Draw Foreigners to Private Singapore Schools - and Be Paid for It

GETTING a foreigner to come to Singapore to study can earn the person who recommended the school up to S$1,000.

Part-time marketing lecturer Samuel Lee, who is making the offer, has already paid 12 people between S$500 and S$1,000 per student for doing so in the last three months.

This is a huge difference from the S$50 to S$400 some private schools are paying for referrals.

Those whom Mr Lee paid recommended their friends or relatives to institutions through him. Once the students gained admission, they were paid their commission.

The effectiveness of this unusual offer, said Mr Lee, is that a prospective student is likely to value a recommendation from someone he knows 'more than any sleek brochure or advertisement'.

Mr Lee's offer appears on his website, www.studyinginsingapore.com, where the phrase 'Earn $1,000 per student' follows the cursor of those who click on.

Those who want to recommend someone fill up a form on the website, giving their particulars as well as those of the prospective student.

Once the student starts on a course with any of the seven private institutions listed, a cheque with the commission fee will be sent to the person who referred him.

The amount received depends on the course.