6 ms·

Why is it that you guys are underpaid then, in comparison to domestic labor. Certainly you might argue that domestic labor is "overpaid," but then one must con

Why is it that you guys are underpaid then, in comparison to domestic labor. Certainly you might argue that domestic labor is "overpaid," but then one must consider our (domestic and foreign origin) contributions to the bottom line and our resulting reward. In my opinion if you can do as well or better than I, why are you not better recompensed? We are your brothers and sisters all over the world, and we all deserve an equitable share relative to our contributions to the bottom line.

udit99 13y ago
> Why is it that you guys are underpaid then I believe I did give reasons in the post. Let me know if I wasn't clear enough on a specific point.
curiousDog 13y ago
I'm certainly not underpaid. I was among the top 1% of our graduating CS class in a top 10 US university. And I'm probably the highest paid among our classmates now. That being said, I do agree that H-1Bs increase supply and drive down salaries (which I don't think is necessarily a bad thing for the tech industry. US tech companies now have a vast, accessible talent pool to choose from). And also agree with the fact that there are some fraudulent consulting companies exploiting the system.
- fecak 13y ago
  If you went to a US university, are you on an H-1 at this point or one of the other visas (F-1 IIRC?)? The reason I ask is my understanding of the visas for graduates of US programs is that there is no cost or real burden on the employer for a few years, which is much different than an H-1 that might have expectations of GC processing.
  - curiousDog 13y ago
    I started on a H-1 right after school (where I was on an F-1) and my GC was filed within the first month of my joining msft. But you're right, people on F-1 can stay on something called OPT for 2 yrs after graduating whilst working. But my employer decided against that because not only is it a pain in the ass to work with that, there's no guarantee that you'll have enough H-1s left 2 yrs down the road.
abc_lisper 13y ago
I am an Indian. I'll let you in on a (open?) secret because I have nothing to lose and I am no part of it. All the stuff I am going to tell you is from my personal experience with my friends, and their stories. Here's how these body shops work: 1. Find a guy/gal who is a reasonable match for the job and place him/her in it. No problem with that. 2. The employee may not have prior experience in the field he claims he has in his resume. The body shops know this. They sometimes fix your resume for you. 3. If the body shops are not confident in you, they might arrange for a proxy to interview in your place for a "charge". Most of the times in consulting, a phone interview usually suffices. 4. Some (good)body shops split the wage 80(for the employee)/20(for the employer). In case they did proxy someone in for you, they might divide it more evenly in their favor. 5. The body shops may have someone in the said company where he is placing their candidate and they may receive kickbacks(few dollars/head/hour). 6. Usually the body shops are scum of the earth; if you think car dealers are the worst, think again. They will lie,beg,steal to make more money off of you in anyways they can. 7. And finally to come to your point, why H-1s are underpaid; In my experience they are not underpaid at all. They usually make twice of what I make(and I am a programmer in SV). It is just that they lie that it seems low. Many a time the body shop pays the employee about 50% in income as per-diem. All in all, it is not uncommon that they make 200k a year. However, remember that body shops are the worst of the worst people and they may steal your money and not pay for months on end sometimes. Depends on how desperate you are.
- diogenescynic 13y ago
  Cognizant, Infosys, GlobalLogic, Symphony, TCS...

udit99 13y ago

> Why is it that you guys are underpaid then I believe I did give reasons in the post. Let me know if I wasn't clear enough on a specific point.

curiousDog 13y ago

I'm certainly not underpaid. I was among the top 1% of our graduating CS class in a top 10 US university. And I'm probably the highest paid among our classmates now. That being said, I do agree that H-1Bs increase supply and drive down salaries (which I don't think is necessarily a bad thing for the tech industry. US tech companies now have a vast, accessible talent pool to choose from). And also agree with the fact that there are some fraudulent consulting companies exploiting the system.

fecak 13y ago
If you went to a US university, are you on an H-1 at this point or one of the other visas (F-1 IIRC?)? The reason I ask is my understanding of the visas for graduates of US programs is that there is no cost or real burden on the employer for a few years, which is much different than an H-1 that might have expectations of GC processing.
- curiousDog 13y ago
  I started on a H-1 right after school (where I was on an F-1) and my GC was filed within the first month of my joining msft. But you're right, people on F-1 can stay on something called OPT for 2 yrs after graduating whilst working. But my employer decided against that because not only is it a pain in the ass to work with that, there's no guarantee that you'll have enough H-1s left 2 yrs down the road.

abc_lisper 13y ago

I am an Indian. I'll let you in on a (open?) secret because I have nothing to lose and I am no part of it. All the stuff I am going to tell you is from my personal experience with my friends, and their stories. Here's how these body shops work: 1. Find a guy/gal who is a reasonable match for the job and place him/her in it. No problem with that. 2. The employee may not have prior experience in the field he claims he has in his resume. The body shops know this. They sometimes fix your resume for you. 3. If the body shops are not confident in you, they might arrange for a proxy to interview in your place for a "charge". Most of the times in consulting, a phone interview usually suffices. 4. Some (good)body shops split the wage 80(for the employee)/20(for the employer). In case they did proxy someone in for you, they might divide it more evenly in their favor. 5. The body shops may have someone in the said company where he is placing their candidate and they may receive kickbacks(few dollars/head/hour). 6. Usually the body shops are scum of the earth; if you think car dealers are the worst, think again. They will lie,beg,steal to make more money off of you in anyways they can. 7. And finally to come to your point, why H-1s are underpaid; In my experience they are not underpaid at all. They usually make twice of what I make(and I am a programmer in SV). It is just that they lie that it seems low. Many a time the body shop pays the employee about 50% in income as per-diem. All in all, it is not uncommon that they make 200k a year. However, remember that body shops are the worst of the worst people and they may steal your money and not pay for months on end sometimes. Depends on how desperate you are.

diogenescynic 13y ago
Cognizant, Infosys, GlobalLogic, Symphony, TCS...