postdoc salary in A*star

[SPFS]

Check your letter of Offer for the term "Special Payment For Foreign Staff (SPFS)", which is applicable to foreigners on Employment Pass, instead of the CPF which, as mentioned above, is for Singaporeans and SPRs.

If it's not included, then you're not getting any . . .

 

[It's in the details]

Dear OP,

Singapore is a popular place for postdocs because the compensation is pretty much the best in world (the research is quite good but there are only a handful of internationally recognized groups). Unless things have changed drastically, your stated pay is just your base monthly salary. You are also entitled to annual bonus payments and a substantial housing allowance (it will cover a good fraction of a 2 BR condo nearby). In addition, foreigners will receive a lump sum payment at the end of contract in lieu of CPF. This amount can be quite substantial. Summed up, the amount is about double what American postdocs get in the US (or triple what foreign postdocs get in the US if paid off the advisor's grant). Check with your HR person regarding these details.

Singapore is becoming very expensive to live in, especially if you have a family. Really great for single postdocs or postdoc couples but you will have to take a hard look if your spouse does not work. That being said, it might be much worse in other places like the US, Australia or Europe financially.

OP, have you accepted the offer?

[learner]

Hi fellows,

How to negotiate with HR/employer to increase salary and other allowance? Any tips?

[depends]

It all depends on how good you are. If you have a good track record, you will find it easier to negotiate. If you are just one of many with ok backgrounds, then you won't get far.

Life is like that.

[Raftos]

Hi, let's continue!

I got a similar offer from A*Star as OP's without housing subsidy. I'v got 2.5 years postdoc experiences and a few papers. Is it common to a postdoc in A*Star?

Thanks ahead!

[fellow]

I think foreign postdocs on this board are totally missing the point - A* is self-sufficient - it generates its own supply of postdocs/fellows from a very elite and growing pool of PhD students and have actually more than enough applicants for the positions being advertised. Singaporeans who have PhDs from Harvard, Cambridge, MIT, UCSF, Karolinska etc come back in droves every year and the PIs are obliged to offer these postdocs jobs BEFORE they can consider an equally-qualified foreigner - this is because the Singapore scholars must service their employment bond, and A* is required to employ them if a position is available. This is my two cents given we have just interviewed a German-educated postdoc thinking of moving from the Salk with 5 years experience, and have an A* candidate who has just come out of Oxford, first-author on several high IF papers, patents, the works. The A* student knows she's guaranteed a job and is taking her time responding, hence the poor German has to knuckle down and wait for the Singaporean to say no. Foreigners would be well advised to bear in mind that if it's a good research group they're joining, then the financial remunerations must be tolerated, because they need to find a job more than A* needs to hire them. On the other hand, agree with one of the PP who say that there are only a handful of good groups. Academic research does not pay, no matter where you are, however in A* we get pretty good benefits (compared to my other workplaces in Australia and the UK) and at least in my institute, a lot of professional guidance and mentoring. I haven't regretted my decision to come yet, but I may have just been one of the luckier few (nb my PI is also a foreigner). Also note: A* has very strict legal policies regarding confidentiality during salary negotiations. If you're going to post all the gory details for goodness sake don't post your name as well!

[redacted]

I think foreign postdocs on this board are totally missing the point - A* is self-sufficient - it generates its own supply of postdocs/fellows from a very elite and growing pool of PhD students and have actually more than enough applicants for the positions being advertised. Singaporeans who have PhDs from Harvard, Cambridge, MIT, UCSF, Karolinska etc come back in droves every year and the PIs are obliged to offer these postdocs jobs BEFORE they can consider an equally-qualified foreigner - this is because the Singapore scholars must service their employment bond, and A* is required to employ them if a position is available. This is my two cents given we have just interviewed a German-educated postdoc thinking of moving from the Salk with 5 years experience, and have an A* candidate who has just come out of Oxford, first-author on several high IF papers, patents, the works. The A* student knows she's guaranteed a job and is taking her time responding, hence the poor German has to knuckle down and wait for the Singaporean to say no. Foreigners would be well advised to bear in mind that if it's a good research group they're joining, then the financial remunerations must be tolerated, because they need to find a job more than A* needs to hire them. On the other hand, agree with one of the PP who say that there are only a handful of good groups. Academic research does not pay, no matter where you are, however in A* we get pretty good benefits (compared to my other workplaces in Australia and the UK) and at least in my institute, a lot of professional guidance and mentoring. I haven't regretted my decision to come yet, but I may have just been one of the luckier few (nb my PI is also a foreigner). Also note: A* has very strict legal policies regarding confidentiality during salary negotiations. If you're going to post all the gory details for goodness sake don't post your name as well!

You say there are "elite" hordes coming back but there seem to be quite a few posts about jobs being offered. Why is this so?

[fellow]

it comes down to understanding the scholarship culture. once a student has a singapore scholarship, he doesn't need to jobhunt - he is 100% guaranteed a job because the gov must ensure he completes his employment bond. so the scholars go into a different type of applicant pool with unpleasant double standards. the job ads are always up there because obviously not all the scholars have the right intellectual background, or those that do aren't returning at the right time, but the scholars are also smart enough to give their potential postdoc supervisors a 'heads up, i'm coming back in 18 months, save me a spot'. in other words, if you have the perfect CV for the job and want it enough, be 'kiasu', apply before the next crop of scholars graduates. i'm also not saying that A* is anti-foreigners - not at all - it's teeming with us. however like all other academic RIs worldwide, competition for postdocs is stiff, science salaries will continue to be a joke, and if, as a foreigner, the pay package is something you're prepared to lose sleep over, then also be prepared for the packs of graduating A* scholars who under their parents roof and for whom S$4000 is just money in the bank.

[Rajaratnam]

That pay is based on the assumption that you are from India or China.

[Baffled]

So what is the point of this high education if the salaries are so low?  At what point would the post doc get to cash in on all that high learning? 

[Jili Yee]

I came here our family of three with the total salary SGD 5800 from SGD. It's proven nightmare to cope with my monthly expenses.

For a family of four you atlest need 8500 SGD to breath!
I hope you understand........it's nice looking in pictures of Singapore.....reality is very different...