₦airaland Forum

theone, I don't rely on hearsays as I work in the oil sector here so don't start quoting salaries that don't make sense.

theone, I know companies pay undergrads N7.5 million in naija, two of my friends even got better than that last year. If I did not know anything about Nigeria then you can come and start giving me those stories you want idiots to believe. I am very in touch with Nigeria, just even got back from hols so I know what I am talking about. How many graduates would earn N7.5 million. Try going to the jobs section of nairaland and see how many peope would be grateful for a job that pays N50,000 a month.

TheOne, I agree with that sage you have never lived in Nigeria to come up with those ridiculous statements. You claim that only 1% of workforce in Nigeria is not paid on time, go and ask state civil servants how often they get their salary. Majority of people earn N50, 000 and above, please go to the thread on this site that talked about average salaries in Naija. A lot of people think Lagos State is Nigeria, go and see how many people live in villages in other states and can’t afford a decent meal. I met some of my relatives a few years ago and when they told me about their life in the village, I almost wept for them. There are a lot of towns and villages in Nigeria that people cannot afford to eat three square meals, let alone go to a decent school. You see 18 year olds that are in JS3 and can’t even read or write thanks to the village schools they attend. I have found that a lot of Nigerians especially those that live in Lagos are quite ignorant when it comes to other states and towns. Ajegunle is heaven when you compare to other poor towns so please don’t come and start preaching of how you lived in Ajegunle and so were once suffering.

You think life revolves around Lekki and oil companies. How many graduates would get the opportunity to work in oil companies? You claim to have worked in Nigeria before coming to do a masters so please explain why you would settle for a £30,000 pa job here. Would that be because you don’t know better or because your work experience amounts to nothing here?  What areas have you been to in the UK that your flat in Lekki is better than? Lekki I believe is upmarket in Lagos so please compare your flat to an upmarket location in UK and don’t start using houses in Peckham and Thamesmead (no offence) as a standard for UK homes.

Who on this thread has compared working in ASDA to professional jobs in Nigeria? You make really ridiculous claims; I wonder how you came up with them.  For you to suggest that people abroad are corrupt because they come on visitor visas and start working shows the sort of people you know. Please don’t taint me with such rubbish because I live abroad. Someone also mentioned that Big Boys and girl holiday here and the ones that live abroad are hustlers. Nigerians won’t stop to amaze me, please define a big boy/girl? The fact that people come abroad to hustle does not mean that everybody abroad came here to hustle. I came to get a better education that Nigeria could never have given me and decided to stay back, how does that amount to hustling? I know a lot of people are doing very well in Nigeria, some even comparable to their counterparts in the UK but that does not mean that majority have it good.

Change of topic but since this thread is popular. There are internship opportunities for students studying in Ghana, Nigeria or South Africa for Goldman Sachs UK(travel costs would be covered). Please pass on to people you know who may be interested. More details at https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-33556.0.html

The application deadline is 31 January 2007. Please note that you must be studying at a university in South Africa, Ghana or Nigeria to apply to participate in this initiative.

Goldman Sachs Spring Internship
Program - The Africa Initiative
This program is for undergraduate students studying in Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa. If studying in a Ghanaian or Nigerian university, you must currently be in the first year of three year course or the second year of a four year course. If studying in South Africa, you will be in the second year of a three year course or third year of a four year course.

In order to provide program participants with an insight into our businesses and culture, program attendees will be flown to London to spend up to 10 days in our offices during April 2007. The program features seminars, divisional rotations, interesting assignments and a range of social events.

High-potential participants will be invited back to the firm the following year for an 8-10 week fully-funded internship during June/July 2008. The purpose of these internships are to identify strong candidates to whom we may ultimately extend fulltime Analyst offers in 2009.

There is a two-step application process - both stages must be completed:

Step 1: Apply online (www.gs.com/careers) and upload you CV and cover letter. Select Internship = New Analyst.

Step 2: Visit the Upcoming Events in Europe page and register using the "Goldman Sachs Africa Initiative" link
where you will answer two essays:

1. What are your key strengths? (300 words)

2. Why should you be selected for this program? (300 words)

The application deadline is 31 January 2007.

Please note that you must be studying at a university in South Africa, Ghana or Nigeria to apply to participate in this initiative.

http://www2.goldmansachs.com/careers/career_paths/internship_roles/articles/internship_roles_060426195111.html

Akolawole, I would gladly show you my P60 if only I knew you . I would like you to agree firstly that all fingers are not equal and everybody's circumstances would be different. As a decent person, you should at least be able to acknowledge that. You can't sit down and assume that all Nigerians abroad are suffering. Maybe in your time in your UK, you thought you had it good because everybody's idea of good is different. All these so called outgoings you mention, do you realise they don't apply to everybody. In my case, my only outgoings are my mobile phone bills and travel card. That means my take home is comparable to people in Nigeria who are working above graduate level.

I don't know if you have been following the news of bonuses at Investment Banks, I am sure a lot of the Nigerians working in these banks will be smiling to the banks when some fresh gradautes can get up to £80,000 in year end bonus so imagine what experienced staff would take home. If one of them wants to use his bonus to buy himself a nice car and you see it, you will probably say he got it on hire purchase. Please wake up, a lot of people are doing well in the UK.

Mypeace, your friend is a bouncer because he does not know better.

In answer to Akolawole's questions

1.95% of ethnic minorities I know work in such places. Go to all the top companies, you will see that they are a lot of Asian employees (who are also ethnic minorities) but less blacks. And it is because of attitude that black people are not there, they simply don’t believe they are good enough or they believe they would be discriminated against.

2.I don’t need to look far by going on TV to see how many killings occur in the UK, my father was killed in Nigeria or maybe you think they have reasons for killing people in Nigeria. None of my relatives have been killed in London so for me that is a non-issue. It might be different for someone else

3.Drug problem is one of the reasons girls turn to prostitution. At least I know the Ipswich prostitutes are drug addicts and use the money they get to fund their habits. That is nobody’s fault but theirs.

4.Paedophiles are everywhere even in Nigeria. Go and ask some young girls, some grown now whose driver, uncle or father raped or touched them indecently. The Nigerian society is such that the people involved are not exposed but that doesn’t mean it does not happen. At least they have sex offender’s register here, what do they have in Nigeria to combat it?

5.The people I know send their kids to private schools or public schools as they are called here. Even the worst school in Britain cannot be compared to the worst school in Nigeria. Why bring in quality of education when the comparison is between UK and Nigeria. Are you somehow trying to say Nigeria has better quality of education?

6.I don’t know how many people were happy with their P60. I know how much tax I pay so why should I be sad or happy when I see my P60?

7.Do you know there is tax system in Nigeria but thanks to corruption and Naija mentality, employees pay tax on very small incomes and claim the rest of the pay package is allowances(so they don’t pay tax on that)? You want to live in a society where everything works and you don’t want to pay tax. You want the income from oil to provide healthcare, good roads, transport system etc in Nigeria abi?

8.Am sure you are very smart, go and find out how much all those things cost. Congestion charge you pay when you drive into a specific zone. What does it have to do with anything?

9.I don’t have a child minder so I wouldn’t know how much it costs. People I know that have kids hire an au pair or bring someone from Naija.

10.It depends on how old my kid is. If they are old enough, I would let them go to the next building unsupervised. And I would probably be more worried in Nigeria.

big_bumper, if you check my earlier posts I mentioned that it depends on individual cirumstances. You are right, most people I know probably have age on their side as they came here straight after school so their circumstances are diff for someone who came here to do a Masters or possibly to seek greener pastures. My point from the beginning was that people have to stop generalising as not all fingers are equal. The fact that most people they know in the UK do odd jobs and earn small change does not mean that the same applies to all the Nigerians living in the UK/USA.

The same way I won't think that earning £30,000 as a grad is a norm in the UK, it is amongst people I know. I can only speak of my own experiences, I can't say how hard/easy it is for someone else living abroad.

@ big_bumper, am lost. What did I lie about? I responded to Chimze because he goes on and on about this £30,000(other threads)and I said I disagree because if as a graduate you can earn £30,000 then that is not the average salary. Obviously a grad salary should be the least salary someone should earn and that must mean it is not great. And I said £25,000 - £37,000 not £30,000.

But please tell me what I lied about.

Why you would want to compare the two is beyond me. London Business school is a world renowed school while Lagos Business is probably well known only in Africa(don't know). Personally, I think there is no basis for comparison.

Please note that I don't own my own company and so I don't have any vacancies. I can only provide information on getting a job. And realistically, it is almost impossible to get a job in the UK from Nigeria except you have a red passport.

Wow, I seem to have made quite a number of enemies. Please note I did not state what I earn, you can check my posts. I repeat again, someone asked me how many under 35's I know that earn up to £30,000 and I replied saying that people I know earn that and are way under 35. I haven't lived in America, I was only assuming that companies pay their graduates $80,000 which was why I said correct me if I am wrong. I don't care what graduates are paid in America, I was only making a comparison. You guys have made such a big deal out of the earnings which I wouldn't even have discussed if someone else hadn't brought it. I mean I put up links to substantiate my claims of salaries for grads so people don't accuse me of making up stories. I even did not add my company in the list because I already said what I earned was personal. Now you suggest that perhaps my mother who lives in Nigeria is a major shareholder in a fortune 500 company, I say amen to that for her. I wish she had that sort of connection so I did not have to work so hard to get my dream job.

I did not go to an Ivy league school but I went to a good school. I know that in America it is not as important as it is in the UK to attend a good school. In the UK, if the name of your school doesn't ring a bell with HR sorry no hope. The top companies visit only certain schools to recruit candidates and that is why I said it is important to attend a good school not necessarily an ivy league one. I learnt this the very hard way and since then I have passed on this bit of information to those who care to listen. Ask anyone who made the mistake of going to a rubbish school in the UK, they end up going to do a Masters at a top university or get stuck in a dead end job. It is not hard to get into a good school , it might be hard to get into Cambridge but I never said you need to go there, there are plenty of reputable schools in the UK.

This thread has made me realise what a funny world it is. If I told my friends that people are screaming because I said grads earn £35,000, I am sure they would laugh. Am not bragging or anything but it is a normal occurence for people I know and everyone of them has worked so hard to earn their jobs and they truly deserve it. I already started a thread for grads in the UK on this forum. As I said earlier, I learnt the hard way what education and career was about in the UK and I plan to get a website up and running (as soon as I can) with the help of people I know that have also managed to get it right so as to help others. I don't know all the answers but I have certainly learnt a lot form my job hunt and am not selfish, I want everyone esp Nigerians to do well. Please note that I did not come here to brag.

choco4life, sbucareer provided the link for the ratings of the universities, please check. I have never heard of schiller but I think Richmond is an American university based in the UK so it would not be on the league table. Don't know much about the school but if I were to make a choice between a school like UEL and Richmond, I would pick Richmond. Why, I am not really sure. Please I did not mean to confuse any body, don't start checking the rankings of universties when you want to apply. Its not all about rankings, just go to an established and reputable school. You could also try one of the universities in the Russell Group. http://www.russellgroup.ac.uk/index1.html

I have been a victim of a rascist attack before and it wasn't even by a white man but by a stupid Asian in response to mrpataki's question. I am not condemning Nigeria but it is only right to call a spade a spade, the country's problems are too much. Everybody says come and contribute to make Nigeria a better place but what has Nigeria done for me. It has failed me times without number despite being my home. Despite this, I am still willing to give when I wasn't given by doing what I can for the country. Someone has now said that I am passionate about the wrong things(money I am assuming) because I responded to another person's post about earnings. Let us be realistic, is it my teeth I will use to help Nigeria? If I plan to create 500 jobs in Nigeria, abi the guy would loan me money to pay their salaries. How many unemployed people are walking around the streets in Nigeria, some have turned to armed robbery, prostitution, the others are still waiting on God for a miracle.

I wouldn't advise anyone with a reputable job to leave Nigeria looking for greener pastures. I agree with Loverbwoy that it is down to greed people do that. Why would anyone leave a good job to go abroad? Maybe their job wasn't that good after all. On the other hand, if someone came here since they were about 16 to study then it is a very different case.

Most naija people I know in this jand don't want  to go to naija not because they are ashamed to go back but cause they believe Nigeria has nothing to offer them. I remember asking my cousin if she had plans of returning to naija and I can never forget her puzzled look when she replied "What did I leave there that I am going to collect"? And before you say she is suffering here, she is a doctor and almost all her classmates from uni in Nigeria now practice as doctors in UK, the Carribeans or America. What do you say of such a country that cannot even retain a small percentage of its own doctors because it has no opportunities for them?

I know a lot of people that have reached the peak of their careers in the UK and also know some that haven't quite made it and maybe they would be ashamed to come home(I really don't know). However, to suggest that most Africans here are ashamed to come home is rubbish. If you say many illegal immigrants abroad are ashamed to come home after being away for a long time then I MIGHT agree. I can't imagine staying in this country for 10 years and being ashamed to return home. It is not possible, what exactly would I be ashamed of? My achievements, my plenty degrees, my investments, my homes abroad and in naija etc. Really I am trying to think of something I would be ashamed of and nothing comes to mind. Please you all need to stop generalising.

jerrymania:
You are really a woman, so passionate about the wrong things and wrong ideas,

I agree am passionate about the wrong things. When I start talking about money/salary thats then you notice what I have written. When I said armed robbers killed my father and left me fatherless when I was 12 years and as a result I feel unsafe in Naija, why did you not comment? Why do you feel uncomfortable when I start talking about money which I wouldn't even have started if someone did not say people in the UK don't earn above a certain amount? Perhaps its because I am a woman. I have no apologies for what I am passionate about which is certainly not money.

Ask people that know me what am passionate about and then I am sure I would put even you to shame. My long term plans require me to earn a certain level of salary and if I can't earn that then I can't contribute to Nigeria what I want to, can I? Besides, I wasn't brought up to settle for less.

Ndipe, I agree. I would rather live in Naija with N5 million as opposed to living in UK on £25,000 but how many grad jobs would offer N5,000,000. And for me, safety and peace of mind is priceless. I don’t pay bills/rent in the UK(except for mobile phone bills) and if I moved back to naija I won’t pay bills in naija so for me the difference is minimal which is why I said in my earlier post that life is better wherever depending on your circumstances.

When I thought of moving back home, people told me Mobil would pay as much as N6,000,000 for a grad, others say it is a lie. When I go home this Christmas, I would do more investigations and if I like what I am hearing, who knows I might pack my bags home sooner. People are doing well in Naija no doubt but I take SERIOUS offence to people who suggest that because I live in the UK, I am suffering or not doing well. It is wrong to generalise like that.

You are right, no need for name calling but he called me a liar even when I provided him links. I’ll edit my post.

Did I not provide you a link showing what a company was offering its graduates? Go to the website of the companies I listed and check for yourself. Check McKinsey, Accenture etc and come back and tell me if the salaries I quoted are not correct. Don't come and argue blindly, come armed with facts. Typical Nigerian, I have given you proof that you are wrong but you choose to insult me instead because I don't agree with you. You said I should tell you how many under 35's earn £30,000. I knew you would come up with another story if I told you that all the under 35's I know earn £30,000 or more.

The same prospect website you quoted state on their website that According to the AGR survey, the median graduate starting salary for 2003 was £20,300, a rise of over 4% from £19,500 in 2002. The highest salaries were paid to graduates starting work in investment banking (£35,000), and the lowest to graduates in science, research & development (£18,500). This research was done in 2003 not to talk of three years later.

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/What_do_graduates_do__2004/The_graduate_labour_market/p!eLbdfF

How you want to compare Rolls-Royce that employs engineers to companies like Goldman Sachs that employs investment bankers is beyond my imagination. Please note that I did not say all graduates earn £35,000. I said the ones I know (including myself) earn salaries in the region of £25,000 to £37,000.

£37,000 is not alot of money but for a fresh grad at 21-24 yrs old it is quite good. I would assume that in America $74,000 for someone fresh out of university with no experience is reasonable. Isn't the typical graduate salary in America $50,000 - $80,000. Please correct me if I am wrong. And I mean fresh graduate, no masters and zero experience. Shell would not pay a fresh grad N6,000,000 in Nigeria except the person has some sort of experience and trust me the 6 milla is salary+ allowances. Two of my friends got offers from Shell this year from the careers in Africa UK and I think the package for new grads is about N4,000,000.

The difficulty in getting jobs is another story. I was responding to Chimaze who suggested that I was lying that grads can earn that much. In answer to mrpataki, am sure there is discrimination everywhere. Even in Nigeria, an Ibo man would rather give a job to his brother rather than give a yoruba man. The only thing I can say is in almost all the companies I listed, I know at least one naija person working there. So the way I see it, if they can get in I am sure others can. They certainly don't have two heads. Don't know how it works in yankee but I stress to Nigerians to try to attend the top universities here. The only discrimination I know preventing grads from getting top jobs is the universities they go to. You can't go to a chewing gum school and expect to compete favourably with Cambridge & Oxford grads. And you certainly don't have to go to Cambridge to get a good job but never settle for a relatively unknown school which a lot of naija pple tend to do.

chimaze:
Please somebody, I would like you to provide me with the name of companies in the UK that pays Grad. £25,000-£37,000.

Companies that can pay salaries in that region are:

Shell - least I have heard them pay a grad who joined them 2 years ago is £29000
BP -  £28,000 + £2000 relocation assistance (more if you have a Masters or PhD). (you can check their site it says so)
Investment Banks like JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, ABN AMRO etc  pay £30000-£38000 with a sign on bonus of £2000 - £10,000. The sign on bonus is your bonus for joining them. And the amount you get depends on what bank you join and the position. Lest I forget SOME grads can get bonuses in the region of £30,000 to £90,000 in their first year(aside from salary) depending on the bank and division.
Big 4 (KPMG, PwC, Deloitte and Ernst & Young) - pay £26,000 - £28,000 for London offices
Accenture - last year was offering grads £28,000 plus a sign on bonus of £10,000
Management Consultancies like McKinsey, Bain & Co etc  - £35,000

Chimaze, you can go on graduate job forums like doctorjob, ibtalk and see the sort of salaries grads get. A lot of these companies don't state on their websites exactly how much they pay grads but I found one for you. BNP Paribas, an investment bank is offering grads £35k to other which means that the least they would offer their grads this year is £35,000, I am sure some would be offered up to £40,000. (see link below)

http://doctorjob.com/Employer/View/EmpFactFileView.asp?intEmployerID=169&intAreaOfWorkID=0&intSystemLanguageID=0&params=5,0,0,0,,0,0,0,00000000,00000000,,a,0,0

Toshmann, I am not very familar with your sector but you can look into the NHS Graduate scheme. They get work permits if you are successful so I think it is worth a try. Link below, good luck.

http://www.bringingleadershiptolife.nhs.uk/apply-now.asp

chimaze:
@ SOMEBODY. Could you tell me the number of guys (under 35) that you know, who earns more than £30k? Why una dey lie lie? for Gods sake?

Plenty Guys in Nigeria are making millions every year, while you guys are in the UK deceiving yourselves that you are earning pounds. As I said before most Nigerians in the UK are living fake lives. They are walking around like if they own the world but they've got nothing.

As I said before "My eyes don open, you guys no go deceive me again".

Chimaze, I have no reason to lie. I am 22 years old and would like to tell you what I earn but I think that would be too personal but I would give you an idea. Amongst my friends and acquitances that I know that graduated last year and this year and have secured jobs(all in the same age range as me(22-24)), the least salary I have heard any of us earning is £25000. The typical range for MY peers is £25000 to £37000(as fresh grads). If you want, I could provide you a sample of the companies we work for and you can personally investigate how much they pay their grads.

If as a fresh grad you can earn £37,000, imagine what you could earn with 3 years experience. But then again I understand that I might think it is the norm because everyone around me earns well. It might not be the case for everyone but I speak of my own experiences. You say plenty guys are making millions in Naija, the same way I know people that are making millions in jand and also in naija. Personally, I think this thread should be renamed to "can you earn more abroad". There is more to life than earnings and I personally think that your location CANNOT and SHOULD NOT determine your success. Anyone can earn millions at home or abroad, I have seen it firsthand so I need no convincing that I need to move back to naija before I become successful or become a millionaire.

seeker:
Hello Somebody. We are very proud of them. When next you meet him, can you get some hair samples. Now, if I could just get this damned cloning kit to work.

I haven't met any of them. I copied those comments from a website or don't you know what excerpt means?

Proof that not all Nigerians abroad are cleaning toilets or earning £30,000 like people would like to believe. The link talks about successful Nigerians in Diaspora.

http://www.nigeriansinamerica.com/vbulletin/archive/index.php/t-212.html

Some excerpts are below:

Also Oba Nsugbe QC and Fidelis Oditah QC, Nigerian barristers in the UK who have achieved the highest rank in an area which in the UK is still very conservative and not very minority friendly

Femi Oyebode, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Birmingham and poet

Elizabeth Uwaifo, First Class from Oxford.Partner in London branch of Sidley Austin, Brown, top law firm

Lord Victor Adebowale, Chief Executive of Centerpoint, one of the UK's largest charities and member of the House of Lords

Mr Francis Chinegwundoh, FRCS, Consultant Urologist at St Barth's Hospital and President/Founder Black and Minority Interest group of the Royal Society of Medicine

His name is Kenneth Iwelumo. I hear he is the 1st Vice President, Investments, at Merrill Lynch. Yet he remains a pretty accessible guy. That's not a position you attain without knowing what you're doing in America. And his take home must be at least half-a-million, not counting the perks. He also works with and contributes to several charities developing and providing amenities to the deprived in Nigeria.

Adebayo Ogunlesi is his name, manages a $2.8b portfolio. He is listed in Fortune Magazine's prestigious annual Most Powerful Black Executives index. He is head of investment banking at the Credit Suisse First Boston. His # 7 rating keeps him above the likes of Oprah Winfrey. http://www.fortune.com/fortune/blackpower/snapshot/0,15307,7,00.html

Honey_pot is right, it is almost impossible to get a UK job from Nigeria.
@AfricaFace, it won't hurt to apply to the AMEC UK office and see if they take you. You obviously have an advanatge by being a current employee. Although I wouldn't leave my job at AMEC Nigeria if I were you till I get something worthwhile over in the UK. Good luck with it!!

Am glad I could be of some help.

chimaze:
For the most fortunate ones that have a good job:
Gross Pay is about £30,000.

Since when did £30,000 become what fortunate people earn. I know a lot of people that earn alot more than that. I don't consider £30000 a good salary so maybe that is where the differences in opinion come in. It is clear people think it is hard in UK because they reckon £30000 is good enough to earn. I don't think so, which means that I would strive hard to earn a lot more and therefore I can afford to save and still live a good life.

choco4life, I said Greenwich University is not a good school because it is not considered as one. It is simple as abc. The way banks in naija discriminate against state universities and polys is the way companies here do the same (although discreetly). Schools like Greenwich, UEL, LMU are very new schools and maybe ex-polys (not sure) so they are thought to be of low standards compared to the older unis.

Don't let it bother you if you have already started just make the best of your time there. But I believe it is important for Nigerians to do their research. Many jump on these schools because of the fees. I have a friend who just finished from an average school and he recently told me he wished he had listened to me and paid a bit extra to go to a top school. This was after he suffered discrimination in Nigeria for that matter. Even in Nigeria, I hear it is not enough to say you schooled abroad, it should be at a top school which Greenwich is not.

I don’t base my judgement on rankings alone; I also consider the reputation of the school. There was a year Guardian placed Middlesex uni in the top 20 and I would still have adviced people not to go there.
.

I think everyone needs to agree that you can achieve a certain standard of living anywhere in the world you choose to live. My problem with the people that say life is better in naija is that they support their arguments by saying people abroad are suffering and doing odd jobs. I think it is sheer ignorance and bias to generalise that people abroad can not do as well as their Nigerian counterparts. I do not do odd jobs and don't know any of my counterparts both abroad and in naija that is doing better than me. That is not to say that some of them are not on the same level as me but the way I see it we are all suceeding at whatever we do irrespective of our locations.

My favourite answer to these sort of questions is it depends. And in this case it depends on the individual’s preference and circumstance.