The volatility in Poly employment comes from having to play the politics with the lau chiaus who have been around a long time and need to maintain their "deadwood" life. All extremely beaurocratic.

If you can't get on, its not that easy to move from one Poly to another whereas you can move from one bank to another relatively easily or one manufacturing job to another. So, some end up unhappy for long periods of time.

Its not that you can't earn enough to retire on, its just that you will have a lot less than normal people with similar capability. The period in which many think about switching to Poly because of stress is in their prime earnings years. They may regret it later. MI is just typically 2-3 months for newer staff. Its the trade-off for an easier job.

Use the free time to start a business. Aim to stop working for others. But as with all things, it's easier said than done.

I am not a lecturer but just a secondary school teacher.If it is ok,let me offer my 2 cents worth.1st of all,a poly lecturer is deemed to have a higher social status than teachers in Singapore.Yes,as both myself and missus are both school teachers,I think the crucial thing is whether you find meaning in what you do.I do get discouraged frequently...my peers are earning 10 times what I earn and have higher prestige jobs.I dislike gatherings cos very often they ask what I do currently and the reply is "oh u r still a teacher....but it is a very 'noble' job".I think there is a lot of sarcasm in those words.It hurts further to see them in their mercedes,bmw,audis and their district 9 condos and houses.As teachers,I have learnt to lower my expectations in terms of material wants and social status.I am doing fine at the moment.I suppose making a difference in young lives is impt to me personally and I enjoy the interaction and teaching in the classroom.Can I afford to retire at 62?Maybe but maybe not.Nowadays young pple will only think of dollars and cents and career prestige when choosing their careers.Nothing wrong with that...but I am heartened by the fact that there is still a small grp of pple who choose teaching be it in schools or polys.I guess there is no right or wrong in decisions that we make but whether we can live with those decisions.Btw,there are pple out there who still think that teachers work only half day and are free the rest of the day.Perhaps if they have chance,do talk and understand the teaching profession a bit more before making sweeping statements like that.Cheers and have a great day!

There is no point associating with people who measure others' worth by the salary they earn or the job they do. But I find it incredible that your peers are earning 10 times a teacher's salary. They would have to be earning a million bucks, assuming that you are not an entry-level teacher.

How about administrative staff in a polytechnic? Is PAX 4 also the highest grade that most admin staff will reach?

10x is definitely exaggerating. Teachers can make 100k a year.

I have 8 years of teaching experience earning about $6k a month.Honestly speaking if not for the fact that my wife is also earning the same amount as me,I may struggle to keep up with the ever-increasing cost of living.I am already in my late thirties so my peers are very well established in their careers.Some of them are in the legal field (Duane Morris,a top legal firm in NY),running specialist clinics as doctors,one of them in the top of the civil service hierarchy and quite a few of them are successful business people.So,no I am not exaggerating at all cos I think you guys know the market rate of these successful pple.But I always tell myself not to compare cos there is always pple better than you.I am actually much happier and contented now that I have learnt to let go of certain things that are not so impt after all in life.

Depending on years of service and seniority,a teacher in Singapore can earn about 100k per annum but it will include the bonuses as well.Only a school principal can earn in excess of 100k per annum without all the bonuses thrown in.Not sure whether u guys agree with me but in Singapore pple do judge your career achievement as the most impt critieria as to whether u r 'successful in life'.They don't bother about your character,family work life balance,cultivating wonderful friendships.All they see is your outward facade...big car means successful career,etc.I remembered a classic reply from a friend who is working in shanghai,"Huh,teachers can afford to drive car one meh?"When I look back at it,i smile and shrugged my shoulders but at that time I was really offended.But life goes on....

When we compare annual income, it's always with bonuses thrown in.

6k x 2 and you are complaining. What about those who make below national average?