regarding the salary in US...

[Cm Ananth]

Hi.

I have 5 years experience in java/j2ee with the working experience in swings, servlets, jsp, EJB, XML, JSF, Weblogic portal 7.0, and struts With the telecom domain knowledge. I have SCJP certification too.

How much salary i can expect in US if im coming through some consultancies. One of my friend's sister is doing the body shopping for reputed companies in US and she said the companies will pay only 60K per annum for 5+ experienced guy.

I would like to know from you guys, how much i can expect with my current skill sets ?

Please consider this as urgent, based on you guys answer i need to decide my career.

Thanks in advance.
[ January 04, 2008: Message edited by: Bear Bibeault ]

[Joe Ess]

First, Ease Up. Every question on JavaRanch is "urgent". At least to the person asking it.
Next, punch in "salary survey" into Google and you will get any number of web sites with salary data.
60k seems low for an experienced native-US Java programmer (location, actual experience, domain knowledge, job responsibilities are some of the variables). Salaries for H1B workers will be lower.

[Jignesh Patel]

Yes She is right. You do have less experience moreover, on H1 people usually gets low pay then the people with GC or Citzen ship.

[Mike Isano]

the whole point of hiring H1B is foriegners are willing to work for less. You shouldn't be shopping around for the best pay.

[Jignesh Patel]

Originally posted by Mike Isano:
the whole point of hiring H1B is foriegners are willing to work for less. You shouldn't be shopping around for the best pay.

No, the point of hiring H1B candidate is lack of skilled people in US.

[Eric Lemaitre]

Hi Jignesh,

No, the point of hiring H1B candidate is lack of skilled people in US.

In theory yes, this is what industrial lobbies say.

In practice, absolutely not, the point of hiring H1B candidate is purely lower wages for an overwhelming majority of sponsors. This is true as well for the well known Indian companies in US as for the big native US companies who lobby for more H1B while they pay definitely less for them for the very same skills.

Here is a pefect exemple of the real situation : Gary Scholten, CIO at Principal Financial Group Inc., pays H-1b programmers $43,000 while lobbying for more.

Of course some US companies, especially small startups who really need skills not available locally in US, still pay their H1B as well than the US citizens, but they are a small minority, about 20% only.

Best regards.

[arulk pillai]

Is it possible to get a foot in the door with the lower wage and then prove/market your skills to improve the salary/horizons? Has anyone done this?

[Jignesh Patel]

Originally posted by Eric Lemaitre:
Hi Jignesh,

No, the point of hiring H1B candidate is lack of skilled people in US.



Of course some US companies, especially small startups who really need skills not available locally in US, still pay their H1B as well than the US citizens, but they are a small minority, about 20% only.

Best regards.

I have never seen US small companies pays well but yes I have seen USB,Yahoo,Google, equally pays well.

[Jignesh Patel]

Originally posted by arulk pillai:
Is it possible to get a foot in the door with the lower wage and then prove/market your skills to improve the salary/horizons? Has anyone done this?

Aruk,

Yes, there are couple of things which we have to learn first.

1. Our english is not as compatible as other people in US when we first enter. It takes some time to develop confidance.
2. Most of the time mid range US companies are not going to hire you. So end up applying companies like Google, MS or yahoo etc. etc. where the problem I really face is they go more towards computer science problem(i.e. algorithams) so normally we indian don't always come from that kind of background. We are good programmers but we don't develop that skills by solvign algorithms.
3. By the time you develop compatible skills you end up spending 3 years and then you don't want to take risk of loosing status so you will continue in your old job.

So I am not saying getting a very good job on H1 is not possible, but it is very difficult. And the problem is after spending 6 years, your CV most of time doesn't look good to qualify for very good job.
So yes there are 20% people are successful but there are 80% people strugles for 6 years(i.e till they get their green card).

[Cm Ananth]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

finally i have negotiated with the consultant and they have agreed to pay 65K per annum with the following other benefits apart from salary.

"We sponsor H1-B
Travel to US, initial accommodation.
Green card processing
We provide Relocation assistance of up to $1000.00, 2 times a year
Health, Life, Short term disability insurance to the employee
2 weeks of paid vacation per year on accrual basis,
6-8 days of government announced paid holidays
Payroll will be direct deposit and it will be every alternate Fridays.
Excellent marketing team will get you an assignment at fortune 500 companies"

and the following are the terms and conditions

"
18 to 24 months of active employment
1 month notice or based on client's request
Should not join with the client without our authorization.
Should be open to relocate anywhere in US and should not have any relocation constraint as the nature of jobs demands it.
"

Please let me know the above terms and conditions are normal in US, and whether the benefits are ok to live in US. need your valuable input again to decide whether to accept this offer or not.

Thanks

[Pradeep bhatt]

Originally posted by Jignesh Patel:


Aruk,

Yes, there are couple of things which we have to learn first.

1. Our english is not as compatible as other people in US when we first enter. It takes some time to develop confidance.

That is a very good point. It is much easier to work in UK than in US. In US most of the time you will not understand what they say and they dont understand you.

[Rambo Prasad]

Ananth,

Do also enquire about the pay policy of the company during bench periods...
Even I have got my H1-B.My consultant said during bench period I will be paid $300 as monthly allowance + accomodation +food + mobile phone...
But I think some companies have a better bench policy...

[Jignesh Patel]

Originally posted by Rambo Prasad:
Ananth,

Do also enquire about the pay policy of the company during bench periods...
Even I have got my H1-B.My consultant said during bench period I will be paid $300 as monthly allowance + accomodation +food + mobile phone...
But I think some companies have a better bench policy...

Rambo, let's be practicle, they are earning money when you are working. They don't have any offshore team which can compensate when you are not working. No body likes to pay from their pocket. So you can negotiate a lot on that and if they are good in just talking they might even promise you to pay 1000-2000$ also. But in reality when situation arises, they are not able to pay that more then a month.

So few standards are predefined without any written policy from govt.

1. salary for the first time H1 people - 60-65k
2. coming to USA - they will provide your air ticket, for wife need to negotiate. Many times no.
3. Insurance - only health, no dental or vision. In health they might not give for your family.
4. Relocation - it is difficult to give all the times, otherwise Company will loose their earnings from you. So you have to bear max while relocating.
5. GC processing - yes, but normally very few does with same company for the 65K salary. So not much imp.
6 On bench pay - some numbers they give, but not worth when you start sitting on bench more then a month.

[Cm Ananth]

Thanks for your replies.

Could you guys please comment on the following terms and conditions. Because i feel this is more important than the benefits.

"
18 to 24 months of active employment
1 month notice or based on client's request
Should not join with the client without our authorization.
Should be open to relocate anywhere in US and should not have any relocation constraint as the nature of jobs demands it.
"

[Cm Ananth]

Someone please guide me.

By
Ananth

[Mark Herschberg]

My guidance is to repeat, perhaps more strongly, what Joe Ess said Ease Up and remember that Patience Is a Virtue. If no one answers then either not everyone has seen it yet, or no one knows. By bumping up your post you actually encourage people to not reply (I personally don't respond to threads where the naming policy isn't followed, people use the word urgent, bump up their threads, etc). So I would encourage to you wait and if no one responds, well, this is a volunteer site, there's no promise about always getting the information you need; but please don't add more noise to the forums if you don't get what you want.

--Mark

[Eric Lemaitre]

Hi Ananth,

Please note that my comments are voluntarily "unpolite", because it should fit much better to what you could join. These structures are not called "bodyshopers" for nothing, expect to be a simple good with them.
I hope reality is not worse than my harsh comments at bodyshopers', for I was lucky enough never to be at one of them...

18 to 24 months of active employment

You must have minimum experience length worth enough for someone to have paid you for your skills.

1 month notice or based on client's request

Customers decide what you do because they pay for it, not you.

Should not join with the client without our authorization.

You must provide minimum ROI (Return On Investment) for bodyshopper before jumping into another more human structure.

Should be open to relocate anywhere in US and should not have any relocation constraint as the nature of jobs demands it.

You may be sent anywhere in US at anytime as soon as a customer wants to pay enough for it. It is much better if your family is not with you as long as you have to be with bodyshopers.

Best regards.