General Information for International Students

AEC College (Overseas Recruitment) provides a wide range of services to all overseas/international students. Assistance is provided throughout the student's course of study so that they can get adjusted to living and studying in Singapore.

By partnering with internationally recognized educational institutions, we are able to bring you quality programs registered with the Ministry of Education in business related fields, hospitality and management, nursing, education, travel and tourism and language. We also cover every stage of education from Certificate to Doctorate levels, providing you a total learning environment .

Your future is our number one priority.

Studying with AEC

Orientation

Attending the AEC College's orientation is important if you want to get the best possible start to your academic and social life at the school.

It is also an excellent opportunity for you to meet other students. Each semester, we plan a series of information services and activities specially designed to assist you to familiarize yourself with life in Singapore and the Singapore culture. The orientation sessions will cover information on

• Banking choices - opening a bank account in Singapore
• Cultural adjustment
• Department of Immigration and
• Multicultural affairs
• Faculty familiarization
• Financial institutions
• Library
• Information technology services
• Legal notes on rental accommodation
• Sporting activity
• Student Pass Card - its importance
• Visa conditions and requirements.

Services

To ensure you feel right at home, we provide quality service for your needs, safety and convenience. Relocation from country of origin to Singapore, enrollment into local government schools, Student pass application, sponsorship and guardianship.

General Application Procedure

1. AEC Admissions Application Form
2. ICA’s Form 16 & New V36
3. Photocopy of applicant’s travel documents.
4. Photocopy of applicants original birth certificate or other documentary evidence of Birth with both parents’ name if there is no Birth Certificate. In cases where a Notarial Certificate is submitted, a photocopy of the official Birth Document or other documentary evidence must still be included.
5. Educational Certificates & Transcripts. In cases where a Notarial Certificate is submitted, a copy of the Education Certificate and result transcripts must still be included.
6. 2 Passport sized photos.
7. Documentary proof of financial ability. (for visa required countries)
   
   • Bank statement/fixed deposit accounts/savings accounts
   • Parents letter of employment stating salary earned.
8. Photocopy of applicant’s letter of employment, if any.

* All certificates must be certified true copies
* All students need to go through an English Placement Test to test the proficiency of the English Language

As Singapore is a developing country, the standard of living can vary depending on the type of lifestyle you wish to live. An average person could probably survive on SGD $1500 per month but those who wish to live a more luxurious lifestyle would probably require more.

The general spending per month of an average person is listed as below.

	Items	Amount
1	Accommodation	$400 - $600
2	Transport	$80 - $120
3	Utilities	$80 - $100
4	Telecommunications	$30
5	Books and stationary	$30 - $100
6	Food	$300 - $450
7	Other Expenses	$100 - $200
Total average spending		$1020 - $1600

The above is just an estimation of spending in Singapore and may vary between individuals. Hence the above only serves as a reference.

As Singapore is a multi-racial society, there exist many different religions. The majority of the population practice either Buddhism or Taoism. The other popular religion practiced is Christianity, consisting of Catholicism, Protestantism and other denominations. The Malays in Singapore are mainly Muslims. A small minority of the population practice Sikhism and Hinduism.

Although Singapore is a multi-racial society, some religious practices and reading materials are banned in Singapore. For example, the Jehovah's Witnesses are prohibited from distributing religious materials.

Singapore has a mixture of different ethnics. The Chinese are a majority. The Malay population as well as the Indian and Arab immigrant also co-exists within Singapore. There is also a significant number of Eurasians and Peranakan.

Hence, the main languages in Singapore are English, Mandarin (Chinese), Malay and Tamil. Due to historical reason, Malay is the national language of Singapore. However, since the country's independence, English has been heavily promoted and is the primary language used in daily conversion. The second most frequently used language would be Mandarin. This is due mainly to the fact that about seventy percent of the population are Chinese who descended from the immigrants who came from the southern regions of China back then.

Singapore has placed a heavy emphasis on the arts. Since the 1990s, it has been striving to promote itself as a center for arts and culture. The Esplanade building, a center for performing arts, was built in the center of the city to bring about greater awareness of arts to the public. An arts festival is also held every year.

Singapore has a good network of roads and expressway which provides convenient access to most areas. The primary modes of public transport are buses, taxis and the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT).

MRT & LRT

The MRT has stations all over Singapore with its rail line stretching from east to west (EW line), north to south (NS line) and central to north east part of Singapore (NE line). A new circle line is already under construction and is slated for completion in 2010. It is generally easy to commute from place to place using the MRT.

The following link shows a map of the MRT stations in Singapore:
http://www.smrt.com.sg/trains/network_map.asp

Besides the MRT, there is the Light Rapid Transport (LRT) which supplements the MRT by further bringing commuters into the heartlands of Singapore. Thus, the LRT increase accessibility to the housing estates in Singapore.

Taxis

Taxis are a plentiful sight in Singapore. They are useful for getting around fast in Singapore without having to wait too long for public transport. An average taxi trip in Singapore will range from SGD $5 - SGD $20 in the day depending on the distance travelled.

Buses

Lastly, the public buses in Singapore are owned by either SBS Transit or SMRT Corporation. The 2 companies serve to bring about greater comfort and a more pleasant journey while travelling with them. The buses are well maintained and clean. The extensive island wide bus network provides for the greatest accessibility.

By now, you should have heard about Swine Flu(H1N1) which has been spreading around the world. And you should be aware by now how you can prevent yourself being infected by this bug. If not, we urge you to examine the preventive measures of following sites for more information.

Please treat these precautionary measures seriously.

For more information on the Flu Pandemic, you may click here or refer to the following websites:

1. http://www.moh.gov.sg/mohcorp/default.aspx
2. http://www.crisis.gov.sg/FLU/Precautions/GeneralPublic/
3. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/habits.htm?s_cid=swineFlu_outbreak_003
4. http://diseases-viruses.suite101.com/article.cfm/swine_flu_symptoms_treatment_and_prevention

Being strategically located between the East and the West trade routes, Singapore naturally became a place where cuisines of the 2 cultures blend to become its own. The different races living in Singapore also bring about a bigger variety of food that you can enjoy. You can find food ranging from the traditional Malay and Chinese food to those from the West such as pastas and steaks.

Some of the famous food known in Singapore would be:

• Laksa
• Fried Kway Tiao
• Nasi Lemak
• Sambal Stingray
• Bak Chor Mee
• Satay
• Hainanese Chicken Rice
• Roti Prata
• Durian

It would probably take half a life time to finish trying each and every single delicacies Singapore has to offer.

There are many shopping malls in Singapore. Most of them are located in the central of Singapore while some are located near housing estates to serve the estate residents.

In the city area, the most common places to shop would be along Orchard Road, Suntec, Chinatown, Little India, Holland Village, Arab Street and Bugis. Below is a list of the shopping malls that you can shop at in these areas.

• Centrepoint
• Chinatown Point
• Delfi Orchard
• DFS Galleria Scotts Road
• Far East Plaza
• Forum Galleria
• Funan Centre
• Palais Renaissance
• Scotts Shopping Centre
• Ngee Ann City
• Orchard Point
• Orchard Hotel
• Pargo Bugis Junction
• Pearl Centre
• People Park Centre
• People Park Complex
• Plaza Singapura
• Shaw House
• Shaw Centre
• Sim Lim Square
• Specialist Centre
• Tangs
• Tanglin Mall
• Tanglin Shopping Centre
• Tudor Court
• The Central
• The Paragon
• Wisma Atria

There are many places of interest in Singapore despite it being small. Some of these places include:

Singapore Zoological Garden

The animals here are not caged. Not to worry though, they are safely separated by barriers such as rock walls and streams. There are also animal performances everyday at different intervals of the day.

URL: http://www.zoo.com.sg/

Jurong Bird Park

The Jurong Bird Park is Southeast Asia's largest bird park housing over 8000 birds of 600 species from all over the world. There are also daily shows.

URL: http://www.birdpark.com.sg/

Asian Civilisations Museum at Empress Place

This museum exhibits cultural and archaeological relics from China and other civilisations.

URL: http://www.acm.org.sg/

National Museum of Singapore

This museum speaks of Singapore's history - tracing its development from a fishing village to the current metropolis.

URL: http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is an area specially preserved by the government to protect Singapore's natural tropical forest.

URL: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/index.php?option=com_visitorsguide&task=naturereserves&id=46&Itemid=75

East Coast Park

The East Coast Park is a favourite hang out spot for many Singaporeans. The beach, its water sports and the food are its main attractions.

URL: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/index.php?option=com_visitorsguide&task=parks&id=14&Itemid=73

Singapore is a small island located in Southeast Asia. It is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor and from Indonesia by the Singapore Straits. It is located 1 degree north of the equator. As such it is classified as equatorial with no distinct seasons. The country experiences high humidity and abundant rainfall. The country also experience 2 monsoon seasons from mid November to early March and from mid June to early September. During the monsoon seasons, heavy downpours are frequent. The country also experiences haze at around August due to the forest fires from its neighbor Indonesia.

The temperature in Singapore normally range from 23 degree celcius to34 degree celcius. Its lowest and highest temperature recorded were 19.4 degree celcius and 35.8 degree celcius respectively.

For a complete list of embassies and high commissions in Singapore, click here.

Some of these external websites may provide useful information to you.

• http://app.singaporeedu.gov.sg/asp/index.asp
• http://www.singaporeexpats.com/
• http://www.hdb.gov.sg/

The information on this page are based off the following sources

• http://app.singaporeedu.gov.sg/asp/index.asp
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_and_climate_of_Singapore
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_Singapore
• http://www.singaporeexpats.com/
• http://www.smrt.com.sg/main/index.asp