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I am certain that booking pays at least 10k over market in Amsterdam

by eggie5 9y ago

donkeyd 9y ago
Market rate in Amsterdam is pretty low compared to the US salaries you see all over the internet. According to Glassdoor for example the average salaries for Software Engineer are: - US: $103k - NL: €45k For somebody who's moving halfway across the world anyway, I can imagine they'd prefer to look for a job in the US. Edit: The comments below are all correct. I didn't mention any of the secondary benefits since the internet hardly ever mentions those. To somebody from a country where things like health insurance and paid sick/vacation days hardly exist, there's a much smaller chance they look into those things. Also in the US a lot is dependent on employer (health care, vacation days, etc.), whereas in the Netherlands many things are set by law. My point was that people who look at salaries on the internet and compare those, will often choose the highest and dismiss the lowest.
- Stefstefstef 9y ago
  while true, this doesn't tell you the whole story. insurance, taxes and pension are calculated way differently from the US. Also prices for those 3 are way different.
- thiagoperes 9y ago
  This is a misleading way to compare salaries and cost of life between countries. A much better metric is to look at net disposable income after tax, if you're focusing on the "making money" aspect. If you're focusing on the life quality aspect you'll also have to consider mortgage, car ownership and time off. Example: - In Netherlands you have 24 business days of time off, where you can take them from the moment your contract begins (not after 1 year working), and you can take them however you want. - Taking a mortgage in Netherlands is currently cheaper than renting and most houses in the "sweet spot" cost around 300k euros, which is ridiculously cheap. Monthly payments are subsidized by the government (for some years) which makes it cheaper than renting. To summarise, every country has a lot to offer, and at the end of the day life is not just about money.
  - walterstucco 9y ago
    Looks like I live in a not so bad place afterall In Italy we have 28 days off plus national holidays Mortgage are cheap as in other European countries and if you avoid the city center you can buy a very decent apartment for less than 250k 20km from city center you can buy a villa for the same amount Rents are generally a bit high in larger cities (Rome, Milan, Bologna) Salaries in tech are not that great, but there's little if no competition, if you're good you can find good deals Banks and insurances are investing in innovation and new technologies You get to live the Italian life style CONS Nobody is actually investing a lot in Italy, roughly 150.000 people are leaving every year That leaves a lot of jobs vacant but it can't honestly be considered a plus It's not yet a startup ready country, things are changing, but it'll take time
- adamors 9y ago
  US salaries where? I'm guessing Silicon Valley salaries are not comparable to Midwestern salaries. The Netherlands also has good healthcare.
  - donkeyd 9y ago
    I searched for US in general, but I can imagine SV salaries cause the national average to increase a lot. Then again, from my experience, most Dev who want to move to the US want to move to SV or NYC, partially because of the salaries and forget to think about the details. Especially the younger ones.
- em500 9y ago
  > Market rate in Amsterdam is pretty low compared to the US salaries you see all over the internet. Developer market rate in pretty much every country in the world (except maybe Switzerland and Norway) is pretty low compared to the US. Just saying.

I am certain that booking pays at least 10k over market in Amsterdam

by eggie5 9y ago

I am certain that booking pays at least 10k over market in Amsterdam

Market rate in Amsterdam is pretty low compared to the US salaries you see all over the internet. According to Glassdoor for example the average salaries for Software Engineer are: - US: $103k - NL: €45k For somebody who's moving halfway across the world anyway, I can imagine they'd prefer to look for a job in the US. Edit: The comments below are all correct. I didn't mention any of the secondary benefits since the internet hardly ever mentions those. To somebody from a country where things like health insurance and paid sick/vacation days hardly exist, there's a much smaller chance they look into those things. Also in the US a lot is dependent on employer (health care, vacation days, etc.), whereas in the Netherlands many things are set by law. My point was that people who look at salaries on the internet and compare those, will often choose the highest and dismiss the lowest.

Stefstefstef 9y ago
while true, this doesn't tell you the whole story. insurance, taxes and pension are calculated way differently from the US. Also prices for those 3 are way different.
thiagoperes 9y ago
This is a misleading way to compare salaries and cost of life between countries. A much better metric is to look at net disposable income after tax, if you're focusing on the "making money" aspect. If you're focusing on the life quality aspect you'll also have to consider mortgage, car ownership and time off. Example: - In Netherlands you have 24 business days of time off, where you can take them from the moment your contract begins (not after 1 year working), and you can take them however you want. - Taking a mortgage in Netherlands is currently cheaper than renting and most houses in the "sweet spot" cost around 300k euros, which is ridiculously cheap. Monthly payments are subsidized by the government (for some years) which makes it cheaper than renting. To summarise, every country has a lot to offer, and at the end of the day life is not just about money.
- walterstucco 9y ago
  Looks like I live in a not so bad place afterall In Italy we have 28 days off plus national holidays Mortgage are cheap as in other European countries and if you avoid the city center you can buy a very decent apartment for less than 250k 20km from city center you can buy a villa for the same amount Rents are generally a bit high in larger cities (Rome, Milan, Bologna) Salaries in tech are not that great, but there's little if no competition, if you're good you can find good deals Banks and insurances are investing in innovation and new technologies You get to live the Italian life style CONS Nobody is actually investing a lot in Italy, roughly 150.000 people are leaving every year That leaves a lot of jobs vacant but it can't honestly be considered a plus It's not yet a startup ready country, things are changing, but it'll take time
adamors 9y ago
US salaries where? I'm guessing Silicon Valley salaries are not comparable to Midwestern salaries. The Netherlands also has good healthcare.
- donkeyd 9y ago
  I searched for US in general, but I can imagine SV salaries cause the national average to increase a lot. Then again, from my experience, most Dev who want to move to the US want to move to SV or NYC, partially because of the salaries and forget to think about the details. Especially the younger ones.
em500 9y ago
> Market rate in Amsterdam is pretty low compared to the US salaries you see all over the internet. Developer market rate in pretty much every country in the world (except maybe Switzerland and Norway) is pretty low compared to the US. Just saying.