Tinker ☀️Tip for folks outside the US that want to hire folks within the US....
...when discussing compensation don't lead with the wages/salary.
In the US, almost all of our compensation is salary based.
Our health insurance (NOT healthcare. Insurance), often requires us to:
- Pay out of our wage into insurance just to get it
- Pay out of pocket (insurance does not apply) until we reach a deductible
- Pay high "co-pays" out of pocket even when insurance covers some of the medical care
- Pay for our own prescription medications
- Pay astronomically for any emergency care
Our "retirement" (HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!) is just us investing in the stockmarket and requires that we take money out of our salary to buy stocks (if we're lucky, our employer "matches" a contribution up to like 2% or whatever - but you don't get that unless you pay first).
We often don't even get paid time off! Some of us are lucky and get a week PTO and some sick days off per year. But that's in we're lucky. I personally don't get any paid time off. I can take days, sure, but I don't get paid for them. I can take a sick day off, but I don't get paid for it. Holidays are bitter sweet.... yay Christmas, but I better save up for that forced time off without pay.
So for us in the US, the wage / salary is quite literally everything.
If you have social programs like healthcare, retirement, maternity/paternity leave, holidays, even sick leave... attach a monetary equivalency number to it and LEAD WITH IT.
I just had a friend who got an amazing offer to move to and work in the Netherlands and his absolute initial disappointment at seeing a "very high salary" at less than half what he makes now just gut punched him.
It took him a bit to realize that he got all these other things that he normally pays for out of pocket individually.... and the add-up was phenomenal and paid SO MUCH MORE than his current total compensation.
Rich Felker
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