Need advice on choosing between A*star and Lonza
 

Hello brothers and sisters, I really need your advice on this.

I am currently working less than 6 months in NCC(National Cancer Centre) and I recently applied for two new jobs. A*star IMB has offered me back with 3.1k basic for 3 years contract but expects me to work one of the weekend every week. I applied as a manufacturing biotechnologist in Lonza and I heard great benefits and additional bonus to the monthly pay because of shift work. Their shift work is work 2 days, off 2 days, so at most around 40 hours per week as compared to A*star. They are paying my friend something like 2.6k basic + 500 bucks transport allowance and additional money like 400 bucks for day shifts and additional 700 bucks for night shifts. So their potential money is more than A*star. I have sent my resume to Lonza last Monday but they have not contacted me for interview and I only have until this friday to reply back to A*star, what should I do in this situation? My qualifications is only a private degree, Bsc(Biomedical Science) from Uni. of Bradford, gotten from MDIS.

PS: I really hate having to work 6 days a week in A*star as compared to 3.5 days in Lonza.

Thank you so much for reading and I really appreciate all the help I can get. Thanks again and have a nice day! :D

u nv state wat position at a star n ur current post at ncc, how to advise

lol, sent out resume only but talk like alrdy got the offer.

ask A*star for extension of deadline (give a fixed date or ask them give u a date), and hopefully by then u have some news from lonzo... if not, jus take A*star if it is a much better option compared to ur current job.

Im not saying i got the offer already but i merely stating the possibility. Thus, im not sure if its worth delaying a star for this chance. I apologize for not stating the positions. My current one at ncc is research tech, one i applied at a star is research officer and the one at lonza is manufacturing biotechnologist. Thank you once again for taking your time to input your advice, it will really help me a lot since i just started in the science industry.

Move on
 

Take up offer on astar only if it is better than your current one at NCCS. Not sure how it compares? That one you have to decide on your own.

If Lonza really does call you up for an interview and offers you, you can then quit astar and move on again.

My advise is to accept the current offer too, because you'll never know if Lonza will give you an offer. Only when Lonza offers you a position, then you decide on your next move.

Is the condition at NCC really bad such that you're considering to leave after 6 months? Because if NCC is your first job, my advise is to stay a year or 2 at least, else you'll look like a job hopper.

Considering long term, my advise is to try to shift out of life sciences/biotechnology. Because it is true what they say, without a PhD, you cannot go far. Plus the industry does not pay very well compared to other industries. I'm a life science graduate myself.

Yeah, NCC is really pretty bad right now. Our lab's turnover rate is high because of low pay and high amount of work days, some of my colleagues work 20 days in a row sometimes. You are right on the part that life science or particularly research area itself doesn't pay well if you dont have phD. That is why I'm really hoping to get Lonza since my friend whose already working in there told me of the prospects that they can climb up the management level without phD. I think the highest I can go if I stay in research is a senior research officer and not in any management level positions(which pays more).

If you dont mind, may I ask what job are you currently doing right now? I'm also hoping to shift out of life science.

I'm in civil service now. Not the best option but at least it's a step away from research. Not many options too in the first place.

Similar path
 

Hi,

just to share my 2cents.

I started working in Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in Feb 2002 as a Management trainee after graduating overseas. Working hours are pretty standard from 8.30am - 5.30pm but work life as management trainee sucks big time as I need to attend 3 management meetings per week and minutes taking is really time consuming and tedious.

After 5 months, I throw in the towel and moved on to a hands-on engineer role in A*STAR Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology. The pay increment in A*STAR is pathetic at the time of post-911 and SARS. Bonuses are generally not that fantastic, typically with the good performers getting the most 1.75 months bonus. You will receive your usual 13th month AWS. After staying for 3 years and 2 months, I move on to teach in a polytechnic and my pay jump as public service tends to tag your pay according to years of experience + NS.

Since then, I have made my tours in govt agencies and govt linked company and after 10 years, i decide to move out into the private sector. My monthly basic salary has went up as much as 35% (based on last drawn salary in govt) after 2.5 years of private sector work life.

My advise to you is to take on the A*STAR role and used that Research officer role as a stepping stone to move out to something different after 3 years or so.

Hi there, thank you so much for your input and experience.

*An update on the situation, Lonza called me for an interview and said it will take at least around 2 weeks to get the results. I have already told A*star I will be signing their contract next week and my Lonza interview is most likely next week as well.

The thing about A*star right now that I really don't like is the 5.5 days work week compared to the "work 2 days off 2 days policy" by Lonza since the position at Lonza as a manufacturing biotech is to do shift works which is the part that helps pay much more than what A*star is offering me. So technically Lonza requires me to work 3.5 days per week versus A*star's 5.5 work days. At the very same time, I am very concerned with the prospects of each company. Since Lonza's position allows me to climb up the management level such as section/department manager, I am sure it will definitely pay more than A*star a few years down the road as A*star most likely promotes according to qualifications and the highest I can reach in there with a degree is Senior Research Officer.

I will go more indepth with the difference in pay of both companies so that hopefully I can get more advice from you lovely and helpful people. A*star as I mentioned is giving 3.1k, Lonza will give around 3.1k(including transport allowance), however they add premium bonus monthly if shift work is involved, like 400 additional for day shifts, 700 additional for night shifts, OT is payable in Lonza and not in A*star.

So I really need advice on how to stall the signing of contract for A*star and hopefully get news fast from Lonza after my interview next week. I already emailed A*star and asked when is the latest they require me to start work and if its possible to sign on the first working day as well.

Once again, thank you all very much and I greatly appreciate all the help I can get.