[jaycee]

Hi All,

I am currently in NZ on a student visa, but recently saw a job which fitted my skills (Apple Systems Admin) and so I applied.

I got a phone call today from the HR Manager - I expected some awkward question about my immigration status (cross that bridge when and if I reach it), but instead an even more difficult one - what was my expected salary (no salary range was mentioned in the job ad). As I have considerable experience in this field, the employer (an independent school in Auckland) wasn't sure they could afford me.

I fobbed her off with the fact that I hadn't worked it out, as it was difficult to compare UK and NZ salaries and therefore would be prepared to negotiate, and told her that I would not be expecting to match my UK rate (all true). She joked (I think!) that "$30,000 would do then", which I have taken as an indication that the salary they have in mind is better than that.

Now I have a voicemail form the IT Manager asking what my UK salary was. I've put off calling him back until tomorrow, so I could go over my spreadsheets, do some research etc.

I have an idea of a minimum in mind, but don't want to sell myself short or to price myself out of the job. The figure ($43K) is slightly below the average for IT Support jobs in NZ* and half what I earned in the UK, but I think would be enough for a reasonable standard of living - I had plenty of surplus income at home, and I have significantly lower outgoings here.

I have never been in this position before, so any advice would be welcome - is the figure I'm thinking of reasonable, or should I hold out and just say we'll discuss it if they invite me for interview? There are a number of other questions I'd like to ask when considering money. Does anyone has any idea of the salary ranges in independent education? In the UK I would expect this to be higher than the state sector.

Thanks!

*PS the most useful link I found for this info is
http://www.absoluteit.co.nz/absolute/absoluteweb.nsf/SalarySurveyResults?OpenForm
- may be of interest to others seeking work in IT.

[SarahEDH]

Jaycee, I vote for telling them you can discuss it later at the appropriate time. My situation was different in that a recruiter was in the middle, and she knew my prior salary, but I declined to be pinned down regarding "what will you accept". I told the recruiter, let's not discuss salary until there is an offer. I ended with a starting salary $15k higher than the first sum mentioned (this might have come out of the recruiter's margin -- I have no idea). Just my tuppence --

[eternalkiwi]

The potential disadvantage in this situation is by not providing an indication of your salary, (with the salary concerns the school have expressed) the school will write you off as not an option they can afford.

Salaries for IT support roles do vary and depend on your qualifications & experience and the size of the organisation and the scope of the role.

Personally I would look at around $50,000 as a starting point (especially in Auckland), starting too low with your strong background may create doubts for the school.

[wiki]

I'd tend to be cheeky and claiming the "foreigner ignorance" ask what the current salary ranges are in the department are versus the experience of those people to give you a better idea of where to gague your salary.

The figures they give, if any, might not be entirely accurate, but you would have an idea at least of how honest a future employer may be!

[Rizak]

I've gone so far as to make a spreadsheet to get an accurate number. PM me if you want a copy.

I just did my taxes for the year, so I figured out what my net income was. That is my base number for the amount I need to match. That's the only amount that I see, so that's the number I want to meet. (Come to think on it, that's even after my government pension amount is taken off, so my calculations should be higher.)

Then I reverse engineered the taxation in NZ$, including the amounts in each tax bracket and I came to some astronomical number that I know I'll never see.

I mean, I have 10 years of specialized experience that my potential employer is seriously looking for. However, I know that there are quite different costs for things there and I can't compare apples or oranges to kiwis. I'm hoping that my "outgo" ends up being considerably smaller there than here, but I can't say for certain. Interest rates are about double what they are here and I'd be spending a lot more on a house as well.

blah blah blah

Suffice it to say that I can't really give any kind of decent answer to your question, but my algorithms would make me ask for at least double what the HR manager jokingly mentioned as a starting salary. That's all based on MY situation and numbers.

YMMV.

[gil]

I would ask them what the salary banding is for that post. I found out from several recruitment agencies what would be an expected band for my experience, qualifs, type of role etc and got a wide range, but it gave me a starting point. I know someone on this forum whose husband is in IT and started on what they now know to be a c**p salary; that was raised after some discussion but he left for a better job (and better paid) after a year I think. Turned out the company were not great payers, but she syas make sure you don't sell yourself short.
I would also be inclined to ask what the anticipated salary is likely to be after a year and even after 3.

Good luck!
Gil

[eternalkiwi]

You might possibly gain some idea from job ads posted on sites like Seek & Search4jobs that are similar to what you have been offered.

After a quick look jobs on Seek, experienced system support/administrators ranged from $50-55k, (saw one for a larger organisation at $60k), with junior level roles around $35-40k.

Like you mentioned there is more to a remuneration package than just the salary and by explaining that you are interested in viewing the opportunity as a package rather than just the salary component, may possibly buy some time.

[Mal]

I would say don't go for below 45000 as some of the work permit options require that as a minimum salary.

[Ana&Steve]

You could try to find your job here
www.hays.com.au/salary/pdfs06/InformationTechnology.pdf
good luck with everything,
Ana

[jaycee]

Mal, yes that had occurred to me, and in the end that's the figure I gave. However I was unable to actually talk to the IT Manager, after repeated phone calls I eventually left a message on his answering machine. I didn't seem like an appropriate thing to do, but at least I got back to him. Thanks everyone for your replies - I'll let you know whether I get any further!

[jaycee]

I heard nothing more, and now find the job was re-advertised last Monday. No mention is made of previous applicants in the ad. I strikes me that if they're having trouble finding somebody, that looks good on the "couldn't recruit a New Zealander" front ;)

I'm thinking of phoning the HR Manager on Monday to ask if I should re-apply - they can only say "no"! Any thoughts?

[eternalkiwi]

They could possibly be still advertising and so there would be no need to re-apply as your previous application would still be valid.

I would recommend that you contact them as it would help your chances if you could speak to someone about your application rather than rely on messages to state your case.

Shawn