Oh, and we're not making as much as has stated in the previous posts. I'd tell you, but I don't want to embarrass myself too much.
Oh, and we're not making as much as has stated in the previous posts. I'd tell you, but I don't want to embarrass myself too much.
My fellow Americans, let us not forget that that great sounding Australian salary is at an exchange rate of 1 AUD to 71 cents USD, so really the pay is about 12.88 to 14.39 an hour in the dollars with Washington on them.
To our fellow techs in the land down under, what's the cost of living like and how far does that pay go?
I work for a small family business and the pay per hour is below par for the industry. I got no raise or review this year, but my shop just lost it's largest moneymaking account. We get no 401k. Company supplies trucks for techs. I have a 2008 Toyota Tacoma. I buy my own tools. My laptop is mine, so it stays at home. Company pays half of my medical. I get paid if I sell. I get small percent of my paid work, [ non contract repairs ]. I have the freedom to work on anything I want. I can set my own rates.
I could make more else where but;
1. I am old enough to have learned that it is more important to like your job than to make a lot of money.
2. Having a paying job in the future is better than having a great paying job now. I have almost 10 years where I am at, and pretty good job security even if the economy goes bad.
3. Other choices in this town may not be better
4. The largest dealer in town is Ricoh / Panisonic, I think they are for sale. They put GPS trackers in the techs trucks. They have to clock out if they turn off the road to go to the bank. My feeling about that is that if you hired me to represent your company an gave me a truck, you should trust me, so stick that GPS system up your ass! I think these people get paid well and more power to them.
5. The Mita / Kyroceya dealer is smaller than us and not really doing that well.
6. Another dealer in town is about same size as us and sells same lines, Konica Minolta and Lanier. Problem is they present themselves as a little more high end. The techs have to wear suit and tie. I can't see it. I would come back at the end of the day with toner hand prints on my dress shirt and the tie wrapped around my head as a sweat band and I am sure the sleeves on the blazer would have to go.
7. Sharp has an office in town but not a big share of the market.
8. There is Xerox. Well Xerox is kind of different. Nuff said.
9. So back to item 1, it is not the money, you got to fit in. I fit in where I work because everyone else is as Dysfunctional as I am. It is great to have a home even if they are a bunch of cheap bastards!
The greatest enemy of knowledge isn't ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge. Stephen Hawking
Thats a bit hard to answer, but I'll have a go.,
Petrol is about $1.10 a litre, a Big Mack about $4.25 (I think, I wouldnt eat one myself) median house price in Brisbane is in the $350k to $450K range (Sydney is over$650K) a beer will cost you $3.50 in a pub. Order a steak in a pub you will pay $18 to $25, in a restuarant $28 to $35
Just put a set of 4 tyres on the wifes MX6 for $600 and a new Toyota Corolla will cost you from $28k.
I've got a mobile phone /internet/land line deal that costs me $100 per month. Power bill is also about $100 a month with a spike in summer when we have the air-con on. Day time temp in in winter is in the 15 to 22 deg celcius range so you dont have to spend a lot on clothes and I just got shafted $46 for parking in the centre of town for 4 hours.
How far does my pay go? well that depends on the wife!!!!!!!!!
At least 50% of IT is a solution looking for a problem.
I got a pay rise on Friday
On the plus side nobody questions my mobile phone use, car mileage, expense claims or fuel consumption (even with my heavy right foot) and they are 30 or so great people to work with. I can go home a bit early, start a bit late and do personal bits and bobs during the day if I want/need to, but it's swings and roundabouts in that regard as they know that I make up the time in other areas. The engineers and service manager also organise "toner drops" from time to time, normally on Friday afternoons, so that we can go for a pint and relax.
On the negative side I'm top of the list to be called if the alarm is triggered, but I do get paid extra (hard currency) if I go out.
I've been there for 9 years now and have no plans to move, unless anybody offers me a huge salary-hike to do so. Anybody...?
thats not bad lagonda, good price for beer but a little high on steak and housing is similar. The gas here is by the gallon and we pay just under two dollars a gallon, but that could and does jump anytime. The boss is happier at that price. He was paying about $4 a gallon last summer. Oh did I mention the company will pay for certain expenses such as gas? nice benefit there.
$4 per gallon? It's £1.00 per litre here, translating to roughly $6.50 US per gallon or $2.00 AUD per litre. I'm glad I'm not paying that.
We have no use for air con over here though.
Hey Raymond.I am not that far from you and am in about the same siuation you are in.I also work for a family business.I pay enrty level about $10 an hour but have been lucky b/c i hired some guys from other dealers in town and has worked out for me.I pay in the 36k range for good techs and we supply laptops and vehicles.Have 401k but no match,although medical is paid.Gas here is running around $1.90 per gallon and my bill runs about 2k or so a month.
You might think that this is a silly question, but whats 401k?
At least 50% of IT is a solution looking for a problem.
A 401k is a retirement plan that you put money in and it is invested and all of it i not taxed until you retire. A lot of Americans lost their ass when it all went belly up. I took the penalties and took the cash early when I left the factory 15 years ago. I bought land and still have the land.
The greatest enemy of knowledge isn't ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge. Stephen Hawking
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