Filipino VA’s all have an idea of what their ideal salaries should be, the above average salary. They have been working for quite a while, it’s usually the upper middle range of that industry’s salary spectrum.
But remember what it was like when you got of college? Better yet, when you received your first part-time paycheck? We had an idea of the extremes: what the big boys were making, and what the starter salaries were for entry-level grunts. What we wanted to make was something higher than the entry-level grunts, most likely double than we would have gotten stocking shelves at our summer job.
They know how much is their rates
Recent Filipino graduates are no different. They have an idea on what the big boys are making, but not quite an idea of the price they should be asking for. In short, something higher than starting, and double their monthly allowance.
City kids know how to negotiate
For Manila kids, the above average salary sweet spot for undergrads is 16,500 PHP ($370.00). Other big city kids, like those in Metro Cebu, will most likely want 14,000 PHP ($315.00), while those in smaller provinces will be happy with 10,000 PHP.
The number is above minimum wage for most cities, but still cheaper than most call center by $50-$100. Apparently, a lot of kids would rather take the cut than getting yelled at by irate customers. (Price of sanity, perhaps?)
The psychological threshold is P10,000 – anything lower than that is considered crappy pay. Plain and simple.
This figure applies to a plethora of industries: architecture, engineering, business, accounting, and even medical degrees: nursing, medical technicians, and psychology majors.
Those with graduate degrees will naturally want higher pay, an above average income, though it’s not uncommon for brand new associate lawyers to get $600-800 a month. This number is just for recent graduates. Those with more experience will not start for less than these amounts.
Of course, the more experience you have, the higher your pay gets. The typical raise is $50/month per year, and more once you get promoted.
