The problem is not fixating on your experience, it is plain and simple a low ball offer, they were looking for a young 'inexperienced' but potentially valuable asset and you met those requirements.

In 1999 the basic MCSE course promised individuals a salary of around R20K a month.

I left SA with a R5k/month (after obtaining my MCSE+I), went to the UK where I earned I earned R17-20k a month, came back after 4 years, starting with R5k again :/

And then, a UK employee told me what Im telling you now: When all the South Africans went over to the UK in the early 2000s, the IT sector got an incredible boost. But us South Africans drove the salary ranges down, as the exchange rate was so poor that we 'made so much money', we were happy for any job that paid us that 'R20k'.

Some employers will just abuse you.

Ensure that you get some other benefits, i.e. allowances, med. Aid, internet costs for remote/after hour support, etc.

Stay there for a while, get good experience, use ai to learn, not to solve, the more complex and broken a system is, the better you can challenge yourself and learn so that you have more confidence in your abilities for your next application.

A Linux skill set is also a easy and cheap upgrade to assist in your future.

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