Hi Nairalanders,

I'm a telecoms professional who intends to seek a position with any of these mobile operators: Etisalat, Zain, MTN and Glo.

I was wondering if anyone knows the salary structure or more specifically the salary range for the following positions/levels:
Specialist, Manager and Senior Manager i.e. for Technical/Engineering/IT department.

The information will come in handy during salary negotiation.

Thanks.

It depends on your field, this info is for sales people.
Etisalat is the highest paying telecomms coy(in the gsm sector)(though new and one cant say its tested and trusted in tne Nigerian market), followed by mtn(u can build your career here),then glo(no job security and its un structured)finally zain(also an excellent place to build a career).
Whatever decisions u take on a career move should based only on what the pay is, make adequate research about thye coy,and most importantly pray for God to lead you,he wont mis manage ur life,
cheers

sorry i meant to say whatever decisipons you make on a cereer move should NOT be based solely on the pay

VOM, thanks very much for the reply and advice.

Hope to see around again.

VOM:

It depends on your field, this information is for sales people.
Etisalat is the highest paying telecomms coy(in the gsm sector)(though new and one cant say its tested and trusted in tne Nigerian market), followed by mtn(u can build your career here),then glo(no job security and its un structured)finally zain(also an excellent place to build a career).
Whatever decisions u take on a career move should based only on what the pay is, make adequate research about thye coy,and most importantly pray for God to lead you,he wont mis manage ur life,
cheers

I quite agree with you!!!

VOM:

It depends on your field, this information is for sales people.
Etisalat is the highest paying telecomms coy(in the gsm sector)(though new and one cant say its tested and trusted in tne Nigerian market), followed by mtn(u can build your career here),then glo(no job security and its un structured)finally zain(also an excellent place to build a career).
Whatever decisions u take on a career move should based only on what the pay is, make adequate research about thye coy,and most importantly pray for God to lead you,he wont mis manage ur life,
cheers

Quite wrong information, actually.
Etisalat is not the highest paying telecoms company. You can get a good deal if you negotiate well, but that's probably for manager and above, though I doubt that happens anymore.

Glo may be the highest paying but they don't have a standard salary structure. Zain used to be the highest paying as at 3 years ago. Right now, when you evaluate salary and benefits, roughly speaking, MTN has the best pay package.

As per career building, right now none of them are in the career building phase yet. No single one of them guarantees a steady rise, certain salary increases, and of late, job security. If you're in the technical side of work, you may suffer a job loss due to outsourcing at some point in the not too distant future.

Peace.

AjanleKoko, thanks for the information.

Would you say that remaining in the technical side of telecoms isn't beneficial in the long term, especially after the operators have completed their network rollouts?

Frankly speaking, I'm not sure sef. This current credit crunch is surely going to affect further buildout, else you guys (subscribers) will continue to pay to finance new technology development, which will keep the jobs coming in the industry.
The way the industry works is, the vendors (ericsson, motorola, huawei, alcatel,nokia siemens, etc) keep evolving new technologies and push the operators to roll them out, irrespective of whether the technology is going to deliver on ROI or not. You can imagine operators paid the government US$150m each for the 3G licenses, and they've not been able to roll out any serious 3G service since 2006. Now whoever is paying all this money (in the case of Nigeria the Arabs mostly) are now trying to trim costs, and they are looking at outsourcing the network operations and maintenance to these same vendors. What it means for employees on the technical side is that a few of them will keep their jobs but will now work for an Ericsson rather than MTN, and will now probably earn more money and do 5x more work. But many will lose jobs.
Let's just pray that subscribers keep making calls.

Thanks once again. What do you say about a technical person making the transition to business process management in a mobile operator? Or an engineer taking up an MBA to remain relevant to his company in the long run?

Hmmm, well that was my story. I started out as an engineer with the value-added services team, later became a business analyst for billing systems, and ended up as a product/program manager in Marketing & Sales. Haven't done an MBA yet, hoping to enrol for an EMBA sometime in the next year or two.
It's good to start your career in the technical area, in somewhere that is in the core area, so you can have a good centrallized view of the whole ecosystem. Knowing when, if and how to move is the trick. I guess I was lucky, cos in my current job I enjoy all the exposure/priviledges that the engineers do, but do not have to be responsible for what they're responsible for. My technical expertise and indepth systems knowledge also makes me quite valuable in my current job.

All the best in ur job pursuits and hope u get a very good deal, and free calls too

Thanks.

Now I have a pretty good idea of how to remain relevant in the telecoms industry. My thinking is that one needs a combination of both technical and business skills.

@Poster,

I found that, working Nigeria, the best thing is to be much closer to the business, where there's much more scope for career progression. Being technical is unlikely to offer you all the opportunities for progression.

If I were you, I'd get an MBA from a reputable business school in Europe or North America. Good MBA's still hold premium in Nigeria. Combined with your technical background, you should be able to get a senior position, depending on your experience, as well as how you market and position yourself.

@joshO

That's very true. I do plan to do an MBA abroad to add to my BEng and MSc in EE/Telecoms. I'm sure with both business and technical skills, one can be in a better position to enter senior management in a telecoms company.

Actually I wouldn't put too much stock in an MBA.
Some global MBA report I was reading recently indicates that telecoms has the least value and use for MBAs.
As per actual work experience in Nigeria, I have a couple of guys who joined with MBAs from the UK and little work experience. They were started at entry level.
My point? Telecoms values experience more than any other thing. In fact academic degrees come a distant second. Not only Nigeria I would say, except if you're working in telecom consulting (Accenture, Detecon, T-Systems, Ericsson Consulting, and all those places).

Well said.

I do have substantial work experience in telecoms/IT so obtaining an MBA should be a differentiating factor, hopefully.

Don't wait to do an MBA.
You can join the fray now.

I'm not waiting to get an MBA before joining the fray. Actually I'm getting back into the fray.
The MBA stuff is something for the future.

Though u can get a free tuition mba. Check naijastudy.co.nr

So how much do they pay?? Can't some1 just save us this stress of sifting through these lengthy mails and provide us with the figures straight??

We need figures!! How much do they pay??

GoldCircle:

So how much do they pay?? Can't some1 just save us this stress of sifting through these lengthy mails and provide us with the figures straight??

We need figures!! How much do they pay??

@GoldCircle, pele!
Okay, all monies are in naira.

Entry Level: Generally these are call center agents. But can apply anywhere in the company.
MTN: ~2.5-3m
Zain: ~1.5-2m
Glo: ~2.5m
etisalat: 900k

Specialist:
MTN: 3.5-4.5m
Zain: 3m-4m
Glo: Not specified, can be anything.
etisalat: 3-5m

Manager:
MTN: 10m, car and other benefits can take it all the way to 12-14m.
Zain: This is tricky. Zain just killed their organogram, so there's no manager on the same hierarchial level as other telcos. But this is around 9-13.5m inclusive of everything
Glo: Not specified, can be anything. In fact there is no hierarchial structure in Glo. But managers can get anything between 6m and 25m.
etisalat: 8-14m. no car, and exclusive of medical.

Senior Manager:
MTN: 15-25m inclusive of car and medical.
Zain: 14m-20m, inclusive of car,exclusive of medical. I believe this is the level now referred to as 'manager' in zain.
Glo: Nothing like Senior Manager in Glo. Just like Manager.
etisalat: 14-21m. No car, and exclusive of medical.

Director/GM/CxO:
This one is across board. Can be anything from 25m to 50m depending on experience, negotiation skills, etc.

These are all starting salaries. There are some exceptions, e.g zain specialists earn anything between 3m and 8m, but generally speaking, if you can command an 8m salary, zain will probably offer you a manager cadre job.
Hope this will help somewhat.
P.S. I have worked in 2 of these companies since 2001, and have at various times been offered positions in the other two, so I know exactly what each and every one of them pay.

So how much do they pay??

I don't thing the salary scales are that structured, but can't say much for the telecoms industry. However, I'm aware of someone who had worked in an oil company in Nigeria for about 5 years, went to Cranfied to acquire an MBA then returned to a second tier bank in Nigeria. He was started on N15M per annum. Someone else in a similar position, with slightly more experience and an MBA from Imperial was started on N25M.

Given the way the global financial crises is playing out and considering that naij is not immune from the shocks, I suggest you start identifying the skills that may differentiate you in the future, be it formal or academic, and then set out to acquire them. I think in Nigeria of today and the future, you've really got to stand out to earn the huge salaries of the past.  During the boom years, mediocrity was allowed to flourish as many companies recruited enmass just for the sake of it (particularly the banks1) . Today, what we're seeing is a much higher scrutiny of capability.

joshO:

I don't thing the salary scales are that structured, but can't say much for the telecoms industry. However, I'm aware of someone who had worked in an oil company in Nigeria for about 5 years, went to Cranfied to acquire an MBA then returned to a second tier bank in Nigeria. He was started on N15M per annum. Someone else in a similar position, with slightly more experience and an MBA from Imperial was started on N25M.

Given the way the global financial crises is playing out and considering that naij is not immune from the shocks, I suggest you start identifying the skills that may differentiate you in the future, be it formal or academic, and then set out to acquire them. I think in Nigeria of today and the future, you've really got to stand out to earn the huge salaries of the past. During the boom years, mediocrity was allowed to flourish as many companies recruited enmass just for the sake of it (particularly the banks1) . Today, what we're seeing is a much higher scrutiny of capability.

Don't be mistaken. All the industries have some sort of salary bands that govern the pay. Of course there are exceptions like Glo, which can just break the bank and offer you just about anything, depending on chairman's mood. But in the case of your guys who came back with MBAs, one may have been offered a Manager or Senior Manager position, which falls somewhere in that 15m range for many of the new generation banks, while the other may have been offered an AGM position, which that 25m range falls somewhere within. You can ask them to confirm.

AjanleKoko:

@GoldCircle, pele!
Okay, all monies are in naira.

Entry Level: Generally these are call center agents. But can apply anywhere in the company.
MTN: ~2.5-3m
Zain: ~1.5-2m
Glo: ~2.5m
etisalat: 900k

Specialist:
MTN: 3.5-4.5m
Zain: 3m-4m
Glo: Not specified, can be anything.
etisalat: 3-5m

Manager:
MTN: 10m, car and other benefits can take it all the way to 12-14m.
Zain: This is tricky. Zain just killed their organogram, so there's no manager on the same hierarchial level as other telcos. But this is around 9-13.5m inclusive of everything
Glo: Not specified, can be anything. In fact there is no hierarchial structure in Glo. But managers can get anything between 6m and 25m.
etisalat: 8-14m. no car, and exclusive of medical.

Senior Manager:
MTN: 15-25m inclusive of car and medical.
Zain: 14m-20m, inclusive of car,exclusive of medical. I believe this is the level now referred to as 'manager' in zain.
Glo: Nothing like Senior Manager in Glo. Just like Manager.
etisalat: 14-21m. No car, and exclusive of medical.

Director/GM/CxO:
This one is across board. Can be anything from 25m to 50m depending on experience, negotiation skills, etc.

These are all starting salaries. There are some exceptions, e.g zain specialists earn anything between 3m and 8m, but generally speaking, if you can command an 8m salary, zain will probably offer you a manager cadre job.
Hope this will help somewhat.
P.S. I have worked in 2 of these companies since 2001, and have at various times been offered positions in the other two, so I know exactly what each and every one of them pay.

Abegee. I think u r highly misinformed and misdirected. Where do av MTN pay 2.5 entry level? Must be in dreamland or in another god's era. MTN entry level is less than 1.9m and the monthly take home pay would be less that 80k after tax. Please verify from any MTN staff.

True word! You really need to get your facts right as the figures posted are highly exagerated.

Etisalat you can say have a lot of money to throw around through mouth watering offers to woo staff from other telecom companies. Zain at the moment are even downsizing and outsourcing. Glo are in a world of thier own.

Please get your facts right!

No mind am!

ykush:

True word! You really need to get your facts right as the figures posted are highly exagerated.

Etisalat you can say have a lot of money to throw around through mouth watering offers to woo staff from other telecom companies. Zain at the moment are even downsizing and outsourcing. Glo are in a world of thier own.

Please get your facts right!

ayusman16:

Abegee. I think u r highly misinformed and misdirected. Where do av MTN pay 2.5 entry level? Must be in dreamland or in another god's era. MTN entry level is less than 1.9m and the monthly take home pay would be less that 80k after tax. Please verify from any MTN staff.

Dudes,
I may not be totally right about the MTN entry level. Considering that their call center staff there are mostly contract. However, there are Level 1 staff in other areas of the company asides from the call center (NMC for one). Ask your MTN staff friends (I hope they're not contract call center agents).
Recall I mentioned in my post that there are some exceptions.
However, I am dead-on as per the ranges for any of the four companies.
Like I said earlier, I have worked in 2 of these four companies since 2001, so I'm not talking second hand gist here. If you don't work in any one of these companies, just hold your peace abeg

Your comment about etisalat and Zain are laughable. You guys are outsiders reading newspapers, definitely not insiders.
For instance, Zain has not done any mass sacking or even outsourcing. Nobody has been laid off en masse, despite the various threats and proposals. Only the HR Director, Procurement Director, and 3 CxOs were laid off. Procurement Director has since joined etisalat.
If you're talking layoffs, know for a fact that more than 250 staff have left Zain for various reasons since 2007. Nobody was laid off en masse.
The proposal is under serious dispute by the board of the company, considering that ITS, the Lebanese company who the IT is planned to be outsourced to, belongs to the Group CEO of Zain, Dr Saad Al-Barak.

Who told you etisalat has money to throw around? Ask your friends in etisalat how much they're earning, if you have any friends there.
They pay well, but the pay is not more than the industry average. Take a very good look at the salary bands I defined before you start posting refutals.

peace.

Guy MTN no dey pay that kind money for call center.
After all deductions na 83k to 85k be them money.

As per etisalat it depends on your negotiations.

He's been in the system since 2001 as he said and i'm sure he knows better. . . . . .If you guys cant get your facts right then mum

lol
y not pray to get a job instead of all these RANTS

Hey,
Was in the telecoms sector in Lagos for close to 5 years before i left for my MBA here in England. AjanleKoko is spot on with his analysis about the salary structures, as that is the closest you can actually get to the real scales. Notice, i said closest and this is because on very rare occasions, you can get something that is outside those scales for certain positions.

Find below, the structure of salaries in Celtel (Zain) as at 2006 - 2008 or thereabout:

entry Level 6 : 2m - 3.5m

specialist Level 5: 3.5m -5m (To be honest, in October 2006, i was offered a salary of 5.8 million for this position but i did not take it cos that is when i was leaving for my MBA)

Manager Level 4 : 6.5m - 11m (here the 6.5m is without all the pension, health etc, if you include all that, it starts from 8.7m)

HOD L3: 12m - 18m (this is like an equivalent of senior manager)

One thing you guys have to understand is that it is very difficult to know the EXACT salaries scales of any company. These figures i have given are not absolutes - you can take my own experience as an example. Someone in HR in Celtel (Zain) gave me the salary structure above but when i was interviewed and i negotiated, i was eventually offered 5.8 million, which is 0.8million above the figure at the end of that particular scale.

@ ayusman 16 MTN entry level is less than 1.9m and the monthly take home pay would be less that 80k after tax.

Are you saying the tax rate in Nigeria is over 50%?