Pros
Provided me with the opportunity to work in Singapore.
Kontras
Where do I even begin?
During my first interview with OSE, I spoke with the Managing Director (MD), who painted a promising picture of the company. He assured me that this firm would help me advance my engineering career, emphasizing its extensive expertise in the field. I was led to believe I would gain knowledge and experience here. But reality was quite different.
Upon joining, I was shocked to discover that this supposedly established design consultancy had only one drafter—ridiculous condition given the sheer number of projects the company handles. On that note, OSE takes on a significant workload, yet much of its revenue comes from highly tedious and, in my opinion, redundant projects. Tasks such as ECM, PFI, PSI, and COI are time-consuming and add little to one’s technical development. Instead, they seem to serve primarily as revenue streams, as OSE struggles to secure projects as the lead consultants.
While OSE does engage in design work, it is mainly at the downstream level, serving contractors which involves temporary ERSS works, pipe diversions, and ROA applications to name a few. These tasks—never properly outlined during recruitment—are complex and challenging, especially for freshies. However, any struggle to these responsibilities is not considered the MD’s concern. In his own words:
"You are not here to learn; you are here to help us make money! You must be independent and learn for yourself."
Truly inspiring.
OSE is well-known among contractors, mainly because of its exceptional ability to cut costs for them. But, this comes at the engineers’ expense. While contractors constantly pressure engineers, like doctors round the clock, the MD remains occupied with seminars and Chinese calligraphy classes rather than fostering a supportive work environment. Instead of providing guidance, he delegates responsibilities to his senior principal engineer—a man already overburdened with his own work. Strangely, this engineer follows the MD’s orders religiously, almost like a dogma to always abide by directors instruction.
Favouritism and Educational Bias
The MD has a clear hiring preference: fresh graduates from Swinburne University, especially from Sarawak. These engineers are often hardworking and obedient—qualities he values. Ironically, he also believes their education is subpar. As a result, they are not treated the same as graduates from NUS or NTU. Anything outside of NUS or NTU is considered inferior.
No matter how much effort you put in, an engineer from NTU can stroll into work 1.5 hours late, put in minimal effort, and still receive better treatment than a hardworking engineer from a lesser-known university. This educational elitism shows that no matter how much you contribute, you are always seen as second-rate.
A Cultivated Illusion
This last point is subjective, but worth mentioning. Both directors have a habit of taking photos of everything, using employees as props to craft an illusion of a happy workplace. Actively seek media recognition, attending interviews with CNA and receiving certificates of acknowledgment from NUS and GeoSS. Meanwhile, the engineers—the true backbone of the company—are not renumerated well, with the excuse that “the company isn’t making money” or “the economy is tough.”
It’s hard to take these excuses seriously when the directors live in good-class bungalows, own two condos, and an HDB. If your turnover rate is five engineers per year (early 2024: 20 engineers → early 2025: only 10 engineers), there is clearly something very wrong. If they fail to recognize this, OSE will remain a small SME with a reputation for exploiting Malaysian engineers.