Salary request: How much is reasonable?

[aliencc]

Hi,
I've just finished my master in the UK and now I'm looking for a job as a software engineer in Finland. I'm now living in Germany though.
I have applied for some companies and they told me to send over a salary request.
Well I don't mind having a low salary at the beginning, but a lower than standard salary would lead to me switching places after that. Would you give me some advices please?
(I have no idea about the tax system in Finland so if you could gimme the before- and after-tax amount that would be great).
Thank you in advance!

[irnbru]

Minimum €3500 a month for a software engineer I would say. After tax is hard to say, maybe €2400?

[betelgeuse]

Minimum €3500 a month for a software engineer I would say. After tax is hard to say, maybe €2400?

Yes the relevant union has a starting wage recommendation about this.

http://www.tek.fi/palkkaneuvonta/alkupa ... istuneille

However, cool early stage startups will not be able to afford such salaries but better to make a reasonable request since companies will hardly be offering you more that you request.

[irnbru]

I keep hearing about unions having recommendations about this but have yet to see a link on this board with a job title and a salary figure

[Oombongo]

Tax calculator:
http://prosentti.vero.fi/VPL2014/Sivut/ ... ieli=en-US
(add 6.05 % points to the result)


Do note that cost of living in Finland is more than Germany, and choices in good is rather appalling in here too. I'd gladly switch my position with you

[cors187]

yet to see a link on this board

The board only caters for baby sitter/language/dog watchers

[aliencc]

Do note that cost of living in Finland is more than Germany, and choices in good is rather appalling in here too. I'd gladly switch my position with you

Well I do have another reason of moving to Finland, but I think both country are neither a bad choice. In the eastern part of Germany the cost of living is graduadly cheaper than Finland, especially Berlin, which I find quite strange for a capital city. But I always prefer somewhere else less crowded and more relaxing:)

Since I have the disadvantage of knowing no Suomi, I guess I will make a request slightly lower than standard.

Thank you all for the input:)

[Rip]

But I always prefer somewhere else less crowded and more relaxing:)

Helsinki less crowded and relaxing ? Almost 40% of Total population of Finland lives in Capital area.

Berlin was mentioned. Area is bit more than 10% larger, population over three times as much as in Helsinki+Espoo+Vantaa.

[irnbru]

I hear there are zero jobs in Berlin

[aliencc]

But I always prefer somewhere else less crowded and more relaxing:)

Helsinki less crowded and relaxing ? Almost 40% of Total population of Finland lives in Capital area. Less crowded and relaxing is in Northen part, where obviously job and other things are less too...

Helsinki is crowded, nothing different than Berlin. At least in Berlin you can get full plate of Kebab in 3 Euros for lunch, in Helsinki the best you get in 3 Euros is 3 eurojustos in Mac Donalds

True, but Berlin is seven times the porpulation of Helsinki and always filled with tourist and immigrants that makes me sometime wonder where all the German go ) I don't mean any discrimination but the Turks make me feel really unsafe here. So Helsinki must be definitely more relaxing for me haha. Well I do love Berlin very much, especially for the 3Euro Döner (the prices even go lower in some certain places:P), but it's time for me to go now, and I may be back latter.

I applied for 4 positions for 2000Euro (after tax) and haven't got any reply yet, I guess I will apply for more companies then.

[aliencc]

I hear there are zero jobs in Berlin

I would say there are plenty, but the jobseekers are more than plenty:)

[Beep_Boop]

Unless they explicitly ask you to send salary expectation, just don't tell them. If it's somewhere in the application, leave it empty. Whatever number you give, it will only go lower. If they really force you to pick a number, and you really really want the job, then give a low-estimate. Note: This can change dramatically when you have leverage, read more...

If you have less than 3 years of experience relevant to the field, don't dream about getting more than 3000 EUR as a "software developer". Unions can recommend whatever they want, in the end your contract is between you and your employer and the only thing governed by the Collective Agreement is the minimum (which is in your case ~ 2100 EUR). Of course they'll pay you a bit higher than the minimum, but not too much. An exception is if you can prove yourself as someone who can add noticeable value to the company (bringing customer connections, have your own innovative optimisation algorithm for a problem faced by their customer, or that you're just damn good developer).

You probably only have luck with the last one (showing you're a damn good developer). Do you have Stackoverflow account with a lot of good answer? How does your GitHub history look like with open source projects? Do you have repos of projects on your own? Do you have some semi-active tech blog? Have you presented something in some conference? Do you have contributions to big projects (even an approved pull-request to some big project like Linux, WordPress, Joomla, etc. etc.)

If you have none of that, then you're probably just another software developer, and you'll probably be paid like one.

[onkko]

But I always prefer somewhere else less crowded and more relaxing:)

Helsinki less crowded and relaxing ? Almost 40% of Total population of Finland lives in Capital area. Less crowded and relaxing is in Northen part, where obviously job and other things are less too...

Helsinki is crowded, nothing different than Berlin. At least in Berlin you can get full plate of Kebab in 3 Euros for lunch, in Helsinki the best you get in 3 Euros is 3 eurojustos in Mac Donalds

In germany you will also get your ass kicked by kebab people, in finland thats not yet a case so safety. There has been some immigrant gangs assaulting finns but nothing like in germany.

[irnbru]

I hear there are zero jobs in Berlin

I would say there are plenty, but the jobseekers are more than plenty:)

Yeah? My sister lived in Frankfurt for 7 years speaks German couldn't find a job in Berlin. One of my colleagues is German couldn't find a job there. Rent is cheap there apparently though.

[aliencc]

I hear there are zero jobs in Berlin

I would say there are plenty, but the jobseekers are more than plenty:)

Yeah? My sister lived in Frankfurt for 7 years speaks German couldn't find a job in Berlin. One of my colleagues is German couldn't find a job there. Rent is cheap there apparently though.

During my student years I could always find part-time jobs in Berlin, but well paid jobs are rare. Full time jobs are of course harder to get, but in big cities like Frankfurt or Berlin there always plenty, the only problem is you will have to prove yourself better than, like, a mountain of candidates ) The same goes for renting houses, and it is much more difficult when you are not German.