Starting pay for fresh grad?
 

Hi all, need some advice on what to expect/ask for my starting salary.

I will be graduating in May from NUS FASS, bach in English and i am currently going for interviews and will probably be receiving my first offer soon.

Some background, i am on the bubble in terms of my hons, so i'll either grad with 2nd upper or 2nd lower.

On the CCA/achievements side, I am quite active in the students' union(elected to office bearer positions) and have represented the uni and nation in a few overseas forums and summits to meet foreign leaders and dignitaries. Have also received top 10% cert in my attachments.

How much should i expect from either the public or private sector?

I should be negotiating on pay with a stat board and a government affiliated company on pay and i am unsure of how much to ask as I am really quite unsure of my degree that i will grad with. I am also in the final round of interview with a private mnc and I would like some advice on whats reasonable to ask for.

As I heard that in government linked orgs or stat boards they have a fixed pay scale based on the degree you have, can I use my CV to bargain? Haha.

The standard range to ask for is about 2.8k to 3.2k. if you're confident they want u, you can ask for more and yes, goverment sector have a standard pay scale for junior executive and senior executive. Any other higher position, i'm not sure.

gov sector will depends on wat honour u'll get considering u r fresh grad

private sector depends on the industry and what kind of job

for government linked orgs or stat boards, I've not heard of fresh grad from FASS successfully negotiating for a higher pay then what is offered.

alright, an offer from a "private" closely affliated to govt company doing some rm related work.

2950 basic. 15.5 months minimum. 200 increment after 6 months probation. transport and phone allowances.

Normal? Non negotiable apparently

yes, very normal. I'll accept it if the job is your interest.

Seems a tad low to me though, ministries are offering me higher. However, the lower paying jobscope is of interest to me.

but 400-500 less per month is quite a lot.

Think long term. Does the lower paying job offer good prospects? What I noticed about jobs in the private sector is that it tends to offer faster increments than in the civil service. It also opens up more job opportunities. The skills that you pick up in the civil service tend to be very specialised and you might have difficulties going into different industries in the future.

What kind of jobs are you considering in the ministries?

btw, I was in your position 3 years back and I decided to stick with the lower paying job and give up on the ministry jobs. (same like you the difference was ~$500). No regrets since. My pay now matches or is higher than my peers who chose the ministry route.