Need your advice! Got a job offer from Pramerica

smartstorm

Hello everyone!

This is my first post and must say this is a wonderful forum! Long story short I have got a job offer from Pramerica in Letterkenny. I am not an Irish national and if I go for it, I will have to relocate to Ireland. I have 6+ years of experience working in the IT industry. Currently they are offering me 34500 euros per year. Is it good looking at my overall work experience? What do you guys think? Anybody here who has worked for Pramerica?

Many thanks in advance!

Regards

Stheno

What have you six years experience in? I.e. what areas of IT?

smartstorm

Stheno wrote: »

What have you six years experience in? I.e. what areas of IT?

I have 6 years of experience working in CA Clarity, basically IT governance stuff. It's currently a hot skill and you don't get that many resources. I think that's why I was contacted in the first place. Am sure they tried looking for someone from EU before reaching out to me

Stheno

smartstorm wrote: »

I have 6 years of experience working in CA Clarity, basically IT governance stuff. It's currently a hot skill and you don't get that many resources. I think that's why I was contacted in the first place. Am sure they tried looking for someone from EU before reaching out to me

I fecking hate Clarity
That aside what are you actually doing? Are you an admin for the tool, a reporting analyst or are you doing programme management?

And where are you currently based?

€34.5k for a specialist job is quite low in my experience. If you are being head hunted, then you should look for quite a bit more.

Uncle Ben

I know nothing when it comes to the IT sector, however if this company cannot get anyone from within Ireland, North or south or the EU, I do know that I would be looking for more than €35k in wages.

jimmycrackcorm

€35k goes a long way in Letterkenny. Consider you can buy a house for €70k or even less.

It's also a good salary if you consider the quality of life compared to Dublin.

smartstorm

Stheno wrote: »

I fecking hate Clarity
That aside what are you actually doing? Are you an admin for the tool, a reporting analyst or are you doing programme management?

And where are you currently based?

Hi

I have worked in all possible roles in Clarity including Studio Developer,Administrator,Report Designer, Process Administrator and so on. I also have in depth knowledge on multiple modules of Clarity like Project Management, Portfolio Management, Resource Management, Financial Management, Demand Management etc. They are currently offering me a role of Developer.

I am based out of India and currently earning something equivalent to 14000 euros per year

Greenmachine

I know someone who works there a number of years, I am just not familiar with, the different roles in the company. This person started straight out of college in a QA role checking code etc. Not sure exactly what they are doing now, it is likely, software I have not heard making it more harder to remember. He started on a fairly modest salary and has seen some nice increases.

It may be worth your while seing if there are other similar roles in Ireland, In locations like Dublin, cost of living will be substantially higher when it comes paying rent or buying a house.
Look here to get an idea of rent
www.daft.ie
www.rent.ie

Look here to get an idea of the jobs available
www.monster.ie
www.jobs.ie
www.irishjobs.ie
www.recruitireland.com
www.jobseeker.fas.ie

Depending on your nationality, you may not be able to apply directly for the jobs. However if an employer can prove, significant difficulty in recruiting with the European Union, they can recruit from beyond.
On most of those job site you can build a profile, and submit multiple CV's for different job roles.

Kinet1c

That's a low ball offer imo. You could look at it as a way in to the Irish IT market or you could push for more money.

€35k is approx the average industrial wage in Ireland. You have specialist IT skills which are difficult to find. I recommend you do a bit more research and ask for a higher salary.
Do not compare Irish wage to India. I have worked with guys in India for several years and your salary there is approx one fifth or less of the wage in Ireland in my experience.
Edit: You need to consider how much you would like to move to Ireland when negotiating salary.

smartstorm

Thank you everyone for your replies. For someone like me who has no idea on how is it like to work in Ireland, it really helps. Really appreciate it. I want to negotiate with this company and ask for 40000 euros per year for this role. Do you think it will be a good package in Letterkenny? What will be the average monthly expense (rent + food + bills) for a single guy like me in Letterkenny if I am not spending lavishly?

Also,

in my career I have switched companies quite a few times due to unavoidable circumstances and so if I accept this offer I will be planning a long stay here. Hence I want to know how is the job security for IT companies in Ireland with respect to current economy? What are the chances I may lose my job after a short while in Ireland? That would be disastrous for me. Also being honest my current company in India is treating me very well unlike a lot of other companies I have worked for before. Can you guys tell me how secure are IT jobs in Ireland? And do you know how is Pramerica as a company in terms of job security? Right now job security for me is more important that money.

Again, many thanks in advance for your advice!

Stheno

It's unlikely you'd get almost 20% more than they initially offered. Wages in IT in Letterkenny are much lower than e.g Dublin or Cork but cost of living e.g. rent reflects this

smartstorm

Stheno wrote: »

It's unlikely you'd get almost 20% more than they initially offered. Wages in IT in Letterkenny are much lower than e.g Dublin or Cork but cost of living e.g. rent reflects this

Oh ok

What about job security for IT jobs in Ireland?

Stheno

smartstorm wrote: »

Oh ok

What about job security for IT jobs in Ireland?

There's heavy demand for it workers in Ireland
not many companies here use clarity however

You could do a search on monster looking for clarity related roles

Mrs OBumble

OP there are some things you need to be aware of:

During the first year of any job in Ireland, you are on probation: the company can fire you without giving any reason. The company cannot extend this right past 12 months, but they can make it shorter if they want, by ending your probation early.
Now, technology companies typically don't do this to skilled workers, but it is worth bearing in mind.

Also, the company can make your job redundant at any time - and if this happens within the first two years, you are not automatically entitled to any compensation (apart from from the notice period in your contract, which is usally one month). After you have been there two years, they have to pay you redundancy if they make your job redundant. The minimum for this is two weeks salary per year that you have been there.

I do not know anything about the particular company who have offered you a job. (Maybe you could post in the Donegal forum - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=948 - and ask specifically what they are like).

The salary offered is low. On principle I would always go back from any offer and ask for me (no company will ever offer what they think you are worth at the first round!). I don't think that looking for 5k more than they've offered is unreasonable - you might not get the full 5k, but it's worth asking. However weigh up the benefits of salary vs the sponsored work visa for you.

Living costs are lower in Letterkenny than in Dublin. But on the other hand, travel time/cost to get home to visit family and friends are higher. I don't know if there's a Garda Immigration Office (which you need to visit to get your visa stampted, and every time you change address) in Letterkenny. Transport costs can be a lot higher - you pretty much need a car to get around, and OP depending on what driving licence you hold, you may need to go through a full learner-driver process to be allowed to drive here.

Also, Letterkenny is small. I'd imagine that the local Indian community is extremely small. In Galway, it's mainly the families of nurses who are working here. I would guess that Donegal is similar. It will be a big cultural difference moving there, if you have not lived in a Western country before (you don't say).

And it rains a lot. Everyone who is contemplating moving to Ireland needs to know that. (I've worked with some lads from India who actually like this .. but many who don't!)

Good luck with your decision and the job.

volchitsa

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

OP there are some things you need to be aware of:

During the first year of any job in Ireland, you are on probation: the company can fire you without giving any reason. The company cannot extend this right past 12 months, but they can make it shorter if they want, by ending your probation early.
Now, technology companies typically don't do this to skilled workers, but it is worth bearing in mind.

Also, the company can make your job redundant at any time - and if this happens within the first two years, you are not automatically entitled to any compensation (apart from from the notice period in your contract, which is usally one month). After you have been there two years, they have to pay you redundancy if they make your job redundant. The minimum for this is two weeks salary per week that you have been there.

I do not know anything about the particular company who have offered you a job. (Maybe you could post in the Donegal forum - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=948 - and ask specifically what they are like).

The salary offered is low. On principle I would always go back from any offer and ask for me (no company will ever offer what they think you are worth at the first round!). I don't think that looking for 5k more than they've offered is unreasonable - you might not get the full 5k, but it's worth asking. However weigh up the benefits of salary vs the sponsored work visa for you.

Living costs are lower in Letterkenny than in Dublin. But on the other hand, travel time/cost to get home to visit family and friends are higher. I don't know if there's a Garda Immigration Office (which you need to visit to get your visa stampted, and every time you change address) in Letterkenny. Transport costs can be a lot higher - you pretty much need a car to get around, and OP depending on what driving licence you hold, you may need to go through a full learner-driver process to be allowed to drive here.

Also, Letterkenny is small. I'd imagine that the local Indian community is extremely small. In Galway, it's mainly the families of nurses who are working here. I would guess that Donegal is similar. It will be a big cultural difference moving there, if you have not lived in a Western country before (you don't say).

And it rains a lot. Everyone who is contemplating moving to Ireland needs to know that. (I've worked with some lads from India who actually like this .. but many who don't!)

Good luck with your decision and the job.

Typo alert : I think you meant two weeks' salary for every year that the person has been with the company?

(The rest of the post seems pretty complete - I can't add much as I don't know the company, but Letterkenny's a nice town, quite lively. Probably not that many recently-arrived foreign nationals as you say, but on the plus side very easy access to Derry which has a direct (Ryanair, but still...) flight to London, so maybe not as complicated for travel for someone from abroad wanting to go home from time to time as you might think.)

All the best with your decision, OP, whatever it is in the end.

smartstorm

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

OP there are some things you need to be aware of:

During the first year of any job in Ireland, you are on probation: the company can fire you without giving any reason. The company cannot extend this right past 12 months, but they can make it shorter if they want, by ending your probation early.
Now, technology companies typically don't do this to skilled workers, but it is worth bearing in mind.

Also, the company can make your job redundant at any time - and if this happens within the first two years, you are not automatically entitled to any compensation (apart from from the notice period in your contract, which is usally one month). After you have been there two years, they have to pay you redundancy if they make your job redundant. The minimum for this is two weeks salary per year that you have been there.

I do not know anything about the particular company who have offered you a job. (Maybe you could post in the Donegal forum - and ask specifically what they are like).

The salary offered is low. On principle I would always go back from any offer and ask for me (no company will ever offer what they think you are worth at the first round!). I don't think that looking for 5k more than they've offered is unreasonable - you might not get the full 5k, but it's worth asking. However weigh up the benefits of salary vs the sponsored work visa for you.

Living costs are lower in Letterkenny than in Dublin. But on the other hand, travel time/cost to get home to visit family and friends are higher. I don't know if there's a Garda Immigration Office (which you need to visit to get your visa stampted, and every time you change address) in Letterkenny. Transport costs can be a lot higher - you pretty much need a car to get around, and OP depending on what driving licence you hold, you may need to go through a full learner-driver process to be allowed to drive here.

Also, Letterkenny is small. I'd imagine that the local Indian community is extremely small. In Galway, it's mainly the families of nurses who are working here. I would guess that Donegal is similar. It will be a big cultural difference moving there, if you have not lived in a Western country before (you don't say).

And it rains a lot. Everyone who is contemplating moving to Ireland needs to know that. (I've worked with some lads from India who actually like this .. but many who don't!)

Good luck with your decision and the job.

Thank you for the detailed explanation. It looks like I will have to dig out some info about the company first before I take a decision on this.

Stheno

There is a lot of information on their website

derossi

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

OP there are some things you need to be aware of:

During the first year of any job in Ireland, you are on probation: the company can fire you without giving any reason. The company cannot extend this right past 12 months, but they can make it shorter if they want, by ending your probation early.
Now, technology companies typically don't do this to skilled workers, but it is worth bearing in mind.

Also, the company can make your job redundant at any time - and if this happens within the first two years, you are not automatically entitled to any compensation (apart from from the notice period in your contract, which is usally one month). After you have been there two years, they have to pay you redundancy if they make your job redundant. The minimum for this is two weeks salary per year that you have been there.

I do not know anything about the particular company who have offered you a job. (Maybe you could post in the Donegal forum - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=948 - and ask specifically what they are like).

The salary offered is low. On principle I would always go back from any offer and ask for me (no company will ever offer what they think you are worth at the first round!). I don't think that looking for 5k more than they've offered is unreasonable - you might not get the full 5k, but it's worth asking. However weigh up the benefits of salary vs the sponsored work visa for you.

Living costs are lower in Letterkenny than in Dublin. But on the other hand, travel time/cost to get home to visit family and friends are higher. I don't know if there's a Garda Immigration Office (which you need to visit to get your visa stampted, and every time you change address) in Letterkenny. Transport costs can be a lot higher - you pretty much need a car to get around, and OP depending on what driving licence you hold, you may need to go through a full learner-driver process to be allowed to drive here.

Also, Letterkenny is small. I'd imagine that the local Indian community is extremely small. In Galway, it's mainly the families of nurses who are working here. I would guess that Donegal is similar. It will be a big cultural difference moving there, if you have not lived in a Western country before (you don't say).

And it rains a lot. Everyone who is contemplating moving to Ireland needs to know that. (I've worked with some lads from India who actually like this .. but many who don't!)

Good luck with your decision and the job.

The company itself is expanding and aim to add another one thousand staff in the next year. They are currently in planning to build a huge building in the local IDA park to allow this. I can't see any worry about the company upping sticks more than any other multi national in the island.

Rent is cheap, cost of living is cheap and the town has a lively nightlife and the county itself has plenty of amnemities.

As for other Indian nationals, I can't give an exact figure but there would appear to be a large number working there so you would likely feel at home.

You may need a car, there is a large number of rental properties within wwalking distance to Pramerica and the town itself is close by but to discover the rest of the county a car is needed as public transport is non existant.

As for travel to Dublin etc. 20 euro on a bus would leave you on the doorstep of Dublin airport.

There is an immigration office here in the local Garda station. Just down the road from Pramerica.

If you lived in shared accommodation then your income would be more than enough.

smartstorm

derossi wrote: »

The company itself is expanding and aim to add another one thousand staff in the next year. They are currently in planning to build a huge building in the local IDA park to allow this. I can't see any worry about the company upping sticks more than any other multi national in the island.

Rent is cheap, cost of living is cheap and the town has a lively nightlife and the county itself has plenty of amnemities.

As for other Indian nationals, I can't give an exact figure but there would appear to be a large number working there so you would likely feel at home.

You may need a car, there is a large number of rental properties within wwalking distance to Pramerica and the town itself is close by but to discover the rest of the county a car is needed as public transport is non existant.

As for travel to Dublin etc. 20 euro on a bus would leave you on the doorstep of Dublin airport.

There is an immigration office here in the local Garda station. Just down the road from Pramerica.

If you lived in shared accommodation then your income would be more than enough.

Hello,

Thanks a ton for the info! I am currently weighing the pros and cons of making the move