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Interesting. Side note: How can London startups hiring "rockstar" devs offer 40k? Have they seen the rent prices here? I can earn at least x2 in the City and

by nikon 13y ago

Interesting. Side note: How can London startups hiring "rockstar" devs offer 40k? Have they seen the rent prices here? I can earn at least x2 in the City and x3 contracting. It's just not acceptable.

dijit 13y ago
well, it happens, I'm a pretty senior sysadmin and I'm on 45k and only one of my colleagues earns the same as me. the other dev earns 30k- they're both very, very good. I don't know who qualifies for rockstar status, but both the dev's here have small companies brewing (a games one and a heroku style deployment system one). I think perhaps you're better at negotiating salary?
timje1 13y ago
It seems to be accepted in London that when you join a startup, you take a paycut of 33%. Even if the startup doesn't offer any equity. All risk, no reward...
- jackgavigan 13y ago
  Yeah, one thing that startups in London need to get through their think skulls is that, if they can't match the salaries on offer in the City or the media/marketing/advertising companies in the West End, they need to offer equity stakes to early employees. I've actually felt embarrassed at some of the stories I've heard.
michaelt 13y ago
Is your employer in the city hiring? :)
jasonkester 13y ago
The key word is "Offer". So long as neither you nor your countrymen are foolish enough to accept such an offer, nothing is lost. Every six weeks I get the same email from the same recruiter trying to sell me on a "Senior Developer" position in Southern California that pays $70k/year. That mail has come in like clockwork for the last half dozen years now, and still seemingly nobody has been foolish enough to take it, since the position is still open. Sadly, there seems to be a group of developers in London who actually take those crazy lowball offers, thus making it more difficult for the good ones to explain why they're four times as expensive. You're right though. It's not acceptable. Good on you for not accepting it.

by nikon 13y ago

Interesting. Side note: How can London startups hiring "rockstar" devs offer 40k? Have they seen the rent prices here? I can earn at least x2 in the City and x3 contracting. It's just not acceptable.

dijit 13y ago

well, it happens, I'm a pretty senior sysadmin and I'm on 45k and only one of my colleagues earns the same as me. the other dev earns 30k- they're both very, very good. I don't know who qualifies for rockstar status, but both the dev's here have small companies brewing (a games one and a heroku style deployment system one). I think perhaps you're better at negotiating salary?

timje1 13y ago

It seems to be accepted in London that when you join a startup, you take a paycut of 33%. Even if the startup doesn't offer any equity. All risk, no reward...

jackgavigan 13y ago
Yeah, one thing that startups in London need to get through their think skulls is that, if they can't match the salaries on offer in the City or the media/marketing/advertising companies in the West End, they need to offer equity stakes to early employees. I've actually felt embarrassed at some of the stories I've heard.

michaelt 13y ago

Is your employer in the city hiring? :)

jasonkester 13y ago

The key word is "Offer". So long as neither you nor your countrymen are foolish enough to accept such an offer, nothing is lost. Every six weeks I get the same email from the same recruiter trying to sell me on a "Senior Developer" position in Southern California that pays $70k/year. That mail has come in like clockwork for the last half dozen years now, and still seemingly nobody has been foolish enough to take it, since the position is still open. Sadly, there seems to be a group of developers in London who actually take those crazy lowball offers, thus making it more difficult for the good ones to explain why they're four times as expensive. You're right though. It's not acceptable. Good on you for not accepting it.