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Originally Posted by Anonymous
I have given a lot of thought about staying on in Service. As to whether I will eventually make Director if I stayed on, I suppose that is anybody's guess and there is really no guarantee. There is a chance of course, but for most of us, it will take many years. Even for HiPos, my guess is that it is only possible to make Director when one is in his late 30s at the very earliest, to 40s. It is hard to tell as the Hipo scheme is still new (we don't even know if they will scrap it in the future). This is not taking into consideration attrition from the scheme, etc.
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I can't help feeling that you might be too pessimistic, or perhaps I'm just misinformed. But you are a scholar after all, and as long as you keep at it I can't imagine you retiring as only a DD if you stay on and work hard. You will attain your max CEP by early 40s, from a director I spoke to. Does the scholar tag not count even if you do not make AO?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Even if by chance one does makes Director, I'm sure you might have noticed that the Directorship of the key policy portfolios in most Ministries are usually reserved for AOs. Say, for the sake of argument one rises quickly and makes Director in his late 30s, early 40s, he has to remain there, and rotate around director portfolios within the Ministry, or sub-units for 20 over years because he can't move up any more. He will most likely rotate between HR, Corporate Services, Corporate Comms, etc. Is that acceptable? Even if the answer is yes, I suspect the golden handshake is merely a matter of time in the interest of the organisation's succession planning.
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I've worked at two ministries so far, and the roles for non-AOs don't seem to be as bleak as you described. I have come across many non-AO Directors who head substantive policy divisions - in fact AO directors were in the minority among these policy departments. What I saw did not make me worry about ending up in operations/admin-type divisions that you described, even if I failed to make AO.
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Originally Posted by Anonymous
I'm not sure about mx8 remuneration but I suppose 250k/yr is about right. Comparatively, an admin officer can reach ao9 in his mid-30s, and ao8 by late 30s or early 40s. ao9s draw ard 320k/yr.
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Oh I was saying earlier that an mx9, not mx8, could get 250k/yr. someone posted the monthly salary range for mx9 before, 11-16k I believe. Directors get larger bonuses since they're considered critical appointments if i'm not wrong, so assuming total 6 months bonus for a total of 18 months a year, the annualized mx9 range works out to be about 198-288k a year? MX8 would then be higher than this, of course. Heard the bonus structure from a director... Again please correct me if I'm wrong.
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Originally Posted by Anonymous
Probably where most people of my profile would likely choose to try out.  Just bite the bullet and do it, and see where it takes me. Try my best. If I screw up, so be it. Life is too short to sit around mopping about things.
Sometimes I think that the hipo allowance can only retain those who have already conceded that they are second best. I suppose there is nothing wrong with that. After all, it is wise for one to recognise his limits. I just don't happen to agree with this one, after seeing what I've seen.
Moreover, even if it is true that I'm second best, I think it would be fatalistic of me to concede this so early. It certainly wouldn't do me any good for me to lose my drive and fighting spirit at the start of my career. |
haha - let me guess - perhaps management consulting, if not a trip to business school first? For me I hope to get into finance if civil service doesn't work out, though policymaking is admittedly less transferable to finance than to strategy-type work. I'm already planning how to keep myself as transferable/marketable as possible throughout my bond. Maybe get CFA as you suggested, and try to get those relevant postings too. Also scrimp and save for a top MBA program if I need one after bond.
How much is HiPo allowance, if you don't mind me asking?