just offered a research fellow position and need advice

[andromedia33]

I'm a fresh graduate with a doctoral degree from U.S. For this research fellow (post doc) position I haven't got all the details yet, but the HR told me the monthly base salary is $4500. Does anyone know if this is a reasonable offer? I have another oral offer for a similar position without knowing the salary yet, so I'd say there is not much information to help decide.

Should I expect to get a S pass or employment pass with this type of positions? many thanks for your advice in advance!

[rajagainstthemachine]

I believe they do not issue S passes for people with a post graduate degree. The salary would seem low for a expat who has to move here from overseas and start paying more $$$ over somebody local.

[andromedia33]

Thanks for the information. How much should I expect if I'd like to negotiate a raise? Is 5k too high?

I believe they do not issue S passes for people with a post graduate degree. The salary would seem low for a expat who has to move here from overseas and start paying more $$$ over somebody local.

[rajagainstthemachine]

Thanks for the information. How much should I expect if I'd like to negotiate a raise? Is 5k too high?

I believe they do not issue S passes for people with a post graduate degree. The salary would seem low for a expat who has to move here from overseas and start paying more $$$ over somebody local.

well here is the thing, you are fresh out of college with no experience, you could have a doctorate degree, but with no relevant experience your bargaining power is going to be limited.
You also have to think about how you would manage to live on 4500 per month.
My ex roommate was doing his doctorate here and he was living on a 2200 stipend per month.Lots of people here live and work with that sort of salary here, however do not expect an expat lifestyle.
you might have to deal with shared accommodation, pesky room mates and cheap food and not eating from fancy restaurants and hitting the pubs every other day.
Look at some of the other threads in this forum, I believe there is one right here which might suit you
http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/viewto ... hilit=4000

there are others, use the search function, happy researching!

[BBCDoc]

Hey there,

I was at Johns Hopkins Baltimore for 4 years doing my postdoc many moons ago. I was earning an equivalent amount back then to what you have been offered, and I was able to get my own apartment and a car. You will have no such luck here, expect it to be like living in Manhattan, but with more expensive alcohol.

What is your field of study? I can't imagine that many opportunities here that offer more than the US. If you are hoping for a tenured position, that likely will not happen with limited faculty positions here. If you go back to the US, likely you will not be able to get one either compared to peers who slogged it out in the US Institutions and built up long term relationships with faculty there.

Your main hope of major publications will be collaborations with US or EU researchers. You will have access to interesting samples here (assuming you do clinical research), but expect to fight tooth and nail for any rights and recognition.

I got out of the research game a few years back and could not be happier.

[andromedia33]

Hi BBCDoc, thanks a lot for your kind suggestions. Yes I agree with you that opportunities in the research section are way better back in U.S., but I don't have that option as my husband already got a position here and my family all moved to Singapore. I'm doing Bioinformatics, and I'm not searching for academic positions in the long run. Was hoping to hop into industry (along the line of data science) right after getting my degree but no luck finding one yet. I kinda dread leaving a long gap between graduation and my first job, and I'm inclined to take this position, just not sure if it is a bad choice or not. Many say post docs aren't real jobs...
Good for you that you got out of this early :p

Hey there,

I was at Johns Hopkins Baltimore for 4 years doing my postdoc many moons ago. I was earning an equivalent amount back then to what you have been offered, and I was able to get my own apartment and a car. You will have no such luck here, expect it to be like living in Manhattan, but with more expensive alcohol.

What is your field of study? I can't imagine that many opportunities here that offer more than the US. If you are hoping for a tenured position, that likely will not happen with limited faculty positions here. If you go back to the US, likely you will not be able to get one either compared to peers who slogged it out in the US Institutions and built up long term relationships with faculty there.

Your main hope of major publications will be collaborations with US or EU researchers. You will have access to interesting samples here (assuming you do clinical research), but expect to fight tooth and nail for any rights and recognition.

I got out of the research game a few years back and could not be happier.

[Katongirl]

For reference - I had a friend who also had a US doctorate (engineering) and came to Singapore a few years ago for similar job as yours.. He was paid $5050 plus $900 for housing. He also got 2-3 months' bonuses each year.

Not sure what spectrum of the scale his pay was but he sure managed to save a lot of cash being a single guy. I.e., he did running in the parks, date or shop occasionally but not drinking in the city.

[meaningless]

if you are not considering for a faculty position and you are doing bioinformatics, i would say you could be quite competitive since bioinformatics is one of the growing fields in the area. i would say you can try bargain for a 5K since you would expect for all kind of asian style boss.

good luck.

[andromedia33]

Thanks for the information! Ya that seems to be quite a big difference. Not sure if it is because he's from engineering (science people tend to get paid lower). my husband is already getting housing subsidies so i'm not eligible for that. guess i will wait and see how my other applications go.

For reference - I had a friend who also had a US doctorate (engineering) and came to Singapore a few years ago for similar job as yours.. He was paid $5050 plus $900 for housing. He also got 2-3 months' bonuses each year.

Not sure what spectrum of the scale his pay was but he sure managed to save a lot of cash being a single guy. I.e., he did running in the parks, date or shop occasionally but not drinking in the city.

[andromedia33]

hi there, thanks for your advice! they gave a raise to 4900 but said that's the final deal. i'm still exploring other options, though research interest wise this one seems the best.

if you are not considering for a faculty position and you are doing bioinformatics, i would say you could be quite competitive since bioinformatics is one of the growing fields in the area. i would say you can try bargain for a 5K since you would expect for all kind of asian style boss.

good luck.

[andromedia33]

hi, for some reason i thought i saw your other reply earlier but i couldn't find it now. intended to reply sooner but got distracted by other things. yes my husband is in academia, and i kinda want to do something different (we are in similar fields). i did see postings from Illumina but positions are either managerial or for more upstream work (more bench work than computational).
you mentioned something about how to get started in industry but i can't recall exactly now. do you mind sharing a little more? really appreciate your advice.

Hey there,

I was at Johns Hopkins Baltimore for 4 years doing my postdoc many moons ago. I was earning an equivalent amount back then to what you have been offered, and I was able to get my own apartment and a car. You will have no such luck here, expect it to be like living in Manhattan, but with more expensive alcohol.

What is your field of study? I can't imagine that many opportunities here that offer more than the US. If you are hoping for a tenured position, that likely will not happen with limited faculty positions here. If you go back to the US, likely you will not be able to get one either compared to peers who slogged it out in the US Institutions and built up long term relationships with faculty there.

Your main hope of major publications will be collaborations with US or EU researchers. You will have access to interesting samples here (assuming you do clinical research), but expect to fight tooth and nail for any rights and recognition.

I got out of the research game a few years back and could not be happier.