It IS available for most of us (us being people reading
Hmm... I'd be willing to bet that half the readership is not physically in the U.S. (see for example the 4th of July poll - 55% voted it meant "nothing" or "something else")
Across the river, in Argentina, I'm making 5 pounds, about 8 USD, after taxes too. I'm underpaid too, as there is a higher salary in most other companies.
Yes, Argentina has higher salaries for IT, I'd heard that. And Chile, even better.
Stop accepting what they offer, and demand more.
When there's more than half the programming workforce making less than I do? Not a good idea.
I plan on starting my own company and selling stuff to the U.S. and Europe (seriously
Er... yeah, seriously... you're being taken for a ride. Minimum wage is nearly double that and a legal requirement...(snip) If you are genuinely working for a large and well known corporation, time to name and shame them.
He's in Romania, similar situation to mine I guess. Here in Uruguay, all the major corps (and McDonalds of course) pay way less than 3 pounds sterling per hour. McDonalds in particular pays about 80 pounds a month.
In case you haven't read the FAQ,
Hi Mr. Coward, I know you've been around forever, but I've been posting here since 2005
I was just trying to point out (somewhat sarcastically) to those that wonder "who would sign up for this, when Wal-mart is available", that no, it's NOT available for most of us ("us" being the 6 billion and a half of non-US citizens).
what can you buy for £3 in Uruguay?
Let's see - assuming 3 pounds is roughly 100 Uruguayan Pesos:
* 10 loaves of bread
* 50 cigarettes (2 packs and a half)
* 6 bus tickets and change
More interestingly:
* A kilo of nice, prime quality beef
* 6 liters of milk
* Dinner for two (cheap) or a good meal for one, dining out
* An hour of cleaning lady
* Two shifts of laundry at a laundromat (with service, not self-service)
The government index for basic food for a family for a month is set at 72 pounds ( http://www.dgc-mef.gub.uy/consultas/almacen/canastas/mensual/ ), so 24 hours of hypothetical work could feed a family for a month.
I pay U$ 200 for rent (16 square meters apartment), average is about U$ 400 - but they don't include all the amenities included in an US rent.
Anything electronics or luxury imports are HEAVILY taxed, we probably have the most expensive cars in the world, and stuff like consoles cost 300% of US price, etc.
You can check the prices on an expensive supermarket with an online webpage, Tienda Inglesa: http://www.tinglesa.com.uy/frames.asp
Money is paid to USA and Indian workers only. Everyone else gets to use their earnings as gift certificates at amazon.com.
Didn't know about that, how annoying - but it's standard to have problems collecting over here - Paypal doesn't have bank accounts here either IIRC.
It adds one more step: buy something at Amazon, smuggle it in here and then sell it at a huge profit, as taxes here are outrageous - a Kindle can be easily sold for U$ 300 or more - the Sony reader sells for U$ 600 at a shopping center. Even better, books and CDs can be imported legitimately so it wouldn't be smuggling (you have to pay the heavy shipping costs though).
In all, if you're materialistic and US-centric (like I am) it sucks a bit to live in Uruguay (too bad the US is currently so harsh on immigrants, not to mention emigrating is hard - leaving family and friends behind and all that)
They pay $8 in a nice, clean, air conditioned environment.
So US-centric. Please point me to the nearest Wal-Mart here in Montevideo (Uruguay, South America) that pays those wages, and I'll sign up instantly.
What is algebra, exactly? Is it one of those three-cornered things? -- J.M. Barrie