Pay scales

About

Here are a list of sites where one can query salaries in different countries and different professions.

MY TAKE ON MONEY: Unlike like so many others in Generation Y I try not to live outside my means, I save when I can and I know there are more valuable things in life than money. That said, in a world getting more and more expensive, money is important. I want to own a house one day and make sure I didn't waste nine years at university getting qualifications and proving my worth!

LAST UPDATED: 2019

Software Pay Scales

• levels.fyi - set to Google, just select your level.
• Glass Door, know your worth - pick your occupation, experience, location and get an estimate.

General Pay Scale Websites

• PayScale.com - select position (Postdoctoral Research Associate), years in field, country, education, etc. Seems quite accurate, but very slow to go through form!

Country and/or Postdoc Specific Websites

Many of these notes were specific to me when I was a postdoc (since then I moved to Google as an engineer), but you too might find some of these sites useful to decide your future career path - I've written a small summary of each.

USA

• UCSD postdoc info - includes info on benefits, 2010 rates and conditions for postdoc employees.
• Sacromento Bee State Salaries - a controversial site I came across which lets you search for anyone's salary (by name) in government or academia. Just type in their name or enter the place - currently it shows what they earned in 2007 and 2008.

Australia

• JCU lecturing - A lecturer with a PhD has a $69,000 p/a minimum starting salary - more if postdoc or industry experience (up to ~80F) (here). Probably should have taken that offer!

• UQ pay scales - IMB may not be the friendliest research institute, but as a postdoc I would be earning $62,800 p/a starting salary. Maybe I should have stayed!

Links

• List of countries by average wage - Wikipedia - interesting that Australia is 4th... in academia it's actually ahead of the US though.