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A STAR entry level scientist salary

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eeeyam
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A STAR entry level scientist salary

Post by eeeyam » Sun, 19 Feb 2012 12:30 pm

Dear All,

I am currently finishing up my PhD from a prestigious US university and have been offered a Scientist I position at one of the A STAR institutes. They have offered me S$4700 per month plus other standard benefts. I have heard that even post docs are paid more than this. Could anyone confirm if this is true and help me what I should negotiate it to be? Thanks!

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sundaymorningstaple
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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Sun, 19 Feb 2012 12:41 pm

If you are an American Citizen by birth then it's probably too low. But if you are from the subcontinent or other Asian country, it's probably pretty close. :-|
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

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Post by eeeyam » Sun, 19 Feb 2012 12:46 pm

Are you implying implicit racism? Yes, I am from the subcontinent but I actually made more money as an intern in one of the major companies here. Would showing that payslip help me negotiate a higher salary? :D Thanks for all your help! :)

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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Sun, 19 Feb 2012 5:00 pm

Implying something? Nah. Fact of life. If you are from the subcontinent then the local employer will say it a very good salary and you could live like a king in your home country.

Now, before you jump up & down, this is not my idea. I'm with you on this. One should get paid what one is worth, regardless of where they are from. But unfortunately, pragmatic Asians don't think that way. They will look at where you are from (what passport you are carrying) and the offers will be based on that knowledge and not where you have been as they reckon you will eventually take the money "home".

Likewise, everything you are not allowed to put on a CV in the USofA will be "required" to be divulged in the course of the review here. Race, religion, marital status, sexual preferences, gender, age and in some cases even looks are all fair game for local HR departments. In addition to having the requisite qualifications. Lots of stuff here are different than the USofA. Or India for that matter. Here, it's guaranteed that you will not be treated as royalty, PhD or not.
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

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Post by eeeyam » Sun, 19 Feb 2012 9:38 pm

@sms, nope not jumping up and down at all :D thanks for providing me the realistic picture. As an Asian myself I do understand the mentality very well. Would you recommend I call the hr and see if they budge to increase the salary? :) if they don't, is this salary good enough to live comfortably? Currently no family so just have my own expenses.

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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Sun, 19 Feb 2012 10:09 pm

A search of the forum will turn up heaps of info regarding thought about salary requirements here. (use the search field just below the "profile" link at the upper right side of the page. As a single person, yes, it can be done but it's not ideal. However, if they are going to provide you either accommodation or a housing allowance, then it's easily doable in my opinion. Of course your lifestyle will govern your costs as well. If you are a drinker and heavy party person, you might come up a little thin but if you have to opt for your own housing, the best way, early on, would be to flat share (renting a room) in a condo or to save even more money, an HDB flat. (that would set you back only around 6 to 800/mo for a Master bedroom. maybe 1~1.5 for a condo room. As noted, a search here will turn up a wealth of info.

It wouldn't hurt to try for more but how much more, I couldn't say. Maybe x9200 would have some ideas in that regard.

sms
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

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Post by eeeyam » Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:07 am

Thank you sms! I will look for info in the forum. Appreciate your help! :)

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Post by x9200 » Tue, 21 Feb 2012 8:14 am

eeeyam, hard to say without knowing more details. What is this prestigious US uni? Georgia Tech? MIT? It is also hard to talk about standardized packages - AFAIK they are less standardized than the salary. Another thing you should know is that a post-doc position is typically given the said Scientist I rank. You will be de facto a postdoc anyway. Yes, you can try to negotiate but the baseline is typically your current salary and not what you earned doing some ad-hoc job.

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Post by eeeyam » Tue, 21 Feb 2012 9:54 am

Hello x9200. Thanks for your reply and letting me know of the details! University is Purdue which is in the same tier as GaTech/MIT for engineering. Position is within ICES. Internship wasnt Ad hoc. It was with one of the most famous scientists (they very well know this) in my (and this group's) field in the worlds largest pharma company. Now, do you think I could use this fact for negotiation? Thanks for your help!

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Post by x9200 » Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:39 am

It was ad-hoc in that sense that this was not your continuous, regular employment so that somebody was not willing to keep you for a longer term within the position paying you that much. Probably it is safe to mention it but it's a bit double edge sword - not everybody may see it as relevant to your current application. If you are talking to some HR officer he/she may not be the decision maker so whatever you tell, it will only be forwarded. If you know your future boss (or you should know in person at least one decision maker at this stage) you'd better talk to her/him and tell about your reservations.

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Post by eeeyam » Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:43 am

Finished talking to my potential bosses some time ago. Yes, they did acknowledge the internship and said they are willing to consider a raise in salary. Thanks for your support and practical advice!

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Post by samurai2012 » Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:38 am

eeeyam wrote:Finished talking to my potential bosses some time ago. Yes, they did acknowledge the internship and said they are willing to consider a raise in salary. Thanks for your support and practical advice!
Hi eeeyam,

I am in similar situation as you were. I just got an offer from Astar for scientist I and same basic pay as yours. I also feel this basic monthly pay is lower considering the expenses in Singapore. Could you please tell me your experience on negotiation? Did you write to the HR first? How did you get to talk to the bosses? If you want, you can email me - sum4(at)lehigh(dot)edu

Thanks.

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