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Originally Posted by Michanne
I told them a bartender would consider that a bad tip and walked out.
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Haha, you have a lot of guts!
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Originally Posted by Perna
Hourly wages are different from contract/salary wages. The $11 to $14 sounds pretty good to me for a first job (I have bachelor degrees and advanced education) and a small company. With hourly wages, there is no negotiation, if there were going to be negotiation they would have done that when they were in the hiring process, asked you how much you wanted to make per year and then negotiated with you for how much they could offer and your salary would have been stated as $22,880 ($11 an hour x 40 hours x 52 weeks) and you would get a percentage increase/cost-of-living sort of raise or "step" increase, etc. You realize $14/hr. is $29,120, a pretty good increase for 6 months? Unless you are technically trained (a computer programmer, beginning engineer, architect, etc. can start at $55,000-$65,000+ for example), $30,000 for a business or liberal arts degree is pretty good I think.
I would do as Michanne suggests, get some good experience and move on in 2-3 years.
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Thanks for all the great info! I'm new to this, so knowing when a contract is appropriate is something I've been researching.
The 11/hr was, to me, a dramatically low rate because it was a probationary period. They had a bad experience with the last person and almost lost their main client over it, and so they were being cautious with a 6 month "trial" period. This is what I was told. I assumed that I'd get an
offer after I did well within those 6 months. Perhaps it was my mistake to assume that... gotta learn the hard way, I guess.
I am going to keep my ear to the ground just in case, as you and Michanne say. Funny, one of our clients told me he was leaving his job and asked if I wanted to apply to replace him, right in front of my supervisor! Unfortunately I don't want his job.
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Originally Posted by LaborIntensive
It can be exhausting but worth it. Good luck in the search and growth!
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Thank you for your story and encouragement LaborIntensive.
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Originally Posted by hvert
It's interesting that they emailed the new salary rather than discussing it in person with you -- I haven't run into that. Unless you are in an industry where contracts are the norm, I would not be surprised at the lack of a contract.
Unfortunately, at most companies, especially small ones, what you start out at usually has a huge bearing on your future earnings. This can be very limiting. Accepting a job, even an entry level job, at less than the market rate can mark you for your life at that company.
How much did you expect to be paid? Are there any benefits in addition to the wage? Could you get another job somewhere else and be paid more?
It's really hard to say whether or not the $14 is fair without knowing the industry or location. Where I live, that would be a fairly standard starting salary for a new grad, but we have crappy wages.
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I hadn't really thought of that. I hope that is not true in this case.
I work in a certified laboratory. I
run the laboratory alone (it is not the main office). I'm expected to market and expand our services as well as maintain good relations with current clients, process all the work that comes through, manage paperwork and equipment. I've been updating and rewriting protocols, improving our procedures, making new contacts, developing special projects, and working 12 hour days sometimes. It's very involved, and I've been
flying by the seat of my pants with a lot of it because I'm getting so little direction. That is what comes from being a really small outfit, I think. In a way it is neat the amount of freedom, but it's also stressful and hard because I haven't been in this particular business before. I was hoping for somewhere between 15/hr and 18/hr with all I've been doing... or at least an honest and open talk about what they can provide.
I don't get any benefits that I know of. This is part of the confusion with the email. I was expecting we'd talk about that type of thing after the 6 months was up. I get overtime at least. Maybe I should ask about sick leave/vacation. That might be a good start.
Thanks for your feedback everyone!
I'm starting to get an idea of how I might approach this - asking if I'm getting sick/vacation leave to open a possible discussion and keeping a lookout for other jobs; staying in perspective.
I'm still upset that this was emailed to me suddenly, like I'd already been here for years and was just getting a routine pay increase... but 14/hr can be tolerable if I can get some vacation and another increase eventually, and if not what I'm doing now gives me experience that can advance my career. That was really why I took this position in the first place, even if I had no idea what I was really getting into.