SINGAPORE: A man who graduated with an honours degree from an overseas university opened up on an online forum about his current job situation.
He revealed that despite his academic achievements, he earns a modest S$2,600 monthly working for his uncle.
Providing context to his role, he explained that he helps with customer service and project management. He also does some admin work from home—working seven hours a day, five days a week.
He then asked others in the forum, “Is this underpaid? My uncle says I’m learning the ropes quickly, and I’ve taken on a lot more responsibilities since I joined 6 months ago.
I’m wondering if I should ask for a raise, and if so, what would be a fair pay?”
In the comments section, many agreed that he was being underpaid and taken advantage of by his uncle.
They argued that he deserved a salary of at least S$3,500, especially considering today’s median salary for fresh graduates is around S$4,000.
One user noted that S$2,600 was what fresh graduates made 18 years ago, which made him curious about the young man’s career ambitions at his uncle’s company.
He wondered if the young man saw himself moving up in the company, maybe even taking charge someday, and what kind of salary he might expect then.
He added, “Most of the time, working with family is great as you can be quite relaxed while you learn the ropes.
If you’re going to hang on for another year or so, you can note this experience down in your resume and use it to your advantage. Good luck.”
Another user explained that working in a family business is always tricky because you can either end up being underpaid or overpaid.
He then said, “This is typical of family run biz… If the business is like one of those multi million worth kind, and you have the future prospect of taking it over, then up to you to see if you wanna risk it out for another 20 years before they hand it over to you.
But if your intent is to jump back into the workforce, better leave asap.”
On the flip side, others disagreed and argued that the man isn’t underpaid because he has an admin job and works from home five days a week.
They pointed out that administrative roles are often considered among the lowest in a company’s hierarchy and sometimes don’t require a university degree.
A few even suggested he might be overpaid, especially considering he works “shorter than normal hours.”
One user added, “Your job scope is just simple admin work and it’s a family business. You’re probably being paid at the top of the pay scale already.
Unless you can become a director or something it’s best to move on because you’re not learning much from just doing general admin work.”
Another commented, “6 months already, asking for a raise doesn’t feel right. Maybe you want a salary correction instead but that should have been done in salary negotiations, not post commencement.
Customer Service and Admin are pretty generic responsibilities that you don’t need a degree for.”