NUS Bachelor of Arts Fresh Grad Starting Pay?

[wern]

alamak salah. I realize this forum doesn't allow you to edit your own posts.

The main BO roles i'm interested in are basically how to go about starting a career from compliance or consumer banking..? (mainly roles that draw upon someone whose background is in corp. comms and marketing)

Originally Posted by theonethatgotaway

Hi everyone. I would like some advice and feedback, please. Kindly enlighten me. Please be as honest as you can/would like.

I graduated from NUS last July (year 2011) with a Bachelor of Arts (Pass with Merit) and am drawing a starting pay of SG$2300 gross monthly before CPF cuts. I am working for a non-government, non-profit organisation, environment industry, official working hours 0900 - 1730 hrs, 5-day work week as an Executive. I don't have prior permanent work experience, only did vacation and contract jobs prior to securing this current job, which is my first 'real' permanent job.

Is this a reasonable salary looking at my qualifications/experiences or am I being underpaid? Anyone else with similar qualifications? Care to share how much you're earning and in which industry? I have another job offer with a statutory board, but waiting for them to get back to me with the confirmed offer. They did not stipulate the pay yet although I am guessing somewhere quite similar, though longer working hours (0830 - 1800 hrs) and on some Saturdays too :-/

Thank you very much in advance for all your advice/feedback, and I greatly look to reading what you can share or have to say. Please kindly advice me. I really need some advice.

For NUS B.A. (Merit) starting pay for ladies should be around $2,900 in public sector. The starting salaries across all Division I appointments are roughly the same, although some organizations/Ministries do pay higher. But rarely (I dare say never) you would encounter any amount significantly lower than that, unless you are a degree holder but apply for a diploma position. That is a different story.

Based on my experience, you can accurately benchmark your expected starting salary based on Management Executive (MX) Scheme, or the Education Service Scheme. MFA, Mindef and the uniformed services will pay higher than average, so I do not compare with these to avoid over-estimation.

Link: Ministry of Education, Singapore: Teaching as a Career: Career Information: General Education Officer 1 Salary Scale

You can also visit the prisons.gov website and refer to the starting salary table for Home Affairs Senior Executive (HASE) appointment. HASE falls under the MX Scheme of service too, and it is a non-uniformed appointment. So it is a fair comparison for majority of job-seekers to use.

The Civil Service salaries for fresh grads can be trusted, because PSD will rely on annual statistics to revise the benchmark amount based on actual conditions in the private sector. They use a reliable but complicated calculation formula based on median wages for similar seniority positions.

Conclusion: $2,300 for a NUS grad (without NS) is definitely on the low side. Unless your company offers you other significant benefits which the public sector does not, you are not getting a good deal.

[mangogreen]

Originally Posted by wern

alamak salah. I realize this forum doesn't allow you to edit your own posts.

The main BO roles i'm interested in are basically how to go about starting a career from compliance or consumer banking..? (mainly roles that draw upon someone whose background is in corp. comms and marketing)

Have you tried? No harm just submitting applications. You'll never know.

On hindsight, compliance is not that difficult. From my own job hunt experience, I think global banks are more open-minded to take in people with various backgrounds than local banks. If you are sure those jobs are taking in ppl who studied corp comms and marketing, perhaps you can start doing internships relating to such job scopes. Having relevant stuff on your CV really helps.

[mangogreen]

Originally Posted by theonethatgotaway

Hi everyone. I would like some advice and feedback, please. Kindly enlighten me. Please be as honest as you can/would like.

I graduated from NUS last July (year 2011) with a Bachelor of Arts (Pass with Merit) and am drawing a starting pay of SG$2300 gross monthly before CPF cuts. I am working for a non-government, non-profit organisation, environment industry, official working hours 0900 - 1730 hrs, 5-day work week as an Executive. I don't have prior permanent work experience, only did vacation and contract jobs prior to securing this current job, which is my first 'real' permanent job.

Is this a reasonable salary looking at my qualifications/experiences or am I being underpaid? Anyone else with similar qualifications? Care to share how much you're earning and in which industry? I have another job offer with a statutory board, but waiting for them to get back to me with the confirmed offer. They did not stipulate the pay yet although I am guessing somewhere quite similar, though longer working hours (0830 - 1800 hrs) and on some Saturdays too :-/

Thank you very much in advance for all your advice/feedback, and I greatly look to reading what you can share or have to say. Please kindly advice me. I really need some advice.

First of all... what specific subject did you do? That's very important.

Secondly, what are your goals? Do you want to earn more or are you very interested in NGO stuff? If you're altruistic and enjoy the current job, nobody should tell you to leave, but if the underpaid issue is troubling you too much, then ofc you should find smth else that values you more.

Looking for the right job that fits your subj background is important, but what are your other selling points? How are you different from other ppl of the same degree? Your answers to these questions will be what set you apart from the rest. Don't just look at the typical industries ppl of your degree "should" be looking at, but where do you fit as an INDIVIDUAL with unique skills? If you lack those skills, acquire them. Speaking as a social science student from overseas uni.

dude mangogreen, this was 6 years ago, I think OP might have already figured it out ...