I know this can be a touchy subject among people but,
I’m pretty sure I saw a thread once about wages for tech artists but I can’t find it now. (I might be getting confused with the thread on required skills for tech artist jobs, I found that ok)
So I was wondering whether some one could point me in the right direction or give me a hint of what to expect through out your career as a tech artist.
the web isn’t giving much away.
I’m in the uk by the way.
what I would like to know is,
what wage would you start on or expect from a tech artist role?
every company I’ve seen says things like competitive, but that doesn’t help if you don’t know what the general going rate is.
The best I can give you is, look at the Gamasutra/GameDeveloper magazine surveys, and err on the high/senior side of the artist salaries for technical artists. We are generally paid more than a regular artist of similar experience/rank. Also adjust for location.
glassdoor.com also keeps given salary information for companies. It’s pretty much on an honor system type setup so someone could easily lie and say they make much more or less than they do, but for the most part I found it pretty spot on.
and +1 on Rob’s comments regarding salary openness.
Thanks for the replies guys, I’m in an interesting position, I’m an artist with a freelance background so loads of experience but none tied to any one company, but the scripting and technical side I have several years experience in, so I’m not entirely an entry level guy,
So based on the figures from shadowM8 what do you think I should ask for in my interview on Friday, I was thinking about going down the line of saying I’ll take what ever reasonable wage you want me on to start but in 3 months we’ll need a full review once you’ve seen my full skill set. Would something like that fly?
I don’t want to do myself out of the job by quoting too much but don’t want to say too little and do my self an injustice, I really want to work for the company, so to a point that’s more important than the money, but its worth knowing what to quote.
With regard to you Rob, you’re well up on your stuff so you’d get a good wage I’m no where near your level yet but it won’t take long for me to get up to speed.
If any ones up for it I’ll pm you the link to the job I’m going for so you can see what you think the job is worth based on what I’ve told you. I could give you my CV too if that would help. cheers
[QUOTE=McPandaBurger;7418]So based on the figures from shadowM8 what do you think I should ask for in my interview on Friday, I was thinking about going down the line of saying I’ll take what ever reasonable wage you want me on to start but in 3 months we’ll need a full review once you’ve seen my full skill set. Would something like that fly?[/quote]
Bad idea. It creates way too much tension and the company probably can’t or won’t do it. If you do it this way, then get the ‘number after full review’ in stone, otherwise you’ll be disappointed.
I don’t want to do myself out of the job by quoting too much but don’t want to say too little and do my self an injustice, I really want to work for the company, so to a point that’s more important than the money, but its worth knowing what to quote.
Well, yeah it is a balancing act. But many companies are pretty open to salary negotiation. Good candidates are not a dime a dozen (or they’d be paying everyone much less), and offering a higher number will usually result in a counteroffer, not a denial (though it isn’t unheard of). If they want you, they want you.
Oh and PM me the job and CV if you want me to take a look.
Best thing I can advise is to see if the prospective employer will throw out a number first. Expect there to be wiggle room, and don’t be afraid to ask for more if you think you are worth more. If you are forced to give a number first, you can always provide a range that you think is fair. I would be surprised if an employer low-balled you to the absolute low-end of a stated range.
When I had very little experience I’d not wanted to discuss salary before the prospect of an offer for fear that I’d ask for too much and shut myself out of an interview. But if I were to be looking for a new position now, I’d be more inclined to be up front about my expectations so that I don’t waste anyone’s time if they can’t meet my minimal requirements.
In the end, you want to negotiate a contract that everyone is happy with. So showing the value that you’ll bring to an employer will be essential. If there is hesitation towards bringing you on full time, you can always propose a short term contract, but that probably only works best if there is no relocation required.
I’ve made a few mistakes of quoting clients (or potential job offers) too low an estimate. The problem then is that they assume you don’t value your own worth, and therefore will not do a good job. I once knocked myself down from a “mid level artist” to an “entry level artist” by explaining how much I previously made at my other jobs. It seems ridiculous, but it’s one of the corner-stones of negotiation. I wish I could give you specific numbers, I think the guys here could give you much better ones, but I will say that you should make sure you have your research done before you start.