I know that this is a sensitive subject to talk about inside the firm so I came here to get some answers, I'm a foreign architect who is starting a new career in NYC so I dont know a lot about the system here, I'm currently working as temp in a firm, like a contract, and I'm getting a $XX per hour, no benefits no insurance, just the hourly rate minus taxes withheld.
There is a possibility of getting hired full time in this firm, so my question is should I expect an offer based on my hourly rate, I mean multiplying it by 40 hour X 52 week ? or it might drop below that amount because of the benefits i will be getting ?
Also does firms compensate for overtime for full time employees ?
all comments are appreciated
Thanks
AW
midlander
Sep 3, 15 5:33 am
How do you get a work visa as a foreign architect to do temp/ contract work? Unless you have a greencard or are still on a student visa what your firm is doing is likely illegal, so they are probably screwing you.
Contract pay vs full time isnt usually a simple thing. Most firms hire full time for people they see as having more to offer long term than just x hours of work at y dollars per hour. Really the best way to get a sense of your value is to talk to friends with similar roles in competing firms, and looking on sites like glassdoor. Archinects salary poll is a bit out of date now but still useful since it lists by city. The AIA also has a salary poll but doesnt break down by city so can be harder to compare.
Overtime isnt required for licensed architects or those whose role can be considered professional or managerial in nature, which is pretty broad - so whether you get paid for it depends on office policy. Usually no.
If you know the billing rate for your future position, you can divide by anywhere from 3 to 5 to get a sense what fits your firm's budget for salary. What they are actually willing to pay you may be different. It varies a lot with firm size and the particular value of an employee.
null pointer
Sep 3, 15 7:07 am
If you're not getting any benefits, you should be making at least enough to cover your own buying of such benefits.
Otherwise, you're just getting tricked.
Factor getting your own health insurance and a minor percentage equivalent to 401k matching into your hourly. Always.
awhite
Sep 3, 15 4:05 pm
midlander, null pointer,
Thank you for your comments, I'm asylee d I'm authorized to work legally in the US, so that's not an issue,
The thing is because I dont have an experience in the US, getting a full time job is harder for me, so I had to start working as a contract employee to improve my resume and learn the profession here, and I worked in one of the largest firm in the US, and the one i'm currently working for is a high profile firm in NYC with a more than 200 employee. I heard that the HR are asking about me, and my recruiter [ I got this job through a recruiting agency ] told me that the HR implied to him that they want to keep me.
what I understand from your comments is that the hourly rate I'm getting now is not an accurate measure of the yearly salary ?!! I think i'm getting a very fair pay now and I would not mind if they used it as a base for their offer, I'm only worried that they are paying me a high rate because they needed an immediate help for 3 months.
Thanks all.
midlander
Sep 3, 15 7:10 pm
Its unlikely you're getting paid more than they would budget for full time employees. If it's a large firm there will definitely be information on some of the salary websites. Check glassdoor and see if it gives you an idea what the salary range is. Good luck.
won and done williams
Sep 4, 15 9:59 am
Why are they withholding taxes from your pay when you are on contract? Smells fishy...
null pointer
Sep 4, 15 10:18 am
Let's play this game. First year right? If you're being paid any less than 60 an hour you're getting screwed. Assuming $600 a month in health insurance that you should be able to fork out for yourself, a 33% tax rate (inflated, but whatever) and additional income because you're on contract so there's a price on uncertainty.
curtkram
Sep 4, 15 10:50 am
he's not a contractor
he's working for the recruiter. the recruiter has a contract for so many months with the architecture firm. he is an employee of the recruiter, he'll get a w2 from the recruiter and all that, and he possibly even has some sort of health insurance through them. when the term is done, the firm can hire him directly.
i would think it's fair to ask the HR folks to pay what you're currently getting paid when you switch to normal employment, though they're currently paying a bunch extra since the recruiter takes a cut. you could take the extra lug they're currently paying into consideration and ask for more.
awhite
Sep 5, 15 10:05 pm
Won,
Maybe I didnt describe it right, I think I'm more a temp employee than a contractor,. so they are withholding the taxes.
Null pointer,
im not getting 60,I think I 'm getting paid fairly, at least according to the salary surveys website like Salary.com, I have 3+ years of experience, and I'm getting 28 per hour.
Curtkram,
Your right, I'm not a contractor, I'm a temp employee, but the thing is I'm getting paid through the firm not the recruiter, they have a different arrangement with the agency, they might be paying them a yearly fee for finding employees !! [i'm just guessing] , I worked before for a recruitment agency and they had health insurance, but it was crappy, and I didnt sign for it.
null pointer
Sep 6, 15 9:09 am
That's 58k a year before taxes with no health insurance, and assuming zero vacation and zero leave.Take out 6.5k for health insurance and you are at 51.5k.
6.5k more + vacation + sick leave + the price of uncertainty / the resume blot that is a short term position.
3tk
Sep 6, 15 10:39 pm
Salaries are all dependent on your competency, speed and ability to meet deadlines and learn increasingly advanced tasks. At 3 yrs it's reasonable to expect that you are license eligible and ready to accomplish any task required to the level of the exams (I certainly would at 58k in nyc).
First, note that hardly anyone works 40hrs/wk for 52 weeks: most offices, if not all, have holidays amounting to 10 days. You will be given sick/vacation days (unworked time) and potentially personal development/continuing education/personal days. In addition, your employer will be paying a portion of your FICA taxes (7.65%) that you are currently paying. Healthcare insurance varies on the plan (I paid under $200 for HDHC, $400 for HMO on my own, an employer of that size will probably pay a portion of it). They also may have a retirement plan that they arrange and potentially contribute to. The liability on the work can change, though at that level that probably isn't an issue.
I doubt you'd get $56k (the $28/hrx40hrsx50weeks), but on the other hand, you're more likely to be given the opportunity to move up and learn more once you're a full time employee.
I've never heard of anyone paying for overtime unless they were hourly. Most places like to pay salary because they expect long hours (50~60/wk in a high caliber nyc office at the lower levels is fairly normal - once you get efficient it'll drop). If you're lucky (and are profitable to the firm) you'll get a decent bonus.
Hello,
I know that this is a sensitive subject to talk about inside the firm so I came here to get some answers, I'm a foreign architect who is starting a new career in NYC so I dont know a lot about the system here, I'm currently working as temp in a firm, like a contract, and I'm getting a $XX per hour, no benefits no insurance, just the hourly rate minus taxes withheld.
There is a possibility of getting hired full time in this firm, so my question is should I expect an offer based on my hourly rate, I mean multiplying it by 40 hour X 52 week ? or it might drop below that amount because of the benefits i will be getting ?
Also does firms compensate for overtime for full time employees ?
all comments are appreciated
Thanks
AW
How do you get a work visa as a foreign architect to do temp/ contract work? Unless you have a greencard or are still on a student visa what your firm is doing is likely illegal, so they are probably screwing you.
Contract pay vs full time isnt usually a simple thing. Most firms hire full time for people they see as having more to offer long term than just x hours of work at y dollars per hour. Really the best way to get a sense of your value is to talk to friends with similar roles in competing firms, and looking on sites like glassdoor. Archinects salary poll is a bit out of date now but still useful since it lists by city. The AIA also has a salary poll but doesnt break down by city so can be harder to compare.
Overtime isnt required for licensed architects or those whose role can be considered professional or managerial in nature, which is pretty broad - so whether you get paid for it depends on office policy. Usually no.
If you know the billing rate for your future position, you can divide by anywhere from 3 to 5 to get a sense what fits your firm's budget for salary. What they are actually willing to pay you may be different. It varies a lot with firm size and the particular value of an employee.
If you're not getting any benefits, you should be making at least enough to cover your own buying of such benefits.
Otherwise, you're just getting tricked.
Factor getting your own health insurance and a minor percentage equivalent to 401k matching into your hourly. Always.
midlander, null pointer,
Thank you for your comments, I'm asylee d I'm authorized to work legally in the US, so that's not an issue,
The thing is because I dont have an experience in the US, getting a full time job is harder for me, so I had to start working as a contract employee to improve my resume and learn the profession here, and I worked in one of the largest firm in the US, and the one i'm currently working for is a high profile firm in NYC with a more than 200 employee. I heard that the HR are asking about me, and my recruiter [ I got this job through a recruiting agency ] told me that the HR implied to him that they want to keep me.
what I understand from your comments is that the hourly rate I'm getting now is not an accurate measure of the yearly salary ?!! I think i'm getting a very fair pay now and I would not mind if they used it as a base for their offer, I'm only worried that they are paying me a high rate because they needed an immediate help for 3 months.
Thanks all.
Its unlikely you're getting paid more than they would budget for full time employees. If it's a large firm there will definitely be information on some of the salary websites. Check glassdoor and see if it gives you an idea what the salary range is. Good luck.
Why are they withholding taxes from your pay when you are on contract? Smells fishy...
Let's play this game. First year right? If you're being paid any less than 60 an hour you're getting screwed. Assuming $600 a month in health insurance that you should be able to fork out for yourself, a 33% tax rate (inflated, but whatever) and additional income because you're on contract so there's a price on uncertainty.
he's not a contractor
he's working for the recruiter. the recruiter has a contract for so many months with the architecture firm. he is an employee of the recruiter, he'll get a w2 from the recruiter and all that, and he possibly even has some sort of health insurance through them. when the term is done, the firm can hire him directly.
i would think it's fair to ask the HR folks to pay what you're currently getting paid when you switch to normal employment, though they're currently paying a bunch extra since the recruiter takes a cut. you could take the extra lug they're currently paying into consideration and ask for more.
Won,
Maybe I didnt describe it right, I think I'm more a temp employee than a contractor,. so they are withholding the taxes.
Null pointer,
im not getting 60,I think I 'm getting paid fairly, at least according to the salary surveys website like Salary.com, I have 3+ years of experience, and I'm getting 28 per hour.
Curtkram,
Your right, I'm not a contractor, I'm a temp employee, but the thing is I'm getting paid through the firm not the recruiter, they have a different arrangement with the agency, they might be paying them a yearly fee for finding employees !! [i'm just guessing] , I worked before for a recruitment agency and they had health insurance, but it was crappy, and I didnt sign for it.
That's 58k a year before taxes with no health insurance, and assuming zero vacation and zero leave.Take out 6.5k for health insurance and you are at 51.5k.
3 years in: you should be making 58k with health insurance included. http://info.aia.org/salary/salary.aspx
6.5k more + vacation + sick leave + the price of uncertainty / the resume blot that is a short term position.
Salaries are all dependent on your competency, speed and ability to meet deadlines and learn increasingly advanced tasks. At 3 yrs it's reasonable to expect that you are license eligible and ready to accomplish any task required to the level of the exams (I certainly would at 58k in nyc).
First, note that hardly anyone works 40hrs/wk for 52 weeks: most offices, if not all, have holidays amounting to 10 days. You will be given sick/vacation days (unworked time) and potentially personal development/continuing education/personal days. In addition, your employer will be paying a portion of your FICA taxes (7.65%) that you are currently paying. Healthcare insurance varies on the plan (I paid under $200 for HDHC, $400 for HMO on my own, an employer of that size will probably pay a portion of it). They also may have a retirement plan that they arrange and potentially contribute to. The liability on the work can change, though at that level that probably isn't an issue.
I doubt you'd get $56k (the $28/hrx40hrsx50weeks), but on the other hand, you're more likely to be given the opportunity to move up and learn more once you're a full time employee.
I've never heard of anyone paying for overtime unless they were hourly. Most places like to pay salary because they expect long hours (50~60/wk in a high caliber nyc office at the lower levels is fairly normal - once you get efficient it'll drop). If you're lucky (and are profitable to the firm) you'll get a decent bonus.