AFK_Matrix Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Hi, I am just curious as to how much would be considered the average for a 3D Architectural Modeler in the US? I am in talks with a company in Oklahoma City and they are talking £40,000 + 10% of projects I work on, is this fair or not? Oh and the company only have 4 employees. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Warner Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Seems like you'd have the opportunity to make a bit of money that way. Especially if you meant 40,000 pounds and not dollars. Here's the salary survey that Jeff compiled: http://www.cgarchitect.com/vb/15743-2006-architectural-visualization-salary-survey.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFK_Matrix Posted January 9, 2008 Author Share Posted January 9, 2008 Woops my fault i meant $40,000 + 10% missed the right button. I ask as someone on another forum dealing with immigration etc said that that was pretty poor etc. So interested to see if US Visualizers think its about right or too low? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Warner Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 I think the average is somewhere around the 50k per year range (depending on skills and location). I would think you'd have the ability to make much more than that with the 10% option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFK_Matrix Posted January 9, 2008 Author Share Posted January 9, 2008 Yeah they were saying the 2 other guys there who also get 10% were looking at $5000 per quarter so thats $20,000 I could earn. Well thats encouraging as tbh I have only worked mainly on residential stuff and they do quite a bit of commercial work as well. Just got a little worried by what they were saying in the immigration forum is all. Would still like other opinions if there out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianKitts Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Check where the people in the imigration forums are talking about living.... someone who makes 40,000 in my state would probably be looking for a salary of 70-80,000 if they were to transfer to certain parts of New York, or on the opposite side of the country in california. There's a great salary converter on CNN Money's website that will allow you to estimate what a salary in one part of the country would be equivilant to in another part since there is such a spread throughout the country. http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costofliving/costofliving.html Beyond that it comes down to your skill level, if you are just out of college and fairly new with limited experience, depending on where you are 40,000 could be great, as opposed to if your consider yourself to be quite advanced, 40,000 in the wrong city could be quite insulting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFK_Matrix Posted January 9, 2008 Author Share Posted January 9, 2008 Thanks for that BKittsARC, I have had a look at those calculators and they are very good but I am coming from the UK thus I can't find a calculator that will help in that respect. I did get a link to a site called Payscale.com and according to that if I were earning $40,000 I would be in the middle bracket of salaries, with $48,000 being the higher end. I would not say I am inexperienced as I have been working for a housing company in the UK for 4 years but I do know I have to expand my skills into commercial work and also into Vray etc. So I accept that I know how to model etc but need work on the lighting/rendering and animation side of things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Thanks for that BKittsARC, I have had a look at those calculators and they are very good but I am coming from the UK thus I can't find a calculator that will help in that respect. I did get a link to a site called Payscale.com and according to that if I were earning $40,000 I would be in the middle bracket of salaries, with $48,000 being the higher end. I would not say I am inexperienced as I have been working for a housing company in the UK for 4 years but I do know I have to expand my skills into commercial work and also into Vray etc. So I accept that I know how to model etc but need work on the lighting/rendering and animation side of things Sounds like you are lower end Intermediate. In the UK I'd guess you are probably earning between 20-30K GBP a year. In the US, the average equivalent would be around 40-45K. Based on that calculator I guestimate the cost of living to be quite reasonable, so 40K a year + 10% sounds pretty good. I would ask them what they earn each year now though or roughly how much you could expect to make right now with that 10% bonus. I would also ask if that is 10% of the profits or 10% of the gross revenue, BIG difference. A lot of companies when they are small and in the first 5 years of business do not make a lot of profit. If they are hiring you, any profit they are making is likely going to be paying your salary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFK_Matrix Posted January 9, 2008 Author Share Posted January 9, 2008 Thanks for that Jeff, I will ask them about the 10% profit issue. I am actually being bought in to replace someone that left a couple of months ago so hopefully they do have the income to support my salary. Also I was told that the 2 guys who are there at the moment are looking to make $5000 a quater from there 10% thus thats an extra $20,000 a year. But I am going to check whether the $40,000 is a gross or net income. Thanks for all your help guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Thanks for that Jeff, I will ask them about the 10% profit issue. I am actually being bought in to replace someone that left a couple of months ago so hopefully they do have the income to support my salary. Also I was told that the 2 guys who are there at the moment are looking to make $5000 a quater from there 10% thus thats an extra $20,000 a year. But I am going to check whether the $40,000 is a gross or net income. Thanks for all your help guys. I would imagine the $40K is gross. I don't know any employers who would advertise the net income. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
znotlin Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 I think Jeff and Brian are right on...the US isn't homogeneous. If you are on either of the coasts than you need to expect to earn more just to get the basics. 40-50k in Oklahoma may leave you income to have a car, a private apartment, some vacation budget, and a little bit of savings but 40k in NYC, Boston, or San Francisco is basically an invitation for roomates, cramped quarters, and a long bus/subway ride into work. just comparing housing prices between cities might give you a glimpse of the disparity. While they aren't truly representative of the cost of living differences (food and utilities don't vary as much) they are helpful to gain a little more insight and break down the survey numbers. http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/hpci_data/index.html And...if the median home price is only 185k, at 40k + ? I think you'll be in pretty good shape. Especially if you don't have to pay Social Security. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jophus14 Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 I have a couple of comments regarding salary after reading everyones posts. According to the 2006 survey, the median salary range is between $40-50K and the highest percent for years of employment was 3-4 years. AFK_Matrix: You said that you have been working on residential project for 4 years now and that by your previous posts I assume that you use 3DS Max and revit. I'm not sure how the visualization scene is in Oklahoma but it seems that the salary that you are being offered is a steal. According to the survey, Commercial projects and Vrays rendering engine rank highest statistically by the survey takers and these are two things that you have yet to tap into. By taking this job with the salary offered, you would be getting the median salary as well as broadening your portfolio to commercial work as well as learning Vray without being hired on the account that you know it already. It's a tough decision and hopefully everything will work out for you in your favor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFK_Matrix Posted January 10, 2008 Author Share Posted January 10, 2008 Thanks for you opinions and help jophus14 and znotlin its nice to have some positive comments lol. On my thread over at the Immigraion forum people think $40,000 is too low for a H1B and Oklahoma is a dump!! I obviously don't know Oklahoma too well (only visited for a week for the interview) but it gets me into the US and its not like i am gonna spend the rest of my life there. I also saw the salary survey and that the salary offered to me is around about the right area. If your interested here is my thread on the immigration forum: http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=504694 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 On my thread over at the Immigraion forum people think $40,000 is too low for a H1B and Oklahoma is a dump!! The salary may be low, but for the MidWest it should be a decent start. Our industry under-pays, and yet for art jobs its better than most. Oklahoma is not a dump. Its not DisneyLand, either. Its flat as a pancake and has weather that can kill you. Literally. Things are very spread out so you really need a car to do just about anything there. You will find the highest concentration of fast-food joints in the US and, no surprise, the nations fattest population per capita. But it has become increasingly diverse since I lived there as a kid (and went back to visit family afterwards) so you can just see a red-dirt, redneck, lard-ass level-land or you can look for the interesting, quirky, cross-cultural elements that are there under the surface. If the company is on the southern side of Oklahoma City (it is huge, at least spread wide) you might look at living in Norman, a great college town. It would be a drive to work (I forget how long) but driving is what you do in Oklahoma. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Mottle Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Wow. That guy on the immigration thread it pretty harsh and from what I can gather a bit high on himself and obviously has no idea what our market will bear. You'd be hard pressed to get $60K in larger markets never mind in Oklahoma. I think you are doing good though especially if they are going to pay for your legal fees for an H1B. I may be wrong, but I think that whole process of getting an H1B is pretty expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spooner04 Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 I think 40k is probably pretty decent for Oklahoma, I work in Dallas which is just several hours south, but has a higher living expense. I know some places that offer around 30-35kk to start. I would think with 40k in Oklahoma you could afford a decent apartment and a car payment and still have some money left. And I figure that is after you pay taxes, social security and all that stuff. If you don't have to pay any of that you should be fine. It all sounds pretty interesting, Good luck. *edit* after reading the immigration thread... you will want to make sure you have health insurance, and you will need auto insurance. the cost of auto insurance is based on your age, marrital status and a few other things. You could get estimates online. Geico.com, Allstate.com, progressive.com are just a few major companies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jophus14 Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Just like Jeff said, I wouldn't take the advice given on the other board and ask for 60K plus 10%. If you get too greedy that will simply look elsewhere. I'm not sure how talented you are with your work, but demanding too much might seem like overkill for any company. Weigh your Pros with your Cons and go from there. You would hate to go through all of the hassle of filling out paperwork for getting over here, looking for a place, a car, etc. then realize that you were better off before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 I know nothing about the process, but what just occurred to me is that if you can get a H1B visa to work in the United States, you may find more arch-vis job possibilities than just Oklahoma City. A thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy L Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 Kelly, I did exactly, to the letter, what you are doing just under 2 years ago (moved from Leeds to the midwest [chicago] for an arch-vis job on an H1B. If you need advice on anything just pm me or email me at thomaslivings-at-gmail.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodT Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 If you want nice good ole boys, just a bit rough around the edges you'll find OK, more than just ok! The people are friendly, and the hospitality is very congenial. I think that the salary you are being offered is very fair. I believe that any offer leaves room for advancement. In a couple of years you may find yourself comfortable if not wealthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFK_Matrix Posted January 11, 2008 Author Share Posted January 11, 2008 Thanks Tommy L for the offer of help, I will contact you if I get stuck on something. I have looked into the Green Card situation and also thought I would also need a H1B Renewal after 3 years. So there is a lot of cost involved so I am gonna talk to the company and see if they realise how much cost is involved in this process. What I can't get round is why are they going to all this hassle and cost + risk to get me over there. Surely there are other Visulizers in the US looking for work? Or is it that none of them want to move to Oklahoma, just baffled is all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enlighten Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 The key to your decision is to make sure and pick a great company. Don't see this as a way to get into the U.S, that's the last thing that should influence your decision. It is not as easy as you think moving about on a H1-B. You ask why they want to hire you. I am guessing it is because you must be talented. I am generalizing but my personal experience is that arch viz offices have people from all over the world. In terms of the Green Card, it is a lot tougher to obtain one nowadays. They have a process called PERM. Very fast but very stringent. My main advice is see this as a long term career move. Would you be happy there, do you have a good feeling about the company. If so, go for it!. America is a great place to live, of course like every country it has it's negatives but the positives far outweigh the negatives. In the U.K I felt it was the opposite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 . . .Or is it that none of them want to move to Oklahoma, just baffled is all. The slogan on their car license plates says it all, "Oklahoma is Ok." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFK_Matrix Posted January 11, 2008 Author Share Posted January 11, 2008 Well I met with the Boss and his wife twice when I visited Oklahoma and from those meetings I got on well with them. They have a good attitude and seem friendly and easy to talk to etc. I saw quite a bit of construction work going on in Oklahoma so there seems to be a market. There offices were small but well kitted and they had a projector room for client view etc and a 20 computer render room. They also seem to accept I will need a bit of training in both how they do things and in Vray which is a bonus. I view this as a stepping stone to getting into the Commercial side of Visualization and to expand my knowledge of rendering etc. It is a small company but my job here in the UK was in a big company but I was the only one in the whole company doing Visualization work I really want to work in a group of people. EDIT: Oh and nice one Ray lol, you have a point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jophus14 Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 What sounds good about this company is that they realize that you might need some training and that they are willing to give you that in order to not only benefit you but them as well. Having a small renderfarm would be sweet as well. It seems like they really like you and they want you to be part of their team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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