On 3 Nov, a netizen, identified as Fik, posted on X about his struggles when searching for a tutor position.
In particular, he questioned why Mandarin proficiency was listed as a requirement for a mathematics tutor job.
Fik expressed how being a non-Chinese Singaporean can be “so frustrating”.
I’m tired. So much for regardless of race, language (and religion).
Source: @slaiolassi via X
In an interview with MS News, Fik said he was browsing JobStreet, a platform for job-seekers, in search of tutoring opportunities when he spotted a particular listing.
According to Fik, the math tutor listing required Mandarin proficiency from the applicant.
The 22-year-old said he was “more than used” to seeing something like this, adding that job listings tended to have a “preference” for Mandarin speakers.
Source: Jeswin Thomas on Unsplash
While Fik felt this was unfair to begin with, he reasoned that the requirement could be “somewhat justified”.
Singapore has deep business ties to China as well as an increasing number of Chinese nationals working in the country.
However, a tuition centre requiring Mandarin proficiency for a math tutoring job felt “plainly discriminatory and ridiculous”.
It only serves to enforce ethnic enclaves, which is sad to see.
Speaking as a Singaporean Malay, Fik mentioned that he’d be “more than happy” to have a Chinese student.
But unfortunately, he has never been given that opportunity in his years of experience as a tutor.
Many netizens echoed Fik’s disbelief at the Mandarin-language requirement.
Some shared past experiences with encountering such a requirement while applying to study or work in Singapore.
Source: X
One fellow tutor mentioned that despite advertising for Mandarin proficiency, they found that, a lot of times, tutoring agencies “actually just mean Chinese, as the race” as a requirement for the position.
Source: X
One netizen expressed confusion about the specificity of Mandarin as a language requirement, with Malay and Tamil also being the national languages of Singapore.
They once saw Mandarin listed as a requirement for a prospective job, despite having zero correlation to the role.
Another pointed out the requirement was especially ridiculous, given that English is Singapore’s primary language that allows for inclusive communication across different ethnic groups.
When asked about the response to his post, Fik said there were many who echoed his feelings.
He was heartened to see that many have had similar experiences. Some netizens who could speak Mandarin despite not being Chinese themselves expressed that they weren’t able to secure jobs that required proficiency in the language.
To him, this suggested that the requirement “might not be about the language after all” and could carry racialised implications.
He said that he didn’t “expect so many eyes” on his post, given that he usually communicates with his inner circle online.
However, Fik said that he was glad to see the post generate discourse about the issue.
I think it’s a latent instance of discrimination in the job market that minorities face.
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Featured image adapted from Monstera Production via Pexels.