r2i forum

Is anyone still following this thread? I just logged in after a long hiatus of close to a year and half. I will post some of my experiences with an unsuccessful attempt at r2i. I strongly urge others to post updates on their current situation.

I dont see that anyone is still following this thread. In any case, a promise is a promise. Hence, here goes my travail with an r2i attempt.

After hearing/reading/listening about the potential for pharma/biotech industry in India in the coming years , I got excited about the prospects of returning to India. Did a lot of homework on the job front, religiously plowed thro a bunch of fantastic r2i diaries, did some research on kids' schooling etc.. Had a few phone interviews with potential employers and voluntarily offered to make a visit to India for F2F interviews.

Things kind of went downhill from there. Following are some of the highlights of the site visits to the companies:

Company 1: Show up at the scheduled time, was kept waiting for more than half hour while the hr guy was rounding up people to meet with me. I was so p*$$#d off, was almost ready to blow them off and ask to reschedule. Was wondering if this was the fate of a candidate interviewing for a Director level position, what treatment people lower in the pecking order receive. Anyways, finish the interview with a lot of breaks in between to contemplate the state of professionalism. I did give a feedback about improving their level of professionalism as asked by their CEO at the time of interview. The bottomline was that this opportunity didn't go anywhere and no regrets from my side.

Company 2: Everything went very well. The hiring manager was very enthusiastic about my background and experience and what I would bring to the table. The peers were very engaging and spoke highly of their work environment. Was offered a position which was essentially a lateral move compared to my role here. The big issue from HR was that I wasn't managing a big group of people. Kept trying to explain that my current role at that time was a highly matrixed one, leveraging a lot of resources internally and externally without a direct line management but it didn't seem to make a difference to them. Negotiations for a highler level role and a better comp package didn't yied an acceptable result.

Company 3: Pretty much the same story as company 2.

Did some quick visits to schools, realized the need to pay thro your nose for international schools, little chance of getting into DPS or National Schools and apprehensive about my sixth grader surviving the rigorous syllabus.

When distilled into a a few key points: "As having not accumulated enough net worth so as not to depend entirely on paycheck for a living, with the position and compensation being offered not meeting my expectations (to cover housing, schools, fun, retirement etc.) with where I was in career path", it seemed that it was not an attractive proposition returning at that time. At the same time, was a little sad that the window of opportunity may have closed or closing fast with my kids growing up.

Nevertheless, was happy for having gone thro the exercise, explored the r2i option and made a quick decision. We (especially I as I was the driving force behind r2i) are at peace with our decision and having a great time living in the best place on earth (although away from home).

hvn2hm;296880I dont see that anyone is still following this thread. In any case, a promise is a promise. Hence, here goes my travail with an r2i attempt.

After hearing/reading/listening about the potential for pharma/biotech industry in India in the coming years , I got excited about the prospects of returning to India. Did a lot of homework on the job front, religiously plowed thro a bunch of fantastic r2i diaries, did some research on kids' schooling etc.. Had a few phone interviews with potential employers and voluntarily offered to make a visit to India for F2F interviews.

Things kind of went downhill from there. Following are some of the highlights of the site visits to the companies:

Company 1: Show up at the scheduled time, was kept waiting for more than half hour while the hr guy was rounding up people to meet with me. I was so p*$$#d off, was almost ready to blow them off and ask to reschedule. Was wondering if this was the fate of a candidate interviewing for a Director level position, what treatment people lower in the pecking order receive. Anyways, finish the interview with a lot of breaks in between to contemplate the state of professionalism. I did give a feedback about improving their level of professionalism as asked by their CEO at the time of interview. The bottomline was that this opportunity didn't go anywhere and no regrets from my side.

Company 2: Everything went very well. The hiring manager was very enthusiastic about my background and experience and what I would bring to the table. The peers were very engaging and spoke highly of their work environment. Was offered a position which was essentially a lateral move compared to my role here. The big issue from HR was that I wasn't managing a big group of people. Kept trying to explain that my current role at that time was a highly matrixed one, leveraging a lot of resources internally and externally without a direct line management but it didn't seem to make a difference to them. Negotiations for a highler level role and a better comp package didn't yied an acceptable result.

Company 3: Pretty much the same story as company 2.

Did some quick visits to schools, realized the need to pay thro your nose for international schools, little chance of getting into DPS or National Schools and apprehensive about my sixth grader surviving the rigorous syllabus.

When distilled into a a few key points: "As having not accumulated enough net worth so as not to depend entirely on paycheck for a living, with the position and compensation being offered not meeting my expectations (to cover housing, schools, fun, retirement etc.) with where I was in career path", it seemed that it was not an attractive proposition returning at that time. At the same time, was a little sad that the window of opportunity may have closed or closing fast with my kids growing up.

Nevertheless, was happy for having gone thro the exercise, explored the r2i option and made a quick decision. We (especially I as I was the driving force behind r2i) are at peace with our decision and having a great time living in the best place on earth (although away from home).

Thank you for the post. I returned to Hyderabad, India on June 2nd and looking to explore the opportunities in Biotech. I will update later my experiences.

hvn2hm, how long were you in India?

gurusw,

I was there for 10 days evaluating opportunities, researching schools and housing. I didn't actually r2i if thats what you are asking about.

hvn2hm, good write up.
At least you tried.

Hvn2hm: Was not getting the right offer only reason to not R2I. I mean if you have got a splendid offer which exceeded your expectations in terms of package and position would you have R2ied? I see you were really motivated and even travelled to India for F2F meetings.

I am curious because if true I think because in future this is going to be primary issue for all aspiring R2Iers. The domestic/already returned talent in India may choke the available positions for aspiring R2Iers in future.

ahirman,

Yes, If I had an offer that met my needs and expectations I would have r2ied without a doubt. As I have mentioned, unfortunately I am very dependent on my earning power for current (decent living standard, good school for the kids) and future (retirement, kids college) financial needs. This is probably true for most if not all professionals in the pharma/biotech/life science fields as we hit respectable wages comparatively later in life.

This was based strictly on our priorities. We didn't want to be in a situation where we regret r2iing mainly because we had to struggle for comfortable living standard.

Thanks for the reply. I agree.

Since we are all used to decent standard of living in west, ability to maintain comfortable living standard as per our expectations is IMO a key enabler for R2I in absence of family/emotional reasons. This ability depends on two ability to manage two related factors:

1. Right package and position in the offered job in India
2. Financial situation and savings in US/India

With current situation in India job/economy a normal guy has to do r2i planning well in advance at least 2/3 years before he/she makes the move, to ensure he/she has enough time to optimize the two factors mentioned above. With passage of time this duration will keep on increasing evenutally leading to a situation where the gap will become too much to bridge. If you ask me I expect a lot lesser percentage of people to R2I in future.

Well said ahirman! My own R2I dilemma started 3-4 years back, and last year I marked 2010 the year to R2I. Meanwhile I have been trying to optimize the exact 2 factors that you mentioned. I still have some time to make my R2I happen. If I can't do it even in next 8-9 months, I do not think I will ever do it.

Btw, have you R2Ied and when? Just curious. Your knowledge and input about Indian job market is very much valued by members like me.