Officer Role in Bank of Tokyo - Mitsubishi UFJ

Originally Posted by Unregistered

btmu gives out VB in june every year..every different from other local/non-jap foreign banks..

however the qualifying period is jan-dec of the previous year..which means there is a 6mth lag to bonus payout..

for the jap union increment..it will be in sept every year

yeah btmu is wierd, they pay the bonus in June but period of assessment is Jan-dec... Other jap banks pay in June but assessment period is their financial year ie April-March.

If you are under union you will likely get 13th month AWS + Variable bonus + performance bonus.

no when you hop you probably can't include your variable bonus into your salary package. Variable depends on the bank's performance and union's discussion with the bank. Anyway union staff are usually the lower ranks. Mostly assistant manager and above all not under union anymore.

yes i heard from my fren working inside that only those below AM will have aws..AM and above dun have aws..

anyway anyone working for other jap banks in singapore such as mizuho and smbc?

how's the culture there and how's the pay/bonus like?

SMBC rank structure abit different, AWS is enjoyed up to AM rank. Above AM then no AWS.

Among the 3 jap banks i think SMBC has the best culture, environment. They have bigger desks too. The majority >70% of people in BTMU sit bench style, one long row, only pc space and a little bit left and right. SMBC you get a big L shaped table.

Working hours BTMU and SMBC are quite similiar 9am - 6pm, SMBC has more dinner allowance, AM can claim $15 after 7 pm, and $20 after 8pm (AM and above can only claim 20 after 8pm). BTMU can claim $15 after 7.30pm for everyone.

Mizuho working hours are 8.30am - 5pm which is shorter then normal, but some departments have to OT and 8.30 starting is quite early and you cannot be late!

Annual leave SMBC has the most - 24 (the other 2 at 21), they used to be able to carry over 1 whole year too, not sure now still like that. Also their dental benefits unlimited.

SMBC's training HQ is in KL so you can to travel around for bank courses :P while BTMU and Mizuho's inhouse training are all in SG so no fun.

Jap bank pay/bonuses are quite standard, lousy increments but decent bonuses of 3 - 6 months depending on your department.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Lol the benefits suck compared to most under banks.

Annual leave 21 days: Local banks / foreign banks have 25 and above

Annual DnD held on a Saturday: Local/foreign banks have dnd on a friday and much better lucky draw / higher budget.

Medical : Must co pay $5, lousy panel, I found local / foreign bank medical better, some even cover your whole family / kids etc.

Dental standard

No flexible cash benefits like buying spectacles etc. Before the govt implemented paternity leave, 1 day also dun have, hamper also dun have.

But got small dinner allowance. Work after 7.30 can claim $15. Work after 8 can claim $20.

Rank structure is as follows:

Officer -> Senior Officer -> Assistant Manager -> Deputy Manager -> Manager -> Senior Manager -> Assistant General Manager -> Deputy General Manager -> GM

Think highest rank locals can reach is AGM. Assistant Manager in BTMU is equiv to a AVP in other banks.

Systems are quite shitty, alot of procedures and process. But generally work load is quite managable and majority of staff leave quite early either on the dot or by 7pm.

Bonuses are quite standard and decent 3 months - 6 months. Middle / Front office gets 4-6 months. Ops usually 3-4 months. Not bad. Yearly increment quite sucky

Career progression is quite standard. work 2-3 years dun screw up you get auto promoted to the next rank. Promotion increment about 8 - 13%.

Officer is usually for fresh grads etc. What department are you interviewing for? Is it a Singapore branch unit or a Tokyo head office unit?

Hi, I have a few queries:

i)Any idea how long it will take for a clerk(middle office) to reach the officer rank?

ii) How sucky is Yearly increment? 4-5%??

iii) After you joined the BTMU, is the progression based on experience or cert?

iv) When you mention Bonus of 4-6 mths, are you referring to VB, PB and AWS or just VB alone? and does the bank has VB, PB and AWS or just VB and AWS?

Thank you!

just to clarify, application for clerk role as I'm a Diploma Holder

Originally Posted by Unregistered

SMBC rank structure abit different, AWS is enjoyed up to AM rank. Above AM then no AWS.

Among the 3 jap banks i think SMBC has the best culture, environment. They have bigger desks too. The majority >70% of people in BTMU sit bench style, one long row, only pc space and a little bit left and right. SMBC you get a big L shaped table.

Working hours BTMU and SMBC are quite similiar 9am - 6pm, SMBC has more dinner allowance, AM can claim $15 after 7 pm, and $20 after 8pm (AM and above can only claim 20 after 8pm). BTMU can claim $15 after 7.30pm for everyone.

Mizuho working hours are 8.30am - 5pm which is shorter then normal, but some departments have to OT and 8.30 starting is quite early and you cannot be late!

Annual leave SMBC has the most - 24 (the other 2 at 21), they used to be able to carry over 1 whole year too, not sure now still like that. Also their dental benefits unlimited.

SMBC's training HQ is in KL so you can to travel around for bank courses :P while BTMU and Mizuho's inhouse training are all in SG so no fun.

Jap bank pay/bonuses are quite standard, lousy increments but decent bonuses of 3 - 6 months depending on your department.

your replies fare spot-on and very informative. i was from one of them and i didn't know i was in such a lucky and fortunate environment. i would have stayed there longer but career opportunities would always go to the japanese as first priority. some exceptions apply, like most HOD are non-Japanese. I prefer something that's less stable given my age. They like seniority there.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

your replies fare spot-on and very informative. i was from one of them and i didn't know i was in such a lucky and fortunate environment. i would have stayed there longer but career opportunities would always go to the japanese as first priority. some exceptions apply, like most HOD are non-Japanese. I prefer something that's less stable given my age. They like seniority there.

Correct. Young people should not start at Japanese banks, experience gained is quite limited. For younger or fresh grads should always try to get into one of the foreign banks, even SCB, HSBC or Citi would be good to give your CV a boost.

In Jap banks most of the key positions are held by the Japanese however one good thing is they will auto-promote you most of the time every few years since its a seniority thing.

I hope you didn't come from SMBC cos once you leave its quite hard to return. Their HR actively screens out ex-staff to prevent them from rejoining. Kinda wierd tho, most places welcome ex-staff back with open arms. If you wanna join SMBC in the future you will need the dept head to request to interview you, if not your cv gets dumped by HR.

Originally Posted by unregistered

Hi, I have a few queries:

i)Any idea how long it will take for a clerk(middle office) to reach the officer rank?

ii) How sucky is Yearly increment? 4-5%??

iii) After you joined the BTMU, is the progression based on experience or cert?

iv) When you mention Bonus of 4-6 mths, are you referring to VB, PB and AWS or just VB alone? and does the bank has VB, PB and AWS or just VB and AWS?

Thank you!

i) Probably around 4 - 6 years. Cos you have clerk - special grade clerk and maybe special grade 2 or something like that ranks. Please go take a private uni degree while working as it will boost your promotion rate to officer much quicker. Uni grads enter as officer straight away regardless of their dept.

ii) More like 3-4%. Maybe if you pay is super low they may give you 5% since 5% of like $1800 is only $90 lol.

iii) For clerk rank you have AWS. Excluding AWS, operations staff get usually ~3 months consisting of VB and PB together. AM and above do not have AWS, they usually get 3-4 months of VB and PB. Marketing depts usually 4-6 months.

in the japanese' eyes, once you leave them you're considered a traitor.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

i) Probably around 4 - 6 years. Cos you have clerk - special grade clerk and maybe special grade 2 or something like that ranks. Please go take a private uni degree while working as it will boost your promotion rate to officer much quicker. Uni grads enter as officer straight away regardless of their dept.

ii) More like 3-4%. Maybe if you pay is super low they may give you 5% since 5% of like $1800 is only $90 lol.

iii) For clerk rank you have AWS. Excluding AWS, operations staff get usually ~3 months consisting of VB and PB together. AM and above do not have AWS, they usually get 3-4 months of VB and PB. Marketing depts usually 4-6 months.

Hi, thanks for all the kind replies. Appreciate it a lot!

i)4-6yrs... i wonder if it's worth the wait... yeah, it's special grade clerk.. the designation definitely doesn't attractive.. haha.. upon promotion to officer, isn't the work generally the same? are most private degrees recognised in BTMU?

ii)I heard there's 2 increment a year? one is annual increment, the other is inflation increment... so your pay would be reviewed twice a year?

iii) I have actually been offered a sales executive role in a manufacturing company. Pay is $400-500 more than that of the special grade clerk role in BTMU... I wonder if the bonus from BTMU can cover the loss in salary... Any idea what's the average VB like in a manufacturing company?