British Expats - Short term remote working for a corporate company

Hi guys,

I am brand new to the forum! I joined because I need some advice on short term work permits in Singapore.

I am a Management Consultant and work in a global company with offices around the world. I have been really keen on spending some time abroad (6 months to 1 year) and experiencing different cultures, and so I spoke to my manager to see what options I had within the company. One option was a sabbatical which I'm exploring but the more attractive option for me is the offer of continuing to work for my UK team but no longer on client facing work, and working remotely from another office.

This is a great option for me because in theory, it gives me the option to work in any city I want where we have an office, in theory. If I was going for a year, I would love to split the time between Singapore, Sydney and San Diego.

My manager is open to this but doesn't know how it would work in terms of work permits. In theory I thought it shouldn't be a problem as I'm still working for the UK business and being paid in my UK bank account. All I'm doing is taking my laptop and getting on a flight and logging on from another country for a few months. She has spoken to HR who have taken it up with the global mobility team, but seems like there may be some visa/work permit implications. Even though they should be sorting out, I want to make sure I have as much information as possible from my side.

Has anyone done something similar to this/know of the rules and regulations relating to visas for this situations in Singapore? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Many thanks