2303. Asking for $3,500 salary

Sep 21, 2015
Singapore has a very low unemployment rate as compared to Greece where it is said that 25% of the young people are unemployed. However, there is intense competition for business as rentals keep increasing every year and local employees asking for more pay and less work, preferably no work on Sundays and public holidays. Singapore appears to be going into economic recession as I notice more clients ask for discounts and delay treatment of their pets.

"My Chihuahua is 13 years old," one man said to me. "Unlikely to live many years. So, no need treatment."  But the dog could not pee and the alternative is to let the dog die from bladder rupture as the bladder swelled to the size of the  mango. The first vet had inserted a needle and withdrew some urine but the bladder continued to fill with urine. The dog just could not pee.

"Whether the dog is young or old," I explained. "If it needs treatment which can save its life, it must be done."  

The economy is bad but you will see that the Certificate Of Entitlement (government permit to buy a car)  of cars has not dropped. A permit is now around $60,000. "There are many rich people around," I said to a client who commented on this. The government is the one making the money and raising rentals amongst its own properties, increasing the cost of living every year. The private landlords raise the rent much more and so the government officers raise the rent too, but not to a greedy extent.

Yesterday, a  21-year-old new  polytechnic graduate with no veterinary experience asked me for $3,500 per month after the interview and tentative agreement of $2,000 and a one-year-contract. I was looking for a full-time veterinary assistant who can work weekends and public holidays and asked how much she was looking for. She said $2,000/month and for a one-year-contract. I was Ok with that.

She had been doing some weeks of paid internship to learn more about veterinary medicine. She wanted to become a vet.

I just cannot understand what made her ask $3,500. I just could not afford her and know that she would not be committed to work. I told her to shop around for employers who pay more than me as she will not stay long. She will be looking for jobs while working for me and there is a waste of time training her as a veterinary assistant.

Sometimes our impulse side makes us do things which are not realistic and honest. After gaining experience, we can job hop for a few dollars more.