Offshore Consulting – a foreigners view of living and working in India
Guest Author: Bruno Calver
So, now it is time to get to the juicy part, in my opinion, of my series of blogs. What is it like living and working in India? How is it to be over a 1000 miles (or 1609km in metric terms) from the customer? Are things done differently offshore? Is it a professional and cultural shock?
Hopefully I can begin to start answering some of these questions. But, where to start, well how about the beginning! I was in London (it was probably raining) and thinking to myself, before I get too old and settled I should probably try and experience something a bit out of the ordinary for the average Brit (abbreviation of British person). India has always had an image of something different and somewhat exotic in comparison to our small island. However, I am not really a big fan of tourism or aimless travelling, it is somewhat superficial and self-indulgent in my view, certainly if it is for more than a few months.
Working in the IT industry I figured it must be possible to find something useful to do in India given the size and level of growth in the sector. So I did some research into the top Indian IT companies and made my applications, persistence and determination were essential at this stage as some people were sceptical regarding my plans. I had a few interviews, but generally interest was only around employing me in the UK. One of the companies in question was even quoted in a UK newspaper saying to our now prime minister that they wanted to hire people in the UK and send them to India to help understand their business. When I brought up the issues of a secondment to India they said this would not be possible. I am pleased to say, however, there was no such barrier with Infosys. As soon as I mentioned my desire to work in India it was met with immediate enthusiasm and support.
So here I am, in Bangalore Electronic City, the silicon valley of India, working for one of the most iconic knowledge economy companies in India (as I came to learn from a number of independent sources).
So, general question, what is it like working in India? ‘Great’ is my first response, then secondly to say that in some ways not that different to the UK. Let’s start with why it is great.
The important stuff first (I’m a coffee fan as my colleagues well know), a proper coffee machine in the office and I mean quality beans ground on demand, espresso mechanism, fresh milk, etc… Puts us Brits to shame when compared to our old tin of instant granules, lime scaled kettle and caked up sugar in some dirty corner kitchen. In fact this is just an indicator of the broader point that the office is world class, I have never worked somewhere so green, clean and conducive to creativity and productivity. In addition, I have found my colleagues extremely welcoming and friendly in comparison to the normally reserved work places in the UK.
Next to mention is the way it is not so different to the UK. The actual operation of the company is not noticeably different to what I am used to, same kind of administration and corporate systems, maybe a little better here. The kind of work that is done and the way it is done is also not too different either. I find my colleagues sense of humour and outlook also remarkably similar to myself, more so in some ways than a number of Americans that I have known.
In my next blog I will talk about life in India from a general perspective, as well as the specific aspects of offshore consulting delivery. If anyone has any questions about my experiences please feel free to post some comments...
