Page 2 - Salary question

Sorry to go back to the original topic, or perhaps to slightly change it.
While we were talking about salaries,
I have a question/comment as well.
I was contacted a few days ago for an in house job in London. Essentially, it would be to join an already established SEM team, with one person above and one under. Now, without mentioning the company's name, it is a rather large, well known company looking for someone to join their team primarily as an SEO, although I suspect some PPC management would be involved. They are looking for someone with a successful SEO record, experienced, etc. etc.
the salary they offer is 30,000 pounds. now I'm not from the UK, but it seemed like very little, considering what they're looking for.

Please, feel free to correct me...

I am from the UK, and for in house SEO jobs there doesnt seem to be the same sort of market(perhaps better word would be appreciation of SEO) that the states seems to have.

The only thing I would add to this thread (and its from an employers standpoint), You mentioned that you were stocking shelves before you took the new postition. Were you trained by your employer to do this job or did you already bring all the skills to the table?

I am not making a judgement on your exact salary as I don't know the market in North Carolina but I will say there is a flip side to situations like this. It is VERY expensive to train someone, especially if they don't have a basic grasp in the beggining. If they then use those skills to make you money, keep in mind that any good business plan takes those costs of training into affect when deciding on pay increases.

Its not always fair to just say "Go straight to the competition and put this guy to the screws". As you mentioned, you like the work environment which would imply they are recognizing and rewarding your contribution. It may not be with money but I can tell you right now, cold hard cash does not keep loyal employees. It may be a cliche but respect and reward can go a long way to closing the gap and I have been very successful balancing the two. Its not that I'm cheap, but it is very hard to keep employees if you are only offering money because they will leave the moment someone down the street offers them more (and will take your training with them).

I would also add that their are two different pay programs in this situation and each has its benefit and drawback:

Straight Salary : You would be making less in boom times (like your situation) but offers stability. If its your only income, it might be a better option as you are safe if their was a total collapse in ranking or sales (although employment law is quite different in the US than in Europe)

Straight Commision : When there is a huge increase in sales (Like this situation) the money can come rolling in. But its inconsistent and you run the risk of living on rice and pasta during slow months (Even if its not your fault like a Google hiccup). I always feel as though if you are up for the risk of this situation, that is when you take Egols advice on go on your own. But be prepared, as there is more to going out on your own so brush up on your tax laws and accounting (if their is actual product involved)

I would suggest that you sit down and make sure your boss/manager is aware of your personal contribution and lay out to them why you deserve a bigger increase. Maybe work out a 1 year plan rather then asking for a one time big raise as they may be more open to that.

I hate to be the spoil sport and chime in that you are being screwed but there are a lot of more factors than sales that go into establishing a salary.

(Anyone is welcome to flame me of course ;-) )

Wish someone paid me a starter salary of GBP 30k to do SEO. Am I missing something? Life in the UK is expensive I presume, and taxes are 60% or what?

I think I should start doing SEO for a job and engineering for a hobby ;)

That salary would be perfectly reasonable if not high. If it was the center of London and that was your only salary then you would be in for a long commute (its the same with any major city).

The taxes aren't 60% though ;-)

LOL - I get it. You were responding to crxvfr's original question, where I just read Marz'. The difference is indeed obvious.

Sorry Wit, I added the original post so it would make more sense ;-)

just for clarification.
The 30,000 pounds was not for someone just inexperienced. it was for an SEO with a proven track record and substantial experience in London.

Sorry my post about experience was in reference to the initial poster. ( I didn't think my post would cause so much confusion :-) )

Jason, as always excellent perspective and wisdom. As I hinted, we've only seen one side. However, having been in the hi-tech industry in the US for, well le's just say a while now, most of the employers have no clue what they may or may not have.

Many still think that the Internet is a fad. Some have indicated that they believe that the Internet and WWW are competing companies and that the WWW is currently trying to initiate a hostile takeover of the Internet. It's amazing that there are so many people with absolutely no clue, however, the literal picture that they must entertain is kind of amusing.

GREAT! Kick some butt on your own! Let us know how it works. We are cheerin for you.

I'm coming to terms with this. I'm not going to up and quit my job. I still like working here but no longer want to work here forever. I was told the info I gathered (from several places) about the going rate for what I do was BS and THAT was a big clue to me about how things are going to go here.

Computers has been a hobby for me for the past ten or fifteen years. Self taught. I can plink off html easily, learning php-sql as I go. Can't write a complete script yet but can usually make an existing one do what I need it to do. Have written some stuff with C++ and Pascal awhile back. I know I'm not as bright as most of the folks here but I'm very very persistant at solving things that get me stumped.

As things go, I get an hourly and a (recently) picked up the commision bonus. I'm the kind of guy that likes to count his blessings. I'm not getting what everyone says its worth but things are better than they were.

That being said, thank you all for the colorful information. Its done more for me than you may know. I really appriciate it.

Well, I'll tell you what: If you are only making just shy of $10.00 an hour, there are pizza delivery jobs out there that will pay you more than that including tips, it's ok though, karma has a way of evening things out in the end. ;)

I would say $60k in the US and 40k GBP in the UK is an OK salary for a moderately high experience SEO, if at all available

This is a great thread. One thing that sticks out in my mind about the gentleman that started this thread is that his company is always getting calls from SEO firms trying to sell their services. They are so persistant that they even try to sell the person who currently handles the SEO and is doing a great job. Yeah, this guy made his company alot of money by optimizing the company site, but he is unfortunatly not indispensible. Egol said it best. Start your own thing on the side with your new skills. You just got and invaluable experience... It sucks making other people rich.