PhD salary
 

Hi,

I am getting an interview for a job in an Singapore branch of a European-based civil engineering consultancy. I am sure that the will ask my salary expectation in the interview.

I just completed a PhD at a reputable university in UK (funded by a UK research council and my university). I did an MSc in another country in western Europe prior to the PhD. I only have less than 1 year experience, in a slightly different field though. How does multinational company in Singapore values postgraduate degree from good universities in Europe? Could anyone let me know what salary range I should expect? Can I get something around 4000-6000 ? is there normally allowance included?

Many thanks. Your comments are very appreciated!

If your PhD is relevant to the job, then 6k, else 4k. In SGD.

Why didn't you stay as a research fellow? Or become a Prof?

Generally, entry-level consultants here are paid around 4-5k SGD... However, as you're a ph.D holder, you may be able to rise up faster. Thus, the annual increment could be very high, possibly 20%, depending on your performance.

As an alternative, being a Prof. in Singapore certainly pays very well. Starting with Asst. Prof, you will be able to earn around 5K plus oportunities for paid overseas trip(s) for conference(s). In addition, if you're not a Singaporean, NUS/NTU will top-up the salary for you accordingly (as this $$ is supposed to be credited to any local professionals at up to 14.5% of stated monthly salary, thus u'll earn up to 114.5% of contracted salary, excluding bonuses. YES! Teachers/Professors in Singapore do earn bonuses!)

Cheers!

I heard Assistant Profs in SMU here make upwards of 8k every month.

Thanks for your responses.

In terms of salary and quality of life, is working as an academic in Sg more promising than as an engineer? Which will you choose between those two paths?

for most phds, industry is most likely going to be more lucrative. academia in singapore is quite lucrative but is hard to get [ i am from computer science so i find it competitive, but i do not know about your field]. plus , going into academia needs a different mindset which most phds may not have.

so, chose the area based on your ability and interest. in the long run, what you will earn and achieve depends on your ability. it may be better to be a good engineer than be a bad researcher. the vice versa is also true. good people will always earn enough to live well. though, phd does not guarantee to make u rich.

=) it's true that business school asst. prof, assoc. prof, and prof earn more than their peers in other school, whether SMU, Nanyang Business School, or NUS Biz. The reason is because without attractive salaries to lure these successful management Ph.D. holders or entrepreneurs, they may instead persur corporate career or start-up their own businesses.

However, knowing the thread starter holds a Ph.D. in a field unrelated to business/management education, I quoted a more generic earning of fellow prof in engineering/science schools.

Best of luck to your interview(s), and job-hunting!

Happy Chinese New Years to All \o/

Cheers!

A wise one. I do like research (teaching is so-so), but combining it with consultancy projects will broaden my knowledge on the field (rather than say...just working on one project as a research fellow for 3 years!). Unfortunately, it is often either one or the other. In Sg, is it difficult to move to academia after working for several years in industry(while keep writing papers during these years)?



"hard to get" --> do you mean research fellow or tenure track prof. position, or both?




Happy Chinese New Years!!!

"A wise one. I do like research (teaching is so-so), but combining it with consultancy projects will broaden my knowledge on the field (rather than say...just working on one project as a research fellow for 3 years!). Unfortunately, it is often either one or the other. In Sg, is it difficult to move to academia after working for several years in industry(while keep writing papers during these years)? "

I do not know how easy or tough it is to get into academia in Civil Engineering in Singapore. Clearly, in industry, people do not care about publications unless you are in some RnD lab. So you should be able to choose a path. You cant have everything. It seems you want a little of everything. Choose what your top priority is. If you want research, forget about permanent positions and money for now. If you want to be set and relaxed, take a job in Industry.

I Know that getting tenure-track jobs in CS is tough. I cant comment on Civil. I do not see any point in doing Research Fellow job unless u want to end up in Academia or you did not have any other options. Getting Research Fellow in Singapore is not tough in my opinion. But it is not worth it unless it results in a academic positions. Whats the point of doing RF in SG if u will be forced to look outside SG for faculty jobs.

I did phd in cs in singapore and joined industry. I do not have any interest in postdoc/academia. I also dont think I would have got anything in academia. So, in my view Clarity of goals is important. Confusion is bad. Be clear about what you want in the long run.

I suggest if u are considering postdoc, dont come to Singapore. Your choices will be limited again. If you are decided on Industry, its ok to work anywhere.

You are right.

Is Phd experience considered as work exp. if they are relevant to the job being applied, especially if the Phd is working on Prof's project? Similarly, how about research experience during MSc study?