Salary brackets for fresh H-1B Candidates, who do not have any work experience in USA before, are as follows:
Developer (0 – 5 years of experience)
US$ 3,500 – 5,500 per month (Employment Contract)
OR
US$ 40 – 55 per hour (Consultant Contract)
Senior/Lead Developer (6+ years of experience)
US$ 5,500 – 7,000 per month (Employment Contract)
OR
US$ 55 – 80 per hour (Consultant Contract)
Why there’s a difference between Employment and Consultant Contract? please refer to my previous post which discuss the topic in detail.
In order to come up with a realistic estimate of your salary, you should consider following factors:
- State & City/Area – Each state has a slightly different salary scale because they differ with others on following:
- Taxation Laws – Some tax more while others tax less
- Economic Activity – Some are Hub of economic activity while others are not
- Cost of Living – Some are cheaper while others are expensive
- Client Profile – Whether your Client is a small or medium or large Enterprise OR it’s a fresh Start-up company (low funding or high funding?)
- Quality of your Experience – Your foreign experience counts when you have worked for companies that have International presence of at-least presence in USA. On the other hand, if you have worked for companies who are unknown in USA market than you might not be able to leverage upon your experience.
- Time of Entry – This is also important as to when you enter the USA job market. Whether it is a hiring season or not. Whether supply is adequate or there’s a high demand.
- First Impression – The most important factor, if you were able to market yourself effectively in your interview/test/meeting there’s a bright chance that you can tip the scale in your favor.
