Protocol for answering job adverts?..

[anthonyjhughes]

Hi all,
I am actively looking for vacancies in Singapore and would be relocating from the UK. I have a couple of questions - hopefully you can advise.

I have seen a few possible positions, but looking through have noticed that the vacancy ads do not show the wage for the positions? Is this standard in Singapore? Vacancies I have always found in the UK show the salary or salary range within the ad.

What is the protocol for this? do you contact the employer in advance? or how would I know what salary to expect?

Also, just as an addition (though I am sure this must be covered somewhere else on the forum) What would be a comfortable wage for a sole earner in a professional public sector culture/ arts or University job supporting a family (2 children) be? My current salary is £43k in the UK.

Thanks Anthony

[Strong Eagle]

Nobody wants to post salaries... they don't even want to tell you what they will be willing to pay when you get your second or third interview.

Instead, they want you to tell them what you have been previously making so they can be sure not to offer you too much more than you are already making. See... it's not often they price the position... and it just wouldn't be cool to give you a lot more money, even if you were worth it.

But... don't hold your breath on finding a job. If you're a full professor you might have a shot. If you are a post doc with some interesting specialty, maybe you have a shot. Otherwise, the government is not going to hire a foreigner for a job that a local can do. Getting and employment pass will be problematic. Getting an employer to interview you will be problematic, give the difficulty in acquiring the work permit.

Apologies for the negative appraisal... perhaps others can find a ray of sunshine.

[Barnsley]

Hi all,
I am actively looking for vacancies in Singapore and would be relocating from the UK. I have a couple of questions - hopefully you can advise.

I have seen a few possible positions, but looking through have noticed that the vacancy ads do not show the wage for the positions? Is this standard in Singapore? Vacancies I have always found in the UK show the salary or salary range within the ad.

What is the protocol for this? do you contact the employer in advance? or how would I know what salary to expect?

Also, just as an addition (though I am sure this must be covered somewhere else on the forum) What would be a comfortable wage for a sole earner in a professional public sector culture/ arts or University job supporting a family (2 children) be? My current salary is £43k in the UK.

Thanks Anthony

Applying from overseas I think is going to be difficult unless your current establishment has some tie up with one of the Universities here with regards a University job.

How old are your kids?

If they need to go to school , then I think you will be looking at $50k just to send them to school to start with.

[anthonyjhughes]

Thanks Strong Eagle/Barnsley for the guidance. I wasnt sure whether the salary info worked something like that - so thank you for confirming. It's always best to have the warts and all before making decisions.
Kids are 9&11 so yes the school fees are useful.
The sites where they compare costs of items by country are useful but they dont tell the whole story for making judgements on standard of living as opposed to cost.

I have relatives in Singapore but unfortunately (for me) he earns a really high wage and so has little guidance on what would be considered comfy lower down the food chain

Thanks for the quick reply A

[x9200]

Thanks Strong Eagle/Barnsley for the guidance. I wasnt sure whether the salary info worked something like that - so thank you for confirming. It's always best to have the warts and all before making decisions.
Kids are 9&11 so yes the school fees are useful.
The sites where they compare costs of items by country are useful but they dont tell the whole story for making judgements on standard of living as opposed to cost.

I have relatives in Singapore but unfortunately (for me) he earns a really high wage and so has little guidance on what would be considered comfy lower down the food chain

Thanks for the quick reply A

Anthony, use the search engine from this site to get an idea. There are really dozens of posts dealing with the costs of living, for example:
viewtopic.php?t=117081

Nobody can guess what is your comfy level. If you do home schooling, live in an HDB, eat mostly local food, commute by public transport, avoid restaurants and alcohol, you may likely be good and happy within your current salary range.

If you tell us a bit more about your background/profile/experience, we may try to assess your chances in getting a job/work pass.

[anthonyjhughes]

Thanks x9200

I didnt want to post too much of a CV but as you pointed out, it may help the forum to understand a little more of my priorities.

I pretty much do all of the above (Public transport, food etc except home schooling) under my current salary as I work away from the family due to successive cuts to the cultural heritage, arts and creative industries sectors I work in here in the UK. Any move would be for a good position to reunite us as a family.

I have worked in these sectors for over 25 years either as a practitioner (Art/Design and Video Media production company CEO) and for the last 15 years in public/private sector roles setting up and managing large international projects and funding/ EU funding for Universities where I manage the delivery (Also with a range of cultural heritage partners eg Museums, Galleries, Collections and research/academic partners) I am also looking at opportunities in Europe.

My current role is head of a National archive collection, based in a University and pretty much doing all of the above but with a decreased likelihood of funding or investment in the heritage, culture and arts available - certainly my 15 years experience working with the European Commission isn't going to be that relevant soon, though the strategic development of arts and cultural partnerships is transferable.

I have also worked as a visiting lecturer in FE & HE though these roles are lower down in preference.

So these are the sort of sectors/ areas and specialism I would be bringing to any new role.

Thanks again A

[x9200]

I don't think you should have some serious problems securing a work pass. You have a lot of experience and if this experience is systematic (working within your background, doing large, impactful projects with well established companies/academic institutions etc. etc.) I believe you should be good. The chances are even better, if you are a PhD.

A disclaimer: I am in a purely technical domain so can speculate only on the degree/extent of experience part. No idea what is the job market in your target area, but to the list you mentioned, I would also consider International Schools.
Some other regulars have more direct experience in this so they may further comment, but the jobs in the International Schools seem reasonably paid and who knows, with your kids, you could hit two birds with one stone.