Contract renewals with Indian cos

[northernladuk]

I like the line... "Many of those hired are American citizens of Indian origin"

I reckon 95%?

Does it make me a racist because this pisses me off royally?

[kingcook]

Does it make me a racist because this pisses me off royally?

It's ok for Indians to say this.

It's only a problem if you're English

[klusener]

thanks everyone... don't really fancy the indian players for starters (having said that I still haven't the faintest to what's on offer)
if and when things get really desperate might throw in the towel and just get on with it till a lucrative gig comes along.

[Sid]

I was a permie at an Indian telco's UK operation and it was a real eye-opener. The company feels they own you as they've been so kind to employ you - it's like the stories of Japanese company men in the 80s and they've developed arse covering and blame shifting to high art.
Most of the time my customers were Indian SIs and they were even more disorganised and treated suppliers like something they found on their shoe, even when you saved them from a complete cock-up. What really amazed me was the abuse of the work permit system. Now I can kind of understand a techie needing to have "special knowledge of the company" but no one can tell me there's any excuse for shipping in sales guys!
I joked with my manager when I quit that I'd be replaced by an Indian and he said it would never happen but I rang him a couple of months later and surprise, surprise someone had flown in from Chennai.

I was a permie with the UK operation of an Indian outfit- I was non-billable for almost 2 months, while local contractors were being put forward to the client for billable work right under my nose!!- The Indian line manager will call up at my deskphone to tell the contractor sitting next to me that they are being put forward to another project....I doubt if they even have a business sense to realise that contractors are expensive then permies..most times they act just like bodyshoppers..happy to get their £15/day cut from sub-contracting

[pacharan]

Agree with what jojogabor said. Never touch indian companies with a bargepole and be very careful even around indian contractors....

I agree Wim.

Spent some time working in the Middle East a few years ago before onshoring started happening here.

The phenomenon was known to us western ex-pats as the Indian Mafia.

Would take any opportunity to stitch you up for their advantage. Wasn't just work related stuff. They would eavesdrop on private conversations and if they gleaned any titbits they could use to their advantage and to your detriment they'd be straight to the head of department's office.

[Sid]

Agree with what jojogabor said. Never touch indian companies with a bargepole and be very careful even around indian contractors.

True, but very difficult to avoid them now. They seem to be entrenched everywhere and most headhunters are recruiting on their behalf. Client is happy with their cut-price rate and this is not going to change in the future...I'd join one of them but try to keep an upper hand by negotiating tough..

[wim121]

That is very true. On a broader scale, British companies are dwindling. We have exported jobs to the extent that those nations are now taking advantage of us and with the privatised country we have, we are getting in to a situation like the US with their Chinese owned bonds, where our utilities are now out of our control and the Chinese are even buying in to the UK now with the recent buy in to Thames water.

*Sigh*, is there any schooling one can take where you learn how not to get screwed over by foreign companies?

[Sid]

That is very true. On a broader scale, British companies are dwindling. We have exported jobs to the extent that those nations are now taking advantage of us and with the privatised country we have, we are getting in to a situation like the US with their Chinese owned bonds, where our utilities are now out of our control and the Chinese are even buying in to the UK now with the recent buy in to Thames water.

*Sigh*, is there any schooling one can take where you learn how not to get screwed over by foreign companies?

I would learn Mandarin instead......as they say join them when you can't beat them

[mos]

I also worked for TATA (TCS) in London. I also have been let go in the middle of 7 weeks contract (initially advertised as 6 months) with one week notice which I spent providing training to the guy who just arrived from New Delhi. After termination he kept calling me at home asking for more help with the code which I developed !!!
Unfortunately LBG is likely to get overrun by TCS - they have already hired a number of ex TCS Analysts to run critical high budget projects.

[dk75]

The Indian Mafia is very real, very alive and kicking!

Two years ago i had two job offers, one was for an Indian consultancy as head of the virtualisation programme (Permie), and one was for an Infrastructure Director for an American organization (Contract). I declined the Indian consultancy role as I wanted to have a go in the Middle east. Two years later and having made a very good packet I decided that I had enough with the sh*t and let me elaborate a bit more on the specifics of the indian mafia.

Yes there is an Indian mafia as they are low paid, indecisive and keep saying yes sir
They are incompetent in making an meanigful decisions on there own even in their own field.
Unless you directly force them to make the decision they will refrain from doing so and wait to be micromanaged
They are allergic to responsibility and have issues with accountability.
Their number one priority is the blame game and how they can cover their arses.
They can't organise anything that needs to have a decision made even if their life depended on it!
They tend to go around the chain of command and complaint to the superiors regardless if in the meetings they had no leg to stand on (its just their nature and how they behave)
They steal other people's ideas and knowhow and they present those same ideas as their own, however once confronted to discuss it in more detail they become silent as they are chancers...
They look after each other as to who they will screw next and they tend to go in packs especially in management.
Most of them in the middle east are stateless as even though they are born in the country they dont have the local nationality so they go back to Pakistan or India and they are desperate to get their hands in EU/US/Canadian passports and citizenship. I MEAN DESPERATE!!!!
I negotiated a huge packet before i got there and they were desperate to find out how much i earned.
When the bosses are not around is like the zoo with banging desks, shouting (to their country men) and generally dissapear on all sorts of sickys, family problems, training (you name the excuse and they already have it)
Having said that there is a distinction between Asians born and bred in Western countries as i had some amazing engineers in my team which was very proud that i recruited, however the ones coming from the subcontinent are absolutely useless and they have a catalogue of certification (in all fields) but didnt know the basics when asked in interviews. You just know someone else did their certification and its a huge industry that makes money.

Finally I decided enough is enough, gave my months contract notice and will be returning back to the UK next month to begin my "work & life rehabilitation" as I want to go back to normality...

Wish me happy return's as I can't bloody wait!

DK

Mod note: removed the name of the Indian consultancy.