Recruitment Tip: Why School leavers should not expect high paying salaries for entry level or junior positions.

School leavers should not be expecting high payment salaries for entry level positions for a several realistic reasons:

1. Lack of Experience

Most school leavers are only just entering the workplace and haven’t yet developed the real-world skills or work experience that many higher-paying jobs require. Employers often pay more for proven skills and a experience, as well as qualifications.

2. Entry-Level or Training Phase

Entry-level roles are often designed to be learning opportunities. Almost similar to on-the-job-training, while still being paid a salary. Employers expect to invest time and resources into training new hires, which is reflected in the lower starting pay. It’s like getting paid while still learning the ropes.

3. No Specialized Skill Set Yet

Higher salaries usually come with specialized skills—accounting, design, project management, Business Management, finance, etc. School leavers haven’t had time to develop these properly yet, unless they’ve done learnerships or side projects.

4. Proving Value Comes First

Most employers reward value. Once a new hire shows they can perform well, contribute meaningfully, and grow in their role, there’s usually opportunity for salary increased and promotions. But that proof often comes after some time on the job.

With this said, school leavers shouldn’t be discouraged to apply for entry level positions. The more you learn on the job, and the more you are exposed to the workplace and learn new skills, the better the chance of you being offered a salary increase. However, be mindful and realistic when applying for entry level or Junior positions that does not offer the high salary you might be expecting. Everyone has to start somewhere.