Artist Salary in 3rd world country
polycounter lvl 9
Hi polycounters, im pretty new here and please forgive me if i posted this at the wrong place 
( admin please delete my thread if i did,thank you )
as an artist who lives in the 3rd world country.
im just wondering how much artist actually get paid in other 3rd world country
in my experience here in indonesia , the best offer i got was like 300 USD/MONTH.
i turned down the jobs not really sure what should i feel about it though ...
(i dont claim to be super extremely talented artist so that i deserve more that that but yeah you get the point...)
i know a a lot of things need to be considered to justify the salary
but heck most of the things here are considered more expensive compare to overseas due to the taxes.
i really want to hear some though from other people here or maybe share some experience ...
is it good idea to just accept the job with that amount of money ?? is it normal??
do employer also do that in other country ?
thank you everyone i really appreciate your answers
( admin please delete my thread if i did,thank you )as an artist who lives in the 3rd world country.
im just wondering how much artist actually get paid in other 3rd world country
in my experience here in indonesia , the best offer i got was like 300 USD/MONTH.
i turned down the jobs not really sure what should i feel about it though ...
(i dont claim to be super extremely talented artist so that i deserve more that that but yeah you get the point...)
i know a a lot of things need to be considered to justify the salary
but heck most of the things here are considered more expensive compare to overseas due to the taxes.
i really want to hear some though from other people here or maybe share some experience ...
is it good idea to just accept the job with that amount of money ?? is it normal??
do employer also do that in other country ?
thank you everyone
i really appreciate your answers
Replies
oh well ... that sucks
so i guess thats just how it works
nothing can be done right ? ill just keep working on my portfolio then
yep.
Pm me your portfolio and details. We will be hiring in Manaus very soon for more artists.
I want to have it on record.
I'd say don't look at the money if you can survive somehow(live with parents?). If this job is going to teach you something - go for it! You can always leave in 2 months if you find something better.
good luck
@d1ver :lol surviving is the problem here ... most job require me to move to another city and the salary only covers the rent so anything else (food,internet,leisure) you kinda have to dig from your own pocket
i don't actually mind doing so though for few months but i'm not sure that's the right thing to do .thats why i asked people here
it's for Moscow/St.P only or for regions also?
I think main problem is time-management. Even if u have full-time job just for money u may always work for your portfolio at nights :poly142: If u can do this, u win!
Yes, it is relevant for those cities and a couple of other gamedev hubs like Voronezh. Other cities either don't have any gamedev studios at all, or the salaries are awfully small.
Unless you have some problems with freelancing life, experiencing studio environment would be the biggest motivation to seek a job in developing world imo. If you're ok with fixed working hours and want to gain studio experience then it's worth to apply, consider that to cost of socialization and breathing studio experience.
What I hear prevents most Indonesian artists from venturing outside of the country is that they aren't comfortable with their level of English. Yours seems to be okay, and as long as you have the art chops to back it up, that's something you can work in your favor.
i haven't done much research about studios in sg , any recommendation where to look ?? thank you
option 1 , if you don't want to/can't move overseas yet:
you might prioritize yourself to company that can develop your 3d skill ( which is what i can tell based on your portfolio). instead of converting yourself to 2d vectors or graphic designer.
option 2 , (after at least 1 - 3 years experience) , move overseas :
but careful for "as long as I am moving overseas" kind of priority, not every place as good as you think. in some country , taxes could take almost half of your salaries. but you can go as long as it can develop yourself as game artist.
there is always one country that pretty hard to get visa and another one is not as hard.
option 3 , freelancing , as igi said,
could be a good option. my GF living in same place like yourself. as freelance graphic designer she earn more money than working fulltime in her past company. even with 100% local client.
even able to have side job like became a teacher twice a week.
most studios there still trying to develop as solid company, it would takes time before you can see local well paid company. mostly money they earn goes to R&D and to pay office bills.
I wont promise you anything. But i think we're currently hiring. Hate to be blunt here, but if only your portfolio is good enough, i'd reccomend you in a heartbeat.
Yes, yes, you can earn more than 300$/month here, unless you're trying to be silly and only ask for that amount of salary ;P ( why the hell ppl is still okay with underpaid work anyway? )
Your work looks nice though, I'd fill that portfolio up and try applying overseas. Or freelancing, which will get you way more than 300usd.
If you're interested in freelancing, send me a PM, so I can keep you in mind if someone asks me for artists
That is interesting, AFAIK starter salaries in SG are not that high, they hover around SGD2k most of the time. You can do the conversion.
i'll keep my current "daily job :poly127:" and keep polishing my portfolio in my spare time
wish me luck
Assuming they get in on an EP, which is what's offered to most foreign artists I know. The current threshold is at S$3,300/month. Some artists do get offered the S pass, and receive a lower salary range.
Local artists can start lower since they haven't got the same cutoff and can truly start junior (foreigners might need to have a few more years of experience under their belt.) The earning capacity is the same after that though.