By SGN | 19 May 2026
When Irenius Ling first arrived in Singapore in 2023, he expected the move to only last a year.
A registered nurse holding both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Nursing Science, he had spent years building a career in healthcare in Australia. His plan was simple: spend some time abroad with family, experience life in Singapore, and eventually return to Australia to continue working in the medical field.
But his temporary relocation plans quickly took on their own.
Today, Irenius is an account manager at The Secret Little Agency in Singapore, having made an unlikely transition from healthcare to advertising.
Settling into Singapore: from finding a home to finding belonging
For Irenius, relocating to Singapore came with its own set of challenges.
Like many newcomers, one of his first priorities was finding a place to stay. Fortunately, family and friends came to the rescue. They offered him their spare apartment to live in temporarily, while he figured out his long-term plans.
“I consider myself very lucky,” he says. This arrangement gave him some much-needed breathing room to explore the city and adjust to life in Singapore. In many ways, the transition went smoother than he expected.
Compared to Australia, he found certain aspects of life in Singapore more affordable.
“Transport and food are definitely cheaper,” he notes. But building a life in a new country goes beyond cost and convenience. It also means cultivating a sense of belonging: socially, professionally, and culturally.
For Irenius, this process unfolded gradually over time.
How the Work Holiday Pass unlocked new opportunities in Singapore
Although Singapore had started to feel familiar, gaining a professional foothold proved more difficult.
For nearly two years, Irenius searched for career opportunities in Singapore, but struggled to find an opportunity that allowed him to stay and work long term. Without the right work authorisation, many doors remained closed.
Then, a friend introduced him to something he had never heard of before: the Work Holiday Pass.
The pass allows eligible young graduates from certain countries, including Australia and New Zealand, to live and work in Singapore for up to 6 months. For graduates from Australia and New Zealand, this could go up to a year. For many, it serves as a gateway to exploring professional opportunities, while experiencing life in the city-state.
At first, the idea sounded almost too good to be true.
“I honestly thought it was a scam,” he laughs. “It sounded too good to be real.”
By that point, he had already spent nearly two years travelling in and out of Singapore on short-term stays. The constant back-and-forth had become exhausting, and he was eager to find a more stable arrangement that would allow him to build a life here. That’s when he decided to investigate further. Once he realised the pass was legitimate, he quickly applied.
“The application process was surprisingly simple,” he says. “I thought it would be a lot more complicated, but if you have all the documents required, it really doesn’t take long at all.”
After struggling to find opportunities, the Work Holiday Pass suddenly changed his prospects.
“I had been looking for work for around two years at that point,” he explains. “But as soon as I got the pass, more offers came my way.”
Breaking out of one’s comfort zone
As a registered nurse in Australia, Irenius had built a strong academic and professional foundation in a field that demands both technical expertise and emotional resilience. Yet, relocating to Singapore forced him to rethink his trajectory.
As Irenius had just graduated without any full-time work experience in Australia other than placements as student, he was unable to secure work in Singapore’s healthcare sector. While nursing was in-demand in Singapore, he was a fresh graduate with no full-time experience in nursing, aside from placements.
Facing the impending expiry of his Australian nursing license, he began considering a different path. Rather than seeing the situation as a setback, he chose to treat it as an opportunity for growth.
“I entered a career field that I wasn’t familiar with,” he says. “But I knew I had to adapt to survive.”
This adaptability ultimately led him to the advertising industry, a field that initially felt worlds apart from healthcare. Yet, the pivot was not entirely random. His partner worked in the creative sector, and over time he had developed a growing curiosity about the work she did.
“She helped me appreciate the creative effort that goes into every asset,” he says. Encouraged by that curiosity, he began exploring opportunities in the industry.
Entering the world of advertising
His first break was at The Secret Little Agency, where he joined as an intern before transitioning into a full-time role. Today, he works as an account manager, overseeing projects and collaborating with creative teams to deliver campaigns for clients. The transition from nursing to advertising was, by his own admission, dramatic.
“Going into a new field is never easy, especially without prior experience,” he says. “The learning curve was steep.”
Much of that learning involved acquiring an entirely new professional language.
“A really big struggle of mine was learning the business lingo,” he admits. “At the same time, I was still adjusting to Singlish accents.” Yet what might have been overwhelming in another environment became manageable thanks to the people around him.
“What really helped was how supportive everyone around me was,” he says. “Everyone was incredibly encouraging, and I found everything I was learning genuinely interesting.”
The fast-paced nature of agency life also brought moments that would have been unimaginable in his previous profession. For instance, there was one particularly memorable moment during a campaign where he had to don a horse mask and corset at the same time.
Moments like these, while humorous, also represent the kind of creative unpredictability that drew him to the industry.
Adjusting to a different culture
Singapore’s work culture is often perceived as more intense than Australia’s, which is widely known for its emphasis on work-life balance. For Irenius, however, the adjustment felt natural.
“I’ve always tried to be as hard-working as I can,” he explains. “Knowing that I had a lot to learn made me want to naturally work harder to overcome that gap in experience.”
At the same time, he discovered that his workplace shared some cultural similarities with the environment he had known in Australia. “Australia is a melting pot of people from different backgrounds,” he says. “I found that to be the case here too.”
At The Secret Little Agency, colleagues from different nationalities and backgrounds created a welcoming atmosphere that reminded him of home. “Everyone is super sweet and inviting,” he says.
Still, Singapore has its own unique quirks. “Singlish slang definitely took some getting used to,” he admits. “Sometimes in meetings, if the accent is quite thick, I have to focus twice as hard to understand everything.”
Outside the office, building a social circle helped make Singapore feel more like home. Over time, Irenius developed connections through several different communities: his workplace, church, and partner’s friends.
These networks gave him opportunities to meet people from diverse backgrounds and gradually deepen his understanding of life in Singapore. What began as a temporary relocation slowly started to feel more permanent.
A decision driven by love
Behind Irenius’ determination to stay in Singapore lies a deeply personal motivation. “My motivation was my partner,” he says with a smile.
“I was determined to stay in Singapore and build a life here because I wanted a future with her,” he says.
The journey was not always easy. Changing industries, adapting to a new country, and learning an entirely new professional skillset requires persistence and patience.
But looking back, he has no regrets. “I feel like I’ve grown a lot as a person,” he says. “And I’m excited to see where the future brings me.”
A future in Singapore made possible with the Work Holiday Pass
After spending a year working in Singapore under the Work Holiday Pass, Irenius is now preparing for the next chapter of his journey. He has recently secured a full-time role as an account manager at The Secret Little Agency and will be transitioning to an S Pass, which will allow him to continue living and working in Singapore long-term.
For fellow Australians considering a similar move, his advice is straightforward. “Apply for the Work Holiday Pass,” he says. “It opens up so many more opportunities to get a job here compared to trying to look for work while on a visitor pass.”
What began as a one-year experiment abroad has ultimately become something much bigger: a new career path, a new home, and a new chapter in life. Sometimes, stepping outside your comfort zone is exactly what leads you to where you were meant to be.
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About Irenius
Irenius Ling is an Australian nurse turned marketer in Singapore. He is currently living and working in Singapore as an account manager at advertising agency The Secret Little Agency.
Connect with him here.
