Civil Engineer 2yrs experience in Cork. What should typical salary be?

Chemical Byrne

Hi,

I'm a masters qualified civil engineer, with just shy of 2 years experience after graduating from a masters. If you add in 3 months the summer before and a placement in 4th year undergrad you could say 3 yrs over all. All experience is in consultancy.
I'm currently in a graduate engineer role. To be honest, I'm finding the salary pretty shíte and wondering if this is the same across the board or am I just with a tight employer. Of course I know the crash is still affecting the industry but in terms of actual work, things are bouncing back very well in intrastructure engineering, especially water.

What sort of salary should be typical for someone in my bracket? Are there many opportunities in Cork these days.

Personally I think if you are only being offered a graduate role with two year experience you are slightly being taken advantaged of, is there any professional development in your job are you on a path to get chartered with the help of your employer.

Have you straight out asked when your role moves on from a graduate role.

Chemical Byrne

I'm in my current graduate engineer role with nearly 2 years. It is a well known multinational consulting civil/structural/environmental firm. I really like the job and the projects I'm on but salary wise it's a squeeze. LOADS of people have left to go to Irish Water.

They are fairly pro-active with mentoring for chartership etc.

I suppose I'm basically trying to figure out if I'm being grossly under paid and if I should try to get a few offers from competitors to ransom them with?

Chemical Byrne

Chemical Byrne wrote: »

I'm in my current graduate engineer role with nearly 2 years. It is a well known multinational consulting civil/structural/environmental firm. I really like the job and the projects I'm on but salary wise it's a squeeze. LOADS of people have left to go to Irish Water.

They are fairly pro-active with mentoring for chartership etc.

I suppose I'm basically trying to figure out if I'm being grossly under paid and if I should try to get a few offers from competitors to ransom them with?

However it would be easier and more sensible to get chartered and use the fact that you have experience and are chartered to ask for more money in fact the idea of trying to ransom them by saying such and such down the road pays more is a bit silly at your level. Have you tried asking recruiters what they think your chances are and what money you could get.

Chemical Byrne

Perhaps.
Could you recommend any recruiters in the Cork area?

Any idea as to what sort of salary a 2 yr post grad experienced engineer ought to attract? I earned almost 20% more working as an undergrad on placement and I'm a bit pissed off.

Of course getting chartered is basically obligatory but that will be another year or 18 months down the road for me.

Does chartership offer any meaningful salary premium in your experience?
I've gotten the impression from some that, despite the fanfare surrounding chartership, it only results in a token raise.

I'm also lead to beleive there's a shortage of construction professionals materialising because everybody shagged off to austrailia and there are very few grads coming out.
Unfortunately I'm not in a position to be able to move beyond communing distance from Cork or Tipperary.

Outkast_IRE

The amount you should be earning can vary greatly from company to company.

For example I know the graduate starting salary for one of the world's most prominent consultant engineering companies based in Cork was 24.5k this year. On top of which there will be bonus, travel perks, pension contribution, institute memberships , which in terms of real value could see the package worth nearer 30k.

Some of the smaller companies were offering nearer 30k starting but it would be a straight salary with little benefits.

That being said the larger companies starting graduate wage is often set at a corporate level, and then annual pay reviews are used to recognise and boost the pay of graduates with previous experience.

If you have 2 years experience in the same role and you aren't getting reassurance there would be a bump in the next pay review then I would be looking around quietly for other work.

I don't know a lot about cork but surly you must know of recruitment company's yourself or can find out from colleges you are coming across a bit naïve about your work situation, you work for a large well know multinational consultancy who at that level will be ultra professional there is good cpd and monitoring to get chartered, and you want them to pay you more just because you think they should no other reason. Why do you think you should get paid more? and saying someone else down the road pays more is not a good answer.

Chemical Byrne

What you describe wouldn't be too far removed from my situation alright. Still, it's paltry enough. I love the projects and experience I'm getting but the remuneration in this "profession" is something that often makes me regret getting into it.

I did get a bump in the last 6 months but it was not anything substantial.
I am looking around as you suggest and have my name of a few panels for local authority vacancies that have substantially better salaries.
My plan initially was if an offer were to be made for one of those I would need to be getting substantially more again in the private sector as nedless to say, the demands of the job would be much greater.

Some people who have departed to public utilities recentluy were offered 5 figure salary increases and still departed.

Chemical Byrne

mariaalice wrote: »

I don't know a lot about cork but surly you must know of recruitment company's yourself or can find out from colleges you are coming across a bit naïve about your work situation, you work for a large well know multinational consultancy who at that level will be ultra professional there is good cpd and monitoring to get chartered, and you want them to pay you more just because you think they should no other reason. Why do you think you should get paid more? and saying someone else down the road pays more is not a good answer.

Well yes, I do agree with you. True enough there is a good mentoring and CPD programme where I am and there are a good few benefits such as travel and memberships too.

I suppose I'm just a bit pissed off of working 50+ hour weeks minimum on demanding projects and often being left to drive them with little oversight and with it working out at only marginally above minimum wage when it comes down to hourly earnings. it is frustrating.

I've been on to recruiters here but I'm wary of what they say. I just thought someone here might have some personal experience.

CrabieCrawford

The problem with gauging salaries for this is most jobs are advertised as "competitive". In relation to chartership, it doesnt seem to get a significant raise within the company, but probably worth more when applying for other positions.

Has anyone even got a ballpark figure or range for salaries?
I think ICE has a mean graduate (between 0-5 years experience) salary of £24,000 in Northern Ireland from 2013. I'm not sure if this is directly comparable though. That would leave the salary at approx 33,000 euro. Is this anywhere near the mark?