4 ms·

Sad you would exploit someone like this. You could be a good mentor and advice him on what his real asking rate should be and also pay him better, if he really

by jarsj 16y ago

Sad you would exploit someone like this. You could be a good mentor and advice him on what his real asking rate should be and also pay him better, if he really performed at a much higher level.

byoung2 16y ago
I didn't come up with that rate...that's what he charges all of his clients. It is double what I pay my team in the Philippines, and considering that the average monthly wage in Belarus is under $150/month, it is quite generous (I paid him a month's wage for 3 days' work). Would you react the same way if a Silicon Valley company hired a developer in rural Mississippi (the state with the lowest median salary) for $35,000 (the median salary there) instead of hiring locally for $150,000? Is that exploitation? Remember that the cost of living there is much lower, so he will enjoy a much better standard of living on a lower salary.
- lachyg 16y ago
  100% agree with this. It's all relative. It's completely based on cost of living. In my opinion.
- jarsj 16y ago
  Please read this http://aci.byelarus.com/index.php?p=6#wag-fig http://aci.byelarus.com/index.php?p=6#wag-fig. The average wage for a good software developer is close to 1000$ (note that minimum wage is $2.5 per month). You say he is awesome, that ways I will put his to 2000$. He is consulting for you, so he should make 3X the money as his salary, that comes to 30$ an hour. The living cost thing is BS. You are confusing between "living cost" and "cost for a good standard of living which everyone in US takes for granted". The former is less, just because more people are very poor, eat once a day and live like hell. I can bet cost for a comparable standard of living to US would be super high. Just because your developer is OK with living poorly doesn't mean he has to. You can be fair and guide him to a better life.
  - sireat 16y ago
    This is veering dangerously off-topic, but if your contractor charges a set rate, there is no moral obligation on your part to pay him more, especially not 3x more. If the wages were poor for the country that would be one thing, BUT $8/hour in Belarus is a good salary. That is $1080 per 160hours worked a month. It actually would let him have a good standard of living. Of course one could argue that the developer should be charging $12 or $16 an hour but that is his business. What one could do next time, is do a fixed price project. If he is very good AND fast, he would increase his earnings.
  - byoung2 16y ago
    The average wage for a good software developer is close to 1000$ From your link; A good computer specialist or programmer who still has to stay in the country will do the job for $250 - 300 per month At $8/hr, in a month he would make $1408 (22 business days/month)

by jarsj 16y ago

Sad you would exploit someone like this. You could be a good mentor and advice him on what his real asking rate should be and also pay him better, if he really performed at a much higher level.

byoung2 16y ago

I didn't come up with that rate...that's what he charges all of his clients. It is double what I pay my team in the Philippines, and considering that the average monthly wage in Belarus is under $150/month, it is quite generous (I paid him a month's wage for 3 days' work). Would you react the same way if a Silicon Valley company hired a developer in rural Mississippi (the state with the lowest median salary) for $35,000 (the median salary there) instead of hiring locally for $150,000? Is that exploitation? Remember that the cost of living there is much lower, so he will enjoy a much better standard of living on a lower salary.

lachyg 16y ago
100% agree with this. It's all relative. It's completely based on cost of living. In my opinion.
jarsj 16y ago
Please read this http://aci.byelarus.com/index.php?p=6#wag-fig http://aci.byelarus.com/index.php?p=6#wag-fig. The average wage for a good software developer is close to 1000$ (note that minimum wage is $2.5 per month). You say he is awesome, that ways I will put his to 2000$. He is consulting for you, so he should make 3X the money as his salary, that comes to 30$ an hour. The living cost thing is BS. You are confusing between "living cost" and "cost for a good standard of living which everyone in US takes for granted". The former is less, just because more people are very poor, eat once a day and live like hell. I can bet cost for a comparable standard of living to US would be super high. Just because your developer is OK with living poorly doesn't mean he has to. You can be fair and guide him to a better life.
- sireat 16y ago
  This is veering dangerously off-topic, but if your contractor charges a set rate, there is no moral obligation on your part to pay him more, especially not 3x more. If the wages were poor for the country that would be one thing, BUT $8/hour in Belarus is a good salary. That is $1080 per 160hours worked a month. It actually would let him have a good standard of living. Of course one could argue that the developer should be charging $12 or $16 an hour but that is his business. What one could do next time, is do a fixed price project. If he is very good AND fast, he would increase his earnings.
- byoung2 16y ago
  The average wage for a good software developer is close to 1000$ From your link; A good computer specialist or programmer who still has to stay in the country will do the job for $250 - 300 per month At $8/hr, in a month he would make $1408 (22 business days/month)