How do I ask for more money?

Closed Thread
  1. #1

    How do I ask for more money?

    Hello everyone.....this is my very first post on this forum so please be gentle with me.....I have been following Geo-expat for a while now and most people on here give fantastic advice, so I was wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction.

    My wife and I arrived from the UK last year.....she has a great job & i am on a dependants visa.

    This week I succesfully landed a great job after going through a recruitment process.....obviously I am overjoyed that I have gained employment in my area of expertise.

    Problem: I am due to start in 2 weeks time...At the third interview, they requested I filled out an A4 paper, which required address etc etc.....nothing official they said but they needed it just for their files.... on the bottom was an area that asked what would be the minimum money I would accept...I filled in the min I was prepared to accept at that point.....I did not want to also put a ridiculous amount, as this may have excluded me from potential employment.

    They have now come back to me and said there are quite a few additional hours to work each day & everyother Saturday, together with quite a few additional responsibilites. I am due to negociate my package next week, but obviously now the job parameters have changed together with the additional hours.

    I do not want to offend my new employer, but I feel I must ask for more money.....nothing has been officially agreed yet with regards to my renummeration, and no papers have been prepared yet.

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    14,486

    Just say that the role has changed since you first applied and that you would need to change the minimum salary you'd accept stated on that form.

    And work out a figure that's worth your time and effort, Don't accept a few extra k a month either.

    Sounds like this is a teaching role?


  3. #3

    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Kent, England
    Posts
    6,697

    As it's still open to negotiation I think it would be OK to state that you were unaware of the extra hours involved and that working 2 or 3 Saturdays a month deserves a liitle extra cash. It's strange they didn't mention this before though, like at the interview?


  4. #4

    Wow....very quick responses from Jimbo & Satay Sue - THANKYOU to both of you.

    To answer Jimbo's question...no its not teaching. Job is Project Managers role for an HK company.

    I will be the only " European ", to work for the company. The majority of the companys accounts are in Europe and the USA which they are expecting me to travel quite often. My wife is very supportive & has no reservations about me doing the job.

    Hi Sue - yes they didn't mention it at interview.....

    I need to be asking for at least another 30-40%. Could I say that the figure I placed down was a " net " figure and if no additional perks are offered eg. health insurance, bonus, etc.

    Thanks again...


  5. #5

    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    6,302

    Hey...have you worked for a HK company before? They really like to low ball the salary, and you just have to know where you stand. There isn't really a standard of pay for particular jobs as it really varies by company. When I first talked with a company, they said one salary, offered much lower, and then I told them this is my minimum amount and just said that I have bills that I have to pay. It took quite a while (months) to get an offer at a higher salary, and in the end I ended up getting more than I asked for. So never worry about the number you wrote, that number is yesterdays news and today is different. That is how I look at it at least. I wouldn't look at jobs as opportunity and it's ok to make less, you still have to get the salary you want or you won't be happy, often it seems to me that jobs project one image of what you are doing and one job title, but in HK companies, it seems as though you have one title, and you are now the expert in everything and they will try to get you to run around like an animal, working overtime, etc. Know where you stand (your views, etc.) and don't be afraid to stick up for yourself.

    Good luck.


  6. #6

    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Posts
    1,835

    Just like in the movie Jerry McGuire you scream "Show me the money!!!" at them until you get your money.

    Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using GeoClicks Mobile