Career as Teacher

Originally Posted by Unregistered

There are people who are GEO4 for 10, 12 years with constant C grades lol, and their CEP is low too

Stuck for so many years is it because haven hit ceiling yet? Will they only consider after you had hit the ceiling?

Would appreciate advice from seniors here. I'm a first year KP and I also got promoted to SEO1. I'm still finding my feet trying to understand my portfolio and yet I'm gonna be assessed against the veterans who already know their job very well and have been long in the school.

It seems that my ranking would be screwed this year cause there's no way my contributions and impact could outshine them?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Would appreciate advice from seniors here. I'm a first year KP and I also got promoted to SEO1. I'm still finding my feet trying to understand my portfolio and yet I'm gonna be assessed against the veterans who already know their job very well and have been long in the school.

It seems that my ranking would be screwed this year cause there's no way my contributions and impact could outshine them?

What KP are you? ST/SH. Either way, seo1 is your rightful job grade, if you do well, that just warrants a C+ at most. As this is your first year promotion, even if u screwed up, the ‘default C’ mechanism likely will save you. C+ in the first year of seo1 is unlikely.

Your true performance will be seen after next year.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

What KP are you? ST/SH. Either way, seo1 is your rightful job grade, if you do well, that just warrants a C+ at most. As this is your first year promotion, even if u screwed up, the ‘default C’ mechanism likely will save you. C+ in the first year of seo1 is unlikely.

Your true performance will be seen after next year.

C+ only… not possible to get a B in the first year? How to score a B then?

[Tinkermaster]

First-Year Promotion at SEO Grade
If this is your first year being promoted to the SEO grade, and depending on whether you are a Subject Head or a Head of Department (HOD), your ranking will likely fall between C and C+ since it’s your first promotion at this level. But you mentioned you are first year KP: Did you skipped the SH position and become HOD directly? (Example, coming in from HQ) because due to delayed promotions implemented these few years by HR, it is rare for first year SH to get SEO 1 directly unless you reach a particular age point. .

Going forward, your ranking will also depend on who else holds the same job grade as you. To illustrate, if there is a number of SHs in the same grade, they may not receive better grades compared to a HOD who typically holds a larger portfolio and more responsibilities. HOD at a SEO1 level will tend to get the better grades as they are doing a job role below the official HOD pegged level which is SEO2.

Shift in Ranking Expectations at Higher Job Grades
It’s important to adjust your expectations as you move into higher job grades like SEO. The "A/Bs" are tougher to get especially at the SEO level. In MOE system, there are also other senior roles such as Vice Principals (VPs) and Deputy Directors who may be SEO1s. Naturally, due to the demands of these roles, they tend to receive higher rankings. In schools, if you’re in the top third of your job grade, there’s still a possibility of achieving a B at SEO 1, but getting a B at SEO 2 is extremely challenging. As you rise in grade, even if you keep working hard, your ranking might still hover around C or C+ unless you’re involved in high-impact projects or initiatives.

Impact on Remuneration Post-Promotion
Be prepared for a potential drop in your total remuneration during the year of your promotion, as you may receive a C ranking. This could mean that your overall compensation for this year, including bonuses, may not surpass what you earned at the GEO grade with an A or B rating. However, a silver lining is that SEO grades tend to have higher bonus percentages (+0.5 compared to equivalent grades at GEO) but that applies from the 2nd year of promotion onwards. Keep in mind, though, that the final bonus amount depends on how your Principal allocates bonus points—two individuals with a C rating could receive significantly different amounts based on where which part of the sticks they are at.

Cross-Referencing Between SEO1 and SEO2
There’s also a concept called cross-referencing, where we assess whether SEO 2s are consistently outperforming SEO 1s in terms of job scope and impact. If their contributions are similar, SEO 2s may not receive higher rankings (such as B or C+). In that case, more B and C+ ratings could be allocated to SEO 1s. This cross-referencing process works similarly at the GEO level, but at that grade, there’s generally more flexibility and a higher percentage of individuals receiving A/B/C+ ratings.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

C+ only… not possible to get a B in the first year? How to score a B then?

SH at SEO1 will not get B unless you are covering HOD while being a SH. SEO1 is the rightful grade for SH. Much less to say getting B in the first year of promotion to SEO1 as SH. C would be your likely grade.

If you do some simple math, you will know the difference is little. For a GEO5 SH and SEO1 SH, the overall annual salary is almost the same.

B at GEO5 is 2.5 months, C at SEO1 is 2 months. It’s almost the same if you are at/near the GEO5 cap. The only difference is workload. SEO1 likely to be given 1 more comm or IC/2IC for extra comm. All in all, you don’t get paid for nothing one la. Higher money means higher work load.

Originally Posted by Tinkermaster

First-Year Promotion at SEO Grade
If this is your first year being promoted to the SEO grade, and depending on whether you are a Subject Head or a Head of Department (HOD), your ranking will likely fall between C and C+ since it’s your first promotion at this level. But you mentioned you are first year KP: Did you skipped the SH position and become HOD directly? (Example, coming in from HQ) because due to delayed promotions implemented these few years by HR, it is rare for first year SH to get SEO 1 directly unless you reach a particular age point. .

Going forward, your ranking will also depend on who else holds the same job grade as you. To illustrate, if there is a number of SHs in the same grade, they may not receive better grades compared to a HOD who typically holds a larger portfolio and more responsibilities. HOD at a SEO1 level will tend to get the better grades as they are doing a job role below the official HOD pegged level which is SEO2.

Shift in Ranking Expectations at Higher Job Grades
It’s important to adjust your expectations as you move into higher job grades like SEO. The "A/Bs" are tougher to get especially at the SEO level. In MOE system, there are also other senior roles such as Vice Principals (VPs) and Deputy Directors who may be SEO1s. Naturally, due to the demands of these roles, they tend to receive higher rankings. In schools, if you’re in the top third of your job grade, there’s still a possibility of achieving a B at SEO 1, but getting a B at SEO 2 is extremely challenging. As you rise in grade, even if you keep working hard, your ranking might still hover around C or C+ unless you’re involved in high-impact projects or initiatives.

Impact on Remuneration Post-Promotion
Be prepared for a potential drop in your total remuneration during the year of your promotion, as you may receive a C ranking. This could mean that your overall compensation for this year, including bonuses, may not surpass what you earned at the GEO grade with an A or B rating. However, a silver lining is that SEO grades tend to have higher bonus percentages (+0.5 compared to equivalent grades at GEO) but that applies from the 2nd year of promotion onwards. Keep in mind, though, that the final bonus amount depends on how your Principal allocates bonus points—two individuals with a C rating could receive significantly different amounts based on where which part of the sticks they are at.

Cross-Referencing Between SEO1 and SEO2
There’s also a concept called cross-referencing, where we assess whether SEO 2s are consistently outperforming SEO 1s in terms of job scope and impact. If their contributions are similar, SEO 2s may not receive higher rankings (such as B or C+). In that case, more B and C+ ratings could be allocated to SEO 1s. This cross-referencing process works similarly at the GEO level, but at that grade, there’s generally more flexibility and a higher percentage of individuals receiving A/B/C+ ratings.

Thank you for the very detailed response! I am an SH but I do appreciate you sharing about the possible implications and the differences between HOD and SH. Teaching is my second career, I worked in the private sector for 3 years before deciding to join MOE. So my age could explain why I get SEO1 despite being a first year SH.

Yes,the fact that there are HODs and even VPs in the same rank as me is something that I am well aware of. I guess my concern is that I'm not even gonna get a C but drop to a C- if I mess up along the way in this new role.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

C+ only… not possible to get a B in the first year? How to score a B then?

It’s hard to get a B, or even a C+, as an SEO1 SH as you are ranked against other SEO1s in your school and cluster who might be HODs and VPs.

However, this is compensated to some extent by how SEO PB quantums are one grade higher than GEOs. A ‘C’ SEO’s PB range is the same as a ‘C+’ GEO’s PB range. This also means that a high ‘C’ grade at SEO1 can get you almost the same quantum as a low ‘B’ grade at GEO5.

Originally Posted by Tinkermaster

First-Year Promotion at SEO Grade
If this is your first year being promoted to the SEO grade, and depending on whether you are a Subject Head or a Head of Department (HOD), your ranking will likely fall between C and C+ since it’s your first promotion at this level. But you mentioned you are first year KP: Did you skipped the SH position and become HOD directly? (Example, coming in from HQ) because due to delayed promotions implemented these few years by HR, it is rare for first year SH to get SEO 1 directly unless you reach a particular age point. .

Going forward, your ranking will also depend on who else holds the same job grade as you. To illustrate, if there is a number of SHs in the same grade, they may not receive better grades compared to a HOD who typically holds a larger portfolio and more responsibilities. HOD at a SEO1 level will tend to get the better grades as they are doing a job role below the official HOD pegged level which is SEO2.

Shift in Ranking Expectations at Higher Job Grades
It’s important to adjust your expectations as you move into higher job grades like SEO. The "A/Bs" are tougher to get especially at the SEO level. In MOE system, there are also other senior roles such as Vice Principals (VPs) and Deputy Directors who may be SEO1s. Naturally, due to the demands of these roles, they tend to receive higher rankings. In schools, if you’re in the top third of your job grade, there’s still a possibility of achieving a B at SEO 1, but getting a B at SEO 2 is extremely challenging. As you rise in grade, even if you keep working hard, your ranking might still hover around C or C+ unless you’re involved in high-impact projects or initiatives.

Impact on Remuneration Post-Promotion
Be prepared for a potential drop in your total remuneration during the year of your promotion, as you may receive a C ranking. This could mean that your overall compensation for this year, including bonuses, may not surpass what you earned at the GEO grade with an A or B rating. However, a silver lining is that SEO grades tend to have higher bonus percentages (+0.5 compared to equivalent grades at GEO) but that applies from the 2nd year of promotion onwards. Keep in mind, though, that the final bonus amount depends on how your Principal allocates bonus points—two individuals with a C rating could receive significantly different amounts based on where which part of the sticks they are at.

Cross-Referencing Between SEO1 and SEO2
There’s also a concept called cross-referencing, where we assess whether SEO 2s are consistently outperforming SEO 1s in terms of job scope and impact. If their contributions are similar, SEO 2s may not receive higher rankings (such as B or C+). In that case, more B and C+ ratings could be allocated to SEO 1s. This cross-referencing process works similarly at the GEO level, but at that grade, there’s generally more flexibility and a higher percentage of individuals receiving A/B/C+ ratings.

This is the most professional and comprehensive post. It makes so much sense.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

C+ only… not possible to get a B in the first year? How to score a B then?

Sorry to be a party pooper. A C or a C+ is a norm for SEO1 and above unless you are a super performer as an SH (different for HOD or VPs). The only exception, thus far, was a JC in the west that awarded my friend B the first year he was promoted to SH, and in subsequent years (he is still an SEO SH now). But then his boss was an infamous lady who would not rest until the SLs gave in. If you don't have a boss like that, be like the normal people lah... When you reach to the higher end of the salary range, you do enjoy a higher salary lah... Cheer up!