NUS students confident of landing $3500 a month jobs

[Tigershark1976]

delete, double post.

 

 

Edited January 28, 2011 by Tigershark1976

[Tigershark1976]

uah, master may help in promotion i long run but wont give u a huge diff in pay rise within a short period....

 

i also got masters. but still lowly paid nia =(

 

you don't be naive la

 

HR don't pay more just because you have a master degree.

Edited January 28, 2011 by Tigershark1976

[Shull]

It seems like engineering grad, starting salary is about 2.5-3k.

 

Public service seems like the ones paying higher salary. MOE hiring teachers, any degree with honours, you'll get min 3.4k(male) and 3.1k(female)..

[Shull]

What if got Masters?

 

i think fresh masters grad(w/o experience kind) even harder to get job..since you're overqualified for most entry level jobs on the market..

[Windwaver]

8 years ago I know a local honor degree grad in IT hired by a big local IT company, starting pay $2.8K

 

So now 8 years later, $3.5K, maybe possible

 

I think the problem is not that. The problem is those who have worked for the past 8 years didn't even hit 3.5K from 2.8K

[Shull]

I think the problem is not that. The problem is those who have worked for the past 8 years didn't even hit 3.5K from 2.8K

 

I think only selected few really made it. Like those carefully selected management trainee or those on scholarship. Most people just sink into obscurity as they work longer in the company..

[Icedbs]

Why is 3.5k optimistic? It is quite low for fresh grad leh.

 

Among my close friends from JC, I think even the lowest paid of them (barring me) got around $3.5k for their fresh grad pay. Highest is 5k. Some whom I am not so close to got even more, I heard.

 

And none of them are in banks.

 

Having said that. I am drawing much less than 3.5k. Sucks. :(

 

You are being naive.

 

From my own experience as a senior management personnel, when people compare pay, they will normally tell you all the obvious things but seldom the catches or sacrifices.

 

No company is stupid to start a fresh grad off with a high pay when the industry is not at that level. There must be some catches somewhere.

 

For example, I know a guy whose pay is quite high for his experience and role. But probing further, he is not eligible for AWS, because it has already been parked into his pay. He is also not eligible for any mileage claims, meals claims, transport claims, hp claims, etc....as it is all in his pay. So if you remove all those "perks", his basic is actually quite similar to anyone with that role and experience.

 

So don't be naive. Nobody wants to look stupid to accept a low pay when their peers are not, so the truth if often not heard.

[Babyt]

they try to deny the HARD TRUTH.

[Nullifi3d]

2500-3500 first job no experience?? GOOD LUCK

 

Nah its possible, my dept hires fresh grad or those taking part time degree for $2.5K zero experience as contract. Once converted to perm they easily fetch $3K.

 

FYI, its a bank.

[Zhihao]

You are being naive.

 

From my own experience as a senior management personnel, when people compare pay, they will normally tell you all the obvious things but seldom the catches or sacrifices.

 

No company is stupid to start a fresh grad off with a high pay when the industry is not at that level. There must be some catches somewhere.

 

For example, I know a guy whose pay is quite high for his experience and role. But probing further, he is not eligible for AWS, because it has already been parked into his pay. He is also not eligible for any mileage claims, meals claims, transport claims, hp claims, etc....as it is all in his pay. So if you remove all those "perks", his basic is actually quite similar to anyone with that role and experience.

 

So don't be naive. Nobody wants to look stupid to accept a low pay when their peers are not, so the truth if often not heard.

 

bro, i know it may be hard to fathom, but nowadays fresh grad pay can be quite atrociously high.

 

its really not surprising to hear them get this kind of pay scale... esp those working in banks (esp foreign banks, local banks hardly a few)... trust me on this, majority of my pals and gals are in banking sector and its really almost impossible for me to keep pace with them, their increment and bonuses can really add up to very significant amount.

 

besides banking, i think the shipping and marine industry really pays well... i just have an ex-schoolmate who is in keppel fels, when he joined some time back as a freshie it was closed to 3.5K per month and guess what this, year they got a 9.5mths bonus (wtf??!! - i can hardly believe it)!...

 

for my industry though(IT), fresh grad 3.5K quite hard to find, but occasionally you do hear of some.

 

btw, most foreign banks dun give out aws, they just dont have that practice... they go for big fat bonuses :)

actually AWS is not a good thing, you need to wait till year end then can quit - but if your pay already factored in AWS you can quit any time w/o "lugi-ing".... so its all about total package la, AWS is to make people feel shiok nia....

[Zhihao]

Nah its possible, my dept hires fresh grad or those taking part time degree for $2.5K zero experience as contract. Once converted to perm they easily fetch $3K.

 

FYI, its a bank.

 

haha... actually a lot of bros here are really not in-line with the market rates... perhaps they have been in the industry too long and seldom come into contact with freshie...

 

yes you are right, foreign banks can easily pay >3K for perms.... and the cool thing is they don't scrutinize your degree that much... ntu, nus or SIM don't make a diff at all, all the degree s--t goes out the window... really dilutes the value of a local uni degree....

[Zhihao]

Why is 3.5k optimistic? It is quite low for fresh grad leh.

 

Among my close friends from JC, I think even the lowest paid of them (barring me) got around $3.5k for their fresh grad pay. Highest is 5k. Some whom I am not so close to got even more, I heard.

 

And none of them are in banks.

 

Having said that. I am drawing much less than 3.5k. Sucks. :(

 

can i know which industry is your friend with the 5k starting pay working in?

his academic results superb?

[Icedbs]

bro, i know it may be hard to fathom, but nowadays fresh grad pay can be quite atrociously high.

 

its really not surprising to hear them get this kind of pay scale... esp those working in banks (esp foreign banks, local banks hardly a few)... trust me on this, majority of my pals and gals are in banking sector and its really almost impossible for me to keep pace with them, their increment and bonuses can really add up to very significant amount.

 

besides banking, i think the shipping and marine industry really pays well... i just have an ex-schoolmate who is in keppel fels, when he joined some time back as a freshie it was closed to 3.5K per month and guess what this, year they got a 9.5mths bonus (wtf??!! - i can hardly believe it)!...

 

for my industry though(IT), fresh grad 3.5K quite hard to find, but occasionally you do hear of some.

 

btw, most foreign banks dun give out aws, they just dont have that practice... they go for big fat bonuses :)

actually AWS is not a good thing, you need to wait till year end then can quit - but if your pay already factored in AWS you can quit any time w/o "lugi-ing".... so its all about total package la, AWS is to make people feel shiok nia....

 

Let's put banking and offshore aside.....yes...3.5k is quite normal for them but I will address why later.

 

For most of the other industries, it is uncommon to start a fresh grad at 3.5k. I am doing recruitment and managing resources is part of my business and you can trust me on that. If anyone tell you otherwise, they are not telling you the truth.

 

Now back to banking and offshore. Banking also depends which dept. If you are in banking back-end support, it's fat hope to start with 3.5k If you are front end, then it is quite common. Why? because banking has an extremely competitive environment. You don't pay well, the guy can always join another bank. If you notice, people in banking always move around banks just to get higher pay. It's just their culture and practices. But what people don't know is that banking job is also very pressurizing. Unless you are at the top level, people in the bank often work no day no night. You won't feel it until you are in it. Don't forget also that retrenchment is quite often in banks too.

 

As for offshore, that's even easier to explain. Let's take Keppel fels as an example. Are you willing to work from 7.30am under the hot sun, dirty environment, climbing great heights, work day and night in the yard and put your young life (since we are talking fresh grad) at risk? Safety hazard is a big thing there. If you are willing to work under sun and rain, not afraid that the next day could be your last, prepare to just work in Tuas, work 7 days a week, then you deserve that 3.5k and fat bonuses (and btw, they have OT pay too for fresh grad) . I know because I was once from KFELS. So there is a catch. The catch is, it's physical dirty, almost 7 days/week job and dangerous work.....yes pay is good, but you need to tolerate that.

 

So again..don't be naive. 3.5K is normal? Think what is the catch first.

Edited January 28, 2011 by Icedbs

[Zhihao]

Let's put banking and offshore aside.....yes...3.5k is quite normal for them but I will address why later.

 

For most of the other industries, it is uncommon to start a fresh grad at 3.5k. I am doing recruitment and managing resources is part of my business and you can trust me on that. If anyone tell you otherwise, they are not telling you the truth.

 

Now back to banking and offshore. Banking also depends which dept. If you are in banking back-end support, it's fat hope to start with 3.5k If you are front end, then it is quite common. Why? because banking has an extremely competitive environment. You don't pay well, the guy can always join another bank. If you notice, people in banking always move around banks just to get higher pay. It's just their culture and practices. But what people don't know is that banking job is also very pressurizing. Unless you are at the top level, people in the bank often work no day no night. You won't feel it until you are in it. Don't forget also that retrenchment is quite often in banks too.

 

As for offshore, that's even easier to explain. Let's take Keppel fels as an example. Are you willing to work from 7.30am under the hot sun, dirty environment, climbing great heights, work day and night in the yard and put your young life (since we are talking fresh grad) at risk? Safety hazard is a big thing there. If you are willing to work under sun and rain, not afraid that the next day could be your last, prepare to just work in Tuas, work 7 days a week, then you deserve that 3.5k and fat bonuses (and btw, they have OT pay too for fresh grad) . I know because I was once from KFELS. So there is a catch. The catch is, it's physical dirty, almost 7 days/week job and dangerous work.....yes pay is good, but you need to tolerate that.

 

So again..don't be naive. 3.5K is normal? Think what is the catch first.

 

maybe i need to qualify clearly... i meant 3 - 3.5K normal in foreign banks... in fact ALL of my banking friends (5 of them) started with this pay range years back(3-3.5K) and i have already eliminated the 4K+ range ones because they are from the more prestigious mgt program. i watch with envy but accepted that different industry pays different, afterall, i'm very happy with what i am doing

 

btw all of them are in back office and are doing very well... i dunno how to help or convince you... firstly no pt for them to lie as i'm more than 15 years friend with them, secondly this is really what the company is offering - friend, if you never see b4 doesnt mean it never occur frequently... its nothing to do with naive or not, i'm just sharing with you what i know and see, so i hope you can take things in stride and try to open up, listen and maybe start to believe a little what others are sharing with you... but if you still wanna continue to argue your way thru in disbelieve and keep calling people naive then bo bian, your life, your call, your thoughts...

 

yes you are right, my fels mate reports to work @7am daily for safety briefing, his complexion is dark like charcoal...he works 6.5days and its risky, that is the price to pay..... but for the kind of salary he drawing and 9.5mths of bonus, maybe, just maybe it could be worth while when u are still young.

 

[Jchuacl]

While the base pay for foreign banks is high, but the risk of getting chopped is high as well especially if you are earning higher than average, did not meet the expectations, or did not get along well with the boss. I've done my fair share of chopping pple during the last crisis, so I've seen how cruel it can be.

In fact, I've seen many of those who get poached by other banks with higher salaries, and ended up getting chopped or returning back to the same bank after 1-2 years due to horrible working environment. So again, the risk is there, especially even higher if you are at director and above positions.

 

I can tell you frankly, no one will tell you how many hours they are slogging behind the scene. There is a price to pay for everything, this is a sad fact that many pple don't realise.

 

 

maybe i need to qualify clearly... i meant 3 - 3.5K normal in foreign banks... in fact ALL of my banking friends (5 of them) started with this pay range years back(3-3.5K) and i have already eliminated the 4K+ range ones because they are from the more prestigious mgt program. i watch with envy but accepted that different industry pays different, afterall, i'm very happy with what i am doing

 

btw all of them are in back office and are doing very well... i dunno how to help or convince you... firstly no pt for them to lie as i'm more than 15 years friend with them, secondly this is really what the company is offering - friend, if you never see b4 doesnt mean it never occur frequently... its nothing to do with naive or not, i'm just sharing with you what i know and see, so i hope you can take things in stride and try to open up, listen and maybe start to believe a little what others are sharing with you... but if you still wanna continue to argue your way thru in disbelieve and keep calling people naive then bo bian, your life, your call, your thoughts...

 

yes you are right, my fels mate reports to work @7am daily for safety briefing, his complexion is dark like charcoal...he works 6.5days and its risky, that is the price to pay..... but for the kind of salary he drawing and 9.5mths of bonus, maybe, just maybe it could be worth while when u are still young.

 

[TandemAssassin]

can i know which industry is your friend with the 5k starting pay working in?

his academic results superb?

 

1 is doing sai kang for hedge fund, the other is doing sai kang for government. both hit 5k. one before allowance, the other after allowances.

 

results? both 2nd upper NUS.

 

 

[TandemAssassin]

i don't think my friends feel a need to boast about pay la.

 

because we have known each other for donkey years. some of us are born with silver spoon, others stainless steel spoon.

 

that is why i only mentioned close friends. others may dua kang, but for these guys, i am quite sure we are past that stage already.

 

my only advice for those who want more pay is to seek out the jobs that others don't want to do. it is supply and demand after all. clear sai for government is especially lucrative.

[Enzomatrix]

Astar or DSTA lor

DSTA 2nd lower already more than that liao