Pricing yourself out of the market?

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  1. #11

    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Back in Toronto now - after 10 1/2 years in HK
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    945

    Agree with KIA on all counts on this.

    Also assuming he's a Singaporean local, not to forget spouse's career and loss of income. And then when he returns to Singapore for good, his kids may have trouble fitting back into local school system, so he'd have to pay for premium schooling from his own pocket. Or,maybe the guy had no urge/incentive to move, so when the HH approached him, he just held out for a high figure that would make it worthwhile. Goodness knows what quality of conversation that headhunter actually had with the guy.

    Don't know about now, but ten years back and earlier, companies would generally find it pretty hard to lure married Singaporeans overseas because they and their families were too well settled into the local system and felt they'd be paying a very high price back home to leave it.


  2. #12

    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Cramped island
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    5,585

    maybe that was extreme, 25-->90.. but i do know of cases where u get more than double because you match certain of their profile..

    you won't even need alot of experience...

    i knew someone wiht just couple of years bkg experience being pried from sg to hk, and the pay increase was from ~30hkd --> 85hkd..


  3. #13

    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    HK Island
    Posts
    194

    same role with similar qualifications in HKG pays around 30-40 % more than in SIN (if headhunted, maybe more, but surely not ~250 % more)

    this would be the market rate (at least in accounting). if someone can negotiate more, great for him/her. but a jump from 25 to 90K (SIN-HKG) is by any means ridiculous (no matter if the candidate was headhunted or not).

    I agree with the original poster: a lot of overseas applicants think they can demand a premium for moving to HK which is quite flawed. HK is by no definition a hardship post (anymore) and living in another country is a value in itself that must be calculated in the total package. rather go for the bonus to get upside potential once you have shown your worth to the company.

    certainly you have more bargaining power if your company wants to send you or you are getting headhunted than if you apply for yourself

    Last edited by SalseroHK; 21-01-2006 at 11:10 AM.