yeah but the Banks still provide better service in the US, just for the fact that they stay oen later and are open on Saturdays :-)

Anyway, isnt what you talk of what we have the offshore and trust banks for .. Scotia, etc ..? Most people working there in high paying positions are not even Bahamian either ..

Yes, I agree. They provide much better customer service. I was just giving a reason why banks in the Bahamas may operate differently. Its just a guess.

...oh, and yes, most of the trustees, portfolio managers, IB analysts that work in the Bahamas are more than likely non-Bahamian. Which is understandable to a degree. But there are Bahamians that are qualified for those positions -- not to brag, but I'm one of them -- I think though, that you can't start locally and work your way up. I think these people worked at corporate headquarters and were offered a cushy position in the Bahamas where they worked 2 hours a day and made 350,000 a year.

Maybe even these people hard time getting jobs in their own countries too (?)

Yes, I agree. They provide much better customer service. I was just giving a reason why banks in the Bahamas may operate differently. Its just a guess.
...oh, and yes, most of the trustees, portfolio managers, IB analysts that work in the Bahamas are more than likely non-Bahamian. Which is understandable to a degree. But there are Bahamians that are qualified for those positions -- not to brag, but I'm one of them -- I think though, that you can't start locally and work your way up. I think these people worked at corporate headquarters and were offered a cushy position in the Bahamas where they worked 2 hours a day and made 350,000 a year.
Have a friend like that now.Came to the Bahamas got married to we Long Island Breeze & dn't want to go back home.Kids even born here,although I do believe they're still US citizens.

Yes, I agree. They provide much better customer service. I was just giving a reason why banks in the Bahamas may operate differently. Its just a guess.
...oh, and yes, most of the trustees, portfolio managers, IB analysts that work in the Bahamas are more than likely non-Bahamian. Which is understandable to a degree. But there are Bahamians that are qualified for those positions -- not to brag, but I'm one of them -- I think though, that you can't start locally and work your way up. I think these people worked at corporate headquarters and were offered a cushy position in the Bahamas where they worked 2 hours a day and made 350,000 a year.


Yep. . then they tell everyone back home the Bahamas is the place to work .. LOL .. meanwhile we all starvin cause they making all the big $$$ .. well something like that .. so goes life ... gotta go to the US then comeback as a foreignor to get a real good job here ...

I am a network engineer in the US.
I support an infastructure that requires connectivity to Russia & India for certain job roles we outsource.
What I cannot fathom is why US companies are outsourcing call center operations for customer service, directory assistance, and technical support to India, and why they wouldnt use resources much closer to home by building and using facilities in the Bahamas?
Can anyone answer this question?
Why wouldn't I want to build an operations center providing well paying jobs new technology to a country that seems like a huge untapped resource?
Everybody speaks English and I have to train whomever I employ anyway,
and it appears to me that there is a need for jobs and technology that would be better appreciated than it is here in the US and abroad.
What prevents me from doing this?
It seems like a win win for the people, the government, and me!


I think that all would agree that the low cost of labour in India is the main reason why American companies are outsourcing such services to India. The fact is, technology has made the world smaller, so it doesn’t matter whether they outsource to The Bahamas or India, all transactions are done via telephone or Internet, so location becomes obsolete.

As for the language, India was a former British colony; therefore, they too speak English. Funny enough, many languages are spoken in India, so someone from one region, speaking to another person from another region, would most likely communicate in English, as it would be both of their common language.

Lastly, education is another factor that plays a pivotal role in their decision to relocate certain services. India is a country with over a billion people, and as such, tens of millions of people are highly educated, but cannot find as good a job, as is available in the west. Therefore, there exists a situation where millions of highly trained persons are working as operators etc., but their superb knowledge of computers and technology means that they require less training and can perform their duties or deliver the service very efficiently.

I think that all would agree that the low cost of labour in India is the main reason why American companies are outsourcing such services to India. The fact is, technology has made the world smaller, so it doesn’t matter whether they outsource to The Bahamas or India, all transactions are done via telephone or Internet, so location becomes obsolete.
As for the language, India was a former British colony; therefore, they too speak English. Funny enough, many languages are spoken in India, so someone from one region, speaking to another person from another region, would most likely communicate in English, as it would be both of their common language.
Lastly, education is another factor that plays a pivotal role in their decision to relocate certain services. India is a country with over a billion people, and as such, tens of millions of people are highly educated, but cannot find as good a job, as is available in the west. Therefore, there exists a situation where millions of highly trained persons are working as operators etc., but their superb knowledge of computers and technology means that they require less training and can perform their duties or deliver the service very efficiently.


Im on a programming forum from Internet.com, where there can be 10's of thousands on the forum at one time .. all hours of the day and night .. and guess what .. most of them are from India coming there asking questions on how to do this or that .. cause they dont know .. they basically got given projects at very low costs, above their level of programming, and just come there looking for free advice .. which they get by the way .. and so basically those US companies outsourcing really do get what they pay for..! And you dont want to see the way the code looks .... arghhh :) There are however some, as in any country, that know what they are doing .. guess they cost more .. :sailing:

Maybe even these people hard time getting jobs in their own countries too (?)


Ummm, this may just be my opinion but...that's unlikely. These people don't look for jobs, jobs look for them.

I think I se where Mikki is going with this...let me give you my take on this and see if this is what you are looking for.

Before I came down here I was a Call Center manager for the largest Credit card operation in the world. We needed multi-lingual operators for lost/stolen cards on a 24/7 basis. We are not talking Spanish-speakers-we are looking at German, French, Japanese, Portugese and others! I don't think they are 'thick on the ground in Nassau, let alone, say Abaco or GB.

Second- I went back last year to see some ex-colleagues. They (45%) were out of a job! Seems that the Spanish calls for to Panama (Avg wage- $2.25/hr), the Japanese and Chinese calls to India (approx 5.75/hr).
the Indians are happy working for this wage- when I was in the US we were paying $15.00/hr for Portugese/Japanese linguists, PLUS medical, a 401K plan etc.

Bahamians have become used to a nice lifestyle and wage...I can't see them working for $5.75/hr on some stressful job when they could flip burgers at WendyMCWhopper....

As a postscript- I read in a paper last week that a UK firm is bringing it's Customer service people back to England from India cos the number of complaints are excessive...Guess you get what you pay for...

Im on a programming forum from Internet.com, where there can be 10's of thousands on the forum at one time .. all hours of the day and night .. and guess what .. most of them are from India coming there asking questions on how to do this or that .. cause they dont know .. they basically got given projects at very low costs, above their level of programming, and just come there looking for free advice .. which they get by the way .. and so basically those US companies outsourcing really do get what they pay for..! And you dont want to see the way the code looks .... arghhh :) There are however some, as in any country, that know what they are doing .. guess they cost more .. :sailing:


LOL...that funny!

Actually, India has done such a good job of promoting itself as a country with millions of computer literate people, who can render services much more cheaply than in developed countries, that they have been able to attract many investors.

When it comes to programmers or other high-skilled persons, it would stand to reason that the best would be hired. However, as everywhere, "flammers" and "pretenders" exist and can work their way to a comfortable position, without necessarily being qualified for the position.

However, when it comes to call centres or telephone operators etc, a company can easily hire from among millions of applicants to fill these less-skilled positions. The same programmers who aren't as good as their fellow peers and thus can't find a job as a programmer, would then accept jobs as operators. An operator requires some computer training etc, but the "programmers" who act as operators are plentiful and don't require as much training as someone whose computer literacy is at a basic level. Thus they can efficiently deliver the service at a low cost.