meaningful society, just like everyone else.

3. Youth Worker

Image credit: Social Service Tribe (featuring Youth Worker)

Minimum requirements: Bachelor’s Degree. For full details, check it out here.

Being a Youth Worker means seeing the potential in youths and giving them the confidence to overcome barriers. By devising programmes to develop them personally, socially, and intellectually, you’ll help them become well-adjusted, contributing members of society.

The tasks you’ll be carrying out include: 

• Participating in outreach programmes and interventions
• Helping enhance intervention work for youths
• Building strong relationships based on trust and instilling positive values in youths
• Engaging with, mentoring and counselling youths who’ve previously rejected participating in activities in order to build rapport for future intervention

4. Early Intervention Teacher

Image credit: Social Service Tribe (featuring Early Intervention Teacher)

Minimum requirements: Diploma and above. For full details, check it out here.

Not everyone can work with children. But those that can will need to have loads of patience and a deep passion to help them succeed in life, regardless of how long it may take. Early Intervention Teachers are those who walk this path alongside children with special needs on a daily basis.

Though the journey may be challenging, the support you’ll be providing these children during their early years is likely to leave a huge and positive impact on their emotional and mental health for years to come. 

As a teacher working with both infants and children with special needs below the age of 7, you’ll need to:

• Create intervention strategies to enhance the development of students’ communication, cognition, sensory-motor and social skills
• Work closely with students’ families and other social health professionals to help each child meet their customised development goals in a holistic manner
• Participate in teaching lesson plans and come up with learning aids for students

While the scope above may seem challenging, it is nonetheless a fulfilling job where you’ll have the privilege of nurturing young minds.

5. Therapy Assistant

Image credit: Social Service Tribe (featuring Therapy Assistant)

Minimum requirements: GCE ‘N’ or ‘O’ Level passes, certification in healthcare support. For full details, check it out here.

We’ve all experienced the struggle of staring at the clock, hoping for the workday to finally end, but when you’re in a fast-paced job like being a Therapy Assistant, you wouldn’t have to worry about being bored.

In this role, you’ll be able to assist in therapy to people from all walks of life, ranging from children with special needs to adults as well as the elderly. The scope may seem daunting, but don’t worry as you’ll be working alongside a therapist throughout this process.

Your main scope will include:

• Motivating and guiding patients during rehabilitation sessions
• Caring for clients by giving them physical, emotional and social support
• Keeping a record of the various beneficiaries and their treatment details
• Actively participate in helping staff and volunteers organise social and recreational activities for clients

Career opportunities in social service

Image credit: Social Service Tribe

We hope that this list of 5 career options gives you hope that there are other ways to succeed in life apart from running the 9-5 rat race. You can explore even more opportunities where you can leave a big impact on people’s lives daily through the Social Service Tribe.

Image credit: Social Service Tribe

From children and youths to special needs and disabilities, individuals with mental health conditions, seniors as well as families in need, the Social Service Tribe hopes to give everyone, regardless of their differences, an equal chance at life.

There are many more jobs with various social service agencies that you can find in this job portal too. As you work with a big heart, you’ll be playing an even bigger part in making the lives of both the young and old even more fulfilling, and that’s probably one of the best ways to maximise your working life in your 20s.

Discover more career opportunities in social service here

This post was brought to you by Social Service Tribe. We’re a group of like-minded individuals who share a vision of empowering everyone to live with dignity. Together, we make lives count.