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by Veena Bharwani
SINGAPOREANS love their cars.
But when it comes to repairing and maintaining them, they prefer to leave it to others.
Indeed, it's increasingly harder to get Singaporeans to want to train as car mechanics, never mind the difficult times.
Said Mr Edwin Sia, 26, a mechanic at Kee Teck Motor Works, a company started by his father: 'Singaporeans find the job too dirty. Plus, it doesn't pay well.'
He said he started working as a mechanic when he was 18 and earned just over $1,000.
Now, eight years later, he takes home just over $2,000.
Mr Sia said that he's been trying to employ locals to help out at the workshop but he has not found anyone.
'We had a Malaysian worker work for us for nine years and he recently left to go start his own business back home,' he told The New Paper.
Now, he mostly employs mechanics from China.
Mr Sia added: 'My 55-year-old father has been working as a mechanic all his life and even that wasn't enough to support the family.
'After he finishes at the workshop, he drives a taxi at night just to make ends meet.'
So why does he do it?
'I like cars. The parts fascinate me,' said Mr Sia, who holds an N-level certificate.
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Another veteran mechanic, Mr Tey Kok Nor, 55, thinks younger Singaporeans shun the profession because they literally don't want to get their hands dirty. Mr Tey, who has been in this profession for 38 years, said: 'You'll end up getting engine oil all over your hands and finger nails. You can get it off but Singaporeans definitely want cleaner jobs.'
Added Mr Tey, who runs Lai Seng Motor Workshop in Ang Mo Kio AutoPoint: 'It's not only dirty but the work is quite tough as well. You need to use your strength to handle gear boxes.
'Nowadays, younger Singaporeans want to work regular hours in an air-conditioned office.
'As a mechanic, you have to work long hours and sometimes overnight. And even after working for so many years, you won't earn a lot of money.'
He added that even seasoned mechanics don't want to waste time training newbies.
'Time is money, so seasoned mechanics would prefer to hire those with some basic skills. They don't really want to waste their time with training newcomers,' said Mr Tey.
This article first appeared in The New Paper
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