Salary for an American Journalist?

sa_ill

Hey
I have a friend, who's 25, and has been offered to work as an editor for a company in Okhla Phase I, Delhi.

The thing is, she doubts how much of an offer to put. She says that they mentioned that she wont be getting salaries like the US. So the prior dilemma is, how much should she ask as an offer?

Initially, she thought Rs. 1.5 lakhs. I thought that was too high for a 25 year old, so I told her to get it down to Rs. 1 lakh, but before confirming, I just want to know what IM thinks.

Thanks!

sa_ill

Anyone?

jituyadav

There are so many parameters that it would be impossible for anyone to give answer to this. In any case, it is weird that first the job has been offered and then the salary is being decided...1.5 lakhs...no better make it 1 lakhs...please pardon me but I somehow find it amusing , 50 thousand here and there just like that . Hope someone will be able to provide answers.

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sa_ill

Well actually my friend has got the job. The company really want her to join. They really like her profile.

The issue:
She doesnt want to ask for much, scaring them from employing her.
She doesnt want to ask for less, which will result in her being briefly underpaid.
So basically what I'm asking is: What is the 'sweet spot'?

She doesnt hope so take any cash. She just wants to live decently, party, and probably travel to Mumbai or Goa etc.
How much is enough for all these activities?

de_cooky

The best way out is to let them quote a fig..What they will wuote will obviously be less than the industry standards.So she can bargain from there on.
She can very well state that since she is from a different country she has no idea how much to quote.
Let them say their figure

jituyadav

If I were at your friends place, I would be apprehensive. How can a company give the job first without clearing about the salary, this would leave them with no option of negotiations. I think you must check the credentials of the company, management etc. There are many companies where females are employed with the main motive of exploitation. Of course all may be ok but no harm in being just a bit careful.

Haylo

Me too. You cannot get an Indian employment visa without a contract of employment which sets out salary details.

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skk

This will be an interesting discussion - I know what the standard behavior in the USA is: The classic statement: "I really want to make my best contribution to this excellent company; please give me your best offer" is the opener- it cues any self-respecting HR professional that you know your stuff -you then negotiate - usually around sign-on bonus, stock grant, vesting periods for options and the options etc - not the base salary but the extras - which can be quite a lot.

There must be a survey of Indian salaries in particular industries in India out there on the net somewhere; perhaps even of ex-pat salaries. you then have to pick quartiles, top quartile or even go for max+x% or some such as a negotiating point; if they say "I'm sorry, our salary range only extends to XXXX"" unless you have a competitive offer,don't get on your high horse and put the phone down - stay engaged - the top number is their FINAL offer on base salary - but work on the extras side of things.

Somebody should be able to tell us the Indian equivalents : the 13th month, relo, Dearness Allowance ( DA ), company apartment/house/car etc etc - one has to learn the tax-efficient one-off payment systems in India.

That was of course once-upon-a-time, in the USA ; Nowadays its more "gizza-a-job" in the USA ; in journalism as much as anything else - the death of the print media is not over-hyped.

-skk

steering

the salary mentioned is for one month or one year !

haha . just kidding

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Lugubert

No kidding required; from my Swedish perspective, Asian salary figures often make me ask myself that question. For example, for various reasons, my old age pension is just ca. INR 74,000 per month. Fortunately, considering our price levels, persistent customers add significantly more.

deburn

I'm sorry; just clarifying: are you saying just INR 74k pm?

camelgirl

Of all the things people have written regarding salary, this post by Haylo remains the only one worth ready a few times more.

Your title is "American journalist" You say she already has the job. She needs to get THEM to give her the salary details so she can get a visa.

This whole thing is full of holes & not making much sense (to me).

You want us to tell you how much she should earn so she can have enough to party, live decently and travel Every one of those is a completely subjective concept!!! Usually, when one gets a job, one figures out how to live within the salary they make. Or is that just some old fashioned concept I've been foolish enough to believe my whole life

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curtdfw

Sounds very unAmerican to me...

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skk

I can't see any holes, yet here - what you say may be right, but it all fits my job negotiating paradigm - EVEN before the visa biz, EVEN before a signed contract,EVEN before formal references ( informal ones may have been done), you get, in computing and biochem and especially freelance fields - like contract computing, like journalism, a discussion takes place.

I'm prepared to be wrong but at this point, the base poster makes sense to me - especially that dilemma about don't want to ask too much, don't want to be screwed either - its a well known issue in non-governmental, non set payrate/grade jobs.

-skk

shashank.aggarwal

As a recruitment professional, I second Skk's advice. The right way to do it.

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