Science Instructional Consultant, CRLT, UMich

Instructional Consultant in the Biological, Physical or Health Sciences

CRLT, University of Michigan - Greater Detroit Area

Job Description

The Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) seeks a faculty developer to work with instructors in the biological, physical, or health sciences and to consult on instructional technology. Candidates should have a PhD in the sciences, experience working with faculty or TAs from those disciplines, or research relevant to the sciences. Familiarity with clinical teaching is desirable. Applicants will be considered for either an Instructional Consultant title or an Assistant Director title, depending on level of experience.  
 
For a full description including instructions for applying, please visit http://www.crlt.umich.edu/node/1029

Desired Skills & Experience

Job requirements: PhD in hand; college teaching experience; faculty and/or TA development experience; background in the sciences or experience working with science instructors; comfort using a variety of instructional technologies; ability to work effectively in settings of social and intellectual diversity; and strong oral and written communication skills. 
Desired qualifications: Familiarity with faculty/TA development and teaching at a large research university; familiarity with the literature on faculty/TA development and student learning.

Company Description

Founded in 1962, the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) was the first university teaching center.  CRLT supports the advancement of teaching and learning in all 19 schools and colleges at the University of Michigan. We are a highly collaborative and productive group, and we look forward to welcoming new staff to our team.  For information about CRLT, visit http://www.crlt.umich.edu.  The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer.

Why Request for Evidence (RFE)?–Recent Trends

 

On a mission to eradicate fraud, USCIS is increasingly responding to petitions with burdensome Requests for Evidence (RFE). Over the past years, different trends has been observed, such as:

End Client

The USCIS recently changed the format of their Requests for Evidence (RFE) for petitions where the employee is located at a client site. In the past, the focus of these types of RFEs centered around the employer/employee relationship, but now, they have started questioning whether the position at the end-client requires a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.

These RFEs seem to be targeted at IT staffing companies because they include language that says that the record indicates the petitioner “is in the business of locating persons with computer-related backgrounds and placing these individuals in positions with firms that use such personnel to complete their projects.”

The RFEs suggest that in order to overcome USCIS's doubts, employers must provide copies of signed contracts, master agreements, work orders, statements of work, services agreements and letters between the employer and authorized officials of the ultimate end-client companies and that these documents should contain a description of the duties, the requirements for the position, salary, hours worked, benefits and a brief description of who will supervise the employee.

Education

The USCIS has in the past has placed an emphasis on education and has been issuing RFE where they are asking about:

1. Education evaluation from a reputable evaluation company. Further, if the evaluation requires a combination of education and experience to equate to either a 4 year degree or a degree that is relevant to the position, the USCIS is requiring evidence establishing the evaluator's credentials and qualifications. It is important that Sponsors who sponsor H1B applicants with foreign degrees get their evaluations from credible evaluation companies and that they submit the evidence regarding the evaluator’s credentials and qualifications.
2. How a person’s degree relates to the position. They are questioning this more frequently so it is important to verify that there is either classwork or experience that an H1B applicant can show in order to prove that their education/experience is relevant to the position that is being filed for on their behalf.

Right to Control

The USCIS continues to question an employer’s ability to control their employee when that employee is located off-site. Further, they question the employer’s employer/employee relationship and how the employer intends to maintain this while the employee is working at a client site.

These doubts have been raised since the Neufeld memo was published in 2010. An end-client letter which states that the project/assignment will last for 3 years resolves this issue, but in most cases, end-clients are hesitant to issue these types of letters as they feel that it can be construed as a contractual commitment to that consultant and their employer.

Other Notable Observations

• Although additional scrutiny has affected companies of all types and sizes, those that design and/or produce products are not nearly as hard hit as companies that provide IT services.
• USCIS is increasingly tallying and tracking cases filed by each company. Companies that file a disproportionately high number of petitions relative to its overall headcount often face more burdensome RFEs.

Receiving and Accepting the Offer from H-1B Work Visa Sponsor

 

This post is a part of series of posts that makes up “The Complete Process Trail for H-1B Work Visa”.

Once you clear the technical interview and are shortlisted by the H-1B Work Visa Sponsor, your second and last interview will be scheduled with the HR/Management. This interview serves a mean to interact with the management/HR of the company and sort of an introductory knowledge session about what company is all about, their vision, mission , future roadmaps etc.. It is very rare that a candidate who qualifies the technical interview, got rejected because of the evaluation results from his management/HR interview.

Next, the Sponsor will extend an offer to you verbally, which details your role, job description, salary, benefits, etc.. If you agree or after final negotiations, they will send you an Official Offer Letter on company’s letter head, which will be a proof of employment for you throughout your H-1B Work Visa processing.

Make sue you discuss and have a clear understanding on all of the following before accepting the offer:

1. Contract Type – Consultant or Employment
2. Sponsor’s % and your % in case of Consultant Contract OR per month Salary in case of Employment Contract
3. General idea of rates/salaries in prevailing market
4. General idea of Tax Deductions & your Take Home Salary

H-1B Work Visa–Tax Deductions and Your “Take Home” Salary

 

In my initial post, we establish the expected salary ranges for various skill sets and expertise and in the last post, I discuss the sponsor’s share. Now, the last remaining piece is the Income Tax Deduction. I will discuss this in detail in this post.

Taxes based on income are imposed at the federal, most state, and some local levels within the United States. The Taxable income is gross income less exemptions and deductions; where Gross income includes "all income from whatever source".

2012 Federal Income Tax Rates:

You can notice from the chart above, that a “single” resource will be taxed higher than the married one. On the same principle, if you have children or dependents (like parents, etc.), for each dependent you will be tax-exempted by a certain percentage/amount. The more the number of children or dependents, the higher tax-exemptions and hence lower income tax deductions.

So, if we continue our example of a Java Developer resource from our last post. The net annual salary for that resource will be:

On Employment Contract – US$ 3,500 per month x 12 = US$ 42,000 per year

On Consultant Contract – US$ 4,928 per month x 12 = US$ 59,136 per year

Federal Income Tax on Employment Contract:
25% of US$ 3,500 per month = US$ 875 per month

Federal Tax on Consultant Contract:
25% of US$ 4,928 per month = US$ 1,232 per month

State Income Taxes

43 states and many localities in the United States impose an income tax on individuals. Tax rates vary by state and locality, and may be fixed or graduated.

For our example, we assume that the resource is working in New York State.

The annual salary for the resource is:

On Employment Contract – US$ 3,500 per month x 12 = US$ 42,000 per year

On Consultant Contract – US$ 4,928 per month x 12 = US$ 59,136 per year

Hence,

New York State Income Tax on Employment Contract:
US$ 973 + 6.45% of [ US$ 42,000 per year – US$ 20,000 ] = US$ 2,392 per year or US$ 199.34 per month

New York State Income Tax on Consultant Contract:
US$ 973 + 6.45% of [ US$ 59,136 per year – US$ 20,000 ] = US$ 3,497.27 per year or US$ 291.44 per month

So, the net take home salary will be:

On Employment Contract:
US$ 3,500 per month - US$ 875 per month (Fed. Tax) - US$ 199.34 per month (NYS Tax)
= US$ 2,425.66 per month

On Consultant Contract:
US$ 4,928 per month – US$ 1,232 per month (Fed. Tax) – US$ 291.44 per month (NYS Tax)
= US$ 3,404.56 per month

City/Area/Locality Income Taxes

14 states and the District of Columbia allow cities, counties, and municipalities to levy their own separate individual income taxes in addition to state income taxes. These include:

• Alabama: Birmingham levies an income tax of 1%
• Arkansas: Seven Arkansas school districts assess an income tax surcharge equal to 10% of state income tax before tax credits. They are: Berryville, Green Forest, Westside, Hope, Huntsville, Waldron, and Marshall.
• Colorado: Three cities impose flat taxes on compensation. Aurora charges $2 per month on compensation over $250, Denver charges $5.75 per month on compensation over $500, and Greenwood Village charges $4 per month on compensation over $250.
• District of Columbia: D.C. has a bracketed income tax system. The rates are 4% for the first $10,000 of income, 6% for $10,000 to $40,000 of income, and 8.5% for income over $40,000.
• Delaware: Wilmington has a flat 1.25% tax on income.
• Iowa: 666 school districts impose an income tax surcharge ranging from 1% to 20% of state income tax owed.
• Indiana: All 92 counties in Indiana have an individual income tax. Tax rates are in the process of being changed, and will be announced on the Indiana Department of Revenue’s website once they are finalized.
• Kentucky: Eight cities in kentucky levy income taxes on residents and non-residents. They are: Bowling Green (1.85%), Covington (2.5%), Florence (2%), Lexington-Fayette (2.25%), Louisville (2.20% for residents and 1.45% for non-residents), Owensboro (1.33%), Paducah (2%), and Richmond (2%). Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government and Louisville - Jefferson County also impose taxes on businesses.
• Maryland: All 24 Maryland counties levy income taxes on residents and non-residents. Tax rates range from 1.25% to 3.20%. Baltimore also has an income tax of 3.05%.
• Michigan: Several Michigan cities impose income taxes with rates ranging from 0.50% to 2.50%. Detroit’s income tax rate is 2.50% for residents and 1.25% for non-residents.
• Missouri: Both Kansas City and St. Louis have an income tax of 1%.
• New York: Yonkers and New York City both have individual income taxes. New York City's income tax rates range from 2.907% to 3.648%. Yonker's income tax rate is equal to 10% of your net (after credits) state income tax.
• Ohio: 235 cities and 331 villages in Ohio have an income tax, including Columbus, Toledo, Cincinnati, and Cleveland. Ohio law requires a flat rate that cannot exceed 1%, unless it is approved by the voters. Ohio local income tax rates range from 0.40% in Indian Hill to 3% in Parma Heights.
• Oregon: The Tri-Met Transit District (includes Portland) assesses an income tax of 0.6318% and the Lane County Transit District (includes Eugene) assesses an income tax of 0.60%. Multnomah County (Portland) also assesses a 1.45% business income tax.
• Pennsylvania: Most municipalities in Pennsylvania assess a tax on wages, known as the Earned Income Tax. This tax is usually split between the municipality and the local school district. The local Earned Income Tax is only assessed on earned income, like wages. Unearned income like interest and dividends are not taxed. Pennsylvania state law limits the Earned Income Tax to a maximum flat rate of 2%, but Home Rule cities like Philadelphia and Scranton are not subject to this maximum. Cities with tax rates above 2% include: Philadelphia (3.98%), Pittsburgh (3%), Reading (2.70%), Scranton (3.40%), and Wilkes-Barre (2.85%). Non-residents have to pay the Earned Income Tax as well, but are usually taxed at a lower rate. You can look up local tax rates on Pennsylvania state's website. Local income taxes are also assessed on the net profits of businesses.

H-1B Work Visa–Sponsor’s Share or Profit

 

In my last post, I shared the salary brackets for Employment Contract and Consultant Contract. The feedback, that I received on that post, contains a number of queries and comments on huge difference in compensation between the two models. So, I thought it is in the best interest of all to discuss Sponsor’s Share or Profit in my next post.

This is a known fact that all companies who sponsor H-1B, do it to save or make some money:

1. Companies need resources for their in-house project/product development and they can get quality resources in a cheaper rate if they have the means and access to human resource markets like Pakistan, India, China, etc..
   [ Benefit – Save Money ] [ Contract Type – Employment ]
2. Companies also deploy resources to other clients and earn a % share from the salaries of those resources via the Corporate-to-Corporate (corp-to-corp or c2c) model.
   [ Benefit – Make Money ] [ Contract Type – Consultant ]

I will now continue the example from my previous post, to help you understand how sponsor companies make or save money as discussed above.

Based on the salary ranges I mentioned in my previous post, a Java Developer can sign:

1. An Employment Contract of US$ 3,500 per month, OR
2. A Consultant Contract of US$ 40 per hour

Let us now calculate the per month salary of this resource for option #2 i.e. Consultant Contract:

As a standard, each resource is required to work 8 hours per day and five weekdays a week from Monday to Friday. Saturday and Sunday are weekend holidays. If we assume, there are 4 weekends in a month and an average month has 30 days then:

[ 30 (days in month) – 8 (weekend holidays) ] x 8 (hours per day) x 40 ($ per hour) = US$ 7,040 per month

This is more than double of what the resource can get on Employment Contract. So this seems un-fair or imbalance.  Actually it is not, because in case of Employment Contract, the resource is actually employed by the H-1B Sponsor itself, so sponsor already offered the resource a salary that is less than the prevailing market standard. And, this way the sponsor saves the money, because if they hire the same level of resource from the market that would cost them much more.

On the other hand, in Consultant Contract, the sponsor deploys the resource on to one of it’s client companies. The c2c contract between the sponsor and the client will mention US$ 40 per hour, but there will be a contract between the resource and the sponsor which states that a specific % of the resource’s salary will be shared with the sponsor

Based on recent trends:

70% to 80% will be the resource’s share

20% to 30% will be the sponsor’s share

So, if we apply the same to the compensation we calculated above:

US$ 7, 040 x 70 / 100 = US$ 4,928

Now, you can compare this compensation with that of Employment Contract:

Employment Contract – US$ 3,500 per month

Consultant Contract – US$ 4,928 per month

The difference between the two is:

US$ 3,500 per month – US$ 4,928 per month = US$ 1,428

That difference can be justified keeping the amount of risk involved in Consultant Contracts (for detail of risks please refer to my previous post).

I hope my post will help you understand different aspects of the contracts. A heads up for all you, this still is not a complete picture, there are deductions/taxation involved, which I will discuss in detail in my next post.

H-1B Work Visa–Contract Types–Pros and Cons

 

There are two frequently used Contract Types that you can have with your H-1B Sponsor, they are:

Employment Contract	Consultant Contract
(Fixed) Per Month	(Variable) Per Hour
Include Paid Annual Leaves	No Paid Annual Leaves – Number of Hours worked will be paid
Low Risk – Will be paid fully or some fixed % of the salary even if not deployed on a Project or Client	High Risk – If No Project or Client then No Salary
Comparatively low rates	Comparatively higher rates

In order to understand the compensation difference and risk involved, let us consider two simple cases:

NOTE – I will discuss compensation/salary rates, rate differences, break-up, sponsor-share, taxation, etc. in detail in another post.

Case 1 – Variable # of days in a month – For example consider the month of January (31 days) and February (28 days)
Employment Contract	Consultant Contract
Example – US$ 3,500 per month	Example – US$ 30 per hour
Irrespective of how many days a month might have, you will get a fix salary at the end of each month. Easier for monthly budgeting and expense allocation.	You will be impacted by the variance in # of days in a month. So, if you get paid for 23 days in January (8 days of weekend holidays), you will be paid for only 20 days in February.
January Salary = US$ 3,500 February Salary = US$ 3,500	January Salary 23 (days) x 8 (hours per day) x 30 ($ per hour) = US$ 5,520 February Salary 20 (days) x 8 (hours per day) x 30 ($ per hour) = US$ 4,800 Do note that there’s no loss or gain, because net salary for the year will always be the same, no matter if you get less salary in one month and more in another. Because total number of hours for a year will more or less be the same.

Case 2 – Leaves (Sick/Casual/etc.) – For example if you have taken 2 leaves in the month of March and your compensation is the same as mentioned in Case 1 above then:
Employment Contract	Consultant Contract
(Without leaves) March Salary = US$ 3,500 (With leaves) March Salary = US$ 3,500 (provided you have not consumed all your annual leaves)	(Without leaves) March Salary 23 (days) x 8 (hours per day) x 30 ($ per hour) = US$ 5,520 (With leaves) March Salary [ 23 (days) – 2 (leaves) ] x 8 (hours per day) x 30 ($ per hour) = 5,040 You loose US$ 240 per day if you take a leave (based on compensation mentioned in case 1 above)

Case 3 – Gazette Holidays – For example consider the month of November. There is a Veterans Day holiday on 11th. A Thanksgiving Day holiday on fourth Thursday. A Black Friday holiday following the Thanksgiving Day. In total, there are 3 holidays during the month of November.
Employment Contract	Consultant Contract
(Without holidays) March Salary = US$ 3,500 (With holidays) March Salary = US$ 3,500	(Without holidays) November Salary 22 (days) x 8 (hours per day) x 30 ($ per hour) = US$ 5,280 (With holidays) November Salary [ 22 (days) – 2 (holidays) ] x 8 (hours per day) x 30 ($ per hour) = 4,800 You loose US$ 240 per holiday (bases on the compensation mentioned in case 1 above)

Case 4 – Bench Period – Time period when you are not deployed on any project or client.
Employment Contract	Consultant Contract
Based on your contract with your employer you will either getting: 1. Full salary OR 2. Partial/Base salary - a % (usually more than 50%) of your full salary	No salary during bench period

Immediate Need - Staffing Consultant Lakeland, FL 33813 July 2012

JOB DESCRIPTION
At Randstad we sell Work Solutions. What does that mean? We help companies find the best human capital for their organizations, which impacts their productivity and profitability. We also find the best people to put to work. Did you catch that? We find jobs for people. Powerful stuff. Our Staffing Consultants use their curiosity, listening skills, and personality to make things happen.

Randstad will hire a high energy, professional, and results oriented sales pro to join our Lakeland operation. The right candidate will:

- be smart (literally), we have to train you to do great things here
• have a strong history of being the best at whatever you have done in the past
• have completed a college degree (any major)
• have 3-5 years of professional B2B sales experience
• possess a relentless determination to make things happen
• be comfortable using both analytics and relationships to drive results
• have experience in selling consultatively
• be naturally curious
• have a history of strong team oriented work approach, not only solo success
• be comfortable in a position with major impact opportunity

Primary Responsibilities:
- Build, manage, qualify, and maintain a database of clients and prospects that is aligned to the business opportunity in the market.
• Sell Staffing Services through effective phone calls and in-person visits, which foster a consultative relationship and increased business with the client.
• Sell value of Randstad services to support customers in achieving their business goals.
• Effectively recruit, interview, retain, coach and develop Talent, understanding their needs and helping them meet their professional goals.
• Market the talent's skills, knowledge and abilities to the right companies so that we make the best match for the Client and the Talent.
• Consistently exceed Client and Talent expectations of service by following Randstad's Operational Standards and offering innovative and creative employment solutions.
• Work with a unit partner to effectively manage the profitability of your business including volume, pricing, and management of days sales outstanding (DSO).

In return for the success that our employees bring us we offer excellent training, benefits, a strong compensation package that includes a generous base salary and bonus and a clearly defined career path. We grow leaders!

Life is short, do something important, and have fun doing it.

If you are interested in this role, please apply online at www.careers.us.randstad.com. You may also contact Chris Ramsey at 843.606.2265 or email chris.[Click Here to Email Your Resume] for additional information. Please include your resume and be prepared to speak to why Randstad is an attractive fit for you.

Randstad US is a wholly owned subsidiary of Randstad Holding nv, an $18.8 billion global provider of HR services and the second largest staffing organization in the world. We play a pivotal role in shaping the world of work, leveraging the true value of human capital for the benefit of our clients, candidates, employees and investors.

Randstad offers a comprehensive range of HR services to our clients. We provide temporary, temporary to hire, direct hire and outsourced placement services for local and global customers and fulfill all aspects of commercial and professional staffing within Accounting & Finance, Office & Administration, Engineering, Healthcare, IT, Legal, Life Sciences, and Manufacturing & Logistics. Other offerings include payrolling, managed services, recruitment process outsourcing and HR consulting solutions.

Randstad provides skills assessments, career counseling, training, health coverage and 401(k) to eligible internal and external employees. With its 4,800 employment experts, Randstad puts an average of 125,000 people to work in the U.S. each week, through its network of more than 1,000 branches and client-dedicated locations.

More information is available at the company's website, www.randstadstaffing.com.

Equal Opportunity Employer Male/Female/Disabled/Veterans.

Apply Now