In 1928, Oehlers was
called to the bar at
Gray's Inn and practised as a barrister in
London for three years. Upon returning to Singapore, Oehlers became City Councillor in 1933, serving until 1941; he returned to the City Council in 1947, but left ahead of his appointment as Speaker of the
Legislative Assembly of Singapore on 1 April 1955 . He left that post in September 1963 to chair the Public Utilities Board. From 1963 to 1964, he was also Speaker for the Sabah Legislative Assembly and helped to set up the Sabah Legislative Assembly. From 1965, he was Chairman of Singapore's Industrial Arbitration Tribunal, and from June 1965 to his death, he was President of the Industrial Court of Malaysia. ==Personal life==