Working in Delhi

kaushiks

I just cannot believe this. IndianWorker and all the others, please tell me why you wanna do something like this. With a salary of 25,000 bugs I just can't think of anything you can do.

I assume you are a westerner, in which case you folks have lived a pampered life. I don't think you will survive the delhi summer with its innumerable powercuts. Even I myself need an Airconditioner in Delhi. Even if you have one you will have powercuts. I stay in Noida and the power situation is abysmal. I have an inverter and I am happy with a fan but I guess you might want a generator to go along with it. If I plan to live in Delhi for very long even I would buy a generator.


The electricity bill for this and the house rent itself should be a very sizeable amount.

As a single woman getting a house for rent might be tough. However, I think it should be easy to place an ad and pair up with another single woman for an apartment.

Regardless of what some might think, I will say Delhi is the most unsafe city for women. It would take you a while to figure out what you can do and what you shouldn't to feel safe.

For most westerners, its tough but if you are genuinely interested in experimenting these are small things. Your salary ofcourse will not be enough. I started with a salary higher than that.

Indianworker

Kaushiks

Thanks for your very negative reply.

Can I firstly point out that I reply for myself and cannot speak for others on this post wishing to come to India.

I am assuming you are Indian and have lived in India all your life. I can understand that you think someone like myself, a westerner, is crazy wanting to come and live and work in India, perhaps especially Delhi. It must seem very odd to you that we wish to leave our cosy lives in the UK and head east.

The reason I am doing this is because I want to experience life in another country, very different from my own and loved India the last time I visited and wanted to return but not as a tourist. I see it as a real challenge to try and make things work in Delhi and there is certainly nothing challenging about my life in London at the moment. I am hoping that I can learn a lot, help the company that I will be working for and at the same time enjoy and learn from this incredible experience. Yes there are dangers but there are dangers in any part of the world. I spent a year 12 years ago travelling to Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and Canada - had a great time but have no wish to travel to a 'westernised' country again but wish to experience India. I will have to be careful, especially as someone new to the City but am really hoping I could make my 6 months work.

You say 25,000rps is too low. Can I ask what you think is sufficient? I will not be paying rent as the company are providing me with accommodation and they are also offering me a variable rate salary on top of my 25,000rps. The job they are offering me is nothing like the one I do here and they are prepared to train me on their modules and I will have the opportunity to travel around and visit many of their offices around India.

If I find I am unable to get on over there and things do not go well I will have to return home to the UK but at least in my old age (if I reach it), when I am seated by the fire in my rest home (if I can afford it) I will have the satisfaction of knowing that I gave it a try, it didn't work out but I lost nothing through giving it a try.

Don't know whether this makes sense to you but these are my thoughts.

__________________
Indianworker

phantom

Well... nice attitude.. indianworker

Indianworker

Thanks Phantom,

Was hoping that I didn't come over a bit rude but when someone finds themselves in my position, I find it really disheartening to get so many negative comments and not just from this site.

I realise that I am taking a risk and perhaps Delhi is not the best city to start with in India but that is where the company who are offering me the job are based and at this stage in my life I don't see what harm it would do for me to give it a try. I have sent and received numerous emails to and from the company concerned and although I haven't met them the guy that I have spoken to (both by e-mail and phone) seems pleasant enough, very keen to have me over there and the company has a good website so hoping everything will go OK but can only give it a try.

kaushiks

Fine IndianWorker. Your attitude is what I alluded to when I said, "if you are genuinely interested in experimenting". I think you will be fine, being fine including the experiment 'failing'.

What kind of job is it?. Sounds like computers.
As for expenditures, it depends on lots of things. If you have a car, if you have A/c, generator. How often you like to eat out etc.
If they are giving you a house to stay then thats an important factor.

For me 25,000 is enough because I don't have a car, A/C at home. I don't spend much on clothes , toilet items etc like women might. I stay close to the office and go by motorcycle, so no conveyance. In your case, I wouldn't know.

I think 15,000 will get spent just like that without you knowing what happened to it. If you eat out or go to bars often like I do, 5000Rs a month minimum. If you go out on weekends then more. So, it will be cutting fine. You certainly can't save anything.

Listening to you over all, its worth trying but there might be times when you have to think a lot before spending on things. And don't expect any savings.

good luck

Indianworker

Kaushiks

Thanks for your reply and I do value your input.

The company involved trains BPO aspirants for the call centre industry. They would like me to assist in their training programmes which they run in their centres around India.

I am not planning to run a car in Delhi and with regards to a/c in my room I am hoping that this will be sorted but if not obviously I will have to provide. The gentleman whom I have been negotiating with spent 3 years in Kent, England and some time in France and the US and so I am hoping that because of this he will have some understanding of what I am used to here and so feel a bit easier when he speaks about providing decent accommodation. Anyway, I will soon find out what accommodation I have when I reach Delhi. I suppose if it is really not what I had hoped for and neither is the job I will just have to leave, go into a YHA or somewhere and perhaps spend some time travelling. I was also thinking of taking some spare Resumes with me in case I can pick up a job elsewhere. Did get an e-mail from two companies in Bangalore expressing an interest but they never came back with an offer and so have pursued the Delhi job as they are by far the keenest to employ me.

I am slightly concerned about your financial estimates. The company indicated to me that one can live comfortably in Delhi on 3,000rps a month (I am assuming they meant socially and were not including living expenses). I am taking some savings with me but was hoping to live off my salary and use my savings just as a back up. I think what I will have to do is just do very basic things when I arrive i.e. just live and see how things go on a day to day basis. Once I have mastered my general living expenses I will then allow myself the luxury of a cup of tea at a cafe!!

The company did mention about helping me with local transport and I might just ask them to elaborate on this as, at the time, this was the least of my problems and I didn't ask them to explain. I was rather hoping that this may mean they will help me out with getting to and from work but not sure. Also fingers crossed with the variable part of my salary, am hoping this will add to my fixed rate and he said that they have big targets this year and so should help me.

All in all will just have to see how it goes. Am excited and nervous at the prospect of what I am doing but, at the end of the day, if it doesn't go well will just have to return home but really do want to try and give it a go.

kaushiks

Well, Indianworker, you will be most welcome and people are gonna be friendly and genuinely helpful for something like this. As regards the salary, I am not great at finances and other opinions should be considered. However, you should forget about savings. If you do, then this is an experience that you should not let pass by. Assuming you are what you come across as.

phantom

well really, i think if u don't hv to pay for accomodation, then 25,000 will be good enough.. in fact u can enjoy and party and still will be able to save
when ur contact person said 3000 will be enough, i think then he must be talking abt food only.. travelling won't be very costly, if u get used to delhi buses.. jes take one precaution.. never get on a crowded bus... and don't get on an empty one. If possible ask that contact person for conveyance.
Don't worry.. You will like Delhi a lot more, once u get used to it. If you need any other help, we IM'ers are here to help u

machadinha

Hi Indianworker, (and hi others -- I'm relatively new here so... hi!)

For what it's worth, I traveled on the cheap in India for 200 Rs a day or US$ 200 per month for several months in the early nineties. "On the cheap" meaning basic but adequate accommodation, extensive travel all over the place (2nd class of course -- much more fun anyway. Ah and no airplanes needless to say), lots of sightseeing, food to my heart's delight (I don't know how people lose weight traveling in India, at one point I suffered from what must have been overeating I think. Mostly in the more "simple" restaurants of course, again, much more fun anyway and you get to meet some locals plus avoid the tourist crowds and bad imitation pizzas while you're at it -- never a dull moment), chain smoking, frequent barber visits, some clothes when needed, a new book now and then and some souvenirs to bring home, and even an occasional beer (as you know about the same price as a cheap hotel room so that really cuts into your budget. Anyway heavy drinking with 40 degrees and mega-crowded streets full of people asking you for your good name please etc. somehow doesn't cut it anyway so I can't say I missed it much). In short, nothing fancy but all the basic amenities I might desire.*

When I returned later in the nineties to Gujarat and Rajasthan things like hotel rooms had definitely gone up, maybe it was the area, maybe it was because I was traveling in a slightly different style, maybe it was just a national price increase. Other prices were still pretty much the same. They will have increased over the decade just like anywhere else I imagine.

What I'm saying is that although as a resident you'd have some different expenses to cover, on the other hand you wouldn't have the expenses that a traveller does and surely the average lower-middle class Indian tourist doesn't spend 200 Rs. a day I'm sure. Of course being a crazy traveller there is something else than being a middle or upper class resident. As you know in India too the sky is the limit so it depends on your expectations.

You sound like someone who knows what you're doing and not the type to spend all her time shopping for expensive cars or massive cosmetics supplies so you should be fine I think, maybe you could do your own ironing every now and then god forbid to save money I know I do my own laundry here and as for ironing, well who needs ironing? In fact I often had it done while in India and it's no major setback at 30 something Rs. for a traveller's set of clothing, or perhaps fifty if you were getting "ripped off" ahem yeh right. As for Delhi, there's hysteric reports about women being harrassed there but a female friend of mine worked there solo for several months at the time of my visit (I stayed with her for a week or two) as an intern at a press agency and had a thoroughly enjoyable time as far as I know. Ups and downs I'm sure (especially getting closer socially to her co-workers) but no more than at home I think. She initially stayed in a hotel in Paharganj, later she moved to a sublet in some residential area. Again that was harder for her socially but more comfortable otherwise. Paharganj was hard enough socially because relating to other travellers coming and going when you are there full-time brings its own disadvantages with it. She had brought or bought some simple things to decorate her room and made it really homey which is a good idea of course, her hotel room was nothing like the pretty barren bunker it would normally have been, it was really cosy. After that she spent some time covering the Narmada resistance and again she had a great time. What her expenses were over there I don't know but not massive I'm sure, at the time her hotel room was about 100-150 Rs. including a fan of course, maybe it's 250 now to give you an idea. The apartment worked out cheaper I think. It is a good idea to compare your prospective income with average incomes there to make sure you're not being taken advantage of of course. (*In fact this woman did need to see me through my last couple of days and to the airport after I got pickpocketed -- the only time I ever was! -- out of the last money I had so carefully metered out for the final lag.)

As a solo male traveller I found India thoroughly unthreatening, you have to keep your wits about you of course but it sounds like you do and you've been there before. I've met several women who hated India and many more who found it a great place (the same can be said of males of course), it's mostly a matter of attitude and adaptability and a little common sense I guess. Delhi buses are stressful anyway but they're cheap and a good way to get closer to the culture, if you find you're getting harassed too much which is far from out of the question simply switch to autorickshaws (I seem to remember the above friend switched to and fro several times between transport modes depending on her mood), you'll soon find out what a decent price is if you haven't already (about three times the real price probably if you're white -- so what?! That's the difference between 15 or 45 cents. You might even learn to share rickshaws the way Indians do and they'd be even cheaper, you'd have to know the language though). Traveling by rickshaw at night and not venturing into the darkest of streets might make sense, downtown London or anywhere else is not much different right.

I'm sure you'll be fine and if not there's always a plane home or a train to Pushkar or anywhere else before you leave! (May I recommend Ajmer for an off-the-beaten-track destination while I'm at it, visit Chishti's tomb by all means.) I'd say go for it, what an opportunity.

One thing of concern but I'm sure you've looked into it with all your research: You mentioned some vaguenesses surrounding this company, as for extra's, housing arrangements and so on. I'd definitely try and get those sorted out before you commit yourself and check their credentials etc. Likewise I'd make damn sure you know who you're dealing with with anyone offering their kind assistance (no offense to anyone here). It would be a shame to arrive there and find there is no such company or worse. Anyway I'm sure this has occurred to you long ago. That they propose you work on a tourist visa doesn't strike me as very strange, from what I hear getting a work permit there can be a real hassle. For extended stays this might involve popping in and out over the border every half year or so, I don't know what the current deal is.

Good luck.

machadinha

ps Indianworker a couple more detailed points:

>I was also thinking of taking some spare Resumes with me in case I can pick >up a job elsewhere.

If you can FTP your needed documents and address book etc. to your own ISP directory (you normally would, otherwise look for another ISP maybe) you'd have full access to them worldwide. Some webmail programs allow you to do (some of) the same.

>I think what I will have to do is just do very basic things when I arrive i.e. >just live and see how things go on a day to day basis.

I think that's the right approach. Start in a hotel where you're comfortable then take it from there. (If you don't like your first hotel, then use it as a base to look for something better. At least you got your gear stored and can take a nap when you want. Arrange for a room with a private bathroom since you're gonna be there for a while and you might want a modicum of luxury. Next, start looking for your own apartment if that's what you're after. The company might set you up with your own place straightaway but they seem to be vague about it which would be a matter of some concern to me.) Take things one at a time and don't try to rush it, remember you'll be there for a bit. Don't be shocked if at first you have trouble adjusting. Plan for a week in a relaxed place after your arrival just to get into the mood if you can. Again, for Delhi Pushkar is not too far away and mellow, Ajmer is nice if you want to be pretty much by yourself, tourist-wise at least Others like Dharamsala for instance. In fact I found Delhi takes some getting used to and I hated it at first, but there's many many beautiful things to see and discover and often for free where few if any tourists go. Once you get the hang of it touring around town can be such fun. Paharganj and Connaught Place are just plain stressful because of all the tourists and the people they attract. (In many places once you adopt the right approach the beggars and peddlers and what have you will notice and leave you alone -- to an extent. Not so in those areas. btw For beggars, the Indian approach is often to have some small change readily at hand and give that and not overdo it. Beggars may curse you as a Westerner for handing them 25 paisa but it's really the way it's handled and so many paisas make a rupee right. It's better than giving them nothing out of shame. Anyway you can never serve all of them and many Indians seem to take the stoic approach of three small handouts a day for instance. In Paharganj and Connaught Place areas the best approach is just to completely ignore them no matter how harsh it may seem but you won't have a life if you give in to them. If you really want to contribute then look for a local social organization to fund.) But apart from these areas there's so much more to see. Old Delhi is great and people will hardly notice or harass you. Raj Ghat (the cremation site of Mahatma Gandhi), contrary to Connaught Place, is a great park for simply relaxing, very little hassle. Feroz Shah Kotla is beautiful with not a soul in sight. Hauz Khas and surrounding sites in the south of town are supposed to be great, I never made it there. On Friday evenings there should be Qawwali (Sufi) performers there. Of course with any of these and as a solo woman, exercise the normal caution, don't get too paranoid though, women get harassed right here down my street in Western Europe. Old Delhi at night for instance I'd be careful but it's quite an experience nonetheless, unforgettable quite literally. I remember taking an autorickshaw from there at night after seeing the sound & light show (recommended!) and me and my girlfriend (second trip) kind of got stuck and tired and just wanted to get out. The driver wanted to wait for more clients and kept going on and on about his personal life, very very interesting and a real insight into the not-so-well-to-do life there actually despite of the language difficulties, but it was our first night after a flight I think and we were really tired and hungry and so. When he finally left he took some crazy route and then his car broke down in the middle of a very dark nowhere. He tried to hail some other rickshaws for us but to no avail. A Sikh who was travelling in the same cab said he lived in the area and offered to walk us home. And off we trundled through some darkened slum area where I would *never* have walked alone and I was getting more uncomfortable by the minute. Of course the guy duly delivered us right in eyesight of Paharganj and we parted with many handshakes and good wishes and namastes etc. etc. Two wonderful guys in short, I think the driver even refused to take any payment and so on (another thing that had me worried) even though he'd fed us many a tea during our initial wait.

>Once I have mastered my general living expenses I will then allow myself >the luxury of a cup of tea at a cafe!!

No of course not silly, having a cup of chai at the local's will be one of your few luxuries at first amidst all that culture shock. So -- go have a cup of chai at least!! Ah and learn the basics of ordering Indian food as fast as you can, it's not difficult and will make your life much easier. Start by pointing at your neighbor's tempting-looking table and ask for the same, you'll soon get the hang of it. I couldn't figure out what to do with my first dosa and must have been the talk of the day trying to eat it with a fork and knife or something but you'll soon find out. Remember half the fun is in getting there. If you know alu = potato, matter = peas, ghobi = cauliflower, saag = spinach, dhal = lentils, paneer = soft cheese, brinjal = egg plant, bhindi = okras, paani = water, curd = yoghurt, chai = tea (can anyone confirm if channa was sugar? If this is the case, say "channa ney" = no sugar to let them lay off the sugar which is overly used, I forgot the phrase for "just a little sugar" I'm afraid. Sugar is good for you with the heat actually but don't expect English tea which can be hard to come by), lassi = yoghurt drink, chapati, parotha and naan = bread, puri = deep-fried doughy balls, you're set for your basic vegetarian culinary experience. Combined with sabji (any little curry-like condiment), pickles, chatni (chutney) and fresh onion rings your day will be made. Try vadas, samosas, pakoras, idli (not common up north) and several others for snacks. Check out bhelpuri if you can, unlikely in Delhi though. (Sorry for being so food-minded but I find it important to keep your spirits up in an otherwise completely alien surroundings. Hey did I mention sizzlers, tandoori, biryani, wonderful lamb for non-veggies, etc. etc. ad infinitum? Damn it's been a while or I'd tell you more. Coffee will usually be the instant kind too, hence all that eating just to wake up In fact I travelled with some people I met there for a bit and they'd been around for a while but it was only when Indian cuisione opened up to them that they really started to appreciate the place. What was that about a man's -- or a woman's -- love going through the stomach? Seriously though, hanging out in tourist restaurants or high-priced places with -- pardon the expression -- stuck-up higher-class Indians will just get you jaded very soon.) nb When looking to buy a drink to take home ask for the local wineshop. Rumor had it Delhi had strict prohibition a few years back but I don't know how it is now. If you'd be dependent on the big hotels for a drink it might turn out *very* expensive.

>The company did mention about helping me with local transport and I might >just ask them to elaborate on this as, at the time, this was the least of my >problems and I didn't ask them to explain. I was rather hoping that this may >mean they will help me out with getting to and from work but not sure.

Hm don't you think it rather means they will explain to you how it works? With a salary that some people apparently in the know here claim is low I wouldn't count on private transport. Anyway arranging your own transport is really no big deal.

>Also fingers crossed with the variable part of my salary, am hoping this will >add to my fixed rate and he said that they have big targets this year and so >should help me.

With any company in any country I'd be critical of vague promises like this. The risk of their year being great should be theirs, not yours. This is the one part of your story that I have some serious doubts about.

As for your general anxiety, very understandable, I pissed my pants both times before going there, also the hassle of getting there is much worse than actually being there. I don't know, I've been trying to make arrangements now to go help out with relief effort in Tamil Nadu. Just arranging that is much more difficult than you might think of course. No offense to the Indian readers here but India is very much a place where people will tell you this and that, and often just because they think that's what the social circumstances require, not necessarily because it's the actual truth, so for a work-like situation I'd say just check, check and then double-check and if it falls through just try again somewhere else.

Good luck again. btw This is a Western traveller's point of view of course, I think I made it clear I have no experience working there and I know a "Dillyvala" (Delhi-ite) might take a very different view and I'd gladly defer to them.

Indianworker

Machadinha

Thanks for your great reply.

I agree with your comments and understand your concerns regarding the company. Basically, this is the approach I am taking.

I have checked out their website and spoken to the COO who is recruiting me. I have made other checks as well, however, I accept that not being a global company i.e. famous name, it is very difficult for me to get a clear view of how things will work out.

My initial feeling was to accept this offer, in fairness to them they have been very keen for me to go to India right from the outset (8 months ago) and what they are offering me in job terms sound interesting and exciting and certainly different to what I am doing in the UK.

I have decided to go to Delhi, with my own savings (opening an account here in London with State Bank of India whereby the money will be transferred to a Rupee account at a branch of my choice in Delhi). I will book some accommodation for when I first arrive, perhaps a few days or say the first week in a nice hotel and meet the COO and the company. I will then view the accommodation and obviously meet and greet everyone there. This is where the crunch period begins. I suppose if the standard of accommodation that they are offering is not to my satisfaction (have to bear in mind this is Delhi NOT London) I will have to express this and see what happens. If they offer alternative accommodation or will subsidise me to go into something else then thats fair enough. If however they will not see fit to provide me with any better then I am afraid I may have to tell them that because of this I do not see that I can stay with the company. Looking at this from the worst case scenario i.e. accommodation not good and company not really bona fide or not what I was hoping for, I guess I shall just have to leave them, perhaps book myself into a YHA or cheap hotel, explore Delhi a bit, contact the two companies that showed interest in me in Bangalore and contact another person who works for WNS in Pune and whose contact details I was given through my UK company. I also have another contact in Mumbai. I could also try sending my Resumes to some companies in Delhi.

Failing all of this, I will just travel around and see what I can and what my budget allows me and then return to the UK, perhaps a bit poorer in pocket but certainly not in adventure.

If I find my accommodation is adequate/good but find my salary does not allow me to exist at a reasonable level i.e. food, toiletries, a few clothes (not a wardrobe), commuting to work, etc, etc then I feel my best policy would be to be honest with the company, explain that I am finding it hard to live with what they have offered me and await their comments. If they are negative i.e. will not do anything about it, then again, I guess I will have to leave them and look elsewhere.

One point that I think needs to be realised, especially in relation to salary, the company in question who are employing me have never ever met me. All they have in front of them is a Resume which I am assuming from the fact they wish to employ me has met with their approval and a picture of me. Although I am taking a risk in doing what I am doing, the company are also taking a risk with me. Who is say that I will be able and capable of doing what they require, after all my job is very different from the job I have here. I am not educated to degree level although have a higher education but have no experience or qualification in training people - they have offered to train me on their processes, modules, procedures and job profile and appreciate that it will take me some months before I grasp the total job role. I honestly therefore feel that realistically I cannot and should not expect to roll up in Delhi, get Limousine transport, a Luytens bungalow fully staffed, company credit card, executive office etc, etc.

Looking at this from a good case scenario, I might get there, find my accommodation very decent, find the company and everyone in it to my liking, find the job really rewarding and challenging. Settle down into a routine and enjoy my life in Delhi. Who knows if things go well then they may offer me an employment visa, better pay etc (they have already assured me that the company solicitor would be able to change my visa quite easily and with regards to tax, the company accountant would sort out any issues).

Basically, I am taking a risk, they could be lying to me, the company may not exist (don't quite know how they can make all their statements on their website if the company does not exist) but you never know, I suppose websites can be created to fraud people. However, this is the risk that I am willing to take to do something different in my life. I also feel confident enough to take this risk and in fairness to me, I feel to a certain extent my risk factor in this project is calculated i.e. I have tried to ensure that should things not go well then I have a plan b or c as well and failing that a return plane ticket home.

As I have already reiterated, if things don't get well and I have to come back to the UK, I haven't failed, it just didn't work out and I gave it a try - don't know how else I can express this.

Sorry this is so long but just trying to explain things!

machadinha

Hi again,

Sounds like you're set for an adventure. I think Brightspark as a resident already covered most of what you need to know. With the city being more expensive and reckoning with inflation I'd say about US$ 400 p/m should be sufficient to adequately cover all your basic needs. Anything above that could go towards any luxuries you might require.

There's a similar thread (that took a similar turn) about Bangalore at How about living in Bangalores with 20000-35000Rs per month? if you haven't seen it. One relevant link given there is a comparative salary survey site at http://www.payscale.com/salary-surve...LARY/fid-11570 .

Re: accommodation, it might actually be easier on you to stay in a hotel in a touristy area at first just to ease down on the acutest culture shock. By the time you get jaded with Westerners coming and going that would be a good time to move on to something more residential (of course if they offer you an apartment straightaway it might be difficult to politely refuse). Socially you'll probably find people most welcoming (sometimes a little bit too much so as someone warned. Being on your own this can be tricky, trying to distinguish the genuine from the ingenuine) but making close friends is another thing altogether. A matter of trial and error and enough patience I guess.

Re: the company, if they have a reliable website (possibly corroborated by other sites) and your contact so far has felt good then it's a risk probably worth taking.

Re: other jobs elsewhere, Mumbai is fairly modern and not hard to get around in, also more expensive than most other places, esp. the (tourist) accommodation. Bangalore is supposed to be really modern ("silicon valley" after all) and quite something different, it's probably also more expensive for that reason. It has a mild climate as a bonus and something of a nightlife with pubs and clubs which is rare in many other places.

For Delhi an article I stumbled across might interest you, http://travel.guardian.co.uk/countri...226874,00.html . Browse around that same site section for further reading.

Cheers!

rohan5577

Isobel,

Sorry for the late reply but was tied up. I skimmed through your posts and it seems that you are very clear iin your mind that you do want to work in India.

After reading your email, I have just one piece of advice. And I think most people have mentioned that already. What you shoould keep in my mind are your second/fall back options and make a what-if kind of comparison.

Going by the state of the BPO industry in India, one thing is for sure, its gonna grow only larger in the years to come at least the next 5-6 yr horizon. Since you been applying to companies often, but have not heard from them , I think this could be a stepping stone to land in India. Initially if you have money to sustain yourself for 6 months ( with the steep Pound, I assume you do, and this job offer, you will have a chance to network and develop contacts. A good way to get a job in India as anywhere else is networking and this is very prevalent in the BPO industry.

More over, when you are available in person in India, you can always search, and apply and meet the prospective employers in person.

I would advice you to search the web for some Indian companies or British companies that are engaged in the the BPO business or have British clients. One of them is EXL Services in Noida (suburb of Delhi) and Noida is a great place to live. This company does major business with AVIVA Insurance of Europe and is one of the best performing companies in the sector. Cost of living in Noida will suit your budget as well. Another company in HCL technolgies and they too have some European processes.

All this is information about the processes I know from people who are working in these companies and if you need the links to these companies, let me know.

Hope this helps,

Rohan

__________________
You can take a man out of India, but you can never take India out of a man!

soulfood

Indianworker, I've lived in Delhi for 25 of the past 28 years... I'll make a few points but first, lose your apprehensions about your job.

Your company sounds quite reasonable. They are so keen because they're getting your services at a very nominal salary. Call centre employees you will be training start at Rs. 10,000/mth and those with a couple of years's experience easily cross 20,000. With 3-4 years exp one can expect over 40,000 per month.

So, they're paying you a modest amount. Your natural language skills will be very valuable to BPO companies working for UK clients (as Rohan said). So you can easily opt for a similar training job in another BPO company if working or living conditions don't suit you with the present company. Once you're here, companies will be much more responsive to your applications.

The only thing you need to be concerned about your job and I don't know if you've already discussed this... is whether it is a day job or would it require you to work at night or even worse -- they might keep changing your shifts. I don't know about you but some people have a lot of problems adjusting to such a lifestyle. That's why we see such high attrition rates in the BPO industry.

Machadinha's responses are very comprehensive and helpful [Sugar would be Chini in Hindi and just a little sugar would be 'thodi si chini' or 'zara si chini'). But I also think his responses provide a slightly skewed picture with respect to culture shock etc. I don't know when in 90s he visited Delhi but over the last ten years, Delhi has had transforming changes. Both in infrastructure and culturally [Machadinha, I'm certain you won't recognise this new Delhi on your next visit]. Besides, the call centre is the last place you can expect to encounter culture shock. Really, even otherwise, you will have absolutely no difficulty ordering food in English at any restaurant in South or Central Delhi [I wrote about Delhi's Geography in another thread] unless you insist on buying it from the roadside! And you can easily enjoy the the luxury of a cafe every other day. But remember there aren't many of the European variety and most don't serve tea. Barrista, the most popular cafe here plays loud music! A cappucino at Barista would cost you 40 bucks.

In the last 2-3 years huge shopping malls have come up in NOIDA and particularly Gurgaon, where much of the BPO industry is concentrated. You can do all your monthly shopping at these places. If your company is providing accommodation and transportation -- the latter is a given for every call centre employee -- believe me, you can easily live off half your salary and spend some of the rest on household amenities. If you'd like to learn about prices of common commodities, you can check out http://shopping.indiatimes.com These are a bit on the higher side, but you'll get the picture.

Hope you have a great start to India. Feel free to ask any specific questions about Delhi or PM me if you want me to check on the company. But I'm sure it exists!

PS: one way to check legitimacy of the company is to find its UK clients from the website and call those companies from your home, your call should be answered by an Indian voice!

Indianworker

Soulfood

Thanks for this. The company I will be working for is not actually a call centre but a company that provides training to BPO aspirants. Basically I will be based in the Head Office in Delhi but will travel around India visiting its training centres around the country. I think it will be like the training colleges and schools we have in London that train people on things like TEFL courses or TESOL only in this capacity I will be speaking my UK English to help students gain entry into the BPO/Call Centre market. I have to say I am still a little anxious as to what I will find when I reach Delhi, however, more than happy to give it a go, especially as they have been very keen to recruit me and if it does not work out right then I am hoping I could pick up similar work in call centres/BPOs in India. I am assuming that once there and 'on the ground' so to speak it will be easier for me to try and gain employment as opposed to approaching companies from the UK.

Also with regards to my salary, yes I think it is on the low side, however the company are offering to train me so I am not coming to them already able to do the job and also am hoping that my accommodation will make up for some of the salary I have lost but will have to wait and see what I get when I arrive in Delhi.

Thanks for your help.