Outsourcing - International Minimum Wage Charts

[jujubee]

I thought I'd post this in case anyone is wondering how much to charge for sending work to another country. Again, this is the minimum wage. I don't recommend upsetting local economies by overbilling as your are doing a disservice to yourself and your own industry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...y_minimum_wage

[DaForce]

wow thats interesting

haiti $0.96 ouch!

[cpnichols]

Check out Mexico... $4.36 a day... no wonder they want to come here.

[Sawyer]

I never knew Kansas was so low.

[jujubee]

I've heard people say 'people in mainland China make $2 a day. Isn't that terrible?" But what they fail to note is that $2/day is enough to live on in those parts of that country.


Interesting - India isn't listed here. But I did some online research cause someone kept asking me for work and was trying to drive a high price - average annual salary according to my sources was less than $8,000 a year.

[cpnichols]

I've heard people say 'people in mainland China make $2 a day. Isn't that terrible?" But what they fail to note is that $2/day is enough to live on in those parts of that country.

There was a story on NPR about a person in China that was trying to save a lot of money to go to an Ivy league school in the US. She had been saving all her life and was fairly well of in Chnia. She Thought it would cost around $20,000. The reporter did not have the heart to break it to her that it would be closer to $120,000

[jujubee]

Unfortunately, such are the breaks... I want to become a Hollywood Movie Star too.

[Sawyer]

When I was in India I met an electrician that made $12 per month.

[visions]

Hi,
Average salary for a fresh architect is around US$ 200/- per month in cities, which may go up to 300/- in larger cities.

An experienced mid level visualiser with an Architectural degree will easilly make US$ 400/- or higher a month.

We dont really get paid that much out here.

Vivek

[paulison]

We finished a job off that had been started by a company (wont name them) who gets the bulk of the work done in China. The client was frustrated at communication problems and not being able to have a face to face meeting with the person doing the work. Something to consider when outsourcing (PS: the work done in China was excellent, that wasnt the problem).

I think a graduate architect in Australia starts on about $30000/ pa (I didnt start on that much!). Expect about $40000/ pa or more in australia if you do private work as well if you are a decent architectural illustrator. So, visions I feell sorry for you a bit as we seem to earn about 10 times as much here . Typically we all have a mortgage of about half of our pay though ($1500/ month) and a salad next door just cost me $13.95 so really in the end everything earnt goes back into the system hehe

[rpc212]

I don't recommend upsetting local economies by overbilling as your are doing a disservice to yourself and your own industry:

I don't get it? Is this supposed to be funny or are you serious?

[jujubee]

I'm serious. I think you could be doing a disservice to someone if you underpay them as well as if you grossly overpay them. The whole point in outsourcing work is to:

1) find cheaper prices for labor
2) find better/same labor for cheaper prices
3) find better talent

Otherwise, what is the point in sending work to another country? If you're going to pay them a very good price - 'very good' being near the same that you would pay someone locally - how does that effect that person's local economy? How does that effect future business? Will they come to expect that? Also, you could be widening the gap between the 'haves and have-not's.'

I'm not advocating being cheap with somebody, but pay them above what they would normally get. Is that unreasonable?

Everyone wants a 'get-rich quick' scheme. Feel free to do that favor to someone else (they'll be rich in their own country) while you can barely pay bills and rent in your own... It's all relative.

[cpnichols]

Just a little side note...

Pixar (Emeryville CA, one of the most expensives places to live in the world):
Renderman $5000 for user station, $2000 for a network node... oh yeah, if you want to actually use it, you need to make sure and hire a shader writer that knows renderman... (between $80k and $150k a year)

Chaos (Sofia Bulgaria):
Vray $799 for user station, free network nodes

We are all taking advantage of an extreemly good product at an insanly low price, that may be related to the fact that the overhead and cost of living in Sofia is generally cheaper than the US.

[mike.edel]

well i guess it also comes down to target groups in this case
5k is peanuts in a movie budget
i guess one production day that gets spent because of "not perfectly fitting" software (not to say that vray wouldnt fit) is waaaayyy more expensive

[cpnichols]

well i guess it also comes down to target groups in this case
5k is peanuts in a movie budget
i guess one production day that gets spent because of "not perfectly fitting" software (not to say that vray wouldnt fit) is waaaayyy more expensive

5k may be penuts... but 5k x400 is not. If larger fx studios could cut 2 million out of their budget every year they would.... That is why many write their own rendering engines.... also why MentalRay which is dumping the market with "free" software inside of both Max and Maya is looking attractive. The fact that Vray is as fast as it is, and offers free network nodes is also very attractive. If only they offered a linux rendering node and you would be golden.

When this all started circa 2001... Brazil was pricing itself along the lines of MentalRay near the $1000 mark and having clients pay for network nodes. Vray was cheaper and the free network nodes was a bonus. I think that may have had a big impact on the popularity of the software overall.