Many like myself, begin the CEI certification journey without thinking too much on the cost of getting it. More likely it was put across as a job requirement when applying for a job as a Recruiter or Employment Agent working for any MoM (Ministry of Manpower of Singapore) licenced Employment Agency. However, after getting my CEI on the 3rd attempt, I realised there are actually a few ways the total cost of ownership (TCO) could have been reduced.