15% pay cut from private sector to teach in Polytechnic

I am crossing the 40 soon myself and thus is also looking for a final career switch that can last me through retirement. There is only a few program chair, managers, snr managers etc so if lecturers are not suppose to be on PAX3 grade and PAX4 is the max that they can go, we will have a lot of lecturers hitting PAX4 max salary range by mid 40s. How to go on for 20 years without further increment? Is funny that the statsboard, while wanting to attract good mid career ppl to join them and yet offer renewable “contract” appointments and lower pay than private.

Parking is free suggested that you are not from RP as parking is chargeable at RP even for staff.

[fuzzyjas]

By the way, part time work is subjected to approval of the polytechnic. What are the success rate of such approval?

Originally Posted by fuzzyjas

By the way, part time work is subjected to approval of the polytechnic. What are the success rate of such approval?

as long as you are a good lecturer, you can usually get the approval to teach at night. that's what i did when i was at TP, but it's only an extra 10k a _year_.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I am in my 40s. I am not saying I will teach till 65 but the stability here allows you to plan way ahead. With the new salary scheme, MI is largely performance based (incl. PB). I would not want to divulge the sum but it is relatively comfortable. Of course can't compare with the legal and finance industry where 10 month bonus is common.

As for PAX 3, it is largely reserved for management staff that you mentioned. There are remnant lecturers on PAX 3 (cross over from old scheme) but these are very senior staff who are reaching retirement age. Henceforth, teaching staff are not privy to PAX 3 as I understand. Most staff are on contract and there is no difference between the perm and contract staff in terms of benefits etc. The quantum of pay per annum is on the average side.

Having mentioned the above, there are other intangibles. Good staff are sponsored for Masters programme etc. I do enjoy the interaction with the students and the industry. I was previously from EDB and while I can say renumeration here is not the best, it is nonetheless comfortable. In anyway, parking is free and canteen food is cheap!

If your consideration is mainly on pay, poly is not for you. Here it can be likened to a passenger plane and not a F-15 fighter jet. Slow but sturdy!

wats ur previous appt in edb?

I think you are discerning to state that many staff will hit the top of scale in mid 40s. However, the salary scale is subject to review to tag it to prevailing market conditions. I am not sure when is the next review but there is such a clause (ie. subject to review).

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I think you are discerning to state that many staff will hit the top of scale in mid 40s. However, the salary scale is subject to review to tag it to prevailing market conditions. I am not sure when is the next review but there is such a clause (ie. subject to review).

They have done 1 review in about 2 decades. That's as good as almost never.

Right on and the adjustment was min compared to the old scheme but blended with 50% leave reduction. Is more like adjustment for leave reduction rather than adjustment for market rate. Just like the income ceiling to buy new HDB is stagnet for many many years but price have inflated many folds.

[curryrice]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Private manufacturing companies are in the constant change of moving jobs in/out of Singapore subjected to cyclical demands and adjusting the size of workforce according to business needs. If you not in Director / HOD Positions, you may have trouble finding Engineer and manager level job from 40 to 45 years old onwards if you are given the golden handshake or have to quit your job for whatever unforeseeable reasons. Reason being younger guys can do your job cheaper, better and faster. Not sure how many ppl agree with me but from experience, I have ex principle engineers/Managers applying for Snr Engineer job and I just couldn’t hire them due to higher pay and also fear of them moving on to any companies that willing to give them more.

Manufacturing, especially Electronics manufacturing is a sunset industry.

The ceiling for PAX4 is around 8k. I thought that is pretty decent even for someone in his 40s isn't it?

Coupled with bonus of 15 months, you are looking at 120,000 per annum. That puts the lecturer at 91.5 percentile of someone who's 45 years old according to MOM data.

So I am curious actually, why someone said earlier that a lecturer isn't going to have enough for retirement. I mean, 120,000 per annum isn't the highest salary in the world, but it isn't low either.

[fuzzyjas]

you may get more than that as a Manager in the private sector about age 40....but the point is 40s means you still have 20 years to go. If you already hit ceiling, you are going to work year after year without increment. How's that for motivation? Correct me if i am wrong but to go up to PAX3 and open up the ceiling, there are only a few appt you can move up to....