I would suggest asking for a market rate salary worthy of the position and degree that you recently received. If they agree, then fine. If they don't then move

I would suggest asking for a market rate salary worthy of the position and degree that you recently received. If they agree, then fine. If they don't then move on. In 2006 I had a mechanical engineering intern that worked for my company (manufacturing) about 10 hours a week. Once he graduated, he came to me for advice about which jobs he should apply for. At that point I had to choose between paying market rate or losing a guy that had the right talents and experience, who was already up-to-speed with our company processes. I decided to keep him, and doubled his pay to do it. He wasn't twice as good as he was the day before, but we were at the point where company growth demanded a full-time engineering presence and he was the best choice for the job. My other alternatives would have been to spend a lot of time recruiting to find another engineer that would need to be integrated into the company and paid market rate anyway. Perhaps I was underpaying him as an intern, but the workload he was given was not demanding and we were exceptionally flexible with his hours and schedule. We also financially supported his Formula SAE team at the University. He ended up staying for three years and then going back to school to get a PhD. As for your concern about being treated as an intern, don't worry. If they increase your pay they will certainly increase your workload and responsibility. After all, they are now paying for it. With founders leaving the company you could end up one of the most senior people in that division.