THE DEBATE about careers in science surfaced again during National Science
Week. The two key questions which emerged were: is science worth doing as a
career, and are the pay and career prospects adequate? A survey that The
Daily Telegraph carried out among scientists found that the answer to the
first question was emphatically yes. Eighty-eight per cent of them would advise
today鈥檚 school leavers to seek a career in science. Yet more than two out of
every three scientists do not believe that their pay or career prospects compare
well with other professions.
Pay is always an emotive issue. Why some people earn more than others is
often the result of years of tradition. Logic cannot explain why some university
vice-chancellors earn nearly twice as much as the Prime Minister, or why British
Gas pays its chief executive an excessive salary. Demand for scarce expertise
can drive pay upwards for some groups relative to others. As an occupation
becomes more attractive or unemployment rises, an oversupply of applicants can
reduce the starting salary.
The teaching profession has, over the past 20 years, swung from being well
paid to badly paid and back again like a roller coaster. According to the
Association of Teachers and Lecturers, a newly qualified teacher with a good
honours degree now gets a starting salary of 拢13 866. Other careers may
differentiate between degree gradings during selection but teaching stands alone
in paying people with lower-class degrees less. The general scale rises to a
maximum of 拢33 054, and head and deputy teachers earn between 拢24
327 and 拢55 032 depending on the size of their school. But it is no longer
a simple question of starting at the bottom of the pay scale and moving slowly
upwards. Additional pay depends to some extent on extra responsibility.
Advertisement
The days when trainees moved up pay scales increment by increment,
irrespective of their talent or contribution to their employer, are over. And
pay bargaining on a national basis, where everyone from Penzance to John
o鈥橤roats in the same public sector occupations get the same wage appears to be
in its death throes.
The Civil Service still has a national pay scale鈥攁ccording to the
Institution of Professionals, Managers and Specialists, a scientific officer
earns between 拢11 600 and 拢20 255, a higher scientific officer
between 拢13 491 and 拢23 697 and a senior scientific officer between
拢16 650 and 拢29 986. Performance related pay seems set to be an
increasingly important factor. But with so many Civil Service laboratories now
being privatised, Civil Service pay scales apply to fewer and fewer. The
National Engineering Laboratory has been bought by Siemens, the National
Physical Laboratory is run by the Serco Group and the Laboratory of the
Government Chemist is being taken over by a consortium including its own
management and the Royal Society of Chemistry. From now on these organisations
will determine their own pay scales.
An analysis by the IPMS found that during the past year staff at the
NaturaEnvironmental Research Council received a pay rise of 2.3 per cent
including basic pay and bonuses, while those at the Met Office increased their
salaries by 3 per cent, and staff lucky enough to work for the Biotechnology and
Biological Research Council managed a 3.5 per cent rise. Principal scientific
officers canreceive up to 拢39 324 (outside London), senior principal
scientific officers 拢48 314 and chief scientific officers 拢55
802.
By contrast, in the NHS the most senior medical laboratory scientific
officers earn 拢29 137, while newly qualified scientists are on a scale
from 拢10 509 to 拢15 556. Trainee medical physicists receive between
拢14 500 and 拢15 800 with the main grade going from 拢17 160 to
拢30 900 and senior managers receiving up to 拢49 478. A survey by the
Association of Graduate Recruiters found that 11 per cent of recruitment
managers reported difficulty recruiting scientists, engineers and information
technologists in the latter half of 1995 and expected these skill shortages to
intensify during the current year. The average salaries the companies were
paying new graduates last autumn were 拢14 253 in industrial organisations
and 拢14 500 in service sector companies.
The most highly paid graduates, who work in consultancies and investment
banks, are able to earn up to 拢26 000 a year immediately after graduating,
but they account for only a small percentage of the total.
A PhD adds an average 拢2250 to a newly qualified graduate鈥檚 earning
power and an MSc 拢700. Employers seem to be prepared to reward graduates
whom they have come to know during sponsorship and sandwich courses more than
those they meet for the first time. Newly graduated sponsored students receive
starting salaries of about 拢500 more than other graduates, and sandwich
students 拢350. By contrast a first-class honours degree only merits
拢250 above the average.
For many scientists, a postgraduate degree helps to secure a place on, and to
climb up, the career ladder. A large proportion of those studying at
postgraduate level have to fund their own studies. The lucky ones get an award
from a research council or are sponsored by an employer. The Engineering and
Physical Sciences Research Council pays its research students 拢5190 basic,
plus an extra 拢350 if they are engaged on a collaborative project with
industry. The award goes up by 拢400 in each year of study. In addition,
industrially related students get 拢2200 from the organisation they are
working with outside the university.
Graduates three years into their careers averaged 拢18 500 in the AGR
survey, which is 45 per cent more than they earned when they first started work.
This is a high return compared with the average increase of 10 per cent enjoyed
over the same time by all full-time employees.
